# The Rax and Reichenau The Viennese people's mountain: Austria's first cable car climbs to 1,547 m above Reichenau, with walks to the Ottohaus, snowshoeing in winter and the Höllental gorge. Fuente: https://www.geocalia.com/en/austria/lower-austria/rax · Revisado: 2026-11-12 The Rax is Vienna's mountain: a limestone plateau of about 2,000 metres on the border between Lower Austria and Styria, an hour and a half from the capital, which generations of Viennese have climbed in a day. Water from its springs reaches the city's taps by a 19th-century aqueduct. Since 1926 there has been an easy way up: the Rax-Seilbahn, Austria's first passenger cable car, which in 8 minutes leaves you at 1,547 metres, on the edge of the plateau, with flat paths, mountain huts and views of the Styrian Alps and the neighbouring Schneeberg. Below, the village of Reichenau an der Rax was a summer resort of the 19th-century Viennese middle class, and the Höllental, the "valley of hell", is a rock-walled gorge through which the River Schwarza runs. ## How to get there from Vienna By train, on the southern line to Payerbach-Reichenau, from Wien Hauptbahnhof or Wien Meidling: the closure of the central stretch of the S-Bahn until October 2027 does not affect this line if you board at those stations. From the station, Retter line buses run to the Rax-Seilbahn, the Höllental and Prein, and the area has the RUFbus Semmering-Rax, an on-demand bus from 8:30 to 18:00. ÖBB and the Seilbahn sell a discounted combined ticket. By car it is about 90 km on the A2 and the S6 to Gloggnitz; at the valley station there are several car parks and electric chargers. ## What to do in a day Take the Rax-Seilbahn first thing. At the top, the classic walk is the gravel path to the Ottohaus, a mountain hut at 1,644 metres, about 40 minutes; eat there or at the Raxalm-Berggasthof, next to the station. In winter, the same plan is done with snowshoes, which can be rented with your ticket. In the afternoon, go down and walk the Wasserleitungsweg in the Höllental, a flat hour and a half beside the Vienna aqueduct to Kaiserbrunn. If you want more, climb from the Weichtalhaus through the Weichtalklamm, a gorge with equipped sections. For an afternoon snack, the Café-Konditorei Reichenau, on the village's main street, has old-fashioned cakes. The Semmering, with its World Heritage mountain railway, is 15 km away: Payerbach is the end of the Bahnwanderweg that comes down from the Semmering. ## One day or one night? One day is enough for the cable car and a walk. Sleeping at the top is something else: at the Raxalm-Berggasthof you see the sunset and sunrise over the plateau, when the day-trippers have gone. Below, the Land-Pension Kaiserhof, in Prein, and the Park 'n' Camp for campervans, beside the valley station. ## Dónde está - Cerca: Semmering (a 9.3 km), Puchberg and the Schneeberg (a 11.4 km), Mariazell (a 36.9 km), Baden bei Wien (a 45.3 km) ## Qué hacer - **The Rax-Seilbahn, Austria's first cable car** (30 min · All ages; pushchairs with a reservation, dogs muzzled): The cable car that for a hundred years has been taking Viennese people up the Rax: it was the first passenger cable car in Austria. In about 8 minutes it climbs from the valley station, in Hirschwang, to the edge of the plateau, at 1,547 metres, next to the Raxalm-Berggasthof. It leaves on the hour and the half hour. From 5 December 2026 it runs on winter hours, until 16:30; it stops for maintenance from 16 November to 4 December 2026 and from 5 to 23 April 2027. Tickets are bought online, with a discount combined with the ÖBB train. Below there is a playground for the wait. - **Walk across the plateau to the Ottohaus** (1 h 20 · Families; small children in a baby carrier, not a pushchair): The classic Rax walk: from the Raxalm-Berggasthof, next to the upper station, a coarse gravel path crosses the plateau, almost flat, to the Ottohaus hut, at 1,644 metres, in about 40 minutes. You go among mountain pines and meadows, with an open view to the Schneeberg and the Styrian Alps. The hut serves hot food. With small children, bring a baby carrier: the path is not suitable for pushchairs. In winter, with snow, it is done with snowshoes or boots. - **Snowshoeing on the Rax plateau** (2 h 30 · Adults and children with no experience and some fitness; waterproof winter footwear): In winter the Rax has no pistes: you walk. With the cable car ticket you can book snowshoes and poles online, and at the top you have a network of signposted routes across the plateau, designed also for people who have never used them. Normal fitness is enough, waterproof warm clothing and winter boots above the ankle. At the Berggasthof they hire out toboggans so the children can slide down a hillock. Do not walk down to the valley in winter: the path is usually icy. - **Wasserleitungsweg, the aqueduct path through the Höllental** (1 h 30 · 4.0 km · Families; also by bus): Since 1998 a trail has followed through the Höllental the line of Vienna's first spring-water pipeline, the one that since the second half of the 19th century has carried water from the Rax and the Schneeberg to the city. It starts at Hirschwang, next to the cable car valley station, and reaches Kaiserbrunn beneath rock walls, beside the River Schwarza: about 4 km and an hour and a half almost on the flat. It is suitable for families and you can return by bus. - **Weichtalklamm, the gorge up to the Kienthaler Hütte** (2 h 15 · 4.0 km · Experienced mountain walkers; others, by the Ferdinand-Mayr-Weg): The prettiest climb in the Höllental: from the Weichtalhaus, at the bottom of the valley, an equipped trail climbs the narrow Weichtalklamm gorge to the Kienthaler Hütte, on the slope of the Schneeberg. It is about 4 km and 2 h 15 of climbing, with 843 metres of ascent, and on the equipped sections a sure foot is essential. If you are not experienced or are with children, go up by the Ferdinand-Mayr-Weg, which is more comfortable, and come down the way you went up. Only in dry weather. ## Dónde comer - **Ottohaus** (Restaurant, Reichenau an der Rax, €€). Qué pedir: a hot hut dish after the walk from the cable car. - **Café-Konditorei Reichenau** (Café, Reichenau an der Rax, €). Qué pedir: a slice of Malakoff cake with coffee. ## By car: By car on the A2 and the S6 By car you reach the valley station in a little over an hour from Vienna, and you can combine the cable car, the Höllental and the Weichtalhaus, which are on the same road, or the Preiner Gscheid and the Semmering, in one day. Presupuesto orientativo: 80–140 € por persona y día. ### Dónde dormir if you're driving - **Land-Pension Kaiserhof** (Small hotel): The house A village guesthouse in Prein an der Rax, south of the mountain, which the Scharfegger family bought in 1973 and extended; the house has a history going back to the 18th century. After a complete renovation, the rooms are in mountain style, with Swiss pine, in several categories. Where it is In Prein, about 10 km from the cable car valley station and close to the Preiner Gscheid, from where the Schlangenweg to the plateau starts. By car is the most convenient; without a car, Retter line buses come from Payerbach-Reichenau and there is the area's RUFbus. - **Rax Park 'n' Camp** (Campervan area): The house A campervan and camping area that opened in 2020 next to the Rax-Seilbahn valley station, at the entrance to the Höllental. The pitches are spacious, most with an electricity hook-up, and there is room for tents, modern toilets, free wifi and a small self-service shop. Why here You step out of the vehicle and you are in the cable car queue, or at the start of the Wasserleitungsweg to Kaiserbrunn. The Höllental, which extends more than 16 km to Schwarzau, begins here. ### Servicios - **Rax-Seilbahn car parks**: Several car parks at the valley station, with electric chargers; P3, next to the Park 'n' Camp, costs €3 without a ticket from March to October ## Car-free: By train to Payerbach and bus to the Rax The Rax is easy to do without a car: southern line train to Payerbach-Reichenau and a bus to the cable car station, with an ÖBB combined ticket. The Höllental Wasserleitungsweg starts next door and you come back by bus. Presupuesto orientativo: 70–130 € por persona y día. ### Dónde dormir without a car - **Raxalm-Berggasthof** (Mountain hut): The house The Rax's mountain inn, next to the cable car's upper station, at 1,547 metres. It is not a four-star hotel, and says so itself: it is a wooden house, with solid-wood furniture made in its own carpentry workshop and views from the window of the plateau and the Schneeberg. It has a restaurant for those who come up to eat. Rooms There are 27 rooms of several categories; the "Komfort" doubles and singles have a shower and toilet, and some a balcony. They are booked online. When you can sleep In season, most of the year. In winter it opens for overnight stays only on some weekends: 1 to 3, 8 to 10 and 15 to 17 January 2027. During cable car maintenance it is closed. - **Land-Pension Kaiserhof** (Small hotel): The house A village guesthouse in Prein an der Rax, south of the mountain, which the Scharfegger family bought in 1973 and extended; the house has a history going back to the 18th century. After a complete renovation, the rooms are in mountain style, with Swiss pine, in several categories. Where it is In Prein, about 10 km from the cable car valley station and close to the Preiner Gscheid, from where the Schlangenweg to the plateau starts. By car is the most convenient; without a car, Retter line buses come from Payerbach-Reichenau and there is the area's RUFbus. ### Servicios - **Train to Payerbach-Reichenau and bus to the Rax**: Southern line trains from Wien Hauptbahnhof or Meidling to Payerbach-Reichenau; from there, Retter line buses to the Rax-Seilbahn and the Höllental, and an on-demand RUFbus - **RUFbus Semmering-Rax**: An on-demand bus in Reichenau, Payerbach, Schwarzau, Gloggnitz, Schottwien, Semmering and Breitenstein · daily from 8:30 to 18:00 · more than 130 stops ## By plane: Fly to Vienna and take the southern line train The Rax is about 100 km from Vienna-Schwechat airport (VIE), which has direct flights from Madrid, Barcelona and other Spanish cities. By hire car it is a little over an hour on the A2; without a car, go to Wien Hauptbahnhof or Meidling and take the southern line train to Payerbach-Reichenau, then the bus. ### Dónde dormir if you're flying - **Raxalm-Berggasthof** (Mountain hut): The house The Rax's mountain inn, next to the cable car's upper station, at 1,547 metres. It is not a four-star hotel, and says so itself: it is a wooden house, with solid-wood furniture made in its own carpentry workshop and views from the window of the plateau and the Schneeberg. It has a restaurant for those who come up to eat. Rooms There are 27 rooms of several categories; the "Komfort" doubles and singles have a shower and toilet, and some a balcony. They are booked online. When you can sleep In season, most of the year. In winter it opens for overnight stays only on some weekends: 1 to 3, 8 to 10 and 15 to 17 January 2027. During cable car maintenance it is closed. - **Land-Pension Kaiserhof** (Small hotel): The house A village guesthouse in Prein an der Rax, south of the mountain, which the Scharfegger family bought in 1973 and extended; the house has a history going back to the 18th century. After a complete renovation, the rooms are in mountain style, with Swiss pine, in several categories. Where it is In Prein, about 10 km from the cable car valley station and close to the Preiner Gscheid, from where the Schlangenweg to the plateau starts. By car is the most convenient; without a car, Retter line buses come from Payerbach-Reichenau and there is the area's RUFbus. ### Servicios - **Train to Payerbach-Reichenau and bus to the Rax**: Southern line trains from Wien Hauptbahnhof or Meidling to Payerbach-Reichenau; from there, Retter line buses to the Rax-Seilbahn and the Höllental, and an on-demand RUFbus ## As a family: A cable car, a flat plateau and a path beside the river The Rax has been a family mountain for a century: the cable car is short and exciting, the paths up top are almost flat, and down below the Wasserleitungsweg is an easy walk beside the water. In winter, snowshoes and sledges. ### What works best The Rax-Seilbahn, with a playground at the valley station The 40-minute walk to the Ottohaus The Wasserleitungsweg in the Höllental, flat, with a bus back Snowshoes in winter and the Berggasthof's sledges ### Where to stay Raxalm-Berggasthof, up top Land-Pension Kaiserhof, in Prein ### Where to eat Ottohaus, mountain-hut food Café-Konditorei Reichenau, for afternoon tea ### Bear in mind No pushchairs up top: bring a baby carrier The Weichtalklamm is not for children: take the Ferdinand-Mayr-Weg Cable car maintenance in November–December and April ### Qué hacer as a family - The Rax-Seilbahn, Austria's first cable car - Walk across the plateau to the Ottohaus - Snowshoeing on the Rax plateau - Wasserleitungsweg, the aqueduct path through the Höllental ## Consejos ### Check the maintenance closures The cable car stops from 16 November to 4 December 2026 and from 5 to 23 April 2027, and with it the Berggasthof and the Ottohaus. ### No pushchairs at the top The path to the Ottohaus is coarse gravel: use a baby carrier. ### Bring a coat even if it is warm below At 1,500 metres the weather changes fast. ## Preguntas frecuentes ### How do you get from Vienna to the Rax by public transport? By train from Wien Hauptbahnhof or Meidling to Payerbach-Reichenau and a Retter line bus to the Rax-Seilbahn. There is an ÖBB combined ticket with the Seilbahn. ### How long does the cable car take? About 8 minutes. It leaves on the hour and half hour, and more often if it is busy. ### Can you ski on the Rax? There are no pistes: in winter it is for snowshoeing and walks. For skiing, the Semmering is 15 km away. ### Can dogs ride the cable car? Yes, with a muzzle and lead; those larger than a cat pay for a ticket. ### Which walk is easy at the top? The one to the Ottohaus, about 40 minutes on a gravel path from the Berggasthof. ### Can you go in winter? Yes, except during maintenance. There is snow up there many months longer than in the valley.