The most beautiful viewpoints on the Viennese Alpine Arc
Once you have experienced the play of light in the mountains, you will look for it again and again. We show you magical sun and viewing spots around the Vienna Alpine Arc.
It often only takes a few minutes for the sunlight to show its greatest spectacle and for the sky to light up in all its colours. On the Vienna Alpine Arc, there are countless viewpoints from where you can marvel at the first and last light of the day.
The two adventurers Franziska and Felix Consolati visited numerous viewpoints on their long-distance hike across the Viennese Alps and give you valuable tips on how to find the best motif. Some places can be reached comfortably by mountain railway (Schneeberg railway or Rax cable car), others need some strength in the legs and an urge for discovery. But they all have one thing in common - they show the play of light of the mountains from their most beautiful side.
#1 Viewpoint "20 Schilling Blick"
“It's best to set off just before sunset”, says Franziska, “when you've already left stage 9 of the Vienna Alpine Arc behind you and have reached the Semmering". The Semmering then shows its most beautiful side - sparse pine forests, lush green mossy soil and narrow trails. At the end of the trail, the forest gives way to a view of the 46-metre-high "Kalte Rinne" Viaduct, the rock towers of the Pollereswand, the green hills in the background and the narrow valley in the foreground. A unique view, captured countless times, printed on the penultimate 20-shilling banknote in the previous millennium. The "20 Schilling Blick" viewpoint is a must-see!
#2 Fischerhütte Viewpoint
Just a stone's throw from the summit of Schneeberg, the venerable Fischerhütte towers at 2,049 m above sea level. It is not only the highest mountain hut in Lower Austria, but according to Felix Consolati, it is also "the perfect place to marvel at a spectacle of light of a very special kind". Because on a clear day, you can even catch a glimpse of the capital Vienna, while the surrounding mountains are bathed in a kitschy pinkish-red. In any case, you pass the Fischerhütte as part of stage 14 Of the Vienna Alpine Arc. Alternatively, you can reach it with the Schneeberg railway. In addition to guided full moon and sunrise hikes (including dinner, overnight stay and breakfast at the Fischerhütte), there are also special rides at dawn, followed by a mountain breakfast at the Baumgarten Station.
#3 Semmering-Hirschenkogel Millenium Observatory
From the Hirschenkogel mountain station, it's just a few metres and 155 steps before you're standing on the 25-metre-high viewing platform of the Millenium Observatory, overlooking the entire country. "The Rax-Schneeberg massif rises opposite, the Vienna Basin to the east, Lake Neusiedl behind it and Hungary in the distance - a magnificent place to marvel at the sunrise!", say Franziska and Felix enthusiastically. If you don't want to set off on your own, it's best to join a guided tour to the Millennium Lookout, followed by breakfast in the Liechtensteinhaus panorama restaurant.
#4 On the Rax Plateau
The green Rax Plateau is not only the 11th stage destination on the Vienna Alpine Arc, but it is also an absolute hotspot when it comes to the play of light. "No matter if it's sunrise or sunset - the enormous panoramic view almost brings tears to your eyes!", says Felix and Franziska, who count their hours at the Habsburghaus as among the most beautiful memories of the entire Alpine Arc. Other magnificent views open up from the Karl-Ludwig-Haus below the Heukuppe or from the Raxalm mountain inn next to the mountain station of the Rax cable car. If you want to enjoy all the far-reaching views, it is best to stay overnight and hop from one hut to the next during the day.
#5 Ottohaus Lookout
"The wooden lookout at the Ottohaus isn’t particulary big, but the view from there down into the valley is incomparably huge", Felix and Franziska explained. Felix and Franziska told us that they visited the Ottohaus as part of the 12th stage of the Vienna Alpine Arc. At 1,664 metres, this mountain station is also easier to reach - it is just a few steps from the mountain station of the Rax cable car. If you are looking to take in even more views, take a leisurely hike to the Neue Seehütte on the Preiner Wand and soak up the light show to the fullest.
