Bratislava Airport

Bratislava Airport, named after General Milan Rastislav Štefánik, is located 9 kilometres from the centre of Bratislava and about 75 km from the centre of Vienna.

Its importance is due to low-cost airlines, which often promote it as an alternative stopover to Vienna. Bratislava airport is in fact about one hour and 45 minutes away from the centre of the Austrian capital.

There are also direct buses between Bratislava airport and Vienna airport that take 1 hour to travel and make it easy to organise a trip that includes both cities, perhaps landing at one airport and departing from the other.

So if you find a good fare to Bratislava, make the most of it – you’ll have a great excuse to visit Slovakia’s delightful capital.

Getting from Bratislava Airport to Vienna

Once you’ve landed at Bratislava’s Štefánik Airport, you can easily reach Vienna by bus, taxi or rental car without having to go through the centre of Bratislava. Otherwise, you can take a bus to the centre and from there continue by direct train or even by boat along the Danube.

Buses from Bratislava Airport to Vienna

There are over 20 daily bus services between Bratislava Airport and Vienna, approximately one every 45 minutes. The companies operating the route are FlixBus and Slovak Lines, and some trips also stop at Vienna International Airport. The journey time is approximately 1 hour and 45 minutes, although the actual time may vary depending on traffic conditions.

Slovak Lines

The Slovak Lines company operates the Bratislava-Vienna route, making stops at Bratislava Airport, Bratislava Bus Station, the SNP Most bridge, Vienna Airport and Vienna Train Station. Some services make all stops, others are ‘express’ and are limited to the Bratislava Bus Station – Vienna Airport route.

Buses departing from Bratislava Airport, on the other hand, make all stops. They depart from in front of the arrivals gate and there are 7 per day, with departures at 10:30, 12:30, 14:30, 15:30, 16:30, 17:30 and 21:30. The journey time is one hour and 55 minutes, and tickets can be purchased directly on board, or in advance online at the official website www.slovaklines.sk.

Flixbus

Flixbus operates 17 trips a day from Bratislava Airport to Vienna, with no stops in between. The first ride leaves at 7:45 a.m., the last at 11:30 p.m., with departures fairly well distributed throughout the day. Some runs connect Bratislava airport with Vienna’s central station, while others arrive in Vienna Erdberg, a few kilometres south-east of the city centre, which can be reached by metro from the Erdberg stop nearby.

As always with Flixbus, prices vary depending on the offers available at the time, the time of travel and the proximity of the departure date. As a general rule, booking as far in advance as possible guarantees better prices.

Bratislava-Vienna by train

From Bratislava’s main train station Hlavnà stanica 15-20 trains leave daily for Vienna. To get there, simply take bus number 61 from the airport.
Once at the station you can buy your ticket to Vienna directly at the ticket counters or alternatively you can buy your ticket online on the Slovak Railways website. The journey takes about an hour, with the first journey leaving at 5:43 a.m. and the last at 10:43 p.m.

By catamaran sailing the Danube

Finally, it is possible to reach Vienna by sailing the Danube using the fast ship service operated by the Twin City Liner company.
Of course, you will first have to get to the centre of Bratislava by bus or taxi. There are two bus lines connecting Bratislava airport with the city, the 61 and 96, but neither bus line arrives exactly at the boat embarkation points, so it may be more convenient to rely on taxis and be taken directly to the departure pier, also to avoid excessive baggage transfer.

For more information see ‘How to get to Bratislava’ in the Bratislava article.

Taxi from Bratislava Airport to Vienna

The taxi is by far the most convenient way of getting from Bratislava Airport to Vienna, as you will find it immediately in the arrivals area and it will take you directly to your chosen hotel in the Austrian capital, without any waste of time. The cost is of course higher than the other solutions, but it is well absorbed by travelling in a group of at least 4 people, as in absolute terms the expense is all in all moderate.

Taxi companies in Bratislava have their own price lists, for example Bratislava Airport Taxi charges €75 for up to 4 passengers and €105 for up to 8 passengers. If you feel up to it, use these figures as a benchmark and try to haggle for a ride with one of the taxi drivers you will find outside the arrivals area, or even with those who will come to approach you when you haven’t even left the terminal yet.

It is also possible to book a private transfer with a chauffeur; in this case the price varies from company to company, but is always in the range of 60-100 euros per trip, depending on the category of the vehicle and the number of seats.

Arrivals and Departures