Forget everyday life among the trees
Just outside Vienna, where rows of houses give way to vineyards and beech forests, lies the Vienna Woods Biosphere Reserve, a green lung, natural air conditioning system, water reservoir and local recreation area all in one. Between vineyards, shady beech trees, venerable monasteries and thermal springs, a bridge spans from history to the present, from culture to nature. Healing springs have been bubbling in the thermal region since Roman times, and with them a (wine) culture that has been cultivated for centuries.
The Vienna Woods are not just a "trip to the countryside", but a dialogue between urbanity and authenticity, close enough for spontaneous discoveries, rich enough for long stays. In an interview, Andreas Weiß explains why this is much more than just a nice phrase with travel tips and interesting facts.
The forest tastes of a wide variety of flavours
3 | Walking, forest bathing and tasting the forest
In the Vienna Woods, exercise becomes an encounter with nature and your own senses. At WienerWaldGenuss, nature guides show you what the forest tastes like on two-hour walks. With wine from oak barrels, cheese with a beechwood aroma or the famous Alpengummi made from pine resin according to the old craft of pitch production.
Those who prefer silence will find it at WienerWaldSein: mindfulness, breathing and slowing down under old beech trees, a forest bathing experience that inspires and grounds you.
5 | Monasteries, Emperors, Artists Cycling Tour
Covering around 60 km, the Monasteries, Emperors and Artists Cycle Tour combines the best of the Vienna Woods - nature, culture and history. The starting point is Baden bei Wien, where the annual La Gacilly-Baden Photo Festival transforms public spaces into an open-air gallery.
The route leads through the Helenental valley to the Mayerling Carmelite convent, the scene of a tragic love story and now a quiet monastery offering impressive guided tours by the nuns. In the nearby Heiligenkreuz Abbey, spirituality becomes audible. The monks' Gregorian chants have filled the Romanesque-Gothic cloisters for centuries and have even become a chart success.
A detour to Laxenburg Castle, where you can stroll through history in imperial style between water, park and knight's castle, is also part of the tour.
