Car rentals at Vienna Central Railway Station

Part of our guide to car hire in Vienna.

How to Find Your Car Hire Desk at Vienna Central Railway Station

• Book through eCarBookers first: Your booking confirmation from eCarBookers locks in your price and your vehicle class before you arrive. You pay the balance at the desk on collection, and the terms confirmed at booking are the terms you receive. Always confirm your hire in advance to guarantee your price from the moment you collect the keys.
• Where the station is: Vienna Central Railway Station, Wien Hauptbahnhof, stands at Am Hauptbahnhof 1, 1100 Wien, in the 10th district, Favoriten, about 3 km from the city centre. It suits a hire that begins with a train journey, and the drive into the centre takes roughly 10 minutes depending on traffic.
• How collection works: One supplier describes a meet-and-greet at this location. A representative waits for you at the station, and you telephone to arrange the handover using the number in your booking confirmation. Call as your train approaches rather than after you arrive.
• Where the desk is: Listings for the station place rental companies inside the terminal building, and name the suppliers at the station, but the exact meeting point for your hire is shown on your booking voucher, which is the definitive source. Check it before you travel and follow it on arrival.
• Opening hours: Opening hours for these branches are not published on the listings checked. Choose a train that arrives well inside normal business hours, and confirm the hours for your date in your booking confirmation.
• What to bring: The main driver should carry a valid driving licence, a passport, your booking details and a credit card in their own name with a limit high enough to cover the excess hold. An International Driving Permit is not needed for a licence issued in the EU or in English, and it is recommended for other licences.

Pick-Up, Drop-Off, and Refuelling at Vienna Central Railway Station

• Returning the car: Return the car at the time and place shown in your booking confirmation, and confirm the drop-off point with the representative at collection. A key drop box for out-of-hours returns has not been confirmed, so arrange any early or late return with the supplier before you travel.
• Nearest petrol station: A bp station is listed at Triesterstrasse 68, 1100 Wien, in the same district. Its opening hours are not published on the listing, so check them before you rely on it, and refuel before you return the car. Confirm the fuel type on your booking confirmation first.
• Parking at the station: The multi-storey garage at the station, Parkhaus BahnhofCity, has about 600 spaces and is listed as open 24 hours, with parking charged at about €4 per started hour in a guide that dates from 2019. A second garage on Gerhard-Bronner-Strasse is listed at the same first-hour rate with a daily maximum of €40. Tariffs change, so read the signs on arrival.
• Street parking: Short-stay parking zones cover all of Vienna from Monday to Friday, 9:00 am to 10:00 pm, with a maximum stay of two hours and a charge of €1.25 per 30 minutes. Pay with a paper ticket from a tobacconist or petrol station, or with a parking app. Outside those hours, street parking is free.
• Vignette and winter tyres: Rental cars in Austria usually include the motorway vignette, but the supplier asks you to confirm this at collection. Winter tyres are required from 1 November to 15 April in snowy or icy conditions, and winter hires normally come fitted with them.
• Before you drive away: Complete the vehicle condition report with the representative, and photograph the car on all four sides, the wheels, the windscreen and the interior. Repeat it at return so that any mark is recorded on both occasions.

Top Car Hire Agencies at Vienna Central Railway Station

Car hire at Vienna Central Railway Station is available through Green Motion and U-Save Car Rental.

Every booking through eCarBookers shows the excess amount and full price before you confirm, and the balance is paid on arrival at the desk. Optional extras — such as additional drivers, supplemental tyre and glass cover, child seats, or out-of-hours fees — may be available from the supplier if required.

Getting from Vienna Central Railway Station to Key Destinations

• Vienna Airport (VIE) — about 19 km south-east, in roughly 15 minutes without traffic. It is the quickest link if you are changing between rail and air.
• Baden bei Wien — about 26 km south, in roughly 27 minutes. The spa town sits at the edge of the Vienna Woods and suits a half-day.
• Eisenstadt — about 52 km south-east, in roughly 37 minutes. The capital of Burgenland is the gateway to the wine villages and the Neusiedler See.
• Bratislava — about 66 km east, in roughly 54 minutes. The route crosses into Slovakia, so confirm with the supplier that your hire allows it, and check the motorway requirements on the Slovak side.
• Melk — about 86 km west, in roughly 55 minutes. The abbey town marks the start of the Wachau valley, and the drive suits a full day.
• Semmering — about 90 km south-west, in roughly 57 minutes. The pass is the route into the mountains south of Vienna, so check tyre and chain requirements in winter.

How Payment Works for Car Hire at Vienna Central Railway Station

A rental prepayment confirms your booking online with Instant Confirmation, and you pay the balance directly to the supplier on arrival. The price and vehicle class shown at booking are the terms you receive, and cancellation is free. The supplier may place an excess hold on the main driver's credit card, so check that the card in the driver's name has enough available limit.