59 Best Sights in Vienna Woods, Lake Neusiedler, and the Danube River, Austria

Just across the Nibelungen Bridge from the Hauptplatz, this highly acclaimed "Museum of the Future," opened in 2009, pays tribute to the confluence of art, technology, and society. Permanent features at the museum include the 3-D cinema room, which allows you to fly over Renaissance cathedrals or explore ancient civilizations, as well as exhibits on the latest developments in robotics and the origins of the universe—all with English explanations. As well as its permanent exhibits, the center also hosts annual festivals, with a different theme each year. Allow at least half a day to experience all the cybersites here. When you need a break, visit the Cubus Café Restaurant Bar on the third floor for refreshments and a spectacular view overlooking the Danube and Lentos Kunstmuseum opposite.

Seemingly lifted from the pages of a German fairy tale, Burg Kreuzenstein bristles with storybook turrets and towers. Sitting atop a hillside three kilometers (two miles) beyond Korneuburg, "Castle Cross-stone" is, in fact, a 19th-century architectural fantasy built to conjure up "the last of the knights"—Emperor Maximilian I himself. Occupying the site of a previously destroyed fort, the enormous structure was built by Count Nepomuk Wilczek between 1879 and 1908. Using old elements and Gothic and Romanesque bits and pieces, the castle was carefully laid out according to the rules of yore, complete with a towering Burgtor, "kennel" corridor (where attackers would have been cornered), Gothic arcades, and tracery parapet walls. Discover the Burghof courtyard, with its half-timbered facade and Baltic loggia, a festival and banquet hall, a library, a stained-glass chapel, vassal kitchens, and the Narwalzahn, a room devoted to hunting trophies (if you've ever wanted to see a "unicorn horn," here's your chance). Guided tours are available on the hour.

A group of falconers keeps peregrine falcons and other birds of prey near the castle grounds, and there are regular shows April through October.

The quickest and most pleasant way to reach the castle is to take the suburban train (S-Bahn) to Leobendorf, followed by a 45-minute uphill walk. Only cash payment is accepted, and there is no ATM at the castle.

The remains of the important Roman legionary fortress and civil town of Carnuntum, which once numbered 55,000 inhabitants, extend about five kilometers (three miles) along the Danube from the tiny village of Petronell to the next town of Bad Deutsch-Altenburg. The recent discovery here of an ancient school of gladiators delighted archaeologists and significantly raised Carnuntum's stature, and rightfully so. Visitors can tour the grounds, which include two amphitheaters (the first one seating 8,000) and the foundations of former residences, reconstructed baths, and trading centers—some with mosaic floors. The ruins are quite spread out, with the impressive remains of a Roman arch, the Heidentor (Pagans' Gate), a 15-minute pleasant walk from the main excavations in Petronell. You can experience what Roman life was like circa AD 380 in the elegantly furnished Villa Urbana. Many of the excavated finds are housed at the Museum Carnuntinum at Bad Deutsch-Altenburg. The star of the collection is a carving of Mithras killing a bull. Guided tours in English are available in July and August at noon; otherwise they are in German only.

When you want to escape the hustle and bustle of Linz, just hop on the electric railway Pöstlingbergbahn for a scenic ride up to the famous mountain belvedere, the Pöstlingberg. The narrow-gauge marvel has been making the journey since 1898, and today the line extends to Hauptplatz. Europe's steepest non-cog mountain railway gains 750 feet in elevation in a journey of roughly four kilometers (2½ miles) in just 20 minutes, with neither pulleys nor cables to prevent it from slipping. Halfway up is the Linz Zoological Garden and a children's petting zoo, but it's at the top where you'll enjoy the best views, with the city and the wide sweep of the Danube filling the foreground and the snowcapped Alps on the horizon. Also here is the Church of the Seven Sorrows of the Virgin (Sieben Schmerzen Mariens), an immense and opulent twin-towered Baroque pilgrimage church (1748) visible for miles around. Kids will enjoy the Grottenbahn, or Dragon Express, where they're whisked through a world of dwarves, forest creatures, and other fairy-tale folk, while adults can drink in the views—along with a glass of chilled white wine—from the terrace of the Pöstlingberg Schlössl restaurant.

It may involve a steep, 30-minute climb up to 500 feet above the town, but the ruins of this famous castle—and its spectacular views up and down the Danube—make it well worth the effort. The name (in English at least) comes from the fact the castle once held Richard the Lionheart of England, who was captured by Leopold V on his way back home from the Crusades. It's said that Leopold had been insulted by Richard while they were in the Holy Land, so when the English nobleman was shipwrecked and had to head back home through Austria dressed (clearly not very convincingly) as a peasant, Leopold pounced. Richard was subsequently imprisoned in the tower of the castle for four months (1192--1193), before Leopold turned his prisoner over to the emperor, Henry VI. Henry held him for months longer until ransom was paid by Richard's mother, Eleanor of Aquitaine.

The former palace of the ruling princes reigns over the town. Built in the Baroque style between 1663 and 1672 on the foundations of a medieval castle and later modified, it is still owned by the Esterházy family, who lease it to the provincial government for use mostly as offices. The Esterházy family rooms are worth viewing, and the lavishly decorated Haydn Room, an impressive concert hall where the composer conducted his own works from 1761 until 1790, is still used for presentations of Haydn's works, with musicians often dressed in period garb. The hall is one of several rooms on a guided tour (in English on request if there are at least 10 people) that lasts about 30 minutes. The cellar has the largest wine museum in Austria with 700 objects including a massive wine barrel and historical grape press. A tour of the princess's apartment includes objects relating to three royal women. The park behind the palace is pleasant for a stroll or a picnic, and in late August it's a venue for the Burgenland wine week—Eisenstadt hosts the "Festival of 1,000 Wines"—when there's a two-hour wine tour and tasting at the palace.

A true Baroque gem, this castle is shining even more brilliantly since the completion of extensive restorations. The product of that master designer and architect Johann Lukas von Hildebrandt, who in 1732 reconstructed the square castle into an elegant U-shape building, the Schloss opens up on the eastern side to a marvelous Baroque formal garden that gives way toward the river. The famed landscape painter Bernardo Bellotto, noted for his Canaletto-like vistas of scenic landmarks, captured the view before the reconstruction. His three paintings were used as a guide for restoring the gardens to their Baroque appearance.

The castle was once owned by Empress Maria Theresa, mother of Marie Antoinette. You can visit the suite the empress used during her royal visits, faithfully re-created down to the tiniest details, as well as the two-story chapel in which she prayed.

In 2016, the Schlosshof added some highly popular adventure paths to the interactive visitor experience. Children can play the roles of stable boys and maidens, performing various chores and encountering blacksmiths, falconers, or bakers along the path. You might stumble upon a large estate farm that is home to horses, goats, donkeys, and several other animals. The complex also includes a restaurant and pâtisserie, both with indoor and outdoor seating. Guided tours and audio tours of the castle and garden are available in English, but it's also possible to wander around the buildings and grounds on your own. The castle is about eight kilometers (five miles) south of Marchegg. Be sure to enjoy the panaromic view (you can even see across the border into Slovakia and it's capital Bratislava from here). If you come in winter, you can enjoy the charming Adventmarkt set up on the sprawling grounds.

The great Augustinian abbey Stift Klosterneuburg dominates the town. The structure has undergone many changes since the abbey was established in 1114, most recently in 1892, when Friedrich Schmidt, architect of Vienna's City Hall, added neo-Gothic embellishments to its two identifying towers. Inside the abbey church, treasures include the carved-wood choir loft and oratory, the large 17th-century organ, beautifully enameled 1181 Verdun Altar in the Leopold Chapel, stained-glass windows from the 14th and 15th centuries, and a Romanesque candelabra from the 12th century. In an adjacent outbuilding there's a huge wine cask over which people slide; the exercise, called Fasslrutsch'n, takes place during the Leopoldiweinkost, the wine tasting around St. Leopold's Day on November 15. The Stiftskeller, with its atmospheric underground rooms, serves standard Austrian fare and wine bearing the Klosterneuburg label. There are several different tours available covering religious artifacts, imperial rooms and treasures, wine making, and the garden.

Guided tours are in German, but audio guides with English and other languages are available.

Part palace, part monastery, part opera set, this masterpiece of Baroque architecture looms high above the Danube thanks to its upward-reaching twin towers, its grand 208-foot-high dome, and, of course, its site high up on a rocky outcrop. The Benedictine abbey has a history that extends back to its establishment in 1089, but the glorious building you see today is architect Jakob Prandtauer's reconstruction, completed in 1736, in which some earlier elements are incorporated.

A tour of the building includes the main public rooms: a magnificent library, with more than 100,000 books, nearly 2,000 manuscripts, and a superb ceiling fresco by the master Paul Troger; the Marmorsaal, whose windows on both sides enhance the ceiling frescoes and give them a curved effect; and the glorious Stiftskirche (abbey church) of Saints Peter and Paul, an exquisite example of the Baroque style. Look out for some quirky features along the way, like a "reusable coffin" that subtly opens at the bottom, and the hidden door in the library. There are guided tours in English every day at 3 pm. Be sure to leave time for exploring the gardens, a lovely mix of manicured lawns and wild woodland with amazing river views.

Located 14 kilometers (8½ miles) southeast of Linz, this palatial Augustinian abbey—one of the most spectacular Baroque showpieces in Austria—was built in 1686 to honor the spot on the River Enns where St. Florian was drowned by pagans in 304. Landmarked by three gigantic "candle-snuffer" cupolas, it's centered on a mammoth Marmorsaal (Marble Hall), covered with frescoes honoring Prince Eugene of Savoy's defeat of the Turks, and a sumptuous library filled with 140,000 volumes. Guided tours of the abbey also take in the magnificent, three-story figural gateway, covered with symbolic statues; the Kaiserzimmer, a suite of 13 opulent salons with the "terrifying bed" of Prince Eugene (it's adorned with wood-carved figures of captives); and the over-the-top abbey church, home to an enormous organ once played by composer Anton Bruckner. You'll also see one of the great masterworks of the Austrian Baroque, Jakob Prandtauer's Eagle Fountain Courtyard, with its richly sculpted figures. If you find one day isn't enough to see it all, there are also rooms where you can spend the night in the abbey grounds (from €104 per night, including breakfast). Getting to the abbey is easy: there are regular buses from Linz's Volksgarten.

Hidden away off the Graben, a narrow side street off the Taubenmarkt above the Hauptplatz, is this Baroque gem (1669–1678). The most striking feature of the Old Church, or Ignatiuskirche as it's also known, is its single nave with side altars. Anton Bruckner was the organist here from 1856 to 1868.

At the lower end of the main square, the original 1513 building was mostly destroyed by fire and replaced in 1658–1659. Its octagonal corner turret and lunar clock, and some vaulted rooms, remain, and you can detect traces of the original Renaissance structure on the Rathausgasse facade. The present exterior dates from 1824. The approach from Rathausgasse 5, opposite the Kepler Haus, leads through a fine, arcaded courtyard. On the facade here you'll spot portraits of Emperor Friedrich III, the mayors Hoffmandl and Prunner, the astronomer Johannes Kepler, and the composer Anton Bruckner. The building houses a museum dedicated to the history of Linz and a rather odd museum of dentistry.

A former 19th-century bathhouse—one which Emperor Franz Josef frequented on his visits to Baden—was converted in 2009 to a museum highlighting Austria's internationally renowned abstract artist Arnulf Rainer. Exhibits also include other contemporary greats, including Damien Hirst. Rainer's work has been displayed in the Museum of Modern Art in New York and other noteworthy museums.

Known locally and affectionately as Beethoven's Haus der Neunten, or Ninth House, since he composed his Ninth Symphony while living at this address, the house was fully restored after workers discovered artwork within that dated back to the time Beethoven lived there. The art, which hung on the walls of Beethoven's summer apartment, has been fully restored as well.

Leapfrog ahead by train from Vienna and start your cruise in Krems. A short walk takes you to the Schiffstation Krems piers, where river cruises run by Brandner Schifffahrt from April through October depart at 10:05 am for a ride to glorious Melk Abbey, via Dürnstein. It's €26.50 one way, or €31.50 return. Other options include special day and evening cruises with oompah band concerts, wine cruises, and the like. There is an occasional "crime cruise" (in German) with a murder mystery to be solved.

If you want to start your Danube sightseeing cruise in Vienna, DDSG is the company to go with. Boats depart from the company's piers at Handelskai 265 (by the Reichsbrücke bridge). There are thematic and brunch cruises as well, and you can also get trips from Krems to Melk. The ticket office is at the Vienna piers (take the U-Bahn line U1 to Vorgartenstrasse). Wannabe captains can also steer the ship for 15 minutes, while the real captain observes.

One of the symbols of Linz is the 65-foot Baroque column in the center of the Hauptplatz. Made in 1723 from white Salzburg marble, the memorial offers thanks from an earthly trinity—the provincial estates, city council, and local citizenry—for deliverance from the threats of war (1704), fire (1712), and plague (1713). On Saturdays, from March through October, there's a popular flea market centered around the column, while on Tuesdays and Fridays there is a farmers' market.

The restored Gothic Fischerkirche is off the west end of the Rathausplatz. Built between the 12th and 16th centuries, it is surrounded by a defensive wall and is noted for its 15th-century frescoes and an organ from 1705. The church sometimes has classical concerts. Tours are available but must be arranged in advance.

Facing the square are three very different but equally fascinating museums. Fabricus Ház (Fabricius House) is a beautiful Baroque mansion with exhibits on ancient city history: highlights include the remains of a Roman bathhouse and the 1,200-year-old Cunpald Goblet. The Storno Ház (Storno House) is Sopron's finest Renaissance-era building with a collection of furniture, porcelain, sculptures, and paintings belonging to the Stornos, a rags-to-riches dynasty of chimney sweeps-turned-art restorers. The Fehér Angyal Patikamúzeum (Angel Pharmacy Museum) is a real-life 17th-century apothecary that now houses a collection of period pharmaceutical tools, books, potions, and lotions.

Just a five-minute drive south of Petronell, the tiny village of Rohrau was the birthplace of Joseph Haydn—and the quaint, reed-thatched cottage where the composer, son of the local blacksmith, was born in 1732 is now a small museum. You'll see a pianoforte he is supposed to have played, as well as letters and other memorabilia. The furnishings are homey, if a bit spartan. After Haydn had gained worldwide renown, he is said to have returned to his native Rohrau and knelt to kiss the steps of his humble home. Concerts are occasionally held on the grounds.

The composer Joseph Haydn lived in the simple house on a street that now bears his name from 1766 until 1778. Now a house museum—the house itself, and especially its flower-filled courtyard with the small back rooms, is quite delightful— it contains several first editions of his music and other memorabilia. A guided costumed tour involves tales about love and music in the real Haydn's life.