Getting around in Vienna is really easy. Public transport is affordable and quite efficient, so renting a car in the city doesn't make any sense. Parking is a real hassle, even the locals sometimes have to google, where and for how long they are allowed to park on the street. If you plan a trip to other parts in Austria, where you need a car, then I would use a website like cheaptickets or priceline to compare prices.
From/To the Airport
The taxis, that you find at the airport are the most expensive choice. If you want to take a cab going to the airport, call one of the two radio taxi companies below, they have a fixed rate of € 36 for up to four passengers., but you have to tell them on the phone, that you are going to the airport. If you are arriving at the airport, they have counters inside the arrivals hall and offer the same rate. There are a few private shuttle services, which charge a few Euros less, not all of them reliable.
The City Airport Train (CAT) takes you directly from the airport to subway stop "Wien Mitte", very close to the center. Tickets are € 12 (single) and € 21 (return) at the machine, or € 11 and € 19, if you buy them online.
Almost as easy and a much better deal is the regular city train S7, leaving from the same train station at the airport and going to "Wien Mitte" as well. If you already have a ticket from "Wiener Linien" (more information a bit further down) to use it for public transport in the city, then you only pay an extra € 1,80, as the airport is outside the city of Vienna. If you just need a single ride, you pay the € 1,80 plus a regular ticket for Vienna, which is € 2,40, so it sums up to € 4,20. Or you buy whatever ticket you want to use for your stay in Vienna plus the € 1,80 and you are all set.
The regular airport buses charge between € 5 and € 8 for a single ride. You find prices, routes and timetables here (in English).
Cars
In case you already came by car, to avoid tickets or being towed away, you should use a public car park. The closer you come to the center, the more expensive, of course. The best choice probably is Parkgarage Karlsplatz , not even 10 minutes walking from the opera, where you only pay € 2/hour and € 12 max. for 24 hours. Or you use one of our park&ride garages in the outskirts of the city, where you park directly at a subway stop and pay € 3,60 per day.
Taxis & Uber
Taxis are all metered, you can use two radio taxi companies: +43-1-40100, or +43-1-31300. They charge an additional fee of € 2,80, as they come to your address, or you just get them on the street or at one of our many taxi stands. Uber still exists, although they had to pay hundreds of thousands in fines already. Most often they are cheaper than a taxi.
Subway, buses and trolley
You can use all of them with the same ticket. You get them at many tobacco stores, or at ticket machines, which you find at any subway stop. These are easy to use, accept credit cards and you can change the language as well. A single ticket can be used for one ride, you can change lines, as well as means of transport, but you are not allowed to interrupt your journey. It costs € 2,40, you get them on the newer trams as well, but there you pay € 2,60. If you already celebrated your 63rd birthday you can buy a senior ticket for € 1,50. Make sure your ticket is valid. At the ticket machines you can choose to validate them immediately, if not you have to put it into the small blue boxes, which you find inside trolleys and buses and downstairs at the subway stops.
A one day ticket is valid until 1 in the morning of the following day and costs you € 5,80, a 24 hours ticket: € 8,00, 48 hours: € 14,10 72 hours: € 17,10 and a one week ticket, which is valid from Monday 1 a.m. until the following Monday 9 a.m. € 17,10 as well. (Prices as of May 2019) Or you move to Vienna, locals pay only € 1 per day! 🙂 Fare dodging is not a good idea: the fine is € 105!
Further information, in English as well, you get on the website of "Wiener Linien".
Citybike
These are really great, if you overcome the hassle of registration. Visit their website (in English), there you can see, where to find the next bicycle and you can register as well, or download their app. The first hour is always free!
E-Scooters
Here are the six companies offering e-scooter sharing (as of May 2019). Let's see how many of them survive. They all charge € 1 to start and then 15 cents per minute. You have to download their app to your smartphone to be able to rent them. By law they are treated as bicycles, so you are not allowed to use them on the sidewalks.
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