If You Like

Bicycling

The Carnuntum region and the southeast corner of the Weinviertel, a region known as the Marchfeld, offer outstanding cycling, with a number of marked routes. Cycle paths follow the southern bank of the Danube past Carnuntum (Petronell) through Bad Deutsch-Altenburg to Hainburg, and other parts of the region are flat enough to offer fine cycling without overexertion. One of the marked routes close to the March River includes the Baroque castles at Marchegg and Schlosshof.

Castles

Taking advantage of the natural line of defense formed by the course of the Danube, barons and bailiffs decided centuries ago to erect fortifications on the bluffs along the river. Castles were the best answer, and a wonderful string of these dot the Weinviertel, including Schloss Niederweiden and Schlosshof. A more polished estate awaits at Schloss Rohrau. The 17th- and 18th-century structures vary from turreted hilltop fortresses to more elegant moated bastions, but all were part of a chain designed to repel invaders. Several are basically intact while others have been restored, but all are impressive relics worth visiting. Castle concerts have become popular during summer months, when the buildings are open for tours as well.

Hiking & Walking

The celebrated Vienna Woods to the west and southwest of Vienna are crisscrossed by hundreds of easy hiking paths, numbered, color-coded, and marked for destinations. Excellent hiking maps available from most bookstores will give ideas and routes. Paths will take you through woods, past meadows and vineyards, alongside streams and rivers, occasionally revealing a tavern hidden away deep in the woods where you can stop for refreshment or a cold snack. Deer, wild boar, and a host of small animals inhabit these preserves. The area is protected, and development is highly restricted, making it ideal for pleasurable hiking.

Wine

Four separate wine regions surround Vienna—the Weinviertel, or wine quarter to the north of the city; the Kamptal, which divides the Weinviertel from the Waldviertel to the west; the Carnuntum-Petronell region, just below the Danube to the southeast of Vienna; and the Thermen region, south and southwest of the capital. The specialties are mainly white wines, with the standard types, grüner veltliner and rieslings and increasingly weissburgunder, predominating. Reds are coming more into favor, with lighter reds such as zweigelt and even rosés to be found in the northern areas. The heavier reds such as blaufränkisch and St. Laurent and the spicier gewürztraminer and Müller-Thurgau whites are found in the south. Most vintners work small holdings, so output is limited. The wine market in Poysdorf, center of one of Austria's largest wine regions, offers an opportunity to sample a wide choice of area vintages.