Sea, Air & Railway Freight Shipping from China to Austria

Austria is a landlocked country of approximately 8.7 million inhabitants in Central Europe, bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany, Slovakia, Hungary, Slovenia, Italy, and Switzerland.
Vienna, Austria’s capital, lies in the country’s east on the Danube River. 
Belt and Road boosts China-Austria closer ties in all areas. Perhaps you are an importer from Austria, and happen to be doing business with China, keep reading.

Written by a leading freight forwarder, this guide will answer all your questions about to shipping from China to Austria. Content below includes mode of transportation, transit time and cost, best way to ship, what an experienced freight forwarder can help with your China-Austria shipments. 

3 major shipping methods are available for China-Austria trade lane, sea, air and railway freight. 

Sea freight from China to Austria

If you are on a limited budget, sea freight could be the option for shipping goods from China to Austria. Sea freight is the least expensive way of all. While choosing it for its low shipping cost, you’ll have to accept the long transit time. Shipping by sea from China to Austria takes 30-40.

More than 90% of the world’s total freight is being shipped by sea. Low shipping cost is only one of the reasons that contribute to the high popularity. Sea freight has large capacity to transport not only oversized items, but also goods in bulk at affordable price. Lastly, it accepts almost all types of cargo, even those considered sensitive or even dangerous goods. 
Sea shipments come in many types. 
FCL (Full container load): shipping a container filled with goods exclusively for one client from China to Austria. Shipping FCL is more cost efficient.
LCL (Less than container load): Sharing a container with other clients who have cargo to the same destination, at the same time. Naturally, due to extra work (consolidation, de-consolidation, warehousing, paperwork, etc.), the final cost on each unit is higher than FCL, and shipping takes longer. LCL is a good choice for small business to start with. 
Besides regular FCL and LCL services, we have more to offer: 
Flat rack, and open top containers: for OOG (out-of-gauge) cargo, oversized & heavy cargo shipping.
Reefer containers: for temperature-sensitive products
Breakbulk: for large and bulk shipment
RO-RO: for vehicles and wheeled cargo

Ports for Austria’s sea freight traffic
Since Austria is a landlocked country, most containers have to be shipped to other European ports Genoa, Koper, Bremerhaven, Hamburg or Rotterdam, and then transported onwards to Austria by either railway or truck. 
Shipping from China to Italy
Shipping from China to Germany
Shipping from China to the Netherlands

As a leading freight forwarder serving Austria, we have comprehensive forwarding services with overall coverage of all Chinese major ports. 
If you are interested in shipping from China to Austria, contact us and get a shipping solution and cost. 

Air freight from China to Austria

Air freight would be preferred if you need your goods delivered quickly from China to Austria. Shipping by air costs far more than it does by sea, thus it’s not so often used by clients unless clients have a robust shipping budget or they have no other choice in dealing with time-sensitive shipments. 
Maybe you are running late for a pressing deadline, or maybe the cargo to be shipped is perishable or simply an urgent order, air freight can guarantee the speed you need. With air freight, a shipment can arrive in Austria from China in 3-5 days. 
When shipping high-value products from China to Austria (maybe machinery, maybe luxurious goods), people are more concerned about speed and safety other than cost. Air freight ensures the fastest delivery and higher level of safety than other modes. 

However, not everything is worth air shipping, and not everything can be air shipped. Due to airlines’ limitations and restrictions, some large cargo might not be able to fit in the plane, and some might be classified as dangerous goods. 
Anyway, the most professional air freight forwarder is here to help. Consult our team for advice, and get a shipping solution and quote.

Cargo airports in Austria

There are 6 international airports in Austria. Obviously, the Vienna airport, Austria’s capital, is the busiest one. 
Vienna
Vienna International Airport (IATA CODE: VIE)
Thanks to its favorable location in Central Europe, Vienna international airport serves not only Austria, but also as an important hub for a few other European destinations. 
Cargo tonnage increased to 39,800 tons in 2021, an increase of 40% during the COVID pandemic. This makes it the airline's busiest airport in Europe as well as its main logistics hub for the continent.

Rail freight from China to Austria

The first freight train from Chengdu, China to Vienna, Austria
China-Europe Railway Express provides a new, faster way of shipping goods from China to Austria at affordable price. Transcontinental rail freight traffic is seeing a stable rise, as well as an increasing popularity. 

Shipping containers by sea from China to Austria usually take 30-45 days, however, with freight train, the journey is shorten to 14-16 days. Rail freight is the perfect substitute for sea, air freight - faster than sea but is substantially cheaper than air freight. 

Freight train service linking Chengdu and Vienna
In April 2018, a new China-Europe freight train linking Chengdu and Vienna was launched. The train carried 41 containers, and traveled 13 days on the 9800-kilometer journey.
With the new train, Austria is included into the network of China-Europe freight train service under the Belt and Road Initiative.

on Aug 20, 2020, a freight train loaded with fibers and pulp used for textiles departed from Vienna South Terminal heading for China, marking the first time a train with goods exclusively "Made in Austria" going from the Alpine country to China.

If you are looking for a faster way of shipping from China to Austria, rail freight is the solution. Get a shipping solution and quote from us.

How long does it take to ship from China to Austria?

Shipping from China to Austria takes 30-45 days by sea, 3-5 days by air, and 14-16 days by freight train.
The actual transit time may be different, depending shipping method, departure/destination terminal, service & route chosen, weather, seasonal change of shipping market, etc.

China-Austria sea freight transit time

Container shipping transit time by sea from China to Austria

Qingdao to Vienna via Bremerhaven: 45 days
Shanghai to Vienna via Bremerhaven: 40 days
Shenzhen to Vienna via Bremerhaven: 35 days
Qingdao to Vienna via Koper: 42 days
Shanghai to Vienna via Koper: 35 days
Shenzhen to Vienna via Koper: 32 days
FYI: Shanghai in East China, Shenzhen South China, and Qingdao North China, data from these 3 ports is enough to demonstrate the sea shipping time from China to Austria.
The transit time by sea, port to port, depends on the specific origin and destination ports chosen, service route, sailing schedule and choice on carrier.
Above transit time is for full container load shipping, port to port only, for LCL shipping time estimate, pls add 7-10 days.

China-Austria air freight transit time

Generally an air shipment takes 3-5 days to arrive in Austria from China. 
Direct flight routes are available between a few Chinese cities and Vienna, if your suppliers are located in these cities or nearby, air cargo can reach Austria on the same day of departure. 
Direct flight route: Shanghai – Vienna, Beijing – Vienna
Flight routes and space are subject to change and availability, consult us for the latest information and shipping cost. 

China-Austria railway freight transit time

Shipping containers from China to Austria by freight train usually takes 14-16 days. Actual transit time may be slightly different, depending on the terminal, service and route chosen. Compared to sea freight, shipping by rail freight reduces the transit time from China to Austria substantially, from over 1 month to only 15 days. 
If you are looking for door to door service, an extra time of 5 days will be needed, and of course, comes at extra cost. 

Best way to ship from China to Austria

It’s hard to define the best way to ship from China to Austria, but there’s one unchangeable criterion, fast and safe delivery of shipment at the minimum shipping cost possible. 
Every client is different, and has his specific requirements at the specific time, plus the fast changing shipping market. The best way is to rely on an experienced freight forwarder for their knowledge and insight. To work out the best shipping solution to your needs, we’ll consider the below factors: 
1.    The type of goods and its value
2.    How quickly you need your goods
3.    The load of your goods (size, weight, quantity) or simply share the packing list
4.    Supplier address (origin seaport/airport), delivery address(destination seaport/airport)
5.    Your budget
6.    Goods ready time
Submit the details to us, and you are on the way to the best-in-class shipping experience. 
Get a shipping solution

How much does it cost to ship from China to Austria?

Shipping a 40ft from China to Austria used to cost $1500 – 2000, and price went up to 7-8 times after the pandemic. 
Knowing how much shipping cost you is essential if you are importing from China to Austria. Shipping cost is an indispensable, and sometimes constitutes a large percentage of the final landed cost of imported goods. 
The shipping market is fast changing and Sea, air and railway freight rates fluctuate frequently, and each shipment is different. It’s impossible to provide a general estimate of shipping cost from China to Austria. General rule of thumb, the quicker you wish to receive the shipment, the more you’ll have to pay for shipping.

Contact a China freight forwarder for a tailored China-Austria shipping solution and get the latest freight quote.

Door to door shipping from China to Austria

Door to door shipping from China to Austria is easy with us. 
Maybe you are new into trade and shipping, maybe you are just not interested in handling the logistics and shipping on your own, we the one that takes care of everything, the only thing you do is to receive goods when they arrive. You are in the right place if you are seeking door to door shipping service from China to Austria.
We provide the easiest one-stop shipping solution, i.e. to have their goods shipped from China to Austria door to door. Whether you are shipping a private address, or commercial address or FBA address, regardless of which shipping method you prefer, sea, air, or rail freight, we got you covered. We take care of all the related logistics work from A to Z, all the required paperwork, supervision, consolidation, loading, offloading, customs clearance and final delivery, without adding any stress on clients. 

We are consolidating and send regular air, sea and railway shipments to the EU, offering door to door shipping service to customers from Austria, whether you are running big business or small, door to door shipping from China to the Austria is easy with us. 

How to ship from China to Austria

Step 1: Contact a freight forwarder, a China based one is preferred.
You may reach out to a freight forwarder either from China or in your own country Austria. While an Austrian forwarder is most likely to rely on a Chinese local shipping agent. 
So China based forwarder is preferred, as the majority of complexities and uncertainties of international cargo shipping lie in origin, not in destination.
More on “Why you should work with a local China freight forwarder”
Step 2: Get a shipping quote from China
Step 3: Connect forwarder with supplier
Step 4: Get cargo insurance (optional)
Step 5: Arrange customs clearance
Or you can simply rely on us for a one-stop door to door shipping solution from China to Austria, a stress-free shipping experience.

Why us when importing and shipping from China to Austria?

We are China based freight forwarder, specialized and experienced in international logistics for China-Austria import and export business. With years of hard effort on China-Europe trade lane, building networks of sea, air, railway and local connections, we are able to provide a hassle-free one-stop shipping solution from China to Austria. These are the characters that distinguish us from our competitor freight forwarders.
1.    Quick Response, high efficiency
2.    Communication
3.    Professionalism, agility, accuracy
4.    Our logistics expertise, local and global connections
5.    Cost-saving
6.    Dedicated, focused
7.    Higher attention & tailored shipping solution
More on Why us when importing and shipping from China to Austria

As one of the leading China based freight forwarder serving Austria, we have the logistics knowledge, expertise as well as insight into global trade to ensure the best-in-class cargo shipping experience from China to Austria. 

If you are interested in shipping from China to Austria, whether by sea, air or railway, contact us and get a shipping solution and quote for your China-Austria shipment.