geocalia
Day itinerary · 48.01° N · 16.23° E
The Cistercian abbey of Heiligenkreuz in the morning, lunch at its inn, the hunting lodge where Prince Rudolf died and the afternoon at the Baden baths.
Part of Baden bei WienThermal getaways
The plan
Any part can be swapped for another without spoiling the day.
on the A21, Heiligenkreuz exit · park in front of the abbey
audio guide in Spanish, 45 min · combined with Mayerling €18.70 · on Sunday only in the afternoon
Austrian cooking · open every day · book at weekends
Markgraf-Leopold-Platz 4, 2532 Heiligenkreuz im Wienerwald · +43 2258 8703138
from November to March, weekends and public holidays only · €8.20
via the Helenental · 3 h from €21 · free parking
to Vienna on the A2 · about 35 min
Adds up the activities and meals in the plan at their published prices; travel and accommodation not included.
The route
The Vienna Woods (Wienerwald) begin where the city's western districts end. Its southern corner brings together within 20 km three visits that many travellers do together: a 12th-century Cistercian abbey with monks who sing in Latin, the hunting lodge where the heir to the empire died in 1889 and a spa town with sulphur baths. By public transport it is hard to combine them; by car, it is a relaxed day.
9:30 · Departure. On the A21 to the Heiligenkreuz exit: about 30–35 minutes from the centre of Vienna. You park in front of the abbey.
10:00 · Heiligenkreuz Abbey. With a Spanish audio guide on your phone, about 45 minutes: Romanesque and Gothic church, cloister, the chapter house with the tomb of the last Babenberg and the fountain house with 13th-century stained glass. Buy the combined ticket with Mayerling, €18.70. Monday to Saturday it is open from 9:00 to 11:30 and from 13:30 to 17:15.
12:00 · Lunch at the Klostergasthof. The abbey's inn, on the same square, open every day.
14:00 · Mayerling. 5 km away: the visitor centre tells the story of Prince Rudolf and Mary Vetsera, and you visit the chapel built where the bedroom was. In winter it is open only at weekends and public holidays.
15:30 · Baths in Baden. You drive down the Helenental valley to Baden, about 17 km, and treat yourself to three hours of sulphur water at the Römertherme, open until 22:00.
18:30 · Return. To Vienna on the A2, about 35 minutes.
On Sunday, change the order: Mayerling in the morning (in winter it opens from 10:00), lunch at the Klostergasthof and Heiligenkreuz at 13:30. With children, Heiligenkreuz's children's audio guide (in German) has a prize at the end, and the Römertherme children's pool is at 32 °C.
Where to eat
Lunch is half the plan: book before you set off.
What to order: an Austrian dish from the menu with a glass of the abbey's wine; at weekends it opens at 9:00 for breakfast.
What to order: a glass of zierfandler or rotgipfler, the two white grapes specific to the Thermenregion.
What to order: the dish of the day (Tagesteller) at midday or a schnitzel with potato salad.
What to order: 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.
Map
With where to park at each one.
Getting there
When to go
All year, best on a Saturday: Heiligenkreuz on Sunday opens only in the afternoon, and Mayerling, from November to March, only on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays. From April to October Mayerling is open Tuesday to Sunday.
Tips
Heiligenkreuz and Mayerling for €18.70 instead of €21.10.
If you stay, the monks sing vespers in Latin at 18:00.
Questions
Between €70 and €100 per person with admissions, lunch, baths and petrol.
Saturday: on Sunday Heiligenkreuz opens only in the afternoon, and in winter Mayerling is open only at weekends.
With difficulty: there is a regional bus to Heiligenkreuz from Baden or Mödling, with few departures, and to Mayerling, a taxi.
More plans like this
geocalia.com/en/austria/lower-austria/baden-bei-wien/itineraries/heiligenkreuz-and-mayerling-by-car
Prices, opening hours and times are approximate: check them before you go. Each place has its own page on Geocalia.
Geocaliahttps://www.geocalia.com/en/austria/lower-austria/baden-bei-wien/itineraries/heiligenkreuz-and-mayerling-by-car
