Cheap flights to Vienna, Austria

Vienna Travel Guide

Vienna, the capital city of Austria, was for more than 600 years the center of the Hapsburg Empire. Travelers taking cheap flights to Vienna will discover that this city is indeed fit for emperors. It's a city of stunning architecture, art, music and culture. 

If Salzburg is Austria’s cultural core, Vienna is Austria’s modern city center. Lined with cafes, parks and wine bars, Vienna is an alluring metropolis to first-time Austria travelers. Vienna is home to nearly two million people, but the millions of travelers who book flights to Vienna every year have made this city one of the most popular European destinations.

Vienna is a great destination spot for any type of traveler. Rated one of the most romantic cities in Europe, a flight to Vienna is sure to soothe matters of the heart. Scholars will enjoy Vienna’s history with a stroll down medieval alleyways and a walk through some of Austria’s famous castles. First time travelers can find cheap flights to Vienna and spend time lounging in sidewalk cafes or taking part in open-air festivals. No matter your reason for visiting Vienna, you’re sure to find something exciting to do. Here are some tips to help you plan and enjoy the smoothest possible trip to Tokyo.

What’s the weather like in Vienna?

Vienna has a straightforward climate: four seasons with cold winters and warm summers. Precipitation is light with only nine or so days of rain or snow a month. November through February are the coldest months with temperatures dropping to the low 30’s (Fahrenheit) on average in January and December. Summer is from Easter to mid-October and can be quite hot and sticky. July and August are the warmest months with temperatures reaching the upper 70’s. The fohn, a warm wind from Italy over the Alps, is known for making tempers flare.

When is the best time to fly to Vienna?

There’s no wrong time to book your flight to Vienna; it’s a city for all seasons. However, here are some details on when the best time to fly to this beautiful city is, and what periods you may want to avoid if you can.

Peak Season:

You’ll notice cheap flights to Vienna are a lot harder to find between April and October. Flights to Vienna are fullest in the summer months (July and August mainly), when a large percentage of the Austrian population chooses to take their vacation. The city is a hotspot in the summertime with its vibrant nightlife. You’ll need to secure your flight tickets in advance if you are planning to visit then. Many Austrians visit the city during Christmas and New Year, so you’ll find accommodation a lot more expensive. The end of June hosts Europe’s largest festival arena at the Donauinsel (Danube Island). It’s a free event which attracts millions of visitors every year. There are 3 days of music varying with a diverse range of Austrian bands. Vienna is also home to one of the best jazz festivals in the world, which takes place in June/July. Both these events will make it almost impossible to find cheap flights to Vienna, so you’ll need to book your flight tickets as early as you can to avoid overpaying.

Off Season:

You’ll find the cheapest flights to Vienna from spring to summer, March to early June, and autumn to winter, late September to late November. The weather is generally warm and you’ll also find cheaper rates on accommodations. It’s still worth booking your flights to Vienna in advance to find the cheapest deals although there is a lot less demand. However, Vienna is just an hour away from in-demand ski resorts so the winter months are popular with skiers and snowboarders. 

When is the best time to book a flight to Vienna?

March, April and May offer the cheapest flights to Vienna, so if you aim to book your flight tickets a couple of months prior to these dates, you’ll find some great bargains. If you are hoping to visit during the summer or for one of the festivals then you’ll need to secure your flight tickets 3 or 4 months early, if not more, to find flights that aren’t overly expensive. If you’re not too fussed about when you go then being flexible will help you find the cheapest flights to Vienna.

How long is the flight to Vienna?

Count on spending about twelve hours in the air if you're flying nonstop from Los Angeles to Vienna. Flying from New York takes about nine hours, or longer, of course, if you have some stopovers on the way.

Which airlines fly to Vienna?

Fly nonstop to Vienna on Austrian Airlines. You can also fly with a single stopover on Lufthansa, British Airways, Air France, American Airlines, Delta, and several other international airlines.

What should you pack for a flight to Vienna?

Vienna is very cold during the winter, with piercing winds, so make sure you pack not only a warm coat, but also a scarf, hat, gloves and boots. In the summer, it can get quite warm, so be sure to pack appropriately. Good walking shoes are a must, since this incredibly beautiful city should be taken in on foot as much as possible. Don't forget your electrical adapters (and converter if needed) for your mobile devices. In addition, if you're planning to go to concerts or shows in Vienna, it's often best to purchase your tickets long before you depart on your trip, since many venues sell out far in advance.

Getting to and around the city of Vienna

One of the easiest ways to make up the 11 miles’ distance between Vienna International Airport (VIE), often locally referred to Schwechat, and the city center is on a train. The City Airport Train runs every half an hour from 6 in the morning until around 11 at night and only takes fifteen minutes to the Vienna subway station. An alternative option would be to consider jumping on a bus. These are frequent and some lines run twenty-four hours a day providing ease if you’re arriving late at night. Once your flight to Vienna lands, you can find information for the 4 different lines so you can decide which is best for you. Lastly you can opt to grab a taxi from outside of the airport, however you’ll be spending a lot more money in comparison. Make sure you agree on the price before getting in.

Once you’ve settled in to your hotel and are ready to explore, you’ll soon realize that Vienna is easy to get around, with public transportation in the form of trams and metro lines stretching out to the suburbs. If you’re moving on to other European cities like Prague or Budapest, you can take a train or ride a ferry down the Danube River. Walking, however, is the best way to see this beautiful city. The Inner City - containing the historic must-see buildings - is pedestrianized. There's also the U-Bahn, which is clean, fast and reliable. It runs from very early morning to about midnight. The tram is a delightful way of getting around Vienna. Buses are also clean and reliable.

What are some things to do in Vienna?

Any trip to Vienna brings together a spectacular visit to an ornate past with the lively vibe of a very modern city. Enjoy your visit to Schönbrunn Palace to see how royalty once lived. You can get lost in the outdoor labyrinth and take a tour of the rococo public rooms of the palace (and yes, that is real gold on the walls). Of course, Schönbrunn was only the summer palace. During most of the year, the Emperor ruled from the Imperial Palace, where you can still hear the famous Vienna Boys' Choir perform in the Imperial Chapel.

Vienna is a city drenched in art, so don't miss visiting its greatest museums. The Kunsthistorisches Museum features masterworks by Raphael, Vermeer and Velazquez, as well as the most significant Bruegel collection in the world. At the Albertina, you can see stunning graphical works by Dürer and Klimt, and the Belvedere continues the city's love of Gustav Klimt with the largest collection of his work anywhere. You'll find more modern work in the MuseumsQuartier, along with plenty of relaxing cafes and bars that help you make a day of it. Go even more modern when you visit the remarkable Museum of Technology or the Museum for Applied Arts.

Vienna is also a city of music, home to some of the greatest composers the world has known, and the city hosts classical performances every single night of the year. During the summer, head outdoors to enjoy the Vienna Philharmonic under the stars in the Schönbrunn Palace park. Classical concerts are also held at the Musikverein hall and the Wiener Konzerthaus. In addition, churches around the city, including St. Stephen's Cathedral, present incredible choral concerts on a regular basis.

A unique experience in Vienna is a visit to the Spanish Riding School to see the Lippizan horses perform. These incredibly trained white horses present what can only be called a dance, and it's a must-see event in Vienna.

Tips for your stay in Vienna

• The Hapsburgs had a winter palace (Hofburg) and a summer residence (the Schönbrunn) as well as a passion for collecting art. The Kunsthistorisches Museum almost groans under the weight of art treasures (works by Rubens, Titian and Vermeer among others) and the family's gilded fairytale carriages, housed in the Wagenburg building. 
• Once you've traced Mozart's footsteps around the city and marveled at Gustav Klimt's ceiling paintings in the University of Vienna's Great Hall, take yourself off to the Museumsquartier. Known as Muqua to locals, this massive space houses several museums (including Leopold Museum and MUMOK, the modern art museum), restaurants and shops. It's also where the Viennese go to kick back and relax.
• Does jet lag have you craving a good cup of coffee after your Vienna flight? You’re in luck, because no trip to Vienna is complete without an hour or two spent in one of the city’s famed coffeehouses. Made popular by the intelligentsia and artistic elite of 18th and 19th century Vienna, the coffeehouses of the city are ideal for relaxing, reading, and enjoying the excellent caffeinated concoctions. Be sure to order mélange, which is basically a creamier, Viennese cousin of the cappuccino. One of Vienna’s more famous coffeehouses is Café Central, a seasoned favorite and former haunt of Beethoven, Goethe and Trotsky. Lavishly decorated in Baroque style and generous with comfortable seating, Café Central is the ideal locale for a post-flight pick-me-up.
• Only tourists order "coffee" in Vienna. To fit in, order like the Viennese. A Doppelmokka or Mokka gespritzt perhaps? That's a Mocha with brandy. A Kleiner Brauner is a double shot of coffee served with cream. And a Fiaker is coffee with a shot of cherry brandy with lots of cream and a cherry on top. 
• No trip to Vienna is complete without a stop at the famous cemetery, Zentralfriedhof. Pay your respects to some of Austria’s most notable composers, including Ludwig von Beethoven and Johannes Brahms, as well as Austrian heads of state, architects, artists and writers.
• A charming and relatively close-by side trip is taking a boat to Bratislava. The Twin City Liner is a catamaran that does the Vienna-Bratislava run four times a day.
• The Naschmarkt (between Linke and Rechte Wienzeile) is Vienna’s best-known food market. Nearly 200 stalls, a nearby flea market and a number of restaurants keep visitors enthralled. The name Naschmarkt is derived from naschen, a word that means something like, in the words of novelist Iliya Troyanov, “to nibble away delectably with abandon at a small, predominantly (but not exclusively) sweet and extremely tasty bit of food.” The Naschmarkt provides a feast, for both the stomach and the eyes, with its colorful stalls selling everything from dried strawberries to cut flowers to freshly prepared schnitzel. On Saturdays, the Naschmarkt also hosts a massive flea market full of standard and non-traditional treasures: Browse through the antique chandeliers, used accordions, and infinite baskets of buttons and Victorian skeleton keys for quirky Viennese souvenirs.
• The Life Ball is Europe's largest AIDS fundraiser. It is held at Vienna's city hall in May and starts with fashion shows by top designers such as John Galliano, Vivienne Westwood and Thierry Mugler. 
• The “Donauturm”, a radio signal transmission tower, is Vienna's highest building. At 827 feet high, it offers awesome views of the city. There's an observation deck and two revolving restaurants.

Finding Flights from Vienna

From Vienna, you can catch a flight to any major airport in Europe, as well as your return flight to the United States or many other locations across the globe. The majority of international and U.S. carriers that fly into Vienna International Airport, also fly out of it, including British Airways, Delta, and more. Visit https://www.cheapflights.co.uk for the top flight deals for routes out of Vienna.

Getting to the airport is simple. Order a taxi ahead of time, or take a city bus. Taking the S-Bahn, which is the main public train system around Vienna, isn't recommended as an airport transportation choice if you have a lot of luggage, as it's very difficult to get large suitcases on and off the train. However, express trains run from the airport to the city center and back again, with it taking only around 15 minutes to make the trip, and they're much more user-friendly.

Once you choose a destination, be sure to check out our Vienna airport guides for more detailed travel information and helpful tips.