Blooming Trees
a:Krems an der Donau
r:Lower Austria
I am always curious to find out what else we can get up to close to Vienna. So I am reading various newsletters and keep looking on Social Media for inspiration. Last weeks´ newsletter from Vienna´s digital city magazine (link: https://goodnight.at/magazin/freizeit/2519-raus-aus-der-stadt-iii-2 text: "Good Night" ) featured an article about the blooming Apricot trees in the Wachau area, close to the city of Krems. (The magazine is available only in german, but I linked it above anyway in case you want to look it up.) The Wachau area of Austria has been home to apricot fruits dating back to 1509. From 1890 this fruit was planted and produced heavily in the area and is now important produce of the area. The weather was lovely that weekend and we decided to make a day trip out of it. We packed a picnic and our dog and off we went on the motorway. It took just over an hour to get to the village of Angern. There are no official parking spaces but you can park along the main street and join the hiking trail called "(link: https://www.marillenweg.at text: Marillen Erlebnisweg)" from there. It is about 5km long and takes you through the Vineyards and past the Apricot Trees. Along the track, you find 5 stations with a lot of information about the region and the nature you find there. The area is a little hilly and you have great views of the Danube, the villages and churches as well as the vineyards and fruit trees. It is a really lovely day out, especially when the sun is out and you can also buy some local produce at the farm shops to take home.
Wine Region Hiking
a:2004
r:Lower Austria
We chose a beautiful sunny winter day for this tour, located about 25 km to the northeast of Vienna in the wine region. We drove there and parked opposite the restaurant “Goldenes Bründel”. First, we walked along the street we drove up before we took a right up into the woods. We walked up and through the woods for a while before the lovely "Michelberg" with its pretty church came into the view. We walked up for the view and weren´t disappointed. A fantastic view of the valley, especially on this sunny day. It was a bit cold, with snow and ice on the ground but we stopped for some photos, drone shots, and tea. On a warm day, it would be a great spot for a picnic too! Then we continued the track back down and along the fields where we enjoyed the great sense of open spaces and the opportunity to look far! The last 3 km led through the woods again where we took some great winter photos with the sun in the background. Amazing!! A nice tour with changing scenery and we would for sure go back during warmer days. The ground was frozen which made it a little harder to walk, but the tour was fab!! When we went: January 2021 Day of the week: Monday Length of track: approx. 11k
Spitz an der Donau Hiking
a:3620
r:Lower Austria
For this hiking trip one, we drove a little further and it took approximately one hour from Vienna to get to the cute market town of Spitz, situated in the UNESCO World Heritage Area of Wachau. This town is located on the left Danube side, is well known for its wine and we will definitely have to come back for that. Because when we visited, everything was closed. For one, it was Boxing Day but it was also during the Pandemic, so everything was shut… We parked our car centrally and started our walk up the hill past the wine-growing area. We were rewarded with a first great view of the valley and the Danube river. From there, the path continued down into the woods and again up the hill. For a while, there wasn´t much to see but eventually, we arrived at the highest point of this hike with fabulous river views. We took a break for photos, some tea, and snacks before we started our descent. The sun came out and painted everything in this gorgeous winter sunset light and it looked perfect. Once back down at river level, we had to cross the street and walk back to the town of Spitz along the Danube which was a great end to this hike. It must be really nice on non-pandemic and also warmer days, to then reward yourselves with a stop at one of the local restaurants and cafes with river and mountain views. But for now, it was lovely to just see and experience it. We really enjoyed this one. It wasn´t difficult but it went up and down a bit and challenged us a little. The scenery changed from wine to trees and views and then water and we would go back in a heartbeat. Great trip! When we went: December 2020 Day of the week: Saturday Length of track: approx. 7k
Hiking the Donau Auen Nationalpark
a:Orth an der Donau
r:Lower Austria
Donau Auen National Park is where the Danube leaves the city of Vienna behind. The National Park then begins and forms a green belt between Vienna and Bratislava. The National Park offers an extensive choice of hiking trails and we chose to start in the village “Orth on the Danube”. It is located approximately 30 km from where we live in Vienna. We took our car to get there and found a convenient parking lot close to the village church. From there we walked through the residential area and entered the woods. On this over 10k track, we hardly came across other people and nearly had the whole place to ourselves. The first part of the walk lead through the woods, then we passed a dam that was once created to protect the village from the potential high water of the Danube. Eventually, we made it to the shores of the river where we met a few other people walking. There is a nice path along the water for a few kilometres until you reach the Alpha house restaurant (currently closed due to the pandemic, but this is hopefully temporary). Once we walked past this restaurant, we turned right back into the woods and back in the direction of the village. This is not a very eventful hike, but a pleasant one. Very flat, good for dogs, easy to walk, picnic tables around, and not many people that cross your path. It is a good trip year-round, you can take it at any season I imagine. The picnicking might be better when it´s warm though…. When we went: January 2021 Day of the week: Saturday Length of track: 11k
Hiking around Bad Vöslau
a:Vöslauer Straße
r:Lower Austria
Bad Vöslau is a small town located approx. 30km to the south west of Vienna in the state of Lower Austria. The area is quite hilly and well-known as a wine growing region and good for hiking too. I had a look on the Outdoor Active App and found so many different routes for all different levels to choose from in this area. We chose a medium level route which was just over 8km long . The path leads through the forest past a couple of landmarks and even up a little peak with great views over the woods. We started the tour at the parking lot of Weingut Schlosspark and joined the track called “Vöslauer Rundwanderweg” which is a round tour. There are some huts for refreshment along the way (during non-pandemic times) but now people brought their own food and drink along. At the beginning it was a little steep and there are some steps we had to climb but overall, the tour is very smooth and great for dogs too. When we went: December 2020 Day of the week: Saturday Length of track: 8k
Rax Mountain - Hiking
a:Dr. Ewald Bing-Straße
r:Lower Austria
We bought hiking shoes to get into the Austrian life and wanted to give them a go immediately. Friends recommended the Rax mountains, south of Vienna and of we went. The drive from where we live in the city took us approximately one hour and there was parking directly at the cable car station. Ideally book your time with the cable car in advance and pick up your ticket from the machine directly at the cable car station which was very easy and straight forward. Once in the cable car it is very steep and it takes up up the mountain to 1500 m. It is the starting point of various different trails and you just pick the one that suits you best. Many different degrees of difficulties are available and we chose blue (easy :) ....) It was foggy at the beginning of our hike but the clouds lifted after a while and we got the view we came there for. Stunning mountain scenery all around and we loved it! We walked for hours, took photos and videos and enjoyed the peace and quiet. Altogether we hiked approximately 15 km, reached two mountain peaks and had a little break at the "Seehütte" hut for food and drinks. A great day out and a perfect opportunity to be active, really switch off and enjoy nature at its best. Totally recommend it if you live in Vienna and haven´t been or if you are in town and have some time on your hands. Go hiking!!
Hohe Wand - Hiking
a:Wandeckstraße
r:Lower Austria
We have become quite keen on the odd hiking trip and have also tried our the "Hohe Wand" nature park south of Vienna. The 1,135 metre high and 8 km long "Hohe Wand" rises from the plain like an island and is a beautiful sight driving towards it. It took us less than an hour to travel there by car and you have to pay a little entrance fee upon approaching the park (2,50€ per adult, 1€ per child and dogs are allowed in on a leash), then you either walk up or drive up and park your car to start from there. There are numerous hiking and climbing options, a great number of huts for food and drinks, a animal park for young and old as well as an impressive sky-walk observation deck with amazing views over the area. We hiked one of the longer trails for over 10 km. Most of the way takes you through the woods which was great as it was very hot on the day we where there. Great trail, fantastic views and an instant holiday feeling!!
