Vienna car hire

Public transport is Vienna’s cheapest and easiest way to navigate the city centre. If you want to explore beyond the city boundaries and discover a wealth of other attractions, however, your best bet is to hire a car.

Language: German | Currency: Euros (€) | Avg. Flight time: 2.0 hrs

Car rental in Vienna opens up opportunities for winter skiing. Resorts at Semmering and Mariensee are less than two hours from Innere Stadt (Old Town) and the mountain drive is thrilling.

Come summer, you can tour the nearby wine country, have lunch in the vineyards at Burgenland and still be back in time for dinner: a perfect day out.

You might not be up for a long road trip, but car hire in Vienna lets you drive cross-border to Bratislava in an hour. Spend a day checking out the old town’s quaint beauty, or stay overnight and find out if there’s any truth in its nickname, ‘Partyslava’

Avis, Hertz, Budget, Enterprise, Europcar and several other major rental companies are based at Vienna Airport and the city centre railway station.

The best way to find Vienna’s cheapest car hire is to book it before you travel – use TravelSupermarket to compare prices and then book the deal that suits you. All you need to do then is pitch up at the airport, driving licence at the ready, and you’re good to go.

Driving from Vienna Airport into the city for the first time? Don’t fret: the traffic is positively sedate compared to some other European capitals. Take it slow at first, get the hang of German road signs, remember to steer well clear of trams and don’t forget to give way to the right at unmarked junctions.

Stopping and parking is much more difficult than driving. On-street parking can be confusing and the fines are hefty enough to wipe out anything you saved on cheap Vienna car hire. Use ticketed parking and try to book a hotel with reserved guest spaces.

The narrow streets and pedestrianised shopping areas around Innere Stadt can be a bit of a challenge to navigate. Watch out for one-way streets (they are everywhere) and keep your eye on city events too. Vienna loves a parade and the big summer ones can bring traffic to a standstill. The most fabulous of all is the annual Rainbow Parade – it’s planned for June 17, 2017, so if you’re going to be in the city then, leave the hire car in park and see the spectacle on foot.

1. Beware of cyclists. Dozens of one-way streets in Vienna have contra-flow cycle lanes, so bikes are moving in the opposite direction to cars. Warning signs usually make this clear, and most single-lane roads are so narrow you should be driving at a snail’s pace anyway.
2. Don’t mess with trams. They have priority, they don’t have to stop at zebra crossings and the normal road rules do not apply. If you accidentally drive into their path or block them, move out of the way fast or face a fine.
3. Be roundabout smart. Vienna’s still quite new to roundabouts and hasn’t fully grasped signal etiquette. Be aware of this, take nothing for granted and, if you’re unsure of another driver’s intentions, wait.

Fair fuel policy

A fair fuel policy (also known as full-to-full or same-to-same) means you’ll only pay for the fuel you use. All car rental deals compared on TravelSupermarket come with a fair fuel policy, so you can book your hire car safe in the knowledge there will be no nasty surprises at drop-off. More information on TravelSupermarket’s commitment to fair fuel policies can be found here.

No hidden fees

All rental deals compared on TravelSupermarket include mandatory fees (for example, one-way and young driver surcharges) in your rental quote at the time of booking, meaning you’ll know the full price of your car hire upfront.