Day trip to Eisenstadt from Vienna: Schloss Esterházy and Haydn by train

The plan

The day at a glance

Any part can be swapped for another without spoiling the day.

08:45
Leave Vienna 1 h 15 by train
direct train from Wien Hauptbahnhof or Meidling · check on ÖBB
10:15 1
Schloss Esterházy and the Haydnsaal
weekends from 10:00 · €19; with a guided tour in English at 13:00, €25

+43 2682 63004 7600

Guide With Esterhazy From €25 per person
Book
5 min on foot
12:00 2
Haydn-Haus, the house where Haydn lived
Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays 10:00 to 17:00 · €9
5 min on foot
13:15 3
Restaurant Henrici
opposite the palace · Sunday 9:00 to 17:00; kitchen closes at 16:00 · closed Monday

Esterhazyplatz 5, 7000 Eisenstadt · +43 2682 62819

Restaurant €€€
Book
10 min on foot
14:45 4
Bergkirche, Haydn's mausoleum and the Kalvarienberg
Haydn's mausoleum and the Calvary hill
10 min on foot
15:45 5
Schlosspark, the princes' garden
free · Leopoldine's temple
17:00
Back home 1 h 15 by train
direct train to Wien Meidling and Hauptbahnhof

Approximate cost About €60–85 per person

Adds up the activities and meals in the plan at their published prices; travel and accommodation not included.

The route

Schloss Esterházy and the Haydnsaal

Eisenstadt is the court of the Esterházy princes and the town where Joseph Haydn worked for forty years and is buried. It is small and everything is on foot, so the direct train from Vienna is enough: palace in the morning, the composer's house, lunch opposite the palace, his tomb in the Bergkirche and a walk in the great park before returning.

The day, hour by hour

8:45 · Train to Eisenstadt. From Wien Hauptbahnhof or Meidling there are direct trains almost every hour, via Wulkaprodersdorf. While the S-Bahn closure lasts, until October 2027, board at one of those two stations. From the station to the palace, 15 minutes on foot.

10:15 · Schloss Esterházy. The princes' rooms, the entailed estate's silver and the Haydnsaal, where Haydn conducted the court orchestra. €19; if you want the guided tour in English, the one at 13:00 costs €25 and changes the order of the day. In winter, on weekdays, you can only enter with the tour at 11:00, 13:00 or 15:00: this plan is for the weekend.

12:00 · Haydn-Haus. The house where the composer lived, five minutes away. €9.

13:15 · Lunch at the Henrici. In the former stables, opposite the palace, regional cooking with new ideas. On Sunday it is open until 17:00 and the kitchen closes an hour earlier; on Monday it does not open.

14:45 · Bergkirche and Kalvarienberg. Go up to the church where Haydn's mausoleum is and walk the artificial hill of chapels with wooden figures, with the view as far as Lake Neusiedl.

15:45 · Schlosspark. Walk down through the landscape park of almost 50 hectares to the Leopoldine temple, on its pond.

17:00 · Return. Direct train to Meidling and Wien Hauptbahnhof.

If you go with children or it rains

With children, extend the Schlosspark and look for the Sundays with a children's workshop at Haydn's house. If it rains, swap the park for more time in the palace and, from May to October, the Jewish Museum.

Time1 h 30

The Haydnsaal, the concert hall of Esterházy Palace

Zairon · CC BY-SA 3.0

Change the route

With young children, if it rains or if you fancy something else: another stop that fits the same day.

Samson Wertheimer's private synagogue in the Jewish Museum, with its chandelier and lectern

From May to October, Sunday to Thursday, instead of the park: Austrian Jewish Museum and the old Jewish quarterMuseum and walk · 1 h 30 · Samson Wertheimer's private synagogue and two Jewish cemeteries · May to October

The wood-panelled dining room, with the tables set

For Burgenland cooking: on Sunday, kitchen 11:30 to 14:30; closed Monday and Tuesday: Restaurant Platane at the Hotel OhrThe restaurant of the Hotel Ohr, run by the Ohr family since 1951, with Burgenland cooking, regional wines, a garden under a plane tree and roast goose in season.

By car: the Esterházy armoury, 25 km away; in winter, weekends only at 11:00 and 13:00: Forchtenstein Castle, the Esterházy armouryVisit · 1 h 30 · from €19 · a castle on a crag in the Rosaliengebirge, 25 km from Eisenstadt

Where to eat

Where to eat?

Lunch is half the plan: book before you set off.

The glazed terrace of the restaurant, with plants and sofas

Restaurant Henrici

Restaurant · Eisenstadt · €€€€

What to order: the weekend breakfast, or the surprise menu on Saturday night.

Tuesday to Sunday · Closed Monday · Friday and Saturday until 21:00

Restaurant Platane at the Hotel Ohr

Restaurant · Eisenstadt · €€€€

What to order: in autumn, the OHR Gansl, the house's crispy roast goose.

Wednesday to Sunday · Monday and Tuesday closed · On Sunday, kitchen until 14:30

Map

The stops, in order

With where to park at each one.

What to do Eat 88 €Stay Services

Getting there

By car or without one?

Without a car

Direct train from Wien Hauptbahnhof or Meidling and everything on foot. It is the natural way.

By car

57 km on the A3. A car lets you add Forchtenstein, 25 km away, or go down to the St. Margarethen quarry and Rust.

When to go

When to go to Eisenstadt

All year, designed for a Sunday: the palace is open at weekends even in winter, Haydn's house Tuesday to Sunday and the Henrici on Sunday until 17:00. From May to October you can add the Jewish Museum, Sunday to Thursday.

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Best timeGood timeLow season

Tips

Worth knowing first

1
Better at the weekend in winter
From November to March, on weekdays, the palace opens only with a guided tour at fixed times.
2
No dogs
Esterhazy does not admit animals except assistance dogs.

Questions