Montestyria Chalets & Suiten
Why we like it: Upper-range 4-star chalet hotel on the Kalvarienberg, 200 m from the centre: six chalets with sauna and fireplace, two suites, a heated pool and a jetty on the lake.
Duration2 nights, Friday to Sunday
From ViennaTrain, about 3 h; by car, about 2 h 15
Getting aroundOn foot, cable car and train
Best timeMay – October and Advent
BringMountain footwear if you are going to the Ötschergräben
The plan
The plan, hour by hour
Designed for leaving Vienna on Friday after lunch and returning on Sunday afternoon, without a car. Saturday is the day for the village and the mountain; Sunday, for the lake or the gorge according to the season. In Advent, from 19 November to 20 December 2026, swap the daytime Bürgeralpe for its light trail at dusk.
Friday
- 114:00Train to Mariazell
Westbahn to St. Pölten and Mariazellerbahn. You arrive in the last light, leave your suitcase at the Drei Hasen and have dinner at the Brauhaus Mariazell, a few steps away: kitchen until 20:00.
Saturday
- 19:00Mariazell Basilica
Open from 7:30. The Chapel of Grace with the carving of the Virgin and, from May to October, the treasury of votive offerings.
- 210:30erLebzelterei Pirker
150 metres away: you watch gingerbread being made from a glass walkway and taste it at the end. €7.90; last entry at 14:00.
- 312:00Bürgeralpe
Cable car from the centre, the woodcutters' park and lunch at the Berggasthof. €30 return, from April to 1 November. In Advent, go up at 16:30 for the Lichterzauber, €34 with cable car.
- 419:00Dinner at the Goldene Krone
Opposite the illuminated basilica, Austrian cooking until 21:00.
Sunday
- 19:30Erlaufsee or Ötschergräben
In winter and spring, a walk round the Erlaufsee, Mariazell's forest lake. From May to October, if you are a good walker, take the train to Wienerbruck and walk the Ötschergräben, Austria's Grand Canyon, and return to Vienna from there.
- 212:00Lunch at the Brauhaus
On Sunday, kitchen from 11:00 to 14:00: the Schnitzel fried in clarified butter.
- 315:00Return to Vienna
Mariazellerbahn to St. Pölten and Westbahn to Vienna.
Mariazell is Austria's great shrine and the best example that the journey counts too: from Vienna it is about three hours by train, the last part on the Mariazellerbahn, a narrow-gauge train that climbs 84 km through valleys, viaducts and tunnels to the Styrian Alps. With two nights you see the basilica, the gingerbread workshop, the village's mountain and, depending on the season, a forest lake or the Ötscher gorge.
How do you get there from Vienna?
On the Westbahn from Wien Hauptbahnhof or Wien Meidling to St. Pölten, without depending on the central S-Bahn section closed until October 2027, and there the Mariazellerbahn, about two and a half hours. On weekends from May to early November and in Advent, look at the panoramic carriage: €40 each way, with breakfast on request. From 2 to 20 November 2026 the line is closed for works and replaced by a bus. By car it is about two and a quarter hours.
Where to sleep?
| Accommodation | Area | Who it is for |
|---|---|---|
| Hotel Drei Hasen | Wiener Straße, in the centre | Family hotel with saunas; dogs allowed |
| Montestyria | Kalvarienberg, 200 m from the centre | Chalets with their own sauna and a heated pool, for a treat |
| Hotel Goldene Krone | Opposite the basilica | The simple option, with a restaurant open all day |
And if you have one more day?
Stay at Montestyria and spend the day at the lake: guests have their own jetty on the Erlaufsee. Or take the train down to Laubenbachmühle and return through the Pielach valley.
With children
The train is half the fun: the Ötscherbär has an open carriage on summer weekends, and children aged 6 to 14 pay half. The Bürgeralpe has the woodcutters' park and the beaver pond, and the Pirker workshop, a competition with a prize.
Map
The stops, in order
What to do
Eat
88 €Stay
Services
Plan the trip
Mariazell, 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 Mariazell
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Best timeGood timeLow season
How you travel
The same break, your way
The plan stays the same. What changes is where you sleep, how you get there and how much you spend.
By train on the Mariazellerbahn
Going to Mariazell by train is half the journey: Westbahn from Vienna to St. Pölten and, from there, the Mariazellerbahn up the Pielach valley and past the Ötscher, about two and a half hours of narrow gauge. Everything in the village is done on foot, and the lake and the gorges are within reach of the train or tram. You don't need a car, but do check the return timetable carefully.
120–200 €per person per day, approximate
- Where to stayHotel Drei Hasen, on the…
- Getting aroundWestbahn Wien Hauptbahnhof or Meidling…
- Where to eatBrauhaus Mariazell
- ServicesMariazell station
Where to stay
- Hotel Drei Hasen, on the Wiener Straße
- Hotel Goldene Krone, opposite the basilica
- Montestyria, 200 m from the centre
Getting around
- Westbahn Wien Hauptbahnhof or Meidling – St. Pölten
- Mariazellerbahn St. Pölten – Mariazell, with a stop at Wienerbruck for the Ötschergräben
- Bürgeralpe cable car from the centre
Where to eat
- Brauhaus Mariazell
- Hotel Goldene Krone restaurant, open on Sunday until 21:00
- Berggasthof Bürgeralpe
Services
- Mariazell station
- St. Pölten main station
By car through the Traisen valley
By car you arrive from Vienna in about two and a quarter hours. It pays off if you want to get around the area: the Erlaufsee, the Gemeindealpe at Mitterbach or the Ötschergräben without watching the train timetable. A good option is to drive to St. Pölten, leave the car in the station car park and take the Mariazellerbahn.
110–190 €per person per day, approximate
- Where to stayMontestyria, with a parking space…
- Getting aroundA1 to St. Pölten and…
- Where to eatBrauhaus Mariazell
- ServicesSt. Pölten main station
Where to stay
- Montestyria, with a parking space or charging point included
- Hotel Drei Hasen, with parking behind the hotel
- Hotel Goldene Krone, in the centre
Getting around
- A1 to St. Pölten and mountain roads to Mariazell
- P+R at St. Pölten station if you combine car and train
- In winter, winter tyres are compulsory when there is snow
Where to eat
- Brauhaus Mariazell
- Hotel Goldene Krone restaurant
Services
- St. Pölten main station
Fly to Vienna and take the mountain train to Mariazell
Mariazell has no airport nearby: you get there via Vienna-Schwechat (VIE), which has direct flights from Madrid, Barcelona and other Spanish cities. From the airport you go to Wien Hauptbahnhof, continue by train on the Westbahn to St. Pölten and there board the Mariazellerbahn. By hire car from the airport allow a little over two hours.
- Getting thereVienna-Schwechat (VIE): ÖBB train to…
- Getting aroundOn foot around the village…
- Where to stayHotel Drei Hasen, on the…
- ServicesSt. Pölten main station
Getting there
- Vienna-Schwechat (VIE): ÖBB train to Wien Hauptbahnhof; the CAT goes by coach to Wien Mitte because of the S-Bahn works until October 2027
- Westbahn from Wien Hauptbahnhof or Wien Meidling to St. Pölten
- Mariazellerbahn from St. Pölten to Mariazell, about two and a half hours; from 2 to 20 November 2026, replacement bus
Getting around
- On foot around the village: basilica, Pirker workshop and cable car within ten minutes
- Hire car at the airport if you want to come back by another route or go up to the Ötschergräben and the Erlaufsee at your own pace
- Steam tram to the Erlaufsee in season
Where to stay
- Hotel Drei Hasen, on the main street, close to everything
- Montestyria, if you want a chalet with a sauna for two nights
Services
- St. Pölten main station
- Mariazell station
How much does it cost?
People2
Nights2
Where to stay
Where to stay without a carif you're drivingif you're flying
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Hotel Drei Hasen
Why we like it: Family hotel with 45 rooms on the Wiener Straße, a few steps from the basilica, with a sauna area, a large restaurant and dogs welcome.
Hotel Goldene Krone
Why we like it: Simple hotel on the Grazer Straße, right opposite the basilica, with its own restaurant open all day from Saturday to Wednesday. Welcomes dogs.
Services for this trip
Where to eat
Where to eat in Mariazell
Brauhaus Mariazell
What to order: the Wiener Schnitzel fried in clarified butter with potato salad, or the Steirisches Wurzelfleisch; for dessert, Bröselnudeln.
Wednesday to Sunday · Sunday midday only · on holiday until 18 November 2026
Hotel Goldene Krone Restaurant
What to order: an Austrian dish of the day or a Schnitzel after the visit to the basilica.
Saturday to Wednesday, 11:00 to 21:00 · Thursday and Friday closed
Berggasthof Bürgeralpe
What to order: the pork Wiener Schnitzel with chips, which in summer is included in a combined ticket with the cable car; in winter, something hot before the light trail.
Opens with the cable car · during the Lichterzauber, kitchen until 19:15
Tips
Worth knowing first
Local tip
If you go in Advent, go from Thursday to Sunday: that is when the Lichterzauber is open, and the panoramic carriage runs Friday to Sunday from 21 November 2026.
We'd skip it
Don't go from 2 to 20 November 2026 counting on the train: it is replaced by a bus because of works.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
How much does the getaway cost?
With a mid-range hotel, trains, cable car and meals, from about €280 per person for the two nights.
Do I need a car?
No: everything is on foot, by cable car and by train.
Can it be done in one night?
Yes, dropping the lake or the Ötschergräben, but it is about six hours of train there and back.
When is it best to go?
From May to October for the mountains and from 19 November to 20 December for Advent.