Arrival in Vienna - When?

Exchange students participating in the Intensive German Language Course should arrive in Vienna at least one day before the course starts. See details of German Language Courses.

For all other students, the best time to arrive is a few days before the semester begins (the winter semester starts on October 1 and the summer semester starts on March 1).
We very much like to invite you to our Welcome Days for International Students in the week before the semester starts. BEFORE that you should register at the Study services.

Please be aware that you have to register for your courses. To be able to do that you need your BOKU account. This account will only be activated after you have registered in the Study services and after having paid the student union fee (apr. € 25)  with a bank card (Maestro, Visa, Mastercard, … – no cash) there. If you do not have a bank card, please ask your buddy to go to the Study services with you and to use his/her card.

Please try to register for the courses as soon as possible after your arrival – some courses (excursions, seminars, practical courses,..) get booked up very quickly. If you arrive rather late, please write an e-mail to the contact person that is given in the course description in BOKUonline and ask him/her if it is possible to register provisionally.

In any case, you should adjust your arrival time with the office hours of the students’ residence or with the presence of your landlord/landlady. In most cases it is not possible to move in in the evening or during the weekend. So please try to arrive in Vienna during daytime hours on a weekday. However, if it is only possible for you to arrive during the night or at the weekend and if you are not able to move into your room, please try to find a room for the first night at one of the temporary accommodations mentioned above.

As an international student you will have been appointed a buddy, who might, if you wish, be able to pick you up at the airport or the train station. Please contact your buddy in advance to arrange a meeting with them.

Interrail Pass for Erasmus+

The Interrail Pass for Erasmus+ is a six-month pass valid for participants who travel by train during their Erasmus+ experience. The pass was created to fulfil the current priority of the Erasmus+ programme: environment and the fight against climate change.

Arrival in Vienna - Where?

There are many ways to travel to  Vienna. Here you can find a few options when arriving:

Arrival by Plane

When you arrive at the Vienna International Airport (Wien-Schwechat) you will be in the Bundesland (Federal State) of Lower Austria, about 15 kilometers south of Vienna.

From here there are good tansport connections to the Vienna Main Station (Hauptbahnhof), the Westbahnhof and the Landstraße - Wien Mitte subway station.

Further information about the airport you can find here.

The railway (S-Bahn) 7 goes to the subway station Landstraße- Wien Mitte and further to Floridsdorf (subway line U6). It is the cheapest connection. It comes even cheaper if you already have a ticket for Vienna and the ticket for the train is solved only to the city limits. The first train leaves at 4:49 in the morning, the last at 1:19 at night. Timetables

It is also possible to use the newly introduced City Airport Train (CAT) to get from the airport to Landstraße-Wien Mitte. The trip is considerably more expensive than the S-Bahn, but the train only runs for 16 minutes, starting from 6:08 in the morning, then every half hour until 23:38 in the evening.

A cab ride costs about € 35 - € 60.

Arrival by Train ...

... at Hauptbahnhof
Many trains from southern and eastern Europe arrive at the new main station (Hauptbahnhof).
The main station is located at the subway station “Südtirolerplatz” (U1). Tram D takes you directly to the centre (Karlsplatz with connections to U1, U2 and U4).
Furthermore, you can take tram O and 18 (to the “Westbahnhof”) or the buses 13A and 69A. There is also a suburban train stop at the “Hauptbahnhof”.

... at Wien Meidling
If you arrive at the train station Wien Meidling you can take the subway U6.

... at Westbahnhof
Many trains from Western or Northern Europe arrive at “Westbahnhof”. From there, you can take the underground U3 (orange) and U6 (brown) as well as trams 5, 6, 9, 18, 52 and 58.

Arrival by Bus
The main bus station for big bus carriers like Eurolines is located in Erdberg where you can get on the underground U3 (orange). Travel in the direction of “Ottakring” to reach the city centre.

Arrival by Car
It is advisable to only use a car in Vienna for excursions (to park a car in Vienna longterm a “Parkpickerl” or parking permit is required). Wtihin Vienna we recommend that you use public transport, a bike, or walk.