Flew in from Schengen? You skip passport control
If your flight came from another Schengen country, there's no passport check — follow the exit / baggage-reclaim signs straight through. Schengen arrivals use Terminal 2.
VIE
Vienna International
Vienna, Austria
Vienna is orderly and low-scam, uses the euro and is in Schengen. The one thing worth knowing: don't default to the heavily marketed CAT train. The ÖBB S-Bahn (S7) and regular ÖBB trains do the same run into the city for roughly a third of the price.
Overall progress0/10
Before you do anything
From another Schengen country? No passport controlSchengen arrivals go straight to baggage reclaim — just follow the exit signs.
It's the euro, and cards work everywhereAustria uses the euro and is very card-friendly, so you barely need cash. A bank ATM covers anything you do need.
112 works with no SIMThe EU emergency number reaches police, ambulance and fire from any phone.
You don't need the expensive airport trainThe ÖBB S-Bahn or a regular ÖBB train reaches the city for about €4.40 — check Ground Transport before you buy a CAT ticket.
Smart habits at any airport
Bussed to the terminal? Get off the plane lastIf there is no jet bridge and a shuttle bus takes you from the aircraft to the terminal, don't rush to be first off the plane. The bus won't leave until it's full, so early boarders just stand and wait — often with no air-conditioning. Get off among the last: you'll be near the doors and step out first when the bus reaches the terminal, putting you at the front of the passport-control queue.
Use a bank's ATM and always decline 'conversion'At any airport, withdraw from a bank's own ATM rather than a standalone machine like Euronet where you have the choice. And whenever a machine or card reader offers to charge you in your home currency, always DECLINE and choose the local currency — 'dynamic currency conversion' hides a markup.
From outside Schengen: pick the right passport lane
Arriving from a non-Schengen country, follow signs to passport control. Lanes split into EU/EEA/Swiss passports and all other passports — join the right one with your passport open at the photo page. EU e-gates are available for eligible passports.
Customs: green channel if nothing to declare
Most arrivals walk straight out through the green 'nothing to declare' channel. You must declare cash of €10,000 or more when entering or leaving the EU.
Find your belt on the screens
Check the baggage screens for your flight number to find the carousel, and keep your bag-tag receipt until you've left the airport.
If your bag doesn't arrive, don't leave the hall yet
File a Property Irregularity Report (PIR) at the baggage-service desk in the reclaim hall before you exit — it's much easier than starting a claim later.
Tip: Photograph your bag and its tag before you fly; it speeds up any claim.
Need euro? Use a bank ATM, not Euronet
Vienna is very card-friendly, so you may hardly need cash. If you want some, use a bank's own ATM (Erste Bank / Bank Austria) rather than a standalone Euronet machine, and always choose to be charged in euro — decline any 'conversion' to your home currency.
EU visitors: your phone already works
EU/EEA visitors keep their home data plan under EU roaming at no extra cost. Others can pick up an A1 or Magenta tourist SIM in arrivals (about €10–20), or use a travel eSIM.
Best value: the ÖBB train or S-Bahn
A regular ÖBB train reaches Wien Hauptbahnhof (the main station) in about 16 minutes, and the S-Bahn line S7 runs to Wien Mitte in the centre in about 25 minutes. Both cost roughly €4.40 — buy from the red ÖBB ticket machines, not the CAT counter. From either station the U-Bahn takes you onward.
Skip the pricey CAT unless someone else is paying
The green City Airport Train (CAT) is marketed heavily at €14.90 one-way, but it takes the same ~16 minutes to Wien Mitte as the ÖBB train that costs about a third as much. It's not a scam — just poor value for most travellers.
Taxi or ride-app: fixed fare, licensed cars
A taxi to the centre is a fixed fare of roughly €36–45 per car (tolls included) from the official rank outside arrivals. Uber and Bolt also operate — in Austria they dispatch licensed taxis — but you meet them on the departures road one level above arrivals, not at the rank. All cost far more than the train.
Something went wrong? Emergency help
My bag didn't arrive
Before leaving the baggage hall, file a PIR at the baggage-service desk and keep your tag receipt and a photo of the bag. You'll get a reference number to track the claim.
I missed my connection
Go to your airline's transfer or ticketing desk in the terminal — don't leave the secure area if your onward flight is from here. Airlines normally rebook a connection missed because of a late inbound flight.
Lost or stolen passport
Report it to airport police, then contact your country's embassy or consulate for an emergency travel document. Keep a photo of your passport's ID page on your phone before you travel.
Medical emergency
Go to an airport medical point or information desk, or call the local emergency number (shown in this airport's arrival tips) — it usually works from any phone, even with no SIM. Numbers differ by country, so don't assume 112 works everywhere.
An ATM kept my card
Do not leave immediately — note the ATM's bank and location, then call your card issuer to block the card. Machines inside bank branches are safer to retrieve from than standalone ones.