Lower Austria's most beautiful cities

The capital of Lower Austria is St. Pölten. The city has been the official provincial capital since 1986.

Cities that you should have seen once for a long weekend in Lower Austria are:

St. Pölten - provincial capital with baroque old town, Art Nouveau facades and cultural district with the Festspielhaus (home to the Tonkünstler Orchestra of Lower Austria) and Museum Niederösterreich; located directly on the Traisental cycle path.

Krems an der Donau - historic old town in the UNESCO World Heritage Wachau with small galleries and wineries; ideal starting point for stages on the Danube cycle path and the Welterbesteig Wachau World Heritage Trail. 

Baden near Vienna - spa town with Biedermeier old town, spa gardens, casino and Beethoven, part of the "Great Spa Towns of Europe"; located on the Thermenradweg/Helenentalradweg cycle path, with popular hikes through the Helenental valley and into the Vienna Woods.

Melk - baroque Melk Abbey overlooking the Danube and a small, atmospheric old town; directly on the Danube cycle path and close to stages of the Wachau World Heritage Trail and hikes in the Dunkelsteinerwald forest.

Retz - wine town with a large main square, wine cellar labyrinth and windmill; starting point for numerous wine cycle routes through wine cellar lanes and vineyards as far as the Czech Republic.

Wiener Neustadt - town between the Middle Ages and modernity with castle and casemates; junction of the Thermenradweg cycle route and ideal starting point to the Vienna Alps with hiking areas such as Hohe Wand and Schneeberg.

Zwettl - Kuenringer town in the Waldviertel with a historic centre and Hundertwasser fountain; a hiking village surrounded by river paths along the Kamp and Zwettl rivers, supplemented by regional cycle paths and the Kamp-Thaya-March cycle route.

Waidhofen an der Ybbs - "City of Towers" with Schloss Rothschild and the 5 Elements Museum, riverside paths and favourite places along the Ybbs river; located directly on the Ybbstal cycle path and surrounded by hiking trails in the Mostviertel region, for example in the Buchenberg Nature Park.

Tulln an der Donau - art and garden city with Danube promenade, DIE GARTEN TULLN show garden and Egon Schiele reference; lies on the Danube cycle path and is the starting point for cycle tours through the Tullnerfeld and walks and trails in the Danube floodplains.

The five largest cities include: St. Pölten, Wiener Neustadt, Klosterneuburg, Baden and Krems.

A city break in winter is all about the atmosphere: fairy lights, clear air and quiet alleyways make historical places seem even more impressive - for example at the Christmas market in St. Pölten or at the "Golden Zwettler Advent" in the Waldviertel. Museums, exhibitions, concerts and theatre take centre stage. You spend more time enjoying culture than sightseeing in a rush. Many towns offer atmospheric christmas markets, special guided tours and winter programmes. 

What's more, the distances are short in winter - from a stroll through the old town, you can go straight to a café, thermal spa or concert without the city feeling overcrowded.