Wien Hauptbahnhof
268,000 people move through here every day — Austria's busiest long-distance station, voted its most beautiful six times over.
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Opened in December 2015, this through-platform station replaced two old dead-end termini and now stitches together north–south and east–west rail corridors in a single structure. It ranked second in Europe for passenger convenience — worth a look even if you're just changing trains.
What to look for
- The main concourse — designed by Zurich-based Theo Hotz Architects, it handles more trains on less space than the two stations it replaced
- The shopping level: a 20,000-square-metre mall sitting directly below the tracks, with around 100 shops and restaurants
- Underground bicycle parking for 1,110 bikes alongside a 600-space car park — a rare glimpse at how the city handles everyday scale
Take the U-Bahn directly from the station to Vienna's city centre; ÖBB says all major stations in the city are reachable within 30 minutes from here.
Wien Hauptbahnhof is one of 39 sights worth the detour in Vienna, all bundled offline in Voyage GO — download the Vienna pack and it sits on your map with no signal, filling your travel passport the moment you walk past.
More to see in Vienna
- Schönbrunn PalaceHabsburg emperors were born here, ruled from here, and died here — 1,441 rooms of Baroque ambition spanning 300 years.
- St. Stephen's CathedralA cathedral consecrated in 1147 as crusaders prepared to march — and built on top of a Roman burial ground that nobody knew was there until 2000.
- BelvederePrince Eugene built this summer palace on Ottoman campaign winnings — it is now three art museums inside a World Heritage Baroque garden.
- Hofburg PalaceSeven centuries of Austrian rulers worked from this address — the current president still does.
- Vienna State OperaThe first major building on Vienna's Ring Road, and the house where Vienna Philharmonic musicians earn their seats.
- Ernst-Happel-StadionBuilt for workers' sport in 1931, this 50,865-seat bowl also served as a transit prison for over 1,000 Jewish deportees in 1939.