The reconstructed Roman quarter of Carnuntum
2 hAll ages; in summer, hat and water13 March to 15 November; closed in winter
Visit · 2 h · €15 · Roman houses, villa and baths rebuilt on their site, in Petronell
From €15
Book
From ViennaREX 7 train from Wien Hauptbahnhof, about 45 min
Stay1 day
Season13 March to 15 November
Admission€15; children aged 6 to 18, €8
What to do
What to do in Carnuntum
Each plan says how long it takes, who it's for and whether you can book.
Heidentor, the Roman arch in the middle of the countryside
30 minAll agesDog-friendlyAll year
Monument · 30 min · free · the 4th-century arch that is the symbol of Carnuntum
Museum Carnuntinum, the treasure of the Roman city
1 hAdults and teenagers; with children, better after the Roman quarter13 March to 15 November
Museum · 1 h · with the day ticket · sculptures, coins and the Mithras relief at Bad Deutsch-Altenburg
Itineraries
Itineraries that pass through
Days and weekends already planned out, with how to get between each stop and who to book with.
Plan the trip
Carnuntum, step by step
Each choice narrows the next: the season shapes how best to travel, and how you travel decides where you stay and where you eat.
When to go
When to go to Carnuntum
The park is open from mid-March to mid-November: in 2027, from 13 March. May, June and September are the best months for walking round it without the heat; in July and August there is little shade. From mid-November to March the Roman quarter and the museum close, although the Heidentor and the amphitheatre can always be seen from outside.
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How you travel
Carnuntum your way
Choose how you're travelling and we'll tell you where to stay, how to get around, where to eat and which services you'll need. We only show the ways of travelling that make sense here.
By train from Vienna's central station
Carnuntum is an easy excursion without a car: the REX 7 leaves Wien Hauptbahnhof and drops you at Petronell-Carnuntum in about 45 minutes, without depending on the S-Bahn closure. Between the sites you get around on foot or on nextbike bikes, and the same train continues to Bad Deutsch-Altenburg and Hainburg. Only Haydn's house in Rohrau needs a car at weekends.
60–110 €per person per day, approximate
- Where to sleepHotel Marc Aurel, 130 m…
- Getting aroundREX 7 Wien Hauptbahnhof…
- Where to eatHaydnstüberl, in Hainburg, open on…
- ServicesPetronell-Carnuntum station
Where to sleep
- Hotel Marc Aurel, 130 m from the Roman quarter
- Hotel Altes Kloster, in Hainburg's old town
Getting around
- REX 7 Wien Hauptbahnhof – Petronell-Carnuntum – Hainburg
- nextbike between the Roman quarter, the Heidentor and the museum
Where to eat
- Haydnstüberl, in Hainburg, open on Sunday at midday too
- Zum Goldenen Anker, beside the Danube
Services
- Petronell-Carnuntum station
- nextbike stations
By car on the A4 and the B9
By car Carnuntum is 35 minutes from Vienna and all the sites have free parking. The car lets you add, on the same day, Haydn's birthplace in Rohrau, the Braunsberg and Schloss Hof, on the other side of the Danube.
70–130 €per person per day, approximate
- Where to sleepHotel Marc Aurel, with parking
- Getting aroundA4 to Fischamend and B9…
- Where to eatZum Goldenen Anker, on the…
- ServicesFree car parks at each…
Where to sleep
- Hotel Marc Aurel, with parking
- Hotel Altes Kloster, in Hainburg
Getting around
- A4 to Fischamend and B9 towards Hainburg; vignette on the motorway
- Rohrau 10 km away; Schloss Hof 15 km away over the Hainburg bridge
Where to eat
- Zum Goldenen Anker, on the Hainburg riverbank
- Haydnstüberl, in the old town
Services
- Free car parks at each site
Fly to Vienna and take the train to Carnuntum
Carnuntum is about 25 km east of Vienna-Schwechat airport (VIE), which has direct flights from Madrid, Barcelona and other Spanish cities. From the terminal you get there by hire car in about 20–25 minutes on the B9; without a car, go through Wien Hauptbahnhof (there are airport buses to the central station) and take the REX 7. From central Vienna it is 45 minutes by train.
- Getting thereVienna-Schwechat (VIE), about 25 km…
- Getting aroundHire car at the airport…
- Where to sleepHotel Marc Aurel, next to…
- ServicesREX 7 train
Getting there
- Vienna-Schwechat (VIE), about 25 km away
- Until October 2027 the CAT runs by coach to Wien Mitte because of the S-Bahn works
- REX 7 from Wien Hauptbahnhof to Petronell-Carnuntum, about 45 min
Getting around
- Hire car at the airport to add Rohrau and Schloss Hof
- nextbike bikes between the sites
Where to sleep
- Hotel Marc Aurel, next to the ruins
- Hotel Altes Kloster, in Hainburg
Services
- REX 7 train
- Free car parks
How much does it cost?
People2
Nights3
Who you're with
Carnuntum for whoever you're with
A trip with a toddler is not the same as one with a teenager. Pick yours to see what works and what to bear in mind.
A Roman city you walk through
Carnuntum is one of the history visits that works best with children: the reconstructed houses and baths can be walked through inside, with real kitchens, beds and bathrooms, and then the Heidentor and the amphitheatre are open countryside. Under-6s do not pay and for ages 6 to 18 admission costs €8.
- What works bestThe Roman quarter: the House…
- Where to sleepHotel Marc Aurel, with triple…
- Where to eatHaydnstüberl, with a courtyard in…
- Bear in mindThere is little shade: in…
What works best
- The Roman quarter: the House of Lucius, the villa and the baths, with underfloor heating on view
- The military town's amphitheatre, free, for imagining the gladiators
- The Heidentor, by nextbike across the flat
- The climb up the Braunsberg with children who can already walk an hour
Where to sleep
- Hotel Marc Aurel, with triple and quadruple rooms
- Hotel Altes Kloster, with family rooms
Where to eat
- Haydnstüberl, with a courtyard in summer
- Zum Goldenen Anker, beside the river
Bear in mind
- There is little shade: in summer, a hat, water and a morning visit
- The park closes from mid-November to mid-March
- The public guided tours are in German
What to do as a family
Where to stay
Where to stay without a carif you're drivingif you're flying
We show you what suits the way you travel.Change how you travel
Hotel Marc Aurel
Why we like it: A three-star hotel in the centre of Petronell, a step from Carnuntum's Roman quarter, with a restaurant of home-style Austrian cooking and check-in at any time.
From €58
View details
Hotel Altes Kloster
Why we like it: A four-star hotel in a former convent in Hainburg's historic centre, with a Danube view, a restaurant and family rooms, 8 km from Carnuntum.
Services for this trip
Where to eat
Where to eat in Carnuntum
From set lunch menus to Michelin stars. We mark the price level and what to order at each place.
Haydnstüberl
What to order: the weekday midday menu or a schnitzel in the courtyard in summer.
Midday from 11:00 to 14:30 · Sunday from 11:00 to 14:00 · Book by telephone
Zum Goldenen Anker
What to order: the seasonal dish; in November, the Martinigansl, the roast St Martin's goose.
Winter · Friday to Monday · Closed Tuesday to Thursday
Nearby
Near Carnuntum
The closest places, whichever country they are in.
48.21° N · 16.93° E
Schloss Hof and the Marchfeld
By carCar-free
48.14° N · 17.11° E
Bratislava
Car-freeLuxuryBy plane
47.80° N · 16.67° E
Lake Neusiedl
By carBy bikeCar-freeBy plane
48.21° N · 16.37° E
Vienna
Car-freeLuxuryBackpackingBy plane
Tips
Worth knowing first
- 1Bring water and a hat in summer
The Roman quarter and the Heidentor are in the sun, with hardly any trees.
- 2One ticket for the day
It is valid for the Roman quarter and the Museum Carnuntinum on the same day; the amphitheatre and the Heidentor are free.
- 3Midweek in Hainburg
The Goldener Anker closes Tuesday to Thursday in winter; the Haydnstüberl serves lunch.
In midwinter
From mid-November to March the Roman quarter and the museum are closed.
For four centuries Carnuntum was one of the great Roman cities on the Danube: a legionary camp, a military town and a civil town, capital of the province of Upper Pannonia. Marcus Aurelius spent several war winters here fighting the Marcomanni. Today it is an archaeological park split between two villages, Petronell-Carnuntum and Bad Deutsch-Altenburg, 40 km east of Vienna and halfway to Bratislava. What makes it different from other ruins is that an entire block of the civil town has been rebuilt on its foundations, with the techniques and materials of the period: you walk into a Roman house with its kitchen, painted dining room and underfloor heating, and into a complete public bath.
How to get there from Vienna
By train it is easy and does not depend on the S-Bahn closure: the REX 7 leaves Wien Hauptbahnhof for Wolfsthal and reaches Petronell-Carnuntum in about 45 minutes, every half hour or every hour depending on the time of day. From the station to the Roman quarter is about a 15-minute walk, signposted. For the Museum Carnuntinum, get off at Bad Deutsch-Altenburg, about a 20-minute walk. By the stations and the sites there are nextbike bicycles for getting between them. By car it is about 35 minutes: the A4 towards the airport and Budapest, Fischamend exit, and the B9 towards Hainburg. Each site has free parking.
If you are coming from Vienna airport, you are halfway there: Carnuntum is about 25 km east of the terminal, on the same train line.
What to see in a day
Start with the Roman quarter of Petronell, with the House of Lucius, the urban villa and the baths. Allow two hours. 1.5 km to the south, in the middle of the countryside, is the Heidentor, the 4th-century triumphal arch that is the symbol of Carnuntum. After lunch, go to Bad Deutsch-Altenburg: the Museum Carnuntinum, with the city's sculptures and coins, is included in the same day ticket, and the military town amphitheatre is free to enter. The day ticket costs €15 for adults and €8 for ages 6 to 18; under-6s do not pay.
If you have the afternoon to spare, continue 5 km to Hainburg an der Donau, the last Austrian town before Slovakia: it preserves almost all of its medieval wall, with the Ungartor and the Fischertor, and the castle ruin above the Danube. From the Braunsberg you can see the river, Bratislava and the Marchfeld plain. With a car, Haydn's birthplace in Rohrau is 10 km to the south.
Where to eat and sleep
There is not much choice and it is worth knowing before you go: in Petronell, the Hotel Marc Aurel is a step from the Roman quarter and has a restaurant with home cooking. In Hainburg, the Haydnstüberl serves lunch in the old town, Sundays too, and the Goldener Anker looks over the Danube. For somewhere with more charm to sleep, the Hotel Altes Kloster occupies a former convent in Hainburg. It can be combined with Schloss Hof, 15 km to the north over the Hainburg bridge, or you can continue to Bratislava.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
How do you get from Vienna to Carnuntum without a car?
On the REX 7 train from Wien Hauptbahnhof towards Wolfsthal, about 45 minutes to Petronell-Carnuntum, and a 15-minute walk to the Roman quarter.
How much does admission cost?
€15 for adults, €14 reduced and €8 for ages 6 to 18; under-6s get in free. It is valid for the Roman quarter and the Museum Carnuntinum on the same day.
When is it open?
Daily from 9:00 to 17:00 until 15 November 2026; the 2027 season starts on 13 March.
How much time do you need?
A day: two hours for the Roman quarter, one for the museum and the rest for the Heidentor, the amphitheatre and Hainburg.
Are there guided tours in Spanish?
The public ones are in German, last an hour and cost €4.50 extra. There are panels and audioguides for visiting on your own.
Can you go with children?
Yes, it works very well: the reconstructed houses can be walked through inside and under-6s do not pay.