[Vienna filter] How long to get from airport into town on a Friday?
May 12, 2016 5:09 AM Subscribe
How possible is it to get from Vienna airport to Dialog im Dunkeln next to the Schottenkirche in Vienna in less than 2 hours on a Friday evening?
My friend is arriving in Vienna a week on Friday on a flight scheduled to arrive at 5:50pm. Flight is from another EU country and my friend has an EU passport. She won't have any hold baggage. We'd like to do the Dinner im Dunkeln (dining in the dark) thing here. I've spoken to them and 8pm is the absolute latest that we could book for but I'm not sure if that would give enough time to get of the plane, through all the checks and to the place. We are leaving early the next morning so Friday evening is the only chance we'll have to do this but it seems like it might be a bit of a risk that she might not make it in time. It costs €80 each so it's quite a lot to risk and we are on holiday so a stressful Friday evening is not what is called for but at the same time it's something we'd really like to do.
Can anyone with local knowledge tell me if this is feasible getting a taxi direct from the airport? What are the chances that she could make it on time and how much of a crazy rush would it be?
Vielen dank!
My friend is arriving in Vienna a week on Friday on a flight scheduled to arrive at 5:50pm. Flight is from another EU country and my friend has an EU passport. She won't have any hold baggage. We'd like to do the Dinner im Dunkeln (dining in the dark) thing here. I've spoken to them and 8pm is the absolute latest that we could book for but I'm not sure if that would give enough time to get of the plane, through all the checks and to the place. We are leaving early the next morning so Friday evening is the only chance we'll have to do this but it seems like it might be a bit of a risk that she might not make it in time. It costs €80 each so it's quite a lot to risk and we are on holiday so a stressful Friday evening is not what is called for but at the same time it's something we'd really like to do.
Can anyone with local knowledge tell me if this is feasible getting a taxi direct from the airport? What are the chances that she could make it on time and how much of a crazy rush would it be?
Vielen dank!
Response by poster: Definitely if the flight is delayed then we're probably out of luck but it's more the risk of delays in the airport itself I'm interested in. The flight is from the UK so there will be some passport control. What I don't know is how busy the airport is, how long the walk in the airport is etc.
posted by neilb449 at 5:43 AM on May 12, 2016
posted by neilb449 at 5:43 AM on May 12, 2016
Flight from the UK then I would say you're out of luck. She will need to get through passport control and in all likelyhood will need to wait for a bus when leaving the plane. I think you are best giving it a miss. I can't say about the specifics in Vienna, but even at the smaller airports I've flown to from the UK you're essentially looking at about an hour after landing to be leaving the airport 45 mins with no bags. In theory you could just make it, but any minor slip-up and you would be stuffed.
posted by koolkat at 6:00 AM on May 12, 2016
posted by koolkat at 6:00 AM on May 12, 2016
Best answer: I flew to Vienna from Ireland (so same passport control) right before Christmas a few years ago and it was just fine. I was I town about an hour after I landed (via a pre-booked taxi) with carry on luggage only. It's a small airport and not difficult to get through. I'd see if you can get very specific advice from someone who has done it on a summer's Friday, but don't be scared off by people who've never even been to the place.
posted by shelleycat at 7:54 AM on May 12, 2016
posted by shelleycat at 7:54 AM on May 12, 2016
Best answer: Viennese here. At my job I book a lot of airport transfers and also pick people up from the airport.
Timewise you should be fine of there is no baggage, and UK passport. Vienna is a small airport (in comparison to Frankfurt, Heathrow or Munich) The average driving time to the historic city center is 30 minutes, on a Friday evening at that time it can be 45 minutes.
The place you link to is located in the historic city center, not out of the way. I would think you can be there by 7:30PM easily (if traffic is ok and flight is not delayed), if traffic is truly bad by 8:00 PM sharp.
The really important thing is finding a competent driver. Do not just take a taxi at the airport - Viennese taxi drivers are notorious for asking their passengers for directions and being generally clueless about how to get to an address the most efficient way. even satnav does not help, as many do not know how to spell the street names and so cannot use it unless you type it in. Ask me how I know.
If your friend stays at a hotel, simply book an airport transfer through the hotel. Cost should be between 38 to 45 euro. If she is not staying at a hotel, book an airport driver through first company thelisted on the airport website I recommend the first one listed, they are ok, it should cost around 35 to 40 euro. The other ones I do not know.
Whether you book through the hotel or the one listed above, give the exact address of your destination when booking.
If you like, send me memail and I can send you the contact to the car service I use for our guests - it is more expensive (55 euro) but it is also one of the most reputable ones. You can compensate the expense by taking the city Airport Train to the airport on the way back - it is cheap (11 Euro) and fast.
I do not at all recommend Uber in Vienna. The drivers are often taxi drivers and no one checks if they know their way around. You need someone who knows exactly whrer to go and the best routes form experience.
There have been several cases recently of people paying 5 or 6 times price of a regular taxi for Uber in Vienna and being driven around the town wasting time.
posted by 15L06 at 11:03 AM on May 12, 2016
Timewise you should be fine of there is no baggage, and UK passport. Vienna is a small airport (in comparison to Frankfurt, Heathrow or Munich) The average driving time to the historic city center is 30 minutes, on a Friday evening at that time it can be 45 minutes.
The place you link to is located in the historic city center, not out of the way. I would think you can be there by 7:30PM easily (if traffic is ok and flight is not delayed), if traffic is truly bad by 8:00 PM sharp.
The really important thing is finding a competent driver. Do not just take a taxi at the airport - Viennese taxi drivers are notorious for asking their passengers for directions and being generally clueless about how to get to an address the most efficient way. even satnav does not help, as many do not know how to spell the street names and so cannot use it unless you type it in. Ask me how I know.
If your friend stays at a hotel, simply book an airport transfer through the hotel. Cost should be between 38 to 45 euro. If she is not staying at a hotel, book an airport driver through first company thelisted on the airport website I recommend the first one listed, they are ok, it should cost around 35 to 40 euro. The other ones I do not know.
Whether you book through the hotel or the one listed above, give the exact address of your destination when booking.
If you like, send me memail and I can send you the contact to the car service I use for our guests - it is more expensive (55 euro) but it is also one of the most reputable ones. You can compensate the expense by taking the city Airport Train to the airport on the way back - it is cheap (11 Euro) and fast.
I do not at all recommend Uber in Vienna. The drivers are often taxi drivers and no one checks if they know their way around. You need someone who knows exactly whrer to go and the best routes form experience.
There have been several cases recently of people paying 5 or 6 times price of a regular taxi for Uber in Vienna and being driven around the town wasting time.
posted by 15L06 at 11:03 AM on May 12, 2016
This thread is closed to new comments.
If the flight is intra-schengen then I think you don't even need to go through passport control, but all of my experience is flying from the UK where you do have to go through passport control.
posted by koolkat at 5:33 AM on May 12, 2016