excursions from Vienna, Vienna

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Leopoldsberg is a 425 m high mountain in the 19. district of Vienna. Graves from 1300-1200 BC) were discovered here in 1935, meaning the area was inhabited over 3 thousand years ago.

The castle was built here in the 13. century and was destroyed in 1529 by the invading Turkish. Kaiser Leopold I. donated a new church with 4 wings around a central domed room in 1679. This is where the name "Leopoldsberg" comes from.

The church was damaged in 1683 and renovated and expanded from 1718-30 by A. Beduzzi. Under Joseph II. the church was again damaged and was in 1798 again consecrated by Stift Klosterneuburg. A palace was built here in 1718, but burned down in 1891. The church was damaged in 1945, but was again rebuilt, and so it stands today

In 1550, it was owned by Heiligenkreuz convent. In 1886 Rudolf, crownprince and Habsburg offspring, bought the residence and used it as personal hunting seat.

It was there, that Rudolf commited suicide after killing his lover Mary Vetsera. January 1st, 1889 was the date of this tragic event. It was a fatal blow to the Austrian monarchy. We will visit this historic setting and will be bewitched by many fascinating details illustrating a long gone era.

"Stift Heiligenkreuz", which means the "Abbey of Heiligenkreuz", is a beautiful and living Cistercian monastery, close to Vienna, the capital of Austria. Stift Heiligenkreuz is the second-oldest Cistercian monastery in the world and the oldest continuously active and inhabited one, now full of young vocations. In September 2007 it was blessed by an official visit by Pope Benedict XVI.
Stift Heiligenkreuz, peacefully situated in the middle of the "Wienerwald", the Vienna woods, is one of the most beautiful medieval monasteries in the world. It was founded in 1133 by St. Leopold III of the House of Babenberg. Leopold’s son, Otto, had been sent to Paris for an international education. Otto came in contact with Cistercian monks and soon decided to enter a Cistercian monastery. When Otto visited his father in Austria he asked him to build a similar monastery for Lower Austria. This was the reason St. Leopold built Heiligenkreuz as well as Klosterneuburg to the northwest of Vienna.
Currently the monastery has 77 members, 18 affiliated parishes and a Pontifical Theological Academy (founded 1802) with around 180 students.

Having already been to Vienna a couple of times and visited the top attractions, we used one of our days to take a daytrip to Bratislava, Slovakia, just an hour away. On the advice of some folks on a forum, we booked the Twin City Liner hydrofoil to get there and took the train back, I didn't think the hydrofoil ride was anything special and it was expensive so if cost is an issue, you may want to take the train both ways.

Bratislava isn't as large as Vienna or Prague and doesn't have quite the same level of attractions but it is a pleasant town and worth a visit if you have an extended period of time in Vienna or want to add another country to your list (yep, guilty as charged).

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For a change of culture, visiting Bratislava in Slovakia is an easy day trip from Vienna. Trains run from Vienna Sudbahnhof twice an hour and the journey takes about an hour. A return ticket cost 14 euros, which included travel on trams and buses in Bratislava, and the lady in the ticket office gave us a very useful leaflet entitled 'One Day In Bratislava', which included a map and brief details of all the main sights.

After the splendour of Vienna, arrival at Bratislava Railway station is a bit of a culture shock. It's a bit grim and we couldn't find any signs in English to tell us where to catch Tram No.13 to the city centre. We eventually found it on a lower level - you need to go down stairs immediately outside the entrance on the left.

Riding on the tram is an experience in itself and you need to watch out for street signs for the Old Town to know where to get off as there is no information inside the tram. The Tourist Information Office is signposted and you can obtain a free map of the city there. Alternatively, buy an inexpensive guidebook for more detailed information.

Entering the Old Town takes you into a completely different world. It's very beautiful with quaint little cobbled streets, marvellous architecture, interesting museums and plenty of small shops and cafes. It is quite compact and you can comfortably see all the main sights in one day. If you're fit enough to walk up a steep hill (which I'm not) you can apparently get a great view of the city from the castle which overlooks it. A stroll along the banks of the Danube River is nice too. At night, many of the lovely buildings are floodlit.

I loved Bratislava and thoroughly recommend it for a day trip.

One important tip: as most shops and cafes don't accept Euros, visit an ATM to get a small number of Slovak Crowns (Slovenska Koruna) for spending on items such as drinks, snacks and souvenirs.

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Stammersdorf - located in the 21st district of Vienna - is where the good local Heurigers (wine taverns/pubs) and wineguts/wineries are.

If you want to know where the locals go to eat and drink excellent food and wine, don't go to Grinzing or Neustift in the 19th district. Instead, go to Stammersdorf ... !!

This northern part of Vienna, separated off from the city by the Danube river, is known locally as Trans-Danubien. Created by rapid urban development, this once rather poor part of the city made a strong recovery. The Heurigers in Stammersdorf have remain (for the most part) unspoilt, simple and low-key. The reason is because few tourists come here, and prices are much cheaper than in 19th district - Grinzing and Neustift.

Take a walk along the Keller strasse; you can find small houses with subterranean wine cellars - it's where wine is stored until it is mature enough to drink. There are several good Heurigers and weinguts in Stammersdorf.

Best time to go is during the warm months starting from April/May until September/October. You can sit out in the garden and enjoy the warm days and cool balmy evenings with a few glasses of excellent Austrian wines and roasted pork.

To get to Stammersdorf, you can take the Tram 31 from Schottenring (U4) or Floridsdorf (U4 or U6). Or you can take the regional bus 228 from Floridsdorf to Stammersdorf Kellerstrasse.

Have a good time exploring the Heurigers in Stammersdorf.

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Wachau/Melk/Dürnstein
A trip to the Wachau region will let you ride through one of the most scenic parts of the Danube Bike Trail. This entire region is a UNESCO Heritage Site and for a good reason. There is the beautiful and historic monastery in Melk, the unforgettable scenery as you ride through the vineyards along the Danube and then, quaint Dürnstein with the castle ruins where King Richard the Lionhearted was kept prisoner. It doesn't get much better than this! A day to remember.

This is what we suggest:
Rent a bike in Vienna. Take the train to Melk, visit the monastery, bike on the Danube Bike Trail through the Wachau eating lunch in one of the many places along the way, ending the day with a leisurely ride on the train from Krems back to Vienna.
Train times are subject to changes but as of this writing there was a direct train every hour from Vienna to Melk. Travel time 1:15. Total bike kilometers 40.

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Want a real Austrian adventure? Rent a bike in Vienna and after a 45 minute train ride (Sudbahnhof) you are in Neusiedl am See. From here you ride through the reeds along the lake to the National Park / bird sanctuary. Depending on the time of the year, you can see many of the birds that travel to Europe from Africa. Then to Illmitz to catch the ferry across the lake to Mörbisch. Here you will see just how big it is. Disembarking, you continue to Rust, known for three things; a quaint, beautiful town square, storks nesting on the houses and good food and wine. Pick one of the enticing restaurants. You won't be sorry! After lunch you ride through the villages along the lake and through vineyards back to Neusiedl for a well earned, relaxing ride back to Vienna. You might want to do it again the next day!

This is what we suggest:
Take the train to Neusiedl am See, bike through the National Park/bird sanctuary, take the ferry across the lake, eat lunch in picturesque Rust, bike back to Neusiedl, ending the day with a leisurely ride on the train back to Vienna.
Train times are subject to changes but as of this writing there was a direct train every 20 to 30 minutes from Vienna to Neusiedl am See. Travel time 45 minutes. Total bike kilometers 58.