Austrian Excursions

During my 6 months in Vienna, I took a lot of day trips out of the city to see some of the smaller, more quaint towns. Klosterneuburg is north of Vienna on the Danube River and the towns main attraction is the Roman Catholic Monastery. The 900 year old abbey stands on a hill overlooking the Danube and town.

The interior of the abbey church.

Part of the ceiling.

Down a flight of stairs, in the abbey, leads you into the 12th Century St. Leopold’s Chapel where Leopold III is buried.

Leopold III

The famous Verdun Alter is one of the best preserved artworks from the middle ages. It is in three parts that comprises 45 gilded copper plates. According to the biblical text, the depictions are split into three rows of the eras of Adam and Noah, of Abraham, David, the Babylonian captivity and finally of Jesus' life, placed in the central part.

Baden, a spa town located 16 miles south of Vienna. There are thirteen warm baths, which gave name to the town, with temperatures ranging between 72 - 97 degrees and the main ingredient is sulfate lime. Baden also is surrounded by 120 vineyards and about 70 wine pubs. Unfortunately, I did not get to partake in the baths or wine pubs. Next time!

Hauptplatz is the main square

Ludwig van Beethoven had several residences in Baden, this is one of them.

Doblhoff Park centrally located in the town.

Also in Baden, is Europe’s largest casino.

They have a very nice covered market selling a variety of food and crafts. A great place to sit and have coffee or a light snack.

The only reason I wanted to visit Laxenburg was to visit the well-known castle, Schloss Laxenburg. Besides the Schonbrunn, it was the Habsburg other favorite summer destination. There are less than 3,000 people who live in the town but overall it was a very impressive and pristine community.

To get to the castle you walk through the beautiful castle grounds which offers a lot of leisure activities, mostly for warmer months. Their is a huge play-ground area for kids, horseback riding, summer concerts or you can rent a boat for the pond that surrounds the castle.

Looking across the pond to the Franzenburg Castle

The entrance gate

Just one of the many reasons I fell in love with Austria. Such a beautiful country with so many things to see / do. 

Please Pass the Salt

A UNESCO World Heritage site, Hallstatt is one of Europe's oldest towns and world's first known salt mine. This wonderful remote lakeside village, on the Hallstatter See in Upper Austria, is (4) hours from Vienna and has a population of around 1,200. A tiny ferry takes you from the train station across the lake and drops you off at this magical, postcard town. The main square is surrounded by beautiful guest houses and cobbled street lanes. You can walk from one side of the town to the other in about 10 to 15 minutes.  This by far was my favorite place to visit outside of Vienna.

Views of Hallstatt as we approached by boat.

View of the town walking from our guest house

The town has a cozy, or some might say cramped, feeling with houses built right next to the lake or up on the steep mountains.

We stayed at Haus Sarstein and had a wonderful balcony view of Lake Hallstatt.

The view from our room

We didn't see a lot of cars while we were there. I imagine most people walk or bike since the town is so small.

The main square in the center of town.

Lots of quaint homes and guest houses

This privately owned castle is on the other side of the lake. I loved the setting with all the trees surrounding it, especially with the leaves changing.

Erchen Valley offers a couple hiking trails up the beautiful landscape mountain. It takes about an hour to reach the top which is 2,750 feet above the town. The views from the top are spectacular, it was worth the climb.

View from the top is breathtaking.

You can see the town as we descend from the mountain

A lot of guest houses and restaurants were closed for the holiday so it was pretty quiet but luckily we found a cute little bar that was open.

After a day of hiking it was time to relax. For dinner I had their prized fish called Reinanke (whitefish) which is caught out of the Hallstatt lake and served the same day. It was absolutely delicious!! And what goes great with fish? Wine of course.

Cheers!

A truly spectacular weekend in Hallstatt. Definitely a place I would like to visit again but for a longer time and when it is not over a holiday.