# Day trip to the Rax from Vienna: cable car, walk to the Ottohaus and the Höllental by train and bus

Train and bus to Austria's first cable car, a walk across the plateau to a hut at 1,644 m, lunch up top, the aqueduct path through the Höllental and cake in Reichenau.

Fuente: https://www.geocalia.com/en/austria/lower-austria/rax/itineraries/cable-car-and-hoellental-from-vienna · Revisado: 2026-11-12

## El día
- 07:40 · Salida: 1 h 15 by train (southern line from Wien Hauptbahnhof or Meidling to Payerbach-Reichenau · combined ticket with the Seilbahn)
  - 15 min by bus (Retter line bus to the valley station)
- 09:30 · The Rax-Seilbahn, Austria's first cable car (leaves on the hour and half hour · dogs must be muzzled) · Rax-Seilbahn
  - 2 min on foot
- 09:45 · Walk across the plateau to the Ottohaus (from the top station · no pushchairs)
  - 45 min on foot
- 12:00 · Ottohaus (hot food until 19:00 · in winter, weekends and public holidays only, in good weather) · Ottohaus, €€
  - 45 min by cable car
- 14:30 · Wasserleitungsweg, the aqueduct path through the Höllental (walk back to the station and descend · the path starts next to the valley station)
  - 15 min by bus
- 16:30 · Café-Konditorei Reichenau (bus from Kaiserbrunn to Reichenau · Malakoff cake · timetable depends on the season) · Café-Konditorei Reichenau, €
- 17:45 · Vuelta: 1 h 15 by train (from Payerbach-Reichenau to Wien Meidling and Hauptbahnhof)

The Rax is the Viennese's mountain: a plateau at 1,500–2,000 metres reached for a hundred years by Austria's first passenger cable car. This plan is done without a car, by train and bus, and asks for nothing more than good trainers: an almost flat walk across the plateau to a hut, lunch up top, and in the afternoon the aqueduct path that carries the water of these mountains to Vienna, through the Höllental gorge.

## The day, hour by hour

7:40 · Train and bus. Southern line train from Wien Hauptbahnhof or Meidling to Payerbach-Reichenau; the S-Bahn closure does not affect it if you board there. At the station, the Retter line bus drops you at the cable car. ÖBB sells a combined ticket with the Seilbahn.

9:30 · Rax-Seilbahn. Eight minutes up to 1,547 metres. It leaves on the hour and half hour.

9:45 · Across the plateau. From the Raxalm-Berggasthof, next to the top station, follow the gravel path towards the Ottohaus. No rush: there are viewpoints to the Schneeberg and the Styrian Alps.

12:00 · Lunch at the Ottohaus. A hut at 1,644 metres, with hot food until 19:00. In winter it is open only at weekends, public holidays and school holidays in good weather.

14:30 · Wasserleitungsweg. Go back to the station (40 minutes), come down on the cable car and start the aqueduct path through the Höllental next door: 4 km and an hour and a half, almost flat, to Kaiserbrunn, beside the Schwarza river.

16:30 · Cake in Reichenau. The bus takes you from Kaiserbrunn to Reichenau. At the Café-Konditorei on the main street, the Malakoff cake.

17:45 · Return. Bus or RUFbus to Payerbach-Reichenau station and train to Vienna.

## If you go with children or it rains

The cable car and the plateau are the great family outing on the Viennese mountain, but bring a baby carrier: the path to the Ottohaus is not for pushchairs. With rain or fog up top, stay down below: do only the Wasserleitungsweg and an afternoon snack in Reichenau.

## Cómo llegar

### Without a car
Train to Payerbach-Reichenau, Retter line bus and RUFbus. It is how it is designed.

### By car
A little over an hour on the A2 and the S6; you park at the valley station. With a car you can then go up to the Weichtalhaus or pass by the Semmering.

## Consejos

### Check the maintenance calendar
The cable car stops from 16 November to 4 December 2026 and from 5 to 23 April 2027.

### Warm clothes
Up top it is quite a bit colder than in Vienna.

## Preguntas frecuentes

### How much does the day cost?
Between €70 and €110 per person with train, bus, cable car and lunch.

### Is it difficult?
No: almost everything is flat. It is about 2 h 50 of walking spread across the day.

### Can I take a dog?
Yes: the cable car admits dogs with a muzzle and lead, and those larger than a cat pay a fare.