10 best things to do on tour
Spend the night in a wine barrel, sunbathe on a sandy beach - on the Monasteries Emperors Artists tour through the Vienna Woods, you'll be happy to get off your bike!
#1 Overnight stay in the sleepy village of Gumpoldskirchen/Thallern
Even the Greek philosopher Diogenes knew that a person in a barrel lacks nothing (provided no one is standing in your sun!). Yes, and what the ancient Greeks knew, the people of Gumpoldskirchen also know and have converted their wine barrels into delightful and extremely comfortable sleeping quarters. Showers and toilets are available, power sockets and Wi-Fi are provided and those who wish can also indulge in culinary delights, for example with a picnic or breakfast basket.
#2 Cream slice at the Klostergasthof Heiligenkreuz
Here cyclists can decide if they want to eat the monastery cream cake with wild berry topping and vanilla sauce before, between or after their tour? Because one thing is certain - you should definitely not miss out on this delight for the tastebuds. So it's practical that there's a bike rental shop right in front of the monastery inn - so you can make yourself comfortable before and after the tour in the beautiful garden with a view of Heiligenkreuz Abbey and try one or two other delicacies!
#3 Kaiserschmarrn at the confectionery Herwig Gasser
Where could an Kaiserschmarrn taste better than in imperial walls? The Herwig Gasser coffee house in the former city palace of Emperor Franz Josef still knows how to majestically pamper its guests today. And for those who also want to indulge their artistic senses, there is a brunch every third Sunday of the month followed by a guided tour of the Arnulf Rainer Museum in the listed and architecturally very interesting former Frauenbad.
#4 Baden Museum Tour with Lunch at At the Park Hotel
On this tour of extraordinary houses, you can experience three important personalities at once - Emperor Franz Josef in the Kaiserhaus, composer and pianist Ludwig van Beethoven in the Beethovenhaus and the artist Arnulf Rainer, born in Baden in 1929, in the Arnulf Rainer Museum named after him. It's nice when, after a lot of history and exciting architecture, you also find a culinary highlight at the subsequent lunch in the At the Park Hotel!
#5 Thermal beach bath Baden
The largest sandy beach in Austria (over 3,700 m2!) and wonderfully refreshing thermal water - that's all you really need to know to pay a visit to the Baden thermal beach spa. The fact that, in addition to the Adriatic flair, there are two 50m swimming pools, two sulphur pools, a current channel, floor geysers, massage loungers on the palm island, a large water slide, a diving tower and an adventure playground really only leaves you wondering - why aren't we there already?!
#6 Vöslau thermal spa
The four huge pools filled with the clearest mineral and medicinal water are a perfect example of what you will find here. The flair of the turn of the century and its summer visitors escaping the heat of Vienna surrounds the thermal spa of Vöslau to this day. Also a perfect setting for the "Swimming Salon", a cultural summer event that brings not only many culture enthusiasts but also the who's who of the theatre scene to Vöslau.
#7 Gaaden dairy
In the shade of beautiful chestnut trees, you can browse through a large selection of current newspapers and magazines, while tasting traditional pastries (some still made by grandma!) and drinking a good cup of coffee. Or you can enjoy fruity shakes with soy milk and the unbelievably beautiful landscape that opens up here, before you get back on your bike, newly refreshed, and head out onto the Vienna Woods cycle route that is right in front of the house.
#8 Rauheneck Ruins
How imposing such a castle must have been 900 years ago, when its ruins alone, with the 25-metre high - triangular tower stands out so impressively from the hilly, gentle Helenental! If you take a short break at the foot of the Monastery Emperor ArtistTour to let this grandeur take effect on you, you may well feel a cool breeze on the back of your neck - but don't worry! This is merely the ghost of the last lord of the castle, Turso, who still haunts the ruins here.
#9 View from the Hussar Temple on Anninger
The Temple of the Hussars rises on the Kleiner Anninger, surrounded by the fragrant umbrella pines of the Föhrenberg Nature Park. It was built in 1813 by order of the Prince of Liechtenstein for the fallen of the Battle of Aspern and is still the resting place of five soldiers. The classicist building (which is illuminated at night) is not only visible from afar from the Vienna Basin, it also offers a wonderful view over the whole of Vienna and its surroundings.
#10 Tasting Rotgipfler or Zierfandler
Not only the people here are unique, independent and cheeky, but so are the wines in the Vienna Woods thermal region. With its white wine varieties Rotgipfler and Zierfandler, two grape varieties claim domicile here that are native to this region and can hardly be found anywhere else. Reason enough to cycle to the wine heart of the region around Gumpoldskirchen and taste these delicious rarities at one of the numerous wine taverns and farm-gate sellers.
