Air
There are direct flights to Vienna from just about every European capital city, with the flight time from London just over two hours. Flying time from the East Coast of the United States is about nine hours. Austrian Airlines have non-stop flights from the US, but it might be that the least expensive route to Vienna is via a European hub such as London or Paris. The city’s international airport is about 13 miles south-east of the city centre and there are fast connections to get you into town. The City Airport train runs to the City air terminal at Wien Mitte (central Vienna) in 16 minutes for the cost of 9 Euros. Alternatively, you can catch the S-Bahn (underground train), which runs every half an hour into the city centre. The journey time’s about 25 minutes and the cost about 3 Euros for a one-way trip. There’s also a variety of buses. If you’re taking a cab, opt for an airport taxi rather than a standard one. The one-way fare should be around 25 Euros. Full details on www.viennaairport.com
Train
Travelling by train is a pleasantly old-fashioned and extremely leisurely way to reach Vienna. You can go from London overnight in about 20 hours. There are several possible routes. If you’re looking for the fewest number of changes then you need to travel via Paris from where there’s a direct overnight service to Vienna. The cheaper route would be via Brussels and Cologne, with a change in both, and an overnight service from Cologne. German Railways’ website is www.bahn.de. Arriving in Vienna from the west, you’ll come to the Westbahnhof (west station), which is five stops from the city centre on the U-Bahn subway.
Road
Coming from London, the most convenient route would be to take the car through the Channel Tunnel on a train and then drive via Brussels, Cologne, Frankfurt and Nuremberg – a journey of about 750 miles after arriving on mainland Europe. It costs nothing to drive on motorways in Belgium and Germany, but to go on an Austrian autobahn, you must buy and display a sticker or Vignette (available at border crossings and petrol stations); the cheapest version is valid for ten days and costs around 8 Euros. One of the cheapest ways of reaching Vienna is by bus. There’s a direct service run by Eurolines from London’s Victoria Coach Station. The journey is about 22 hours and a flexible return costs about £100. www.eurolines.co.uk
