48.09° N · 16.28° E
The small town south of Vienna where the woods begin: the ancestral castle of the Liechtensteins, the Husarentempel and a wild boar park.
What to do
Each plan says how long it takes, who it's for and whether you can book.
Castle · 1 h guided tour · €18 · all year except Christmas · in winter, Friday to Sunday
Route · 2 km · 50 min climb · 230 m ascent · all year · free
Ruins · 30 min · free · on the path between Mödling and the Meiereiwiese
Itineraries
Days and weekends already planned out, with how to get between each stop and who to book with.
Plan the trip
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
All year, because the castle is also open in winter from Friday to Sunday and the woodland paths do not close. From April to October is better: the castle is open six days a week and the Naturpark Sparbach from 20 March to 7 November 2027. The castle closes from the fourth Sunday of Advent to 6 January.
How you travel
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.
Mödling is right up against Vienna to the south and is reached by S-Bahn or regional train on the southern line from Wien Meidling or Wien Hauptbahnhof; the closure of the central stretch of the S-Bahn, until October 2027, only requires you not to board at Wien Mitte or Praterstern. The centre, the ruins and the Husarentempel are done on foot; Burg Liechtenstein, along the woodland paths.
By car Mödling is a step from Vienna, and with it you can combine in one day Burg Liechtenstein, the Meiereiwiese and the Naturpark Sparbach, and if you like, continue towards Heiligenkreuz and Baden through the Vienna Woods.
Mödling is south of Vienna, about 30 km from Vienna-Schwechat airport (VIE), which has direct flights from Madrid, Barcelona and other Spanish cities. By public transport you go from the airport to Wien Hauptbahnhof and continue on the southern line; by hire car, on the A4 and the A21.
Who 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.
Mödling is a short, easy outing with children: Liechtenstein Castle has a children's tour on Sundays, the Husarentempel is a 50-minute climb with a view as a prize and, from March to November, at the Naturpark Sparbach the wild boar wander among the people.
Where to stay
We show you what suits the way you travel.Change how you travel
Why we like it: A hotel in the centre of Mödling with a tavern, café, sauna and rooms from €92 for a single; some with a rooftop terrace.
Why we like it: A 10-room family hotel next to Mödling station, with regional breakfast in the winter garden, 24-hour key-box entry and free parking.
Why we like it: A hotel in the old Hinterbrühl mill, on the edge of the Vienna Woods, with a restaurant open daily, free parking and paths to the Husarentempel.
Services for this trip
Where to eat
From set lunch menus to Michelin stars. We mark the price level and what to order at each place.
What to order: a Viennese classic with a modern touch or, in autumn, St Martin's goose; for dessert, the house Schubert cake.
What to order: an Austrian tavern dish after the climb to the Husarentempel.
What to order: the midday menu or, from mid-September, the roast seasonal goose.
Nearby
The closest places, whichever country they are in.
48.01° N · 16.23° E
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47.85° N · 16.52° E
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48.33° N · 16.05° E
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Tips
Tours leave on the hour; the first is at 10:00 in summer and 11:00 in winter.
€20 for the castle and the wild boar park, from March to November.
The Husarentempel path crosses the mountain bike route several times.
It is Burg Liechtenstein's day off in season.
Mödling is a small, pretty town right up against Vienna to the south, just where the plain meets the Vienna Woods. From its old town you walk straight out into the hills: on one side, the little temple of the Husarentempel and the ruins of the medieval castle; on the other, in Maria Enzersdorf, Burg Liechtenstein, the castle from which the family that reigns in Liechtenstein took its name. It is the perfect short excursion from Vienna, half a day or a whole day, and the best for a day when you do not want to spend hours on a train.
Mödling is on the southern line, the same as Baden and Wiener Neustadt. Take an S-Bahn or a regional train at Wien Meidling or Wien Hauptbahnhof; while the central stretch of the S-Bahn is closed (until the end of October 2027), do not board at Wien Mitte or Praterstern. The station is a few minutes' walk from the centre. By car, via the A2 or the A21; for the Husarentempel, park at the Meiereiwiese.
In the morning, the guided tour of Burg Liechtenstein, which leaves on the hour and lasts an hour: from April to September, every day except Wednesdays; from October to March, Friday to Sunday. At midday, the walk up to the Husarentempel from the Meiereiwiese, 2 km and 230 metres of ascent in about 50 minutes, and the descent past the ruins of Mödling castle to the old town, with the house where Beethoven lived and a trail about him on your phone. With children, from March to November, swap the afternoon for the Naturpark Sparbach, with wild boar roaming free; there is a combined ticket with the castle for €20.
All year. In winter the castle is open Friday to Sunday and closes from the fourth Sunday of Advent until 6 January; the Naturpark Sparbach closes from November to March. On spring and autumn weekends the paths fill with Viennese: if you can, go midweek, but not on a Wednesday, when the castle is closed.
In the woods, the Waldgasthaus Bockerl is open Tuesday to Sunday and sits on the way to the Husarentempel. In Hinterbrühl, the Höldrichsmühle, Schubert's mill, serves every day. In the centre, the Wirtsstube at the Babenbergerhof. To sleep outside Vienna but close by, the Babenbergerhof lists prices from €92, the City Hotel Mödling has ten rooms and free parking, and the Höldrichsmühle lets you sleep in the woods.
Questions
By S-Bahn or a regional train on the southern line from Wien Meidling or Wien Hauptbahnhof. Do not board at Wien Mitte while the central S-Bahn closure lasts.
€18 for adults, €10 for ages 6 to 18 and from €25 for families; guided tour only.
Yes, from October to March, Friday to Sunday, from 11:00 to 15:00; it closes from the fourth Sunday of Advent to 6 January.
No: from the Meiereiwiese it is 2 km and 230 metres of ascent, about 50 minutes.
Yes: Baden is on the same train line, and Heiligenkreuz is a short drive away through the Vienna Woods.
Geocaliahttps://www.geocalia.com/en/austria/lower-austria/moedling-and-burg-liechtenstein
