47.79° N · 15.91° E
The rack railway that has climbed since 1897 from Puchberg to 1,800 metres, up the highest mountain in Lower Austria, about 90 km from Vienna.
Part of Alps
Coming up
What to do
Each plan says how long it takes, who it's for and whether you can book.
Rack railway · 40 min climb · return from €45 · daily from May to 1 November
A period train · 90 min climb · €12.50 supplement per journey · selected Sundays from May to October
Circular route · 1 h · easy · signposted · May to October
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
From May to 1 November, when the Schneebergbahn climbs daily to 1,800 metres; July and August, with more trains, and September and October, with the clearest air, are the best months. In November and December there are only special trips to the middle of the mountain, such as the Advent trips at the Hengsthütte on 5 and 6 December 2026.
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.
The Schneeberg is the Viennese people's train mountain: the southern line from Wien Hauptbahnhof or Meidling to Wiener Neustadt, a regional train to Puchberg and, at the same station, the Schneebergbahn up to 1,800 metres. At weekends there is a direct train from Vienna. None of this goes through the central stretch of the S-Bahn closed until October 2027.
By car it is about 90 km from Vienna on the A2 to Wiener Neustadt-West and the B26 to Puchberg. Arriving by car lets you catch the first train at 9:00 and combine the day with the Rax or the Semmering, which are in the next valley.
Puchberg is about 90 km from Vienna, and Vienna-Schwechat airport (VIE) has direct flights from Madrid, Barcelona and other Spanish cities. By public transport you go from the airport to Wien Hauptbahnhof and there take the southern line; by hire car, on the A2.
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.
Going up the Schneeberg on a rack railway is one of those things a child remembers. At the top, the Paradies der Blicke loop takes an hour and the Hengsthütte, halfway up the mountain, is perfect for eating and walking down if the children are older.
Where to stay
We show you what suits the way you travel.Change how you travel
Why we like it: A 4-star superior hotel in the centre of Puchberg, with a panoramic indoor pool, saunas, a gym and tennis courts, a few steps from the station.
Why we like it: A holiday hotel at 600 m altitude in Puchberg, with 25 m² rooms with a balcony and 50 m² suites, from €75 per person with breakfast.
Why we like it: A mountain house beside Hochschneeberg station, with simple rooms, others with a shower and breakfast, and an imperial apartment. Open May to October.
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 home-style Austrian dish of the day on the terrace; in Advent, hot punch.
What to order: the Tafelspitz, boiled beef, with Alpine sorrel, and for dessert a Schneebergkrapfen.
Nearby
The closest places, whichever country they are in.
47.72° N · 15.81° E
By carCar-freeBy plane
47.63° N · 15.83° E
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48.01° N · 16.23° E
Car-freeBy carBy plane
48.09° N · 16.28° E
Car-freeBy carBy plane
Tips
Train places are limited: the FLEX ticket, €3.50 more, lets you change the time.
Take the train all the way up and leave the last hour to walk down through the woods.
In 2026 the last descent left Hochschneeberg at 16:45.
The Schneeberg is the highest mountain in Lower Austria and the one the Viennese see on clear days to the south-west of the city. You do not need to climb it: since 1897 a rack railway has run from Puchberg am Schneeberg, a summer resort village at the foot of the mountain, to a station at 1,800 metres, with paths continuing to the summits of the plateau. It is one of the most classic day trips from Vienna, and it can be done entirely by train.
Take the southern line at Wien Hauptbahnhof or Wien Meidling to Wiener Neustadt, every hour, and there the regional train to Puchberg. On Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays there is also a direct train from Vienna. Neither goes through the central stretch of the S-Bahn, closed until the end of October 2027. By car it is about 90 km on the A2, exit 44 Wiener Neustadt-West, and the B26. The Schneebergbahn leaves from the same station in Puchberg.
The Schneebergbahn climbs in 40 minutes with the Salamander trains, daily from 1 May to 1 November; buy your ticket online, because places are limited. At the top, the Paradies der Blicke loop takes an hour and passes the Empress Elisabeth church. With strong legs and good weather, continue across the plateau to the Klosterwappen, at 2,076 metres. Eat at the top at the Berghaus Hochschneeberg or go down by train to the Hengsthütte, halfway up the mountain, and finish the day on foot to Puchberg in a little over an hour. On some Sundays in spring and autumn the steam train runs.
From May to early November. In July and August there are more people; in September and October, more light and shorter queues. Up there it is high mountain: there can be snow in May and fog any day, so bring a coat and check the line's webcam before setting out. In winter the train only runs special trips to the Hengsthütte, such as the Advent trips on 5 and 6 December 2026.
If you want to stay, the Hotel Schneeberghof is the village hotel with an indoor pool and the Paradiesquelle lists prices from €75 per person with breakfast. The different experience is sleeping at the top, in the Berghaus Hochschneeberg, and having the plateau to yourself at sunset.
Questions
By train on the southern line to Wiener Neustadt and a regional train to Puchberg, or on the direct train at weekends. By car, about 90 km on the A2.
€45 return in mid season and €49 from July to September; children aged 6 to 14, from €21.50.
Daily from 1 May to 1 November; in November and December, special trips to the middle of the mountain only.
Yes, with a muzzle, a lead and its own ticket, except on the steam train.
Not for the train or the one-hour loop. The Klosterwappen requires good fitness and good weather.
Geocaliahttps://www.geocalia.com/en/austria/lower-austria/puchberg-and-schneeberg
