Getting There

As a gateway between western and eastern Europe, Vienna has seen an increase in air traffic. Although a number of well-respected European airlines serve Vienna, most flights from America require a transfer in another European city, such as London or Frankfurt.

The Major Airlines

From the United States -- You can fly directly to Vienna on Austrian Airlines (tel. 800/843-0002 in the U.S., 888/817-444 in Canada; www.austrianair.com), the national carrier of Austria. There's nonstop service from New York (approximately 9 hr.), Washington, and Toronto.

British Airways (tel. 800/AIRWAYS in the U.S. and Canada; www.britishairways.com) provides excellent service to Vienna. Passengers fly first to London -- usually nonstop -- from 23 gateways in the United States, 5 in Canada, 2 in Brazil, or from Bermuda, Mexico City, or Buenos Aires. From London, British Airways has two to five daily nonstop flights to Vienna from either Gatwick or Heathrow airport.

Flights on Lufthansa (tel. 800/645-3880 in the U.S. and Canada; www.lufthansa-usa.com), the German national carrier, depart from North America frequently for Frankfurt and Düsseldorf, with connections to Vienna.

American Airlines (tel. 800/433-7300 in the U.S. and Canada; www.aa.com) funnels Vienna-bound passengers through Zurich or London.

From Canada -- You can usually connect from your hometown to British Airways (tel. 800/AIRWAYS in Canada; www.britishairways.com) gateways in Toronto, Montréal, and Vancouver. Nonstop flights from both Toronto's Pearson Airport and Montréal's Mirabelle Airport depart every day for London; flights from Vancouver depart for London three times a week. In London, you can stay for a few days (arranging discounted hotel accommodations through the British Airways tour desk) or head directly to Vienna on any of the two to five daily nonstop flights from either Heathrow or Gatwick.

From London -- There are frequent flights to Vienna, the majority of which depart from London's Heathrow Airport. Flight time is 2 hours and 20 minutes.

Austrian Airlines (tel. 0870/124-2625 from the U.K.; www.austrianair.com) has four daily nonstop flights into Vienna from Heathrow.

British Airways (tel. 0870/850-9850 in London; www.britishairways.com) offers three daily nonstops from Heathrow and two from Gatwick, with easy connections through London from virtually every other part of Britain.

Getting Into Town from the Airport

When you come out of Customs, signs for taxis and buses are straight ahead. A one-way taxi ride from the airport into the Inner City costs about 35€ ($46), or more if traffic is bad. Therefore, it's better to take the bus.

Regular bus service connects the airport and the City Air Terminal, which is adjacent to the Vienna Hilton and directly across from the Wien Mitte/Landstrasse rail station, where you can easily connect with subway and tramlines. Buses run every 20 minutes from 5:30am to 11:30pm, every hour from midnight until 5am. The trip takes about 25 minutes and costs 9€ ($12) per person. Tickets are sold on the bus and must be purchased with Austrian money. There's also bus service between the airport and two railroad stations, the Westbahnhof and the Südbahnhof, every 30 to 60 minutes. The fare is 6€ ($7.80).

There's also local train service, Schnellbahn, between the airport and the Wien Nord and Wien Mitte rail stations. Trains run hourly between 5am and 11:40pm and leave from the basement of the airport. Trip time is 40 to 45 minutes, and the fare is 3€ ($3.60).