Wienerwald - Vienna Woods:
Recreational Area for Vienna - Part II

The valleys of the Wienerwald are called "Wienerwaldtäler" and popular for geriatric walks as well as gently cycling. Most of the valleys are densely populated, so nature aficionados are well-advised to look out for nature reserves with building constraints.

The calciferous rock in the areas around Mödling and Baden contains some interesting caves. Note especially the „Dreidärrischenhöhle" at the base of Mount Anninger, the Elfen- and Einödhöhle between Pfaffstätten and Gaaden, the Arnsteinhöhle near Maria Raisenmarkt and the Tropfsteinhöhle at Alland. The most popular underground attraction of the Wienerwald, however, is the Seegrotte Hinterbrühl near Mödling.

The Wienerwald is a "cultural landscape" and contains many monasteries - orders were actively encouraged to settle there by the Austrian monarchs for centuries. These monasteries and hermitages include the Stift Heiligenkreuz and Stift Klosterneuburg; Kleinmariazell and Mauerbach. The monastery of Lilienfeld is just outside of the Wienerwald and ideal for being inlcuded in a Wienerwald day-trip from Vienna.

Access to the Wienerwald from Vienna

Finally, the promised entrance points: I urgently recommend tourists - even those who spend only a few days in Vienna - to go up the Wiener Höhenstraße to the Kahlenberg and/or Leopoldsberg. From here, many hiking paths lead straight into the Vienna woods. You can also walk down to the city and enjoy a combination of forest, vineyards and stunning views on Vienna. If you hop off the bus at the Cobenzl, you can walk around in this area, too.

An alternative would be Neustift am Walde, within easy reach by bus and as a Heurigen wine tavern area less touristy than Grinzing. Here you just walk through a layer of vineyards and the Vienna Woods are yours. Similar things apply to Obersievering, Neuwaldegg (with Schloss Neuwaldegg and the Schwarzenberg Park), and Dornbach.

At the Baumgartner Höhe just behind the Kirche am Steinhof, the Wilhelminenberg area and a neighbourhood called "Himmel" ("heaven"), you also find the great combination of look-outs and nature. Further East, the Hütteldorf area is primarily residential, but well-connected by subway U4 - I find this area less attractive, though, due to some major traffic lines and loads of loaded people who live here and made the area a (wealthy) suburb. The Roter Berg in Hietzing is a bit packed with people who walk their dogs; further south, the Lainzer Tiergarten is a nice nature reserve. At the very south, the suburb of Rodaun offers direct access to nice rambling routes. That much about entrance points directly from Vienna.

For proper day-trips, there are plenty of attractive destinations that you could get to and use as a base for hikes. The most attractive communities in and just by the Vienna Wood are: Klosterneuburg, Purkersdorf, Breitenfurt bei Wien, Pressbaum, Neulengbach, Alland, Bad Vöslau, Baden, Gumpoldskirchen, Mödling, Brunn am Gebirge and Sulz. All of them are within easy reach from Vienna, regardless if you travel by car or public means of transport. Especially Klosterneuburg (north of Vienna), Baden and Mödling (south of Vienna) are a few stops with local trains and very well-connected.

Return to "Wienerwald (Vienna Woods) - Part I"

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Vienna by District

District Overview - 1st (Innere Stadt) - 2nd (Leopoldstadt) - 3rd (Landstraße) - 4th (Wieden) - 5th (Margareten)- 6th (Mariahilf) - 7th (Neubau) - 8th (Josefstadt) - 9th (Alsergrund) - 10th (Favoriten) - 11th (Simmering) - 12th (Meidling) - 13th (Hietzing) - 14th (Penzing) - 15th (Fünfhaus) - 16th (Ottakring) - 17th (Hernals) - 18th (Währing) - 19th (Döbling) - 20th (Brigittenau) - 21st (Floridsdorf) - 22nd (Donaustadt) - 23rd (Liesing) -  Ringstraße - Surroundings

Further Reading

Official Website of the Wienerwald

Wikipedia on the Wienerwald (Vienna Woods)

Website of the Wienerwald (Vienna Woods) Nature Reserve