# Two nights in Mariazell, three hours by train from Vienna on the Mariazellerbahn: basilica, Bürgeralpe and Ötscher

Westbahn to St. Pölten and the Mariazellerbahn past the Ötscher, the basilica, Pirker gingerbread, the Bürgeralpe or its Advent lights and a day of lake or gorge.

Fuente: https://www.geocalia.com/en/austria/styria/mariazell/itineraries/two-nights-on-the-mariazellerbahn-from-vienna · Revisado: 2026-11-12

Dónde: Mariazell

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?

AccommodationAreaWho it is for

Hotel Drei HasenWiener Straße, in the centreFamily hotel with saunas; dogs allowed

MontestyriaKalvarienberg, 200 m from the centreChalets with their own sauna and a heated pool, for a treat

Hotel Goldene KroneOpposite the basilicaThe 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.

## El plan

### Friday · 14:00 · Train 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 · 9:00 · Mariazell 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.

### Saturday · 10:30 · erLebzelterei 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.

### Saturday · 12:00 · Bürgeralpe
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.

### Saturday · 19:00 · Dinner at the Goldene Krone
Opposite the illuminated basilica, Austrian cooking until 21:00.

### Sunday · 9:30 · Erlaufsee 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.

### Sunday · 12:00 · Lunch at the Brauhaus
On Sunday, kitchen from 11:00 to 14:00: the Schnitzel fried in clarified butter.

### Sunday · 15:00 · Return to Vienna
Mariazellerbahn to St. Pölten and Westbahn to Vienna.

## Un consejo más

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.

## Cuándo no ir

Don't go from 2 to 20 November 2026 counting on the train: it is replaced by a bus because of works.

## Preguntas frecuentes

### 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.

## Dónde dormir without a car
- **Montestyria Chalets & Suiten**: The house
Montestyria is a hotel of wooden chalets on the slope of the Kalvarienberg, above Mariazell, with the basilica in view and the centre 200 metres away. It has an upper-range 4 stars and one key from the Michelin guide. There are six chalets and two junior suites in the main house, designed for anyone looking for quiet: a reception with concierge, but without the bustle of a large hotel.
The chalets
Each premium chalet has two floors: a suite bedroom, a gallery that serves as a second bedroom or a lounge with television, a living-dining room with a panoramic view, a wood stove and equipped kitchen, a private sauna, two bathrooms and two covered terraces. Breakfast is served to you in the chalet. Guests have an outdoor pool heated all year, their own 75 m² jetty on the Erlaufsee and electric bikes for hire. Premium chalets cost from €135 per person per night, for two to four people, with breakfast.
The practicalities
Each chalet includes a parking space or a charging point. If you arrive on the Mariazellerbahn, the station is in the same village. For dinner, the Brauhaus Mariazell, run by the same owners, is on the main street. Animals are not allowed.
- **Hotel Drei Hasen**: The house
A long-established family hotel on the Wiener Straße, the street that runs down from the basilica, with a painted façade and a large wooden Gaststube. It has 45 rooms in three categories and a restaurant for about 280 people, well used to pilgrim groups.
Rooms and sauna
Simple, well-kept rooms, some under the eaves. After a day on the Bürgeralpe or in the Ötschergräben the sauna area is welcome: bio sauna, Finnish sauna, steam bath and a relaxation room with tea. There is free Wi-Fi throughout the building.
The practicalities
Park behind the hotel; there is an electric charging point 150 metres away. Hotel and restaurant accept dogs. In November 2026 it is closed for holidays until the 18th and opens again on the 19th, when Advent begins.
- **Hotel Goldene Krone**: The house
A small hotel in an old house on the Grazer Straße, right opposite the basilica: you step out of the door and you are on the square. The rooms are simple and central, designed for pilgrims, cyclists, motorcyclists and anyone coming for a night.
The practicalities
Booking is made directly with the house, by phone or email; the website publishes neither prices nor the number of rooms. Downstairs is the restaurant, open Saturday to Wednesday from 11:00 to 21:00. The house advertises holidays with dogs: ask about the conditions when booking.

## Dónde dormir if you're driving
- **Montestyria Chalets & Suiten**: The house
Montestyria is a hotel of wooden chalets on the slope of the Kalvarienberg, above Mariazell, with the basilica in view and the centre 200 metres away. It has an upper-range 4 stars and one key from the Michelin guide. There are six chalets and two junior suites in the main house, designed for anyone looking for quiet: a reception with concierge, but without the bustle of a large hotel.
The chalets
Each premium chalet has two floors: a suite bedroom, a gallery that serves as a second bedroom or a lounge with television, a living-dining room with a panoramic view, a wood stove and equipped kitchen, a private sauna, two bathrooms and two covered terraces. Breakfast is served to you in the chalet. Guests have an outdoor pool heated all year, their own 75 m² jetty on the Erlaufsee and electric bikes for hire. Premium chalets cost from €135 per person per night, for two to four people, with breakfast.
The practicalities
Each chalet includes a parking space or a charging point. If you arrive on the Mariazellerbahn, the station is in the same village. For dinner, the Brauhaus Mariazell, run by the same owners, is on the main street. Animals are not allowed.
- **Hotel Drei Hasen**: The house
A long-established family hotel on the Wiener Straße, the street that runs down from the basilica, with a painted façade and a large wooden Gaststube. It has 45 rooms in three categories and a restaurant for about 280 people, well used to pilgrim groups.
Rooms and sauna
Simple, well-kept rooms, some under the eaves. After a day on the Bürgeralpe or in the Ötschergräben the sauna area is welcome: bio sauna, Finnish sauna, steam bath and a relaxation room with tea. There is free Wi-Fi throughout the building.
The practicalities
Park behind the hotel; there is an electric charging point 150 metres away. Hotel and restaurant accept dogs. In November 2026 it is closed for holidays until the 18th and opens again on the 19th, when Advent begins.
- **Hotel Goldene Krone**: The house
A small hotel in an old house on the Grazer Straße, right opposite the basilica: you step out of the door and you are on the square. The rooms are simple and central, designed for pilgrims, cyclists, motorcyclists and anyone coming for a night.
The practicalities
Booking is made directly with the house, by phone or email; the website publishes neither prices nor the number of rooms. Downstairs is the restaurant, open Saturday to Wednesday from 11:00 to 21:00. The house advertises holidays with dogs: ask about the conditions when booking.

## Dónde dormir if you're flying
- **Montestyria Chalets & Suiten**: The house
Montestyria is a hotel of wooden chalets on the slope of the Kalvarienberg, above Mariazell, with the basilica in view and the centre 200 metres away. It has an upper-range 4 stars and one key from the Michelin guide. There are six chalets and two junior suites in the main house, designed for anyone looking for quiet: a reception with concierge, but without the bustle of a large hotel.
The chalets
Each premium chalet has two floors: a suite bedroom, a gallery that serves as a second bedroom or a lounge with television, a living-dining room with a panoramic view, a wood stove and equipped kitchen, a private sauna, two bathrooms and two covered terraces. Breakfast is served to you in the chalet. Guests have an outdoor pool heated all year, their own 75 m² jetty on the Erlaufsee and electric bikes for hire. Premium chalets cost from €135 per person per night, for two to four people, with breakfast.
The practicalities
Each chalet includes a parking space or a charging point. If you arrive on the Mariazellerbahn, the station is in the same village. For dinner, the Brauhaus Mariazell, run by the same owners, is on the main street. Animals are not allowed.
- **Hotel Drei Hasen**: The house
A long-established family hotel on the Wiener Straße, the street that runs down from the basilica, with a painted façade and a large wooden Gaststube. It has 45 rooms in three categories and a restaurant for about 280 people, well used to pilgrim groups.
Rooms and sauna
Simple, well-kept rooms, some under the eaves. After a day on the Bürgeralpe or in the Ötschergräben the sauna area is welcome: bio sauna, Finnish sauna, steam bath and a relaxation room with tea. There is free Wi-Fi throughout the building.
The practicalities
Park behind the hotel; there is an electric charging point 150 metres away. Hotel and restaurant accept dogs. In November 2026 it is closed for holidays until the 18th and opens again on the 19th, when Advent begins.
- **Hotel Goldene Krone**: The house
A small hotel in an old house on the Grazer Straße, right opposite the basilica: you step out of the door and you are on the square. The rooms are simple and central, designed for pilgrims, cyclists, motorcyclists and anyone coming for a night.
The practicalities
Booking is made directly with the house, by phone or email; the website publishes neither prices nor the number of rooms. Downstairs is the restaurant, open Saturday to Wednesday from 11:00 to 21:00. The house advertises holidays with dogs: ask about the conditions when booking.