Our 10 must-sees around Retz

That cellar alleys are wonderful is undisputed. But the Weinviertel can do much more. We visited the most interesting wine cellars and winepress houses. Outline: After extensive history about viticulture and cellar alleys, (Verlinkung zu Listicle) you have now well deserved some relaxation and a break from your bike. So take a rest at a gourmet market, a windmill, crime scenes and many interesting things. Here are our 10 ideas that will add that certain something to your tour.

#1 Relax in the hammock

Fed up with wine vibe and co? Then let's get off our bikes and head for the winepress house of the A+A Mayer winery in Öhlbergkellergasse in Pillersdorf. No, not wine again, rather what is behind the winepress house. Namely a hammock. Nothing more, nothing less. Why not simply let yourself and your soul dangle and let the impressions of the cellar alleys, winepress houses and wine stories take effect on you? We recommend just that as a welcome change.

#2 Boards

Boards in the Weinviertel - that sounds interesting. When top Weinviertel chefs and winemakers treat guests to a 5-course menu including wine accompaniment at long, white-covered tables in the open air, it simply sounds like more. Here, nature becomes the stage and a field of vines serves as decoration. So what else is there to wait for? Dear culinary and gourmet lovers: up, up to the table in the Weinviertel. When? From 7 June to 19 August!

#3 Genussmarkt market in Retz

Ifyou love Blauer Portugieser and Grüner Veltliner and also like spreading honey on your bread, you should visit the Genussmarkt market in Retz in the district of Hollabrunn. At this market there is a seasonally curated "So schmeckt Retz" (This is what Retz tastes like) sack every Saturday in addition to Allerhand. To be found at the market stall with Jutta Poinstingl from the Wachtelwerkstatt. So, if culinary delights are at home, then it's probably in Retz at the Genussmarkt!

#4 View from the windmill

Feel like Nils Holgersson! Here in Retz, you can't fly with wild geese, but you can bake your own fresh bread in the old miller's house next door - in whole groups, with family or with friends. In addition, the old flour mill from 1853 offers an insight into its unique historical technology and expert background knowledge is provided in guided tours. The cellar also accommodates the mill shop and a vinotheque with organic wines from the Bergmann winery.

#5 Picnic in the vineyard

Surrounded by vineyards and a moat, we find the historic Schlosshotel Mailberg. Medieval and Baroque architectural and decorative elements invite exhausted cyclists to feel as if they are in a land before their time and even to enjoy a princely picnic in the vineyard. Also possible: taste regional wines from the castle wine cellar!

#6 Original filming locations of the TV crime thriller "Polt”

On the trail of the gendarmerie inspector Simon Polt! Visit the filming locations of the crime series and get to know one of Austria's most beautiful wine landscapes on the 58-km-long Polt Trail. Vineyard hills, cellar alleys and six villages merge into a visual symphony of crime. The Pulka Valley in the northern Weinviertel between Retz and Laa an der Thaya is the model for the literary "Wiesbach Valley". This is where Inspector Polt solves his cases. Charming views far beyond the national border included.

#7 Weinviertel Vineyard Snails

For the curious, the connoisseur and the daring, the snail farm with its snails bred in the vineyards of the Pulka Valley is certainly a place to go for gourmet delights. In harmony with nature, snails grow up slowly and healthily here under the open sky and with the best organic food. On 2,400 square metres, these creatures live 365 days a year on the farm in their natural environment and are fed a 100% organic-vegan diet. So that you know what you are eating!

#8 Cycling trip to Znojmo

Back on the bike and over to neighbouring Znojmo. Because there is so much to explore here that will amaze even the most experienced explorers. For example, there is Znojemské podzemí, a cellar world and Central Europe's longest underground labyrinth, which provides welcome cooling on hot summer days. At the foot of the Romanesque round church, you can take in a fascinating view of the Thayatal from the city walls.

#9 Cult Location at the Sacred Stone

Stonehenge was yesterday; the sacred stone from Retzbach is today! More precisely, it is a shell stone located near a chapel. And one of the most beautiful stones in Austria, they say. As we all know, beauty is always in the eye of the beholder, but age is not. 50,000 years old, the sacred stone is attributed to a death cult. The entire square is littered with geomantic lines - a true paradise for dowsers!

#10 A ride with the Reblaus Express

"The most beautiful connection between the Weinviertel and Waldviertel (forest region)", that's what it's called, the route of the Reblaus Express. And there is a reason why the nostalgia train is called this. The train leisurely commutes 40 kilometres between the sun-drenched vineyards of Retz and the quiet forests and ponds of the Waldviertel. For those who like taking a break from cycling, it is advisable to do one leg by train and one leg by bike. So, get out of the daily grind and into the phylloxera!