Vienna transportation on trains and public transportation tickets

Also, can one purchase the 72 hour transportation tickets in any
underground station once you get into Vienna

My last visit to the city I found it easiest to download the official transit app and purchase the transit pass on my phone. You store the actually pass on the smartphone and display the screen to an inspector.
More details here:

http://tinyurl.com/yazfcwxo

I have the app. Would I be able to purchase both my husband and my tickets on the app or should he do his own on his phone? Did you purchase it once you were in Vienna and ready to start using it or ahead of time? I had thought of the option of using phones, I would just want to make sure my Barclaycard Mastercard would go through and that it would be secure if I was doing it on WiFi on the train or somewhere else like our hotel for instance. Thank you.

I'm not certain if you can have two separate passes on one phone. But you can absolutely purchase the passes at home before you leave for your trip. The app asks for your exact travel dates and inserts them into the pass. Of course you are locked into those dates, but if your travel plans are firm that won't be a problem.

The regular ticket vending machines at every Ubahn stop will sell you the 24-, 48-, and 72-hour tickets. Once you have it, validate it the first time you pass through the station (no turnstiles, just bollard poles to demarcate the official station) and keep it handy for the duration of the ticket validity in case an inspector checks tickets. You can buy the ticket when it's convenient to do so; the clock doesn't start ticking until the first time you validate.

I wouldn't do the app as a visitor. What if your phone dies and you can't show your ticket to an inspector?

Some of the replies seem a bit unclear about what the OP is asking. I think they're asking whether the Vienna public transport pass is valid on S-Bahn or other OEBB trains from Hauptbahnhof to Mitte. The answer to which is "yes", they are valid on railway trains within the central zone, although there are relatively few journeys relevant.

Some of the replies seem a bit unclear about what the OP is asking.

The OP asked two questions. I didn't know the answer to the first one, so Ipassed on it. The second question about transit passes is something I had personal experience with on my last visit to the city, so I gave my two cents on that one.

All of your answers helped! When we arrive at the Hauptbahnhof in Vienna, we will walk to the area where we need to change to the S3 to get to Mitte station. We will buy a ticket for just that short ride. Then when we get ready to go out and explore after checking into our hotel, we will purchase the 72 hour transportation ticket at the UBahn station, validate and be good to go. When we leave Vienna to go to Salzburg, I think we will just need to purchase a ticket to go from Wien Mitte to Hauptbahnhof station which is where our train leaves from for Salzburg. Does that sound right? Thanks!

How long are you going to be in Vienna? There is no reason to buy a separate ticket for the trip from Wien Mitte to Hauptbahnhof. You can use the Ubahn to get there. Don't worry about train transfers, the lines are always well marked. The stations are spacious and not even particularly crowded. There is also always a long vertical sign on the platform listing all the stops so you can be sure you are getting on the Ubahn going in the right direction.

The only way you'd want to bother with buying separate tickets is if your total time in Vienna is just over 72 hours and your tickets will expire before your time there is done.

We would be purchasing the 72 hour pass around 12:45 on Thursday and we are leaving for Salzburg early morning on Sunday so we should be good on the time frame. I just looked at Google maps again and now I see where the subway station is located at Hauptbahnhof! I had just not noticed it before and Google maps did not give me that option when I put in my point to point locations. So to clarify, we can walk from where we get off our train, just look for signs for the UBahn, get our 72 hour pass there, validate, and then get on UBahn to Wien Mitte?

Things are much easier than described above.

When you arrive at Wien Hauptbahnhof you descend from the elevated platform down to street level and proceed through the concourse to the main hall. At the left side just before reaching the main hall there are the red ticket vending machines. There you buy your public transport tickets or passes, whatever you want.

Then you descend from the middle of the main hall one level further down, walk to platform 2, take the next train - no matter whether a R-, REX- or S-train - and ride to Wien Mitte (just 3 stops).

Taking the subway (U-Bahn) would require to change lines to get from Wien Hauptbahnhof to Wien Mitte.

RailJet trains are very comfortable. Buying 1st class tickets is a waste of money.

For best orientation in Vienna I recommend the official map of the City of Vienna:
https://www.wien.gv.at/stadtplan/en/
Using the check boxes on the left you can superimpose a wealth of information, e.g. public transport, free Wi-Fi hotspots, etc.

Got it, thanks so much!

Got it, thanks so much!

Ok, this has all become too confusing.

When you arrive at Hauptbahnhof, buy your 72 hour cards from the machines at Hauptbahnhof. The 72 hour card can be used on the s-bahn train from Hauptbahnhof to MItte. You do NOT need to buy a separate ticket to take the s-bahn.

Also, the S3 is not your only choice to get from Hauptbahnhof to Mitte. Once you are on platform 2, you can take ANY train from that platform to Mitte. It is three stops away.