Areas and places
Burgenland area by area
Each area has its own page, with its own character, plans and map.
How you travel
Burgenland your way
The ways of travelling that suit Burgenland. We are writing a guide to each one: where to stay, how to get around and which services you will need.
By carBy planeCar-freeBy bike
Nearby
Near Burgenland
The closest places, whichever country they are in.
48.20° N · 15.80° E
Lower Austria
By carBy planeCar-freeLuxuryBy bike
47.25° N · 15.20° E
Styria
By carBy planeCar-freeLuxury
47.56° N · 13.65° E
Upper Austria
By carBy campervanCampingCar-freeOn footBy bike
47.04° N · 12.84° E
Carinthia
By carBy campervanCampingOn footBy bikeBy motorbike
Burgenland is Austria's easternmost and youngest region: until 1921 it belonged to Hungary, and you can tell from the village names and from the plain, which is already that of the great Pannonian steppe. It is a land of wine, storks and water, and for the traveller arriving in Vienna it is above all one thing: Lake Neusiedl, the Neusiedler See, an hour from the capital.
Lake Neusiedl
A huge, very shallow lake, ringed with reed beds and shared with Hungary. Its cultural landscape, with the villages on its shore, is a UNESCO World Heritage site. On the west shore are Rust, the free city of the winegrowers, with stork nests on the roofs and the fishermen's church, and Mörbisch, with the great stage over the water where a musical is performed every summer: in 2027, MAMMA MIA!, from 15 July to 21 August. On the east shore, the Neusiedler See–Seewinkel National Park protects salt lagoons and is one of the best places in central Europe for watching birds. It is all covered on the Lake Neusiedl page.
Eisenstadt
The capital of Burgenland, 57 km from Vienna, was the court of the Esterházy princes and the town of Joseph Haydn. Eisenstadt can be seen in a day by train: the palace with the Haydnsaal, the composer's house, his tomb in the Bergkirche, the old Jewish quarter and the great park. With a car, add Forchtenstein Castle and the St. Margarethen quarry, on the way to the lake.
How to get there from Vienna
By car, Rust is a little under an hour away via Eisenstadt, the region's capital. Without a car, you go by train from Wien Hauptbahnhof to Eisenstadt or Schützen and continue by bus to Rust; some buses run direct from Vienna. From Vienna airport it is also a little over an hour by car. To get around the lake, a bike is best: everything is flat and there is rental in the villages.
When to go
From May to September, when the storks are on their nests, the lake baths are open and the Mörbisch festival arrives. Spring and autumn are the best time for birds. In winter many hotels and restaurants on the shore close or open fewer days, and the boats do not sail.
How to combine it
The lake can be done in a day from Vienna, or as a getaway of one or two nights with cycling and swimming. It combines well with Bratislava, a short distance north of the lake, and with Baden, on the way between Vienna and Burgenland if you are driving.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
What is there to see in Burgenland from Vienna?
Lake Neusiedl: Rust and its storks, Mörbisch with its festival and the national park at Illmitz.
What is there to see in Eisenstadt?
The Esterházy palace and its Haydnsaal, Haydn's house, the mausoleum at the Bergkirche and the Schlosspark; all on foot from the station.
How do you get there without a car?
By train from Wien Hauptbahnhof to Eisenstadt or Schützen and a bus to Rust.
When is the best time to go?
From May to September for the lake and cycling; spring and autumn for watching birds.
Can you swim in the lake?
Yes, at the village baths, such as the Seebad in Rust.