45 Best Sights in Day Trips from Vienna, 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 3D 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 bistro on the third floor for refreshments and a spectacular view overlooking the Danube and Lentos Kunstmuseum opposite ( www.cubus.at).

Seemingly lifted from the pages of a German fairy tale, Burg Kreuzenstein bristles with storybook turrets and towers. Sitting atop a hillside 3 km (2 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 5 kilometers (3 miles) along the Danube from the tiny village of Petronell to the next town of Bad Deutsch-Altenburg. The 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 pleasant 15-minute 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 it opened in 2019, the Landesgalerie instantly became the most eye-catching building in Krems. Well, its gracefully swooping, tent-like, zinc-tiled and glass-dotted roof isn't exactly easy to ignore. Step inside and things get even more interesting, with its 3,000 square meters of exhibition space dedicated to visual artworks from the last two centuries. Visitors can enjoy prints, paintings, photographs, sculptures, and installations from renowned Lower Austrian artists including Leo Navratil and Christa Hauer-Fruhmann. The on-site Restaurant Poldi Fitzka is well worth a visit, too.

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 4 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 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.

Experience Baden like an ancient Roman at this public spa. Set under an enormous, free-hanging glass roof—the largest in Europe—the facilities here include half a dozen pools set to different temperatures (including some filled with sulfuric spring water), as well as Jacuzzis, saunas, steam rooms, and plunge pools. There's also an outdoor swimming pool with massage jets, along with a fitness center, activity classes, spa and beauty treatments, shops, and restaurants. Make a weekend of it with a stay at the adjoining Badener Hof spa hotel.

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 today. The highlight for visitors is the lavishly decorated Haydn Room, an extraordinarily ornate concert hall where the composer conducted his own works from 1761 until 1790. It's still used for presentations of Haydn's works today, with musicians often dressed in period garb. The hall is one of several rooms on a guided tour (in English at 1 pm every day during July and August; weekends only in winter), which lasts around 45 minutes and ends in the Baroque chapel. Below the palace is the refreshingly-cool cellar, home to the largest wine museum in Austria with 700 objects including a massive wine barrel and historical grape press. In front of the palace are the former stables, once the accommodation of Esterházy guards and horses but now home to restaurants, wine stores, and florists. And behind the palace is the sprawling, lake-filled Schlosspark, perfect for a stroll, a swim, or a picnic—the best way in is the gate between Haydn-Haus and Franziskanerkirche.

A true Baroque gem, this castle is shining even more brilliantly since the completion of extensive restorations. The product of 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 8 kilometers (5 miles) south of Marchegg. Be sure to enjoy the panaromic view (you can even see across the border into Slovakia and its capital Bratislava from here). If you come in winter, you can enjoy the charming Adventmarkt set up on the sprawling grounds.

This great Augustinian abbey 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. Take time to explore 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.

This popular bathing facility on the shores of Lake Neusiedl has been attracting Viennese day trippers for the best part of a century. Today, it's home to modern lido with changing rooms and showers, sunbathing lawns, beach volleyball courts, a children's pool and play area, a surf center, and a yacht club, as well as a host of cafés and snack bars. Between July and September, there are also daily activities for four- to 12-year-olds (included with a lido entrance ticket), from Frisbee lessons to circus workshops, Nerf battles to science demonstrations.

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, 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 rather odd museum of dentistry ( www.zahnmuseum-linz.at).

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 in the early 1820s, 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 €33 one way, or €39 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) for a choice of short Danube tours (from €28), as well as thematic and brunch cruises. Wannabe captains can also steer the ship for 15 minutes, while the real captain observes. Want to go further into the Wachau? DDSG also offer trips from Krems to Melk (€33 one way, €39 return).

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.

Located just 2½ km (1½ miles) west of Rust's town center (and accessible in minutes by direct bus), this family-friendly amusement park entertains everyone from toddlers to teens with a mix of roller coasters, free-falls, splash rides, carousels, and land trains. There's a good choice of dining options, too, from fast-food snacks to healthy meals. Save €5 on a day ticket by ordering in advance online.

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

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, with its original wall paintings and flower-filled courtyard, is quite delightful— it contains several first editions of his music and other memorabilia. There are also some fun interactive exhibits, including a miniature scene from Haydn's opera La fedeltà premiata. English-language guided tours are available for an extra fee of €29 per group; call to book in advance.

In 2016, Austrians grieved the death of artist and caricaturist Manfred Deix, whose world-famous works are housed here ("Deixfiguren" became so popular that the word was added to the German dictionary). More than 250 works from the 20th century to the present can also be viewed here, including a large collection of English-language political satire and caricature.

Three decades ago, local arts patron Rudolf Kremayr bestowed to Rust one of its most spectacular buildings. With its entrance located near the corner of Kirchengasse and Rathausplatz (by the tourist information), the building is today the town's museum, with the lavishly decorated interior home to some of Rust's most important historical archives. The chimney room, an outbuilding off the courtyard, is where local exhibitions and small concerts are held. Opening hours here are very limited—only Friday to Sunday afternoons, and only through summer—so plan your schedule in advance to avoid disappointment.

An old tobacco factory is now a showcase for quirky and contemporary art by both known and unknown artists from the 19th to 21st centuries. Notable examples include Martha Jungwirth and Gregor Schmoll. Tickets include entry to the Dominikanerkirche in the Old Town, which often holds Kunsthalle exhibitions focusing on current artists from around the world.

One of the biggest draws to Baden is the enormous, lovely Kurpark, created back in 1792 for Austria’s beloved Empress Maria Theresa. But as her highness only occasionally made her way to this Vienna outpost, the locals were free to enjoy it themselves—and they’ve been doing so ever since. Enter through the gates at the junction of Theresiengasse and Kaiser Franz-Ring to explore the park's manicured southern slopes, home to flower displays, public artworks, and neoclassical temples to composers Mozart and Beethoven. In the summer, there are regular concerts held under the hundred-year-old music pavilion, operettas performed at the arena (it's fitted with a glass dome, which comes out when it rains), and large photo displays dotted around the area as part of the international Festival La Gacilly-Baden Photo. Yet this is just one small side of this vast park. Adventurers should head further north, up hills and through woodland, to discover everything from simple chapels to ornate spa gardens, plus several worth-the-climb observation points. Reward your efforts with a traditional Austrian meal in the superb Restaurant Rudolfshof (a former 19th-century hunting lodge) before heading back to town.

A magnificent renaissance building erected in the 16th century, the Landhaus is today the seat of the Upper Austrian provincial government. Look inside to see the arcaded courtyard with the Planet Fountain (honoring the astronomer Johannes Kepler, who taught here when it was the city's college) and the Hall of Stone on the first floor, above the barrel-vaulted hall on the ground floor. This hall, the Steinerner Saal, was probably the setting for a noted concert given by the Mozart children in October 1762, from which Count Pálffy hurried back to Vienna to spread the word about the musical prodigies. Adjoining the building is the Minoritenkirche, or Church of the Minor Friars. The present building dates from 1758 and has a delightful Rococo interior with side-altar paintings by Kremser Schmidt and a main altar by Bartolomeo Altomonte.

Taking its name from the ancient Celtic settlement that was the origin of the city of Linz, this contemporary art gallery hugs the banks of the Danube on the Altstadt side of the river. Designed by Zurich architects Weber and Hofer, the building alone is worth a visit: its long, low-slung "shoe-box" gray-glass structure picks up the reflection of the water and, at night, it's brightly lit in shimmering blue or red. Inside, the collection contains an impressive number of paintings by Austrian Secession maestros Klimt, Schiele, and Kokoschka, along with works by other artists, including sculptures by Alfred Hrdlicka and one of the famous silkscreen portraits of Marilyn Monroe by Andy Warhol. All in all, the museum has about 1,500 artworks, more than 10,000 sketches, and nearly 1,000 photographs. The gallery's excellent café-bar-restaurant has an outdoor terrace with beautiful views of the river.