Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
WALDVIERTEL ROAD TRIP
The Kamptal, immediately northeast of Krems towards Langenlois, is a major centre of winegrowing and one of
the most picturesque entry points into the Waldviertel. This route, which can be done by train between Krems
(or Hadersdorf) train station and Schloss Rosenburg (€7.80, one hour, hourly), combines traditional
Heurigen
(wine taverns) with a castle, top-class dining, wellness and wine.
From Krems the Weinstrasse Kremstal (Krems Valley Wine Rd; B35) leads northeast. About 2km past Geder-
sdorf - just before Hadersdorf train station - veer right under the railway line and immediately left to Diendorf,
where you find
Hofkäserei Robert Paget
(
www.mozzaundjazz.at
; Kirchenweg 2, Diendorf am Kamp;
10am-6pm Fri & Sat). Here Robert Paget produces Austria's finest buffalo mozzarella cheese, as well as goat's
cheese that you can buy from the shop. Cyclists and walkers can continue along the tiny Diendorfer Weg about
another 1.5km to Hadersdorf's Hauptplatz, the magnificent central town square with Renaissance and baroque
buildings, some of them
Heurigen
(by car take the B43).
In Hadersdorf, visit
Eat Art
(
www.spoerri.at
;
Hauptlatz 23; mains €9-17; 5-10pm Thu, 11am-10pm Fri,
9am-10pm Sat, 10am-5pm Sun; ), part of the food and museum concept,
Eat Art & Ab Art
(Hauptlatz 23),
by Romanian-born Swiss artist Daniel Spoerri.
About 6km south of Diendorf is Schloss Grafenegg (
Click here
), the castle with the look and feel of an ornate
Tudor mansion set in English woods.
Continuing north, the wine-focused
Loisium Hotel
( 02734-77 100-0;
www.loisiumhotel.at
; Loisium
Allee 2, Langenlois; s €134-150, d €188-205, mains €16-30, 4-course menu €49; lunch & dinner;
) is a useful stopover. Highlights are massages and wine treatments (some using sparkling wine or grape-
seed oil), large spa facilities and the 20m heated outdoor pool that's open all year. Alongside the hotel is the
Loisium Weinwelt
(
www.loisium.at
;
Loisium Allee 1; 90min audio tour adult/child €11.50/6.30;
10am-7pm), an aluminium cube designed by the New York architect Steven Holl that slopes to the south. Multi-
lingual audio tours here set off every 30 minutes and lead you through the 1.5km network of ancient tunnels.
Bring a pullover as it's chilly. You can also taste several vintages.
Further north from Langelois, the B34 passes through the picturesque Naturpark Kamptal-Schönberg to
Schloss Rosenburg
(
www.rosenburg.at
;
Rosenburg am Kamp; tours & falconry adult/child €14.50/8.50;
9.30am-4.30pm Wed-Sun Apr & Oct, 9.30am-5pm Tue-Sun May-Sep), a Renaissance castle 50km north of
Krems where falconry shows take place at 11am and 3pm.
From Rosenburg, the B34 and later B2 lead on an 18km detour east to the quaint town of
Eggenburg
. It's still
surrounded by much of its original defensive walls.
Back in Rosenburg, follow the L53 and B38 5km to the Benedictine
Stift Altenburg
(
www.stift-altenburg.at
;
Stift 1; adult/child €9/4.50, audio guide €2; 10am-5pm Apr-Oct), which can trace its foundations back to
1144. The
abbey library
(which has ceiling frescoes by Paul Troger) and the crypt (with frescoes by Troger's
pupils) are definite highlights.
By continuing along the B38 you pass Peygarten-Ottenstein on the
Ottensteiner Stausee
, one of several dams
in the Waldviertel, and finish the tour near Zwettl at the baroque Cistercian abbey
Stift Zwettl
(
www.stift-
zwettl.at
;
Stift Zwettl 1; admission & audio guide adult/child €9.90/4.50; 10am-4pm Easter-Oct, library
tours 11am & 2pm). The B36 leads you 25km south back to the Danube Valley.
Getting There & Away
Zwettl is best reached by frequent buses from Krems (€10, 45 minutes to 1¼ hours).
From Horn, regular buses run to Altenburg (€2.60, 11 minutes).
