# Day trip to the Vienna Woods by car: Heiligenkreuz Abbey, Mayerling and the Baden baths

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.

Fuente: https://www.geocalia.com/en/austria/lower-austria/baden-bei-wien/itineraries/heiligenkreuz-and-mayerling-by-car · Revisado: 2026-11-12

## El día
- 09:30 · Salida: 30 min by car (on the A21, Heiligenkreuz exit · park in front of the abbey)
- 10:00 · Heiligenkreuz Cistercian Abbey (audio guide in Spanish, 45 min · combined with Mayerling €18.70 · on Sunday only in the afternoon)
  - 3 min on foot
- 12:00 · Klostergasthof Heiligenkreuz (Austrian cooking · open every day · book at weekends) · Klostergasthof Heiligenkreuz, €€
  - 8 min by car, 5 km
- 14:00 · Mayerling, Prince Rudolf's hunting lodge (from November to March, weekends and public holidays only · €8.20)
  - 30 min by car, 17 km
- 15:30 · Römertherme, Baden's sulphur baths (via the Helenental · 3 h from €21 · free parking)
- 18:30 · Vuelta (to Vienna on the A2 · about 35 min)

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.

## The day, hour by hour

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.

## If it is Sunday or you are with children

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.

## Cómo llegar

### By car
It is the way to do this day: A21 to Heiligenkreuz, the Helenental road to Baden and the A2 back.

### Without a car
There is a regional bus to Heiligenkreuz from Baden or Mödling, but with few departures; better to dedicate the day to Baden alone with the Badner Bahn.

## Consejos

### Buy the combined ticket
Heiligenkreuz and Mayerling for €18.70 instead of €21.10.

### Listen to vespers
If you stay, the monks sing vespers in Latin at 18:00.

## Preguntas frecuentes

### How much does the day cost?
Between €70 and €100 per person with admissions, lunch, baths and petrol.

### Which day is best?
Saturday: on Sunday Heiligenkreuz opens only in the afternoon, and in winter Mayerling is open only at weekends.

### Can it be done without a car?
With difficulty: there is a regional bus to Heiligenkreuz from Baden or Mödling, with few departures, and to Mayerling, a taxi.