Vienna U-Bahn (Metro)

Fast kind of getting around

Viennese metro is usually referred to as U-Bahn, an abbreviated form of Untergrundbahn (underground railway in German). U-Bahn is the fastest kind of getting around in Vienna in most cases, at least when you try to get from and/or to places close to an operating U-Bahn station. The U-Bahn network is relatively dense, especially in the centre of Vienna.

U-Bahn tickets

The U-Bahn network is the key part of Vienna public transport system and is well interconnected with the S-Bahn (city trains), tram and bus networks in many places. All these kinds of transport share a single fare system and one ticket can be used for all of them. However, beware of the exceptions: the tickets are not valid for the airport services of City Airport Train (CAT) and Vienna Airport Lines (bus) operated by different companies. See more information about Vienna public transport fares, tickets, and where to buy them.

U-Bahn as a way of orientation in Vienna

Thanks to its relatively dense network and station names which usually reflect important streets, squares, or major buildings, U-Bahn provides a great help in case that you get lost. The entrance points to each station are marked with the U-Bahn logo, white capital letter U on dark blue background. If you see this sign, it is easy to find out where you are after figuring out the station’s name and looking at the U-Bahn network plan.

5 U-Bahn lines

Viennese metro lines don’t have names and are marked with the letter U and numbers. There are five lines in operation in Vienna: U1, U2, U3, U4, and (surprise) U6. U5 is missing. In the past there were various suggestions of possible route of U5, but none of them won enough support and U5 is not even close to start of construction.

Besides the number, each line has its own unique colour that is used in the stations, trains, and maps.