Vienna travel info

Three in the afternoon: a Melange and a glass of water land on a marble table. The old man next to you turns the pages of a newspaper clipped to a wooden pole, and the waiter in the black waistcoat hurries no one. Order one coffee in a Viennese café and you can sit there two hours without a single look. That sets the pace for the whole city.

The old town (the 1st district) is wrapped by the Ring, a boulevard laid where the city walls once stood, and inside it sit St Stephen's patterned roof and the Habsburg palace. Red trams run along the Ring past the State Opera, City Hall and Parliament. Step a little further out and Klimt's 'The Kiss' at the Belvedere, the yellow walls of Schönbrunn and the vineyard taverns on the edge of town are all within 30 minutes by tram or U-Bahn.

From September 2026 to October 2027 the airport run works differently than usual (the CAT train has been replaced by buses), so read the airport section first. And remember that almost every shop shuts on Sunday. The rest is walking, listening and choosing cake.

Vienna International Airport (Schwechat) (VIE)