Vienna Metro (U-Bahn)
Travelling on Vienna's U-Bahn system will take you to the majority of the city's main points of interest.
Construction on Vienna's metro system, called the U-Bahn, began in 1969, which makes it one of the most modern in Europe. However, before it was built, the Viennese did use a similar system, the Stadtbahn or City Railway, which dated back to 1898.
Vienna Metro Lines
Vienna's U-Bahn is made up of 5 lines; all of the routes go underground, and some of them include overground stretches too.
- Line U1 (Red): It runs through Vienna from north to south, from Leopoldau station to Oberlaa. It is an interesting line, as it has a station next to the cathedral at Stephansplatz and serves to reach the central station.
- Line U2 (Purple): covers the city centre in a semi-circle route that connects the Stadion (stadium) metro stop with Karlsplatz. This line stops at the Prater too, and is also useful for getting to the Museumsquartier, Karlskirche and the Parliament building.
- Line U3 (Orange): crosses the city from northwest to southeast, from Ottakring to Simmering, passing through some tourist highlights including Stephansplatz and the Hofburg Palace. You can also catch the train to the airport from the Wien Mitte stop on this line.
- Line U4 (Green): It runs through the stations from Hütteldorf in the west to Heiligenstadt in the north, with an important stop on its route coinciding with Schönbrunn Palace.
- Line U6 (Brown): Connects the outskirts of Vienna practically from south to north, from Siebenhirten station to Florisdorf. It is a line that is of little use to tourists.
Timetable and frequency
The Vienna metro is open from approximately 5:00 am to 12:30 am. Peak hours are between 7:00 and 9:00 in the morning and between 16:00 and 18:00 in the evening.
The frequency of trains is usually 5 minutes during the most normal schedules. During peak hours the frequency increases and trains take 2 to 5 minutes, while from 8:30 pm onwards, trains run every 7 to 8 minutes. On Fridays and weekends, trains run every 15 minutes in the evening.
Prices
Find ticket prices for the U-Bahn and Vienna's other modes of public transport via the following link: public transport prices in Vienna.
