16. May 2025
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Vienna Airport (VIE) Bus Transfer with Vienna Airport Lines

Florian Buechtingby Florian Buechting

Vienna Airport Lines

Vienna Airport Lines
3.9

Rating

 3.9/5

Flyctory.com Pros

  • Good connections to the city
  • Some unique destinations
  • Reliable service

Flyctory.com Cons

  • No luggage rack in some buses
  • Limited comfort

For the Rock of Ages show in Vienna in April 2024, I opted for the B&B Hotel Stadthalle. As the hotel is located close to Westbahnhof / Western Train Station, I tried out a bus transportation option from and to Vienna Airport (VIE). Vienna Airport Lines offers three lines from the airport to the city center. A good opportunity to share my thoughts with you.

 

Vienna Airport Lines – The Network

Vienna Airport Lines are driven by the Austrian Postbus (“Postal Coach”) service. They have three lines in total. They are flagged VAL 1 to VAL 3. Line VAL 1 is heading to Westbahnhof station. It also stops on the South of the Hauptbahnhof (Vienna Central Station). VAL 2 is a direct connection to Morzinplatz next to Schwedenplatz, which is overall the connection which brings you closest to city center. VIE 3 takes you to the shopping mall Donauzentrum. This line feature the most stops en route (five city-bound, six in the direction of the airport). They include the Ernst-Happel-Stadion and the Vienna International Centre.

VAL 1 and VAL 2 run every half an hour. The bus stops are ordinary bus stops and are clearly signed. VAL 3 runs every hour. In contrast to the other lines, VAL 3 also does not offer later evening services.  The scheduled ravel times between the two terminal terminal stations are roughly 40 minutes for VAL 1 and VAL 3. VAL 2 has an official travel time of 20 minutes. However, these times significantly depend on the travel conditions in and around the Austrian capital.

 

 

Vienna Airport Lines – Tariff

Independent from the line and destination, you pay the same fare for a trip with Vienna Airport Lines. A one way adult trip is 11 EUR, the return is 20 EUR. Preferably, you buy them online beforehand. The stops at Vienna Airport (VIE) and Westbahnhof also feature ticketing machines. You may also buy a ticket at the driver. You cannot use the bus service within the boundaries of the city, e.g. from Central to Western Station. Online tickets are refundable until the day of travel.

 

Vienna Airport Lines – The Buses

The buses are in line with public bus services. This also means that they have a reasonable level of comfort for the comparably short trip. Especially during peak times like on Friday afternoon, you might not get a seat in the bus, though, and have to stand in them. This, of course, especially applies to airport-bound trips, if you do not board the bus on the first stop. The busses come with screens, which display information like the location of the bus of the departure table for airport-bound trips. Unfortunately, the buses were not equivalent during my trip. While my outbound trip from the airport had a large luggage rack, you had to store your luggage on the inbound on the ground. This is very bothering and definitely gave a negative impact to my travel experience.

 

Vienna Airport Lines – The Ride & Alternatives

Overall, the ride with Vienna Airport Lines was reasonably comfortable. The drivers did not operate the vehicle aggressively. There are numerous other ways to get to the city. During my January 2025 trip, for example, I simply took the Railjet train to the main station. The service is significantly cheaper (4.50 EUR, Economy Class) and operates every 30 minutes as well. The well-advertised CAT (“City Airport Train”) runs to Wien Mitte (not Main Station) and is another non-stop service, but is more expansive (14.90 EUR). There are also alternative coach services and an S-Bahn commuter rail service.

 

Vienna Airport Lines – My View

Vienna Airport Lines is a good options for trips from Vienna Airport (VIE) to certain destinations in the city. This especially applies to Westbahnhof or Donauzentrum, which require transfers to public transport, when you go for other options. For other destinations, especially the main station, other providers are superior to me. One thing I did not like is that the service also operates buses without luggage racks.

 

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