Day trips in Austria: 7 ideas from Milan Bez Mapy

If you’re looking for day trips in Austria close to Slovakia, I’ve picked seven places and areas in Lower Austria, Upper Austria and Burgenland. They include the Wachau, Grafenegg, the Schneeberg and the area around Lake Neusiedl. You don’t have to do them all at once: pick them to suit the time you have and the season.

Quick factsby Milan Bez Mapy

When to visit the Wachau

In apricot season; the harvest starts in mid-July and lasts about two to three weeks

Where to stay in Steyr

Stadthotel Styria, a 500-year-old building where a night really is an experience

Watch out

Towels aren’t included in the ticket at EurothermenResort Bad Hall; I had to pay extra to hire one

Schneeberg rack railway

Puchberg to the summit in under 45 minutes; book online at least a day ahead; take cash up with you, as I couldn’t pay by card when I was there

Around Lake Neusiedl

The B10 cycle path makes a full day out by bike; I’d stop in every little town for a beer and a schnitzel

Where to go on a day trip in Austria? Over the years this blog has gathered plenty of ideas for trips around Austria. So I’ve written one clear, in-depth overview that links to my more detailed posts with Austria day-trip ideas. What I like most about Austria is that everything is more or less within easy reach. Let’s get started.

Day trips in Austria: Milan Bez Mapy’s 7 picks

In this post I’ve stuck to places that are still fairly close to Slovakia, which is why most of them are in Lower Austria, Upper Austria and Burgenland.

What to see in Austria: my day-trip ideas

1. Grafenegg Castle
2. The UNESCO-listed Wachau and the towns of Melk, Krems and Dürnstein
3. Göttweig Abbey (Stift Göttweig) and Aggstein Castle
4. The town of Steyr and a spa day in Bad Hall
5. Baden and Laxenburg Castle
6. Puchberg am Schneeberg and Reichenau an der Rax
7. Lake Neusiedl and the cycle path around it (Rust, Podersdorf, Mörbisch and Purbach)

Where to go on a day trip in Austria

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Grafenegg Castle: tips for your visit

If you haven’t heard of Grafenegg Castle yet, add it to your list of day trips in Lower Austria. Its architecture tells the story of seven centuries, with traces of everything from Gothic and Baroque to elegant Gothic Revival. With its tall, instantly recognisable tower, its façades, stylish staircases, arcades and handsome chapel, Grafenegg has become a symbol of Lower Austria.

Around the castle lies a 32-hectare English landscape garden that brings together history, botany and modernity. The 300-year-old garden is home to rare trees and shrubs from all over the world. My favourite part was the cactus garden with frost-hardy prickly pears. See if you can find it. And if you get the chance, come on a sunny autumn weekend, when the ginkgo trees turn completely yellow. There are several of them, so it looks almost kitsch.

The UNESCO-listed Wachau: Melk, Krems and Dürnstein

To start with, I’d visit the Wachau, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, in apricot season. The harvest starts in mid-July and lasts about two to three weeks. Whether you head to Melk for the abbey, to Krems or to Dürnstein, you’ll see apricots and apricot products absolutely everywhere. I’d also walk the Wachau World Heritage Trail (Welterbesteig), or at least part of it. It’s a hiking trail of about 180 km in 14 stages, running through the villages on both banks of the Danube.

Melk Abbey is one of the most remarkable buildings in the whole region. According to National Geographic, it ranks among the world’s great historic destinations. I’d also walk through the garden with its staircase and eat at the restaurant right by the park entrance. The schnitzel there is excellent. I’ve written a detailed guide with tips on the Wachau: ‘What to see in the Wachau’. The Wachau is also known for its wines, so it’s worth booking a tasting at one of its many wineries. I’ve shared a few tips on the best Wachau wines in a separate post.

Göttweig Abbey and Aggstein Castle

Let’s stay in the Wachau a little longer. The ruins of Aggstein Castle may be less well known among Slovaks, but they’re all the more beautiful for it. They stand between the towns of Spitz and Melk, and you can’t miss them. The ruins are ‘only’ 900 years old, yet to this day nobody knows who built the castle. I’d explore every corner and picture how up to 60 people might have lived here in its heyday.

The Aggstein ruins are open to the public from mid-March to October, and in November there’s a special Christmas market. Legend has it that Hadmar III von Kuenring stretched a long chain from the castle across the Danube and used it to sink ships. I’ll leave you to decide whether that’s true.

You can see Göttweig Abbey from a long way off. It was once a monastery for men only, with a long history behind it. Inside you’ll find Napoleon’s bed and a blue fresco above the main staircase that seems to move. It makes the ceiling look higher, though in reality it’s very low.

Steyr and a spa day in Bad Hall

Steyr’s old town isn’t big, and its heart is the Stadtplatz. This long square is lined with a mix of historic buildings, from fairly plain ones to some that catch your eye at once. The one that naturally stands out is the town hall, with its clock tower and Rococo design. Others worth a look include the Bummerlhaus and one of the local banks.

I can recommend the Stadthotel Styria, where I stayed. It’s a 500-year-old building, and a night there is a real experience. When you go down to breakfast, look up at the ceiling. I’m fascinated by how architects can convert houses this old so that they’re still comfortable 500 years later.

EurothermenResort in Bad Hall

Just 20 minutes from Steyr is the small spa town of Bad Hall. You recommended its spa and sauna complex to me: EurothermenResort Bad Hall. It’s worth buying your ticket online, as capacity is limited, and bringing your own towel. Towels aren’t included in the ticket price, which I didn’t know, so I had to pay extra to hire one. If you have time, walk round the tiny town centre and, above all, the lovely woodland park right next to the spa.

Baden, Laxenburg Castle and the spa town of Bad Vöslau

The town of Baden and Laxenburg Castle are among the highlights of Lower Austria. I’ve also written about where to go in Lower Austria. The Habsburgs used to spend their summers here in the Blauer Hof palace, and Franzensburg is one of Austria’s best-known castles. For the finest view of its walls, do as I did: hire a boat and paddle around the lake. The castle park, which the imperial family owned from the Middle Ages, is an impressive example of 18th- and 19th-century garden design.

In the 19th century Peter Joseph Lenné remodelled the garden even further. He was the leading garden architect of his day and also designed the Rose Island (Roseninsel) on Lake Starnberg. Under Emperor Francis I and his palace steward Michael Riedl, the park gained remarkable gardens, grottoes, temples and even an arena. The landscape laid out in this period had rare trees and shrubs, meadows and stretches of water. It made the Laxenburg castle park one of the most important and most beautiful historic garden landscapes in Europe today.

I’d also stop in Baden and Bad Vöslau, where the springs of the popular Vöslauer mineral water rise. Do have a swim in the thermal pools: I really enjoyed it.

Puchberg am Schneeberg and Reichenau an der Rax

The Vienna Alps (Wiener Alpen) are one of my favourite parts of Austria. Only recently did I discover the historic Salamander rack railway, which runs from Puchberg am Schneeberg up the mountain above the town. In under 45 minutes it takes you from about 600 m above sea level to the summit at 1,800 m. At the top there’s a pretty little church and a restaurant. When I was there, they didn’t take cards, so bring cash. If you have time, you can also hike up Lower Austria’s highest mountain, which takes about five hours from Puchberg. I’d book the rack railway online at least a day ahead, as capacity is limited.

In winter you can ski in the Vienna Alps, and I’d especially try the well-known Wechsel Panorama Trail. In summer, swap your skis for a bike or hiking boots. There are countless hiking trails and cycle routes here, and the international EuroVelo 9 passes through too.

Tip from Milan In Reichenau an der Rax I’d stop for lunch at the Schlossgärtnerei Wartholz restaurant. You’ll be blown away.

Day trips in Austria: Puchberg am Schneeberg

Lake Neusiedl: Rust, Podersdorf, Mörbisch and Purbach

Lake Neusiedl (Neusiedler See) probably needs no introduction. The Austrian part belongs to Burgenland, and about a quarter of the lake lies in Hungary. I like going to Rust, but once I rode all the way round the lake on its popular cycle path. The loop on the B10 cycle path (Radweg B10) takes a full day. Even so, I’d stop in all the well-known little towns and have a beer and a schnitzel in each. I’d also recommend a safari in Seewinkel National Park. For lunch, try the Römerzeche restaurant or the pier where the Seerestaurant Katamaran used to be. Since 2025 Niki am Hafen has taken its place. Here are a few useful links:

• Tips on where to go on a day trip in Burgenland
• Ideas for a bike trip around Lake Neusiedl
• My review of the St. Martins Therme spa in Burgenland
• How to get the Neusiedler See Card and what it gets you
• Where to go around Lake Neusiedl, with trip ideas
• Going on safari in Seewinkel National Park
• What to see in Hainburg

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7 day-trip ideas in Austria from Milan Bez Mapy

Where to go for a day out in Austria

Austria has something worth seeing at every turn, literally. You don’t have to rush round all of it in one go: take it bit by bit, season by season. Save this article for inspiration, and next time you’re passing, stop at one of the places I’ve recommended here. This article was written in collaboration with Austria.info.

You might also like my article 5 less touristy places in Vienna that are worth seeing.