The Best Day Trips From Vienna, Austria

Vienna is one of Europe’s most impressive cities (yes we’re biased, we love Austria), it’s full of history while at the same time being one of the biggest pushers of design, architecture and contemporary art. By day you have palaces, museums and unique coffee shops while the nightlife offers just as much variety.

You might find yourself looking at all the attractions in Austria’s capital and wondering why you would ever need more suggestions of things to do. However should you find yourself with a day or two to spare, we’ve put together a few of our favourite day trips from the city. Make the most of your stay in Vienna by seeing what it’s outskirts have to offer and how they feed the city.

A Short Trip From Vienna…

Liechtenstein Castle 

It won’t take much to convince you to visit this stunning castle, a quick image search will reveal why it’s so popular. Built on a large rock (it almost looks like it’s part of the rock) this castle is often called ‘The Fairy Tale Castle of Württemberg’ and it’s easy to see why.

Drive time: Approx 30 mins

Seegrotte Hinterbrühl

From a castle perched high on a rock to a trip underground. Originally an old mine that closed in 1912 after being flooded with 20 million litres of water, the Seegrotte is an underground cave system near Hinterbrühl. Open to tourists since 1930, inside you can tour the old mine and take a boat tour across Europe’s largest underground lake.

Drive time: Approx 30 mins

Creative Commons Flickr Credit: evocateur

Melk Abbey

Sitting above the town of Melk on a rocky outcrop, Melk Abbey is equally as beautiful as it’s surroundings next to the Danube River. It’s important to give yourself plenty of time when visiting the abbey, views from the terrace (and almost anywhere inside) are breathtaking, the library is well stocked with ancient manuscripts still in near perfect condition and the impressive architecture will all keep you busy for hours.

Drive Time: Approx 1 hour

Kreuzenstein Castle

How do you build the perfect castle? You take the Romanesque-Gothic style ruins of your previous castle and incorporate them into the design. Then you go shopping all around Europe to buy the best building materials, medieval furnishings and historical artefacts to give it that great castle feel. That’ exactly what happened over the 30 years of rebuilding here before it’s grand opening in 1906. All we can say is that it definitely worked and this castle is well worth a visit.

Drive time: Approx 35 mins

Salzburg

If you’re willing to travel a little further then there is also a chance to see another of Austria’s main cities, Salzburg. Here you’ll find more impressive architecture and museums and of course, no trip to Salzburg would be complete without learning more about Mozart, he was born here after all.

Drive time: Approx 2.5 hours

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Have you been to Vienna? What are your suggestions for first time visitors both inside and outside the city limits? Let us know below.