Hiking in the Viennese Alps, Austria

They say ‘put down the map and get wonderfully lost’. I admit since I started to follow this clue I discovered many wonderful places that I probably would never even heard of.
The Rax, a mountain range in the Wiener Hausberge (Vienna's local mountains)
When I lived in Vienna I used to take weekend excursions to the nearest Alpine peaks called Wiener Hausberge which actually means ‘Vienna’s local mountains’.
A view of the Rax, a mountain range in the Viennese Alps

One day, just like that, without any plan or specific destination we discovered mountain pass Preiner Gscheid and located 1 hour walk from there Waxriegelhaus.
A trail to the Waxriegelhaus, a mountain hut at the foot of Rax, Wiener Hausberge

The weather was beautiful, so we took a car and left Vienna in search of the winter wonderland with mountains covered with sparkling white snow.
Waxriegelhaus, a mountain cottage at the foot of the Rax (Vienna's Local Mountains), located at 1,361 m above sea level

We passed some beautiful villages, snow-covered fields, forests and then somehow we reached Preiner Gscheid which seemed to us a perfect place for hiking.
Firewood at the Waxriegelhaus, Viennese Alps, Austria

After an hour walk, we saw the Alpine hut Waxriegelhaus. It was freezing cold outside so we decided to go there and try some local specialties.
A cup of hot chocolate in Waxriegelhaus, Viennese Alps, is a great thing after a walk in a cold winter day

First I had a delicious chocolate with rum just to warm up and then I have ordered Omas Suppentopf which was a vegetable cream soup with sausages and potatoes, really tasty by the way!
Omas Suppentopf, Austrian regional soup
Once we rested and warmed up, we left the Waxriegelhaus to continue our hiking adventure.
Wandering around the Rax mountain in Wiener Hausberge, Viennese Alps, Austria

Winter one-day trip from Vienna to the local Alps, Wiener Hausberge

Snow-capped Rax range, Wiener Hausberge, local Viennese mountains in Austria

A mountain cottage near Rax, Viennese Alps, Austria

Sledding from the Rax Mountain, Viennese Alps

Viennese Alps, the local mountains of Vienna, Austia
The views were wonderful and there was a lot of snow. Many people went skiing and hiking, some of them took their sleds too. If you are looking for a day trip idea near Vienna, the Raxalpe area might somethinging for you. I enjoyed this place a lot and I’m sure one day I’ll come back here. There is still so much to discover in the ‘Viennese Alps‘!



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  3 comments for “Hiking in the Viennese Alps, Austria

  1. February 18, 2016 at 11:37 pm

    Nie byłam jeszcze w Austrii w Alpach zimą, ale taki jednodniowy wypoczynek by mi się podobał. Zjadłabym też zupę, bo pewno pyszna. Pozdrawiam.

    • April 13, 2016 at 10:46 am

      Kuchnia austriacka jest bardzo smaczna i generalnie trochę podobna do naszej polskiej :). Zupy bardzo mi tam smakowały.