# Baden bei Wien The Habsburgs' spa town, an hour by tram from the Vienna Opera: sulphur baths, the spa park and, nearby, Heiligenkreuz and Mayerling. Fuente: https://www.geocalia.com/en/austria/lower-austria/baden-bei-wien · Revisado: 2026-11-12 For a century Baden was the summer spa of the Viennese court. The sulphurous water that comes out of the ground hot drew the Romans, then the Habsburgs and Beethoven, who spent many summers here. Today it is one of the eleven Great Spa Towns of Europe, a UNESCO World Heritage site, and the easiest day trip from Vienna: a tram leaves opposite the Opera and drops you in the centre in a little over an hour. ## How to get there from Vienna The classic way is the Badner Bahn, the tram-train of the Wiener Lokalbahnen. It leaves from the Wien Oper stop, opposite the Opera, and reaches Baden Josefsplatz in a little over an hour. It does not depend on the S-Bahn, so it is not affected by the closure of the central stretch between Praterstern and Hauptbahnhof, which lasts until the end of October 2027. Faster is the ÖBB train on the southern line: take it at Wien Hauptbahnhof or Wien Meidling, not at Wien Mitte. By car, about 30 minutes on the A2, Baden exit. From the airport it is 33 km. ## What to do in a day Start in the centre: the Beethoven House, where he wrote parts of the Ninth, and the Kurpark, which climbs the hillside to the temple dedicated to the composer. After lunch, three hours at the Römertherme, with its open-air bath in sulphurous water. Before going back, a glass of zierfandler at the Hauervinothek, next to the baths. In summer, swap the baths for the Thermalstrandbad, which turned a hundred in 2026. ## The Vienna Woods: Heiligenkreuz and Mayerling 15 km to the west, through the Helenental valley, are two visits that many people combine with Baden on the same day. Heiligenkreuz Abbey, founded in 1133, whose Cistercian monks still sing the hours in Latin, can be visited with an audioguide in Spanish. 5 km away, Mayerling is the hunting lodge where Prince Rudolf and Mary Vetsera died in 1889, now a Carmelite convent. The two visits have a combined ticket. For them a car is best: the regional bus from Baden or Mödling has few departures. Watch the opening times: on Sundays Heiligenkreuz opens only in the afternoon and from November to March Mayerling opens only at weekends. ## One day or one night? For Baden alone one day is enough. If you add the Vienna Woods without rushing, or want the baths in the afternoon and a relaxed dinner, stay one night: the Hotel Herzoghof is opposite the Casino, the Schlosshotel Weikersdorf has its own spa and the Gasthof Martinek is the simple option with home cooking downstairs. ## Dónde está - Zonas: Thermal getaways - Cerca: Mödling and Burg Liechtenstein (a 9.6 km), Vienna (a 24.7 km), Eisenstadt (a 27.9 km), Puchberg and the Schneeberg (a 33.9 km) ## Qué hacer - **Römertherme, Baden's sulphur baths** (3 h · All ages; there is a children's pool at 32 °C · 3 h from €21 (Monday to Friday); full day €26.50 on weekdays and €31.50 at weekends; sauna, €13.50 more): Baden's modern baths, beneath a great glass roof on the Brusattiplatz, next to the Kurpark: about 900 m² of water with a sports pool (26–28 °C), a relaxation pool (30–32 °C), a children's pool (32 °C), a jacuzzi at 36 °C and, outside, the clover-shaped pool and the Schwefelwandl, the traditional bath in the sulphurous water that has made Baden famous since Roman times. They are open every day from 10:00 to 22:00 (last bathing at 21:30). The 3-hour ticket costs €21 on weekdays; the day, €26.50 Monday to Friday and €31.50 at weekends and in school holidays, with family rates. The sauna is paid for separately. Parking is free during your visit. Telephone: +43 2252 45030. - **Heiligenkreuz Cistercian Abbey** (1 h · All ages; children's audioguide in German · €12.90; children and students, €7.80; family, €26.50; combined with Mayerling, €18.70): A Cistercian abbey founded in 1133 and inhabited without interruption by monks. The visit, with an audioguide on your phone in nine languages (also in Spanish, about 45 minutes), takes in the church, with a 12th-century Romanesque nave and 13th-century Gothic choir, the Rococo sacristy, the cloister, the chapter house where Frederick the Quarrelsome, last of the Babenbergs, is buried, and the Gothic fountain pavilion with 13th-century stained glass. It is open Monday to Saturday from 9:00 to 11:30 and from 13:30 to 17:15; on Sundays and public holidays only in the afternoon. Vespers are sung in Latin daily at 18:00. It is in the Vienna Woods, about 15 km from Baden through the Helenental or next to the Heiligenkreuz exit of the A21; by public transport, a regional bus from Mödling or Baden. - **Kurpark and Beethoven Temple** (1 h · All ages; with a pushchair on the lower paths · Free): The spa park climbs from the Casino and the Römertherme up the slope of the Badener Berg. Below are the flower beds, the bandstand and the summer theatre; above, among trees, the temple dedicated to Beethoven, with the view over the rooftops of Baden and the Vienna plain. From here start the paths to the Vienna Woods and the vineyards of the Badener Berg. It is the classic stroll of the spa town, free and open all day. - **Beethoven House, where he composed the Ninth** (1 h · Adults and teenagers interested in music · Guided tour, €5 on top of admission): Beethoven spent the summers of 1821, 1822 and 1823 in this house on the Rathausgasse, and here he wrote essential parts of the Ninth Symphony. The museum shows the Biedermeier rooms in which he lived and tells of his seasons in Baden, where he came to take the waters. It is open Tuesday to Sunday and on public holidays from 10:00 to 18:00; closed on Mondays. On Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays at 14:00 there is a guided tour for €5 on top of admission (minimum two people). Telephone: +43 2252 86800-630. - **Thermalstrandbad, the spa's sandy beach** (4 h · Families; slides, 3 and 5 m diving board and children's pool): Baden's summer bathing complex opened in 1926 and turns a hundred in 2026: a protected inter-war building, tree-lined lawns, a palm island and Austria's largest artificial sandy beach, made with sand brought from the Danube. It has two 50-metre pools, hot sulphurous-water pools, a current channel, slides, a 3 and 5-metre diving board and a children's area. It is open only in the summer season: if you go in winter, the thermal bath is the Römertherme. - **From the Kurpark to the Proksch-Hütte through the Vienna Woods** (2 h 40 · 8.3 km · Walkers with some experience; closed footwear): The route suggested by Baden's tourist office for getting from the spa into the woods: you climb through the Kurpark, pass the Beethoven temple and enter the Vienna Woods as far as the Proksch-Hütte hut, and return. It is 8.3 km and about 2 h 40 on foot. If you prefer flat terrain, the Helenental valley, west of the town, has paths beside the River Schwechat below the ruins of the Rauhenstein and Rauheneck castles. - **Mayerling, Prince Rudolf's hunting lodge** (45 min · Adults and teenagers; under-6s free · €8.20; ages 6 to 14, €4.70; audioguide, €3 more): In January 1889 Crown Prince Rudolf, son of Franz Joseph and Sisi, and the young Baroness Mary Vetsera died in this hunting lodge in the Vienna Woods. The emperor turned it into a Carmelite convent, which is still inhabited. You visit the visitor centre, with an exhibition on Rudolf and what happened that night, the tea pavilion with its painted ceiling of 1887 and the chapel built where the bedroom was. From 1 November to 31 March it is open only on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays from 10:00 to 17:00; from April to October, Tuesday to Sunday from 10:00 to 17:30. With the combined Heiligenkreuz ticket (€18.70) you save. ## Dónde comer - **Der Ferdinand** (Restaurant, Baden bei Wien, €€€). Qué pedir: a seasonal dish from the Austrian menu or, if you are in a group, starters to share such as the burrata; on Sunday, a long lunch at midday. - **Gasthof Martinek** (Restaurant, Baden bei Wien, €€). Qué pedir: the dish of the day (Tagesteller) at midday or a schnitzel with potato salad. - **Badener Hauervinothek** (Winery, Baden bei Wien, €). Qué pedir: a glass of zierfandler or rotgipfler, the two white grapes specific to the Thermenregion. - **Klostergasthof Heiligenkreuz** (Restaurant, Heiligenkreuz im Wienerwald, €€). Qué pedir: an Austrian dish from the menu with a glass of the abbey's wine; at weekends it opens at 9:00 for breakfast. ## Car-free: On the Badner Bahn from the Opera Baden is the easiest car-free excursion from Vienna: the Badner Bahn leaves opposite the Opera and drops you in the centre of the spa in a little over an hour, without depending on the S-Bahn. Baths, park, museum and restaurants are all on foot. The only thing that needs a car, or an infrequent regional bus, is the Vienna Woods: Heiligenkreuz and Mayerling. Presupuesto orientativo: 100–170 € por persona y día. ### Dónde dormir without a car - **Hotel Herzoghof** (Hotel): The house The Herzoghof was built in 1910 on the site of the old Herzogsbad, one of Baden's historic baths, and keeps its original Art Nouveau: it is protected as a monument. It has 32 rooms and suites and is privately managed. Breakfast is served in the Weilburg room, under a glass ceiling, with local baked goods; in the evening the same room is the Der Ferdinand restaurant. Rooms There are doubles, a room for three with a sofa bed and a 45 m² family room with two bedrooms and one bathroom for four people, which works well with children. Check-in is from 15:00 and check-out until 11:00. Where it is In the centre of the spa: the Casino is opposite, the Kurpark and the Römertherme a minute away, and Beethoven's house five. The Josefsplatz stop of the Badner Bahn, the tram that arrives from the Vienna Opera, is a few minutes' walk away. The hotel reckons half an hour by train to Vienna. - **Gasthof & Hotel Martinek** (Small hotel): The house A Baden gasthof with a long history as an eating house that the Herzog family has taken up with new energy. Upstairs, simple, comfortable rooms, with free wifi and television, for about 39 people in all; downstairs, the restaurant, with home-style cooking from Wednesday to Monday. Who it is for For anyone who wants to sleep in Baden without paying for a spa hotel and eat well downstairs. It is on a quiet street in the west of the town, about 15 minutes' walk from the Kurpark and the baths, and well placed for setting out to the Helenental, Mayerling and Heiligenkreuz. Practical matters The tourist office lists it as wheelchair accessible, with an accessible toilet. Bookings are direct on its website or by telephone. The restaurant is closed on Tuesdays. ### Servicios - **Tourist Information Baden**: Brusattiplatz 3, next to the Römertherme · Monday to Friday from 10:00 to 16:00 · Saturdays and public holidays from 13:30 to 16:00 - **Badner Bahn, from the Vienna Opera to Baden**: A tram-train of the Wiener Lokalbahnen · From Wien Oper to Baden Josefsplatz in a little over an hour · Not affected by the S-Bahn closure - **Baden station (Südbahn)**: ÖBB regional trains and S-Bahn to Vienna on the southern line · About 10 minutes' walk from the centre ## By car: By car around Baden and the Vienna Woods With a car you can combine in one day the best of the southern Vienna Woods: the baths and centre of Baden, the Helenental valley, Heiligenkreuz Abbey and the Mayerling hunting lodge, all within a 15 km radius. From Vienna you get there by the A2, Baden exit, in about half an hour; or by the A21, Heiligenkreuz and Mayerling exits. Presupuesto orientativo: 110–180 € por persona y día. ### Dónde dormir if you're driving - **Hotel Herzoghof** (Hotel): The house The Herzoghof was built in 1910 on the site of the old Herzogsbad, one of Baden's historic baths, and keeps its original Art Nouveau: it is protected as a monument. It has 32 rooms and suites and is privately managed. Breakfast is served in the Weilburg room, under a glass ceiling, with local baked goods; in the evening the same room is the Der Ferdinand restaurant. Rooms There are doubles, a room for three with a sofa bed and a 45 m² family room with two bedrooms and one bathroom for four people, which works well with children. Check-in is from 15:00 and check-out until 11:00. Where it is In the centre of the spa: the Casino is opposite, the Kurpark and the Römertherme a minute away, and Beethoven's house five. The Josefsplatz stop of the Badner Bahn, the tram that arrives from the Vienna Opera, is a few minutes' walk away. The hotel reckons half an hour by train to Vienna. - **Pytloun Schlosshotel Weikersdorf** (Spa hotel): The house A Renaissance palace in the west of Baden, beside the Doblhoff park and its rose garden, converted into a large hotel of the Czech Pytloun chain. It has 164 rooms split between the historic building and a modern wing: you can choose the castle atmosphere or the comfort of the new. The spa What sets it apart is the 1,000 m² spa: indoor pool, Finnish sauna, steam bath, gym and massages. Daily access is included in the room price, which makes it practical in winter or if you are travelling with children and do not want to go to the Römertherme every day. Where it is About 15 minutes' walk from the centre and the Kurpark, and on the way out towards the Helenental, Mayerling and Heiligenkreuz. It is a good base by car for exploring the Vienna Woods. - **Gasthof & Hotel Martinek** (Small hotel): The house A Baden gasthof with a long history as an eating house that the Herzog family has taken up with new energy. Upstairs, simple, comfortable rooms, with free wifi and television, for about 39 people in all; downstairs, the restaurant, with home-style cooking from Wednesday to Monday. Who it is for For anyone who wants to sleep in Baden without paying for a spa hotel and eat well downstairs. It is on a quiet street in the west of the town, about 15 minutes' walk from the Kurpark and the baths, and well placed for setting out to the Helenental, Mayerling and Heiligenkreuz. Practical matters The tourist office lists it as wheelchair accessible, with an accessible toilet. Bookings are direct on its website or by telephone. The restaurant is closed on Tuesdays. ### Servicios - **Tourist Information Baden**: Brusattiplatz 3, next to the Römertherme · Monday to Friday from 10:00 to 16:00 · Saturdays and public holidays from 13:30 to 16:00 ## By plane: Fly to Vienna and take a tram or train to Baden Baden is 33 km from Vienna-Schwechat airport (VIE), which has direct flights from Madrid, Barcelona and other Spanish cities. From the terminal you get there in about 30–40 minutes by hire car or taxi; by public transport you go first via Vienna and continue by train on the southern line or on the Badner Bahn from the Opera. ### Dónde dormir if you're flying - **Hotel Herzoghof** (Hotel): The house The Herzoghof was built in 1910 on the site of the old Herzogsbad, one of Baden's historic baths, and keeps its original Art Nouveau: it is protected as a monument. It has 32 rooms and suites and is privately managed. Breakfast is served in the Weilburg room, under a glass ceiling, with local baked goods; in the evening the same room is the Der Ferdinand restaurant. Rooms There are doubles, a room for three with a sofa bed and a 45 m² family room with two bedrooms and one bathroom for four people, which works well with children. Check-in is from 15:00 and check-out until 11:00. Where it is In the centre of the spa: the Casino is opposite, the Kurpark and the Römertherme a minute away, and Beethoven's house five. The Josefsplatz stop of the Badner Bahn, the tram that arrives from the Vienna Opera, is a few minutes' walk away. The hotel reckons half an hour by train to Vienna. - **Pytloun Schlosshotel Weikersdorf** (Spa hotel): The house A Renaissance palace in the west of Baden, beside the Doblhoff park and its rose garden, converted into a large hotel of the Czech Pytloun chain. It has 164 rooms split between the historic building and a modern wing: you can choose the castle atmosphere or the comfort of the new. The spa What sets it apart is the 1,000 m² spa: indoor pool, Finnish sauna, steam bath, gym and massages. Daily access is included in the room price, which makes it practical in winter or if you are travelling with children and do not want to go to the Römertherme every day. Where it is About 15 minutes' walk from the centre and the Kurpark, and on the way out towards the Helenental, Mayerling and Heiligenkreuz. It is a good base by car for exploring the Vienna Woods. - **Gasthof & Hotel Martinek** (Small hotel): The house A Baden gasthof with a long history as an eating house that the Herzog family has taken up with new energy. Upstairs, simple, comfortable rooms, with free wifi and television, for about 39 people in all; downstairs, the restaurant, with home-style cooking from Wednesday to Monday. Who it is for For anyone who wants to sleep in Baden without paying for a spa hotel and eat well downstairs. It is on a quiet street in the west of the town, about 15 minutes' walk from the Kurpark and the baths, and well placed for setting out to the Helenental, Mayerling and Heiligenkreuz. Practical matters The tourist office lists it as wheelchair accessible, with an accessible toilet. Bookings are direct on its website or by telephone. The restaurant is closed on Tuesdays. ### Servicios - **Tourist Information Baden**: Brusattiplatz 3, next to the Römertherme · Monday to Friday from 10:00 to 16:00 · Saturdays and public holidays from 13:30 to 16:00 - **Badner Bahn, from the Vienna Opera to Baden**: A tram-train of the Wiener Lokalbahnen · From Wien Oper to Baden Josefsplatz in a little over an hour · Not affected by the S-Bahn closure - **Baden station (Südbahn)**: ÖBB regional trains and S-Bahn to Vienna on the southern line · About 10 minutes' walk from the centre ## As a family: Baths, park and a monastery with a children's audioguide Baden works very well for families because everything is close and a lot of it is hot water: the baths are open all year, the park is next door and in summer the sand beach is a beach day without a sea. The Vienna Woods add a short outing by car. ### What works best The Römertherme, with a children's pool at 32 °C and family rates The Thermalstrandbad in summer: sand, slides and a diving board The Kurpark and its Beethoven temple, with a pushchair on the lower paths Heiligenkreuz, with a €26.50 family ticket and a children's audioguide in German with a prize ### Where to sleep A 45 m² family room at the Hotel Herzoghof Pytloun Schlosshotel Weikersdorf, with an indoor pool for guests ### Where to eat Gasthof Martinek, home cooking on Sundays too Klostergasthof Heiligenkreuz, with a family offer ### Bear in mind The Thermalstrandbad is open only in summer Mayerling is of little interest to small children; under-6s get in free ### Qué hacer as a family - Römertherme, Baden's sulphur baths - Heiligenkreuz Cistercian Abbey - Kurpark and Beethoven Temple - Thermalstrandbad, the spa's sandy beach - From the Kurpark to the Proksch-Hütte through the Vienna Woods ## With young children: Warm water at any age With small children, Baden is above all warm water: the Römertherme has a children's pool at 32 °C all year and in summer the sand beach has an area for the youngest. Everything is in the centre, on foot or by pushchair. ### What works best The children's pool at the Römertherme, at 32 °C The sand at the Thermalstrandbad, in summer A stroll in the Kurpark, with a pushchair on the lower paths ### Where to sleep Hotel Herzoghof, a minute from the baths, with a family room Pytloun Schlosshotel Weikersdorf, with an indoor pool ### Where to eat Gasthof Martinek, unhurried and with a dish of the day ### Bear in mind The 3-hour ticket at the baths is usually enough Check the Thermalstrandbad's summer hours before going ### Qué hacer with young children - Römertherme, Baden's sulphur baths - Kurpark and Beethoven Temple - Thermalstrandbad, the spa's sandy beach ## Consejos ### Go and return on the Badner Bahn It is slower than the train, but it leaves from the Opera, does not depend on the S-Bahn works and is part of the outing. ### Baths at the end of the day The Römertherme is open until 22:00: leave the bathing for the afternoon. ### On Sundays, Heiligenkreuz in the afternoon The abbey opens only from 13:30 to 17:15 on Sundays and public holidays. ## Preguntas frecuentes ### How do you get from Vienna to Baden? On the Badner Bahn from the Opera, a little over an hour, or on an ÖBB train from Wien Hauptbahnhof or Meidling. By car, about 30 minutes on the A2. ### Does the Vienna S-Bahn closure affect it? Not the Badner Bahn. For the ÖBB train, leave from Wien Hauptbahnhof or Meidling, not Wien Mitte. ### How much do the baths cost? The 3-hour ticket to the Römertherme costs €21 on weekdays; the full day, €26.50 on weekdays and €31.50 at weekends. ### Can you see Heiligenkreuz and Mayerling from Baden? Yes, they are about 15 km away through the Helenental. Better by car; there is a combined ticket for €18.70. ### What does Beethoven have to do with Baden? He spent many summers here and in the house on the Rathausgasse he wrote essential parts of the Ninth Symphony, between 1821 and 1823. ### Is it worth staying overnight? For Baden alone, there is no need. If you add the Vienna Woods and the baths in the evening, one night is well spent.