Mayerling and the Viennese Woods (Wienerwald)
This is definitely well worth a trip! Explore beautiful sites surrounding the southern part of the Vienna Woods. Travelling through the romantic valley of Helenental you will find an absolute highlight of Austria’s grand imperial history - a must for all Habsburg fans!
The Mayerling hunting lodge - the very place the Crown Prince Rudolph, only son of Emperor Franz Joseph and Empress Sissy, committed suicide with Baronesse Vetsera in 1889. Many movies have been made on that subject - till today it is not really clear what happened that night between the Prince and his lover.
If you do not have a car you might consider to join a local tour operator, there is much more to see in this area southwest of Vienna.
For example: another point of interest very nearby is the largest subterranean lake in Europe called the "Seegrotte". You will go underground where you will move around not by foot, but by boat on the lake, it is actually really a fantastic experience!
Another really interesting part of Eastern Austria is the famous city of Baden bei Wien. This very famous thermal spa village dates back till Roman times and offers you not only a great range of leisure activities in the local spa centre, but also excellent places to stop for lunch - just have a look in our restaurant section for further information.
After indulging in a delicious lunch you can visit the nearby Cistercian Abbey of Heiligenkreuz (1133) with its wonderful and impressive medieval cloister - which till today houses the remains of the Babenberger dynasty.
