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Visiting Vienna

Day trips from Vienna

View of the Danube

If your visit to Vienna lasts long enough to tire of coffee and Sachertorte (is that even possible?), then you might want to escape on a day trip outside the city.

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Day trip suggestions

Even if you don’t want to hire a car*, then trains, buses and boats get you to many places outside the city quickly and easily. This includes travel to other countries and organised tours leaving from Vienna.

One of the joys of the city, for example, is the close proximity to Slovakia, Hungary, and Czechia.

I’m working to bring you helpful articles on travelling to all these places and others more local. Here my tips so far…

Salzburg

Salzburg old town and fortress

(Salzburg looks pretty good, too, I have to admit)

It takes just over 2 hours to reach Salzburg by rail from Vienna, with frequent departures. So the city certainly qualifies as a day trip destination.

The Salzach river runs alongside the beautiful old town, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Wander between the historic buildings on the famous Getriedegasse street, for example, then pop into Mozart’s birthplace.

(Salzburg and Vienna have a tacit agreement to share Mozart; you might argue that Salzburg gave birth to the man, while Vienna gave birth to the legend.)

Melk Abbey

Melk abbey viewed from the river

(The abbey looks down over the River Melk)

The small town of Melk lies about a one-hour train journey west of Vienna. Perched on a hill above the old town is the magnificent Stift Melk, an abbey rebuilt in the 1700s with a history that goes back over 1000 years.

The Stift has much to offer the visitor and all wrapped up in remarkable Baroque architectural splendour. Ticketed parts include a museum, an old library of the “you never want to leave” kind, the abbey church, a garden & park, and views across the Danube valley.

Figure on two to three hours for looking around. Combined with lunch on site or in Melk itself, and you can be back in Vienna for late afternoon coffee.

Klosterneuburg Abbey

Baroque Imperial façade of Klosterneuburg abbey

(Another glorious abbey with baroque elements)

The small town of Klosterneuburg starts more or less where Vienna ends. Which means a quick and easy journey by bus or train.

The Stift Klosterneuburg abbey dates back to the early 12th century and has a small treasury with some quite astonishing exhibits within, including the archducal coronet from the early 1600s.

A tour takes you into a Baroque wing built for Emperor Charles VI in the 1730s, but also the church, cloisters, and chapels. Much of the old architecture remains visible. A particular highlight is the Verdun Altar, one of the most prestigious pieces of medieval art in the world.

The Alps

View of Schneeberg mountain from the Hohe Wand

(These foothills and mountains begin just about an hour away from Vienna)

Austria is 98% mountains, 1% chocolate, and 1% coffee. (Possibly.)

The Alps stretch almost the entire length of the country, only petering out just before they reach Vienna. Which means the mountains are reasonably close to the city.

Vienna even has a “local” ski resort: Semmering is near enough to make a day’s skiing a reality, and you can still be back in time for dinner.

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Roman Carnuntum

Reconstructed Roman town

(The Roman reconstructions)

Back in the mists of time, Vienna was Vindobona: a large Roman military camp and settlement established to guard the empire’s frontier.

Remarkably, follow the Danube downriver out of Vienna for about 40km and you reach the location of an even bigger Roman town and military base.

Carnuntum is where, for example, the 14th and 15th Legions kept those pesky German tribes at bay (think the opening scenes of Gladiator).

This architectural park has various historical sites to visit, including extensive reconstructions, a museum, and two amphitheatres. And, for some reason, an awful lot of ground squirrels.

Schloss Hof House & Gardens

Schloss Hof from outside the walls

(The view from outside)

Two Viennese palaces and a city palais proved too little for Prince Eugene of Savoy, a man whose modesty seems to have grown smaller as his wealth grew bigger.

The Baroque Schloss Hof might be considered Eugene’s “little place in the country”. If by “little place” you mean a large estate.

Fill a day trip with a palace to tour, gardens to admire, and a set of outbuildings full of surprises (wandering turkeys, Lipizzaner horses, and hidden rose gardens, to name but three). Lots for kids to do, too.

Organised day trips & tours

Finally, various tour operators have special one-day excursions that leave from the centre of Vienna to popular destinations, taking the hassle out of travel arrangements.

These link to my affiliate partner, Tiqets, but a quick Google will throw up various alternative suppliers, too…

  • Hallstatt*: one of Austria’s most picturesque towns on the banks of a lake and at the foot of the mountains. The area is a UNESCO world heritage site.
  • Salzburg & Sound of Music*: take an organised bus tour to Mozart’s city of birth, if you prefer to let others worry about travel planning. Includes more than a pinch of the famous musical
  • Danube Valley & Stift Melk* visit the ancient abbey via bus. Includes a boat trip down the Danube in warmer seasons and a wander around picturesque Krems or Dürnstein (where they imprisoned King Richard II) in the colder months
  • Bratislava*: another city on the Danube, the capital of Slovakia is just over an hour away and reachable by bus and boat
  • Budapest*: the capital of Hungary and another gorgeous former Habsburg city. Unlike Vienna, the Danube passes right through the city centre
  • Baden, abbey & cave lake*: a bus tour out to the town of Baden with a tour of Heiligenkreuz Abbey (founded in 1133) and a short boat ride to the remarkable underground lake that is Seegrotte Hinterbrühl

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