Vienna Woods

The forest at Vienna’s edge

The Wienerwald — Vienna Woods — is a 50 km arc of forested hills that wraps around the south and west of Vienna, providing the city with its “green lung” and its most accessible day-trip nature. Declared a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve in 2005, the woods cover some 1,300 km² and rise to around 600 metres above sea level at the Schöpfl, the highest point.

For most visitors, the Vienna Woods means three things: the tragic royal hunting lodge at Mayerling, the medieval Cistercian abbey at Heiligenkreuz, and the spa town of Baden bei Wien. But the woods are also the backdrop to two of Austria’s most famous wine regions (the Vienna Heuriger villages and the Thermenregion) and a serious hiking area within 30 minutes of the city centre.

Why Mayerling matters

On January 30, 1889, Crown Prince Rudolf — the heir to the Habsburg throne and only son of Emperor Franz Joseph and Empress Sisi — was found dead at his hunting lodge in Mayerling, along with his 17-year-old mistress Baroness Mary Vetsera. The deaths, officially ruled a murder-suicide, triggered one of the great unsolved mysteries of European royal history. Austria’s imperial succession passed to Franz Ferdinand (who was assassinated in Sarajevo in 1914, triggering World War I). The Habsburgs’ dynastic future effectively died at Mayerling.

Franz Joseph ordered the hunting lodge demolished and replaced with a Carmelite convent, where the royal bedroom became a chapel. The convent still operates today, with a small museum about the events of 1889. The site — quiet, atmospheric, and 25 km southwest of Vienna — is one of the most historically consequential spots in Austrian history.

Heiligenkreuz Abbey

Five kilometres from Mayerling, Stift Heiligenkreuz (Holy Cross Abbey) is a Cistercian monastery founded in 1133 by Margrave Leopold III — one of the oldest continuously inhabited monasteries in the world. The Romanesque cloister, the Gothic chapter house, and the baroque church are all open to visitors on guided tours that run four times daily (10:30 and 14:30 in English).

The monks of Heiligenkreuz released a Gregorian chant recording (“Chant: Music for Paradise”) in 2008 that sold over two million copies — an unlikely chart success. The chanting at the monastic hours (Vespers at 18:00) can be attended by visitors.

Half-day tours from Vienna

The Vienna Woods and Mayerling half-day tour from Vienna covers the Mayerling hunting lodge, Heiligenkreuz Abbey, and the Hinterbrühl area (site of Austria’s only underground lake, the Seegrotte) in a convenient 4–5 hour circuit. This is the most efficient way to see the key sites without a car.

The Vienna Woods and Mayerling enchanting escapes tour extends the circuit with additional scenic stops and more time at Heiligenkreuz.

Hiking in the Vienna Woods

The woods are criss-crossed with marked hiking trails accessible from Vienna’s public transport network. The most popular routes:

Kahlenberg and Leopoldsberg (19th district) — two peaks above the Danube with excellent views over Vienna. Accessible by bus 38A from Grinzing. The ridge walk from Kahlenberg to Leopoldsberg and down to Klosterneuburg takes 2–3 hours.

Lainzer Tiergarten — a former imperial hunting ground (1,250 hectares) enclosed by a stone wall, now a nature reserve with deer, wild boar, and excellent forest walking. Accessible by tram or bus from the 13th district.

Hermannskogel — the highest point within Vienna’s city limits (542m). Marked trails from Neuwaldegg (bus 146A from Hernals station).

See the Vienna Woods hiking guide for trail maps and transport details.

Baden bei Wien

The spa town of Baden, 25 km south of Vienna on the S1 suburban rail line, was the Habsburg’s favourite summer retreat — Emperor Franz I held his summer court here, Beethoven spent 15 summers composing here, and the Kurpark remains one of Austria’s finest thermal spa parks. See Baden bei Wien for the full guide.

When to go

Spring (April–May) for wildflowers and hiking when the beech forests turn green. Summer (June–August) is ideal for hiking and the outdoor thermal pools in Baden. Autumn (October–November) for outstanding forest colour, especially the Lainzer Tiergarten’s beech woodland. Winter brings cross-country skiing on the Wienerwald ridge trails when snow covers above 400m.