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Car hire at Vienna Airport - Visiting the Austrian Capital

Located in Schwechat, just 18 kilometres (11 miles) south-east of the city centre, Vienna International Airport (VIE) is Austria's largest airport and serves as the main aie transportation hub for Austrian Airlines as well as a busy base for leading low-cost carriers Wizz Air and Ryanair. Catering for well in excess of 30 million passenger movements a year, the airport connets with an extensive network of European destinations as well as long-haul flights to and from Asia, North America and Africa.

Opened in 1938 as a military airport, it was developed and improved in the years following World War II with a second runway and more recently it has been greatly expanded with new terminals, better facilities and an ultra-modern design. Today VIE is one of the most important airports in central Europe and a traditional east-west hub handing over 70 airlines and more than 170 directly served destinations worldwide with approximately 2,500 scheduled flights every week.

One of Europe's most visited capitals, Vienna is blessed with a plethora of attractions and activities for young and old alike. Nestling proudly on the banks of the River Danube, the city is bursting with historical interest, unique art collections, grand palaces and an unparalleled musical heritage. Its star sight is without doubt the Imperial Hofburg Palace, seat of the Habsburgs for more than six centuries and the official residence of every Austrian ruler since 1275.

With a car hire at Vienna Airport you'll also have quick access to some of the most picturesque landscapes in the whole of Europe, such as the Danube Valley where long country roads wind their way leisurely through dense forests and a succession of historic towns and villages. Equally enchanting is Linz, Austria's third-largest city which lies a comfortable two-hour drive due west of Vienna.

For almost 70 years Auto Europe has been a leader of the international car rental industry, offering high-qualty car hire at over 24,000 locations in 180 destinations worldwide. For help with your booking, please call our rental specialists on +441233225114 who are always happy to assist you and will find you the best deal. For added peace of mind, please visit our Vienna car hire reviews page to see the ratings and comments posted by previous Auto Europe customers in the city.

If you're going to be driving around Vienna and the rest of Austria extensively, you might also want to consult our Austria driving guide for lots of travel tips and additional information on local road rules, speed limits, driving distances, etc.

Airport Information

Vienna International Airport (known locally as Flughafen Wien-Schwechat) is Austria's largest airport and is a hub for major airlines and low-cost European carriers. Situated near the meeting point of Western and Eastern Europe, it serves destinations and countries right across the continent and all pver the world. It is located in the small town of Schwechat, just 18 km (11 miles) south-east of central Vienna and only about 56 km (35 miles) west of the Slovakian capital, Bratislava. It takes between 15 to 30 minutes on average to travel to VIE from Vienna's compact city centre, depending on your mode of transport.

Vienna Airport (VIE)
Address: Wien-Flughafen, 1300 Schwechat, Austria
Telephone: +43 1 7007 22233
Airlines operating at Vienna Airport: Besides serving as the main hub for Austrian Airlines, Vienna Airport receives regular flights from a growing number of major international airlines, including Aer Lingus (Dublin), Air Canada, Air France, All Nippon Airways, Austrian Airlines (main hub), British Airways (London Heathrow plus seasonal services to Gatwick), China Airlines, easyJet (London Gatwick), Emirates, Finnair, Iberia, KLM, Korean Air, Lufthansa, Ryanair (Bristol, Dublin, Edinburgh, Liverpool, London Stansted), Thai Airways and Wizz Air (London Luton).

Where to pick up my car hire at Vienna Airport

One of the best ways of visiting the Austrian capital is by choosing to rent a car at Vienna Airport. Several of the world's most prestigious international and domestic car rental companies operate at the dedicated car hire centre loctaed on level 0 of the multi-storey Car Park 4 (P4). To reach the centre, it's best to use the short covered underground passageway leading away from the arrivals area. Before ariving at the rental desk to pick up your vehicle, please make sure you have your driving licence, ID, coverage details and a credit card in the amin driver's name.

Car hire operating hours

	Avis at Vienna Airport Car Rental Centre Vienna, Austria 1300 43 50 5858 5860	Opening Hours: Sun-Fri 8.30am-10.30pm (Sat 8.30am-6pm)
	Europcar at Vienna Airport Car Rental Centre, Vienna, Austria 1300 +43 1 866 1610	Opening Hours: Mon-Fri 8am-10pm Sat 9am-5pm Sun 9am-8pm
	Hertz at Vienna Airport Car Rental Centre, Vienna, Austria 1300 +43 1 79542 1301	Opening Hours: Mon-Fri 7am-11.30pm Sat 8am-8pm Sun 8am-11pm
	Sixt at Vienna Airport Car Rental Centre Vienna, Austria 1300 +43 1 505264004	Opening Hours: Mon-Fri 7am-11.30pm Sat 8am-8pm Sun 8am-11.30pm

Terminals

Vienna International Airport has four terminal buildings, namely Terminals 1, 2 and 3 (which are adjacent to each other) and Terminal 1A which is located directly opposite Terminal 1. Terminals 1, 2 and 3 connect to the five concourses and the central arrivals hall for all terminal areas is located in Terminal 3. Terminal 1 underwent refurbishment in January 2013 and is now mainly used by some oneworld and SkyTeam airlines and Turkish Airlines, while Terminal 1A is a standalone building opposite Terminal 1 and hosts check-in facilities for a number of low-cost carriers. Terminal 3 is the airport's busiest termianl and is used by the Austrian Airlines Group and the majority of Star Alliance members, along with a number of other carriers including ANA, Emirates, El Al, Korean Air, Royal Jordanian, Thai Airways and Qatar Airways.

Airport Facilities

Being such a large, modern and well-connected 21st-century airport, it's no surprise to find that VIE satisfies most passengers' requirements with its extensive range of on-site shopping and dining options. A popular feature is the airport-wide series of Heinemann Duty-free stores offering an exhaustive range of first-class beauty products, perfumes, spirits and local delicacies, as well as a rich assortment of games, gifts and souvenirs. Jamie Oliver's Italian, Bar and Deli is always a big hit in the food section, along with Burger King, McDonald's and Starbucks. A major (and very unique) airport attraction is Visitor World where aviation enthusiasts, no matter how old they are, can enjoy a captivating insight into the day-to-day activities of a busy international airport. Visitors begin by exploring the apron on an airport tour bus before witnessing first-hand number of take-offs and landings at very close range. Other facilties and amenities at Vienna Airport include a police station, chemist, free Wi-fi, numerous ATMs and a porter service. The airport is also 100% wheelchair-accessible with floor maps indicating the whereabouts of restrooms and other services for people with disabilities or of restricted mobility, the blind/visually impaired and deaf/hard of hearing.

How to get to and from Vienna Airport

If you are dropping off your car hire at Vienna Airport, the quickest route from the city centre is via the A4 motorway heading in a south-eastwardly direction. The journey takes about 20 minutes and the A4 directly passes the airport, so you just need to exit at junction 13 and follow the signs to the main terminal complex. From Bratislava you can reach the airport via the A6 (Nord-Ostautobahn) and the A4 (Ostautobahn), which take you straight to VIE in about 45 minutes (distance approximately 65 km). Located in the south-east of Vienna, the airport can also be reached very easily by public transport using the ÖBB Railjet, bus or the rapid transit railway. With a journey time of only 16 minutes, the City Airport Train is the fastest way to travel to the city centre both in a congestion-free and environmentally- friendly way. The City Airport Train operates daily from early morning until late at night 365 days a year and its terminus is located within walking distance (10 minutes) from St Stephan’s Cathedral at Wien Mitte station in the heart of the city centre. The rapid transit railway (S-Bahn) is another economical way of travelling between Vienna city centre and airport. The Vienna Airport Lines 'Postbus' service connects Vienna Airport with the main Vienna transport hubs and all the city's underground railway lines. There are connections every 30 minutes to the airport from Wien Westbahnhof and Wien Hauptbahnhof train stations, while buses to the city centre (Morzinplatz/Schwedenplatz) run 24 hours a day with a journey time of around 20 minutes outside the weekday rush-hours.

Parking Tips

For anyone looking to park their car rental at Vienna Airport, there are two large multi-storey car parks in prime locations right next to the main terminal buildings. Car Park 3 is recommended for departures from Terminal 1/1A and Car Park 4 is the best choice for passengers departing from Terminal 3. The short-term car park (K3) is only a few metres away from the exit of the Arrivals Hall and is therefore the ideal option for picking up passengers. Car park C is about a 10-minute walk from the terminals via a dedicated footpath that is mostly underground and well protected from the weather. The following guidelines apply to parking in Vienna: tickets are required from Monday to Saturday between 9am and 10pm; you may park your car on the street for a maximum of 2 hours; in the district of Stadthallen, you must also pay a fee from 6pm to 11pm (except in the months of July and August) and vouchers for short-term parking (or Parkscheins) can be purchased from newsagents (Trafiken), offices of the Vienna Public Transport System, at petrol stations and major railway stations. Commercial car parks (called Parkhaus or Parkgarage) operate throughout Vienna city centre, but these can be pricey. A much cheaper and often more convenient alternative is the Park and Ride (P&R) network, which is available at a number of underground stations in the surrounding areas. There's a discount on the weekly rate for those who purchase an underground or tram ticket.

Useful links

Vienna Airport