We are going to visit Vienna in September, coming from Venice and going on to Budapest. We are looking to take a 2-3 day trip somewhere in Austria or Hungary and are looking for suggestions. We were looking at Schloss Kapfenstein, a castle and wine estate in the Styria area, but are having trouble figuring out how to get there...has anyone gone there? if so is it best to drive or take a train, and if train, where to? Thanks for any help/suggestions you might offer.
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I would take the 4 hour train ride to Prague. Prague is AMAZING.
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Kapfenstein is a nice place for a quiet few days. But, it is relatively isolated and having an auto makes your journey much easier and allowslocal sightseeing.
They often have special weekend programs to attract visitors like a Jazz wwekend , wine tasting or gourmet specials.
A very nice view over the country side - excelent food and of course wine.
I have stayed there several times, ( driving to /from Vienna.
The rooms are very nice .Especially enjoyed the room by the main gate - a former guardhouse I thiink, that is complete isolated from the hotel itself with its own private entrance.
If you do not already have it
website
www.winkler-hermaden.at
The wachau area of the danube is also a great place for a few days
Just a little more than 1 hour from Vienna - you can access by public transport - train-
Many beautiful wine villages- the historic Dürnstein
Melk Abbey and much more
a good way to see the area - a boat trip on the danube
www.ddsg-blue-danube.at
info on the area
www.wchau.at
all types of accomodations from small family pensions , often they are wine growers( September may be grape harvest time depending on the weather ) to stays in a renovated castle.
Another option is some time in the area between Vienna and Bratislava -
Interseting places such as Carnuntum- roman fortress
Schlosshof - grand country palace
www.schlosshof.at
much more
If these interest you - just advise - I can provide more information for you.
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sorry
www.wachau.at
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Thank you so much...I will look into all of these things and be back with more questions!
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Having read your replies we are thinking that Schloss Kapfenstein may be too quiet for our vacation and are thinking of going to Prague. Although the wine country sounds wonderful too...which would you pick. We live in wine country in Sonoma County, CA because we love it, so would enjoy that, but the city of Prague sounds very interesting also. We are 60 years old, but very active walkers, and will be watching our money...thanks for any help.
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I had the pleasure of visiting the Napa and Sonoma Valleys last year and can assure you that the wine growing areas of the Wachau are completely different in feel and landscape to Sonoma.
Prague is a great city, but it would demand more time than the Wachau to do it justice.
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I recommend a visit to Wine Country- especially as you obviously like this style.
The Wachau- Danube offers a much different and varied experience than that found in California wine country.
In addition, you have the Danube, famous Abbeys and castles to explore and of course some wine.
Many say this area produces some of the best white wine in the world.
many small wineries but very capable vintners often from families in this profession for hundreds of years. You ma yknow the names Jamek, Prager, Pichler and more.
Nice boat cruises on the Danube add to the enjoyment.
Many museums too.
The villages of Dürnstein, Loiben, Weissenkirchen, St. Michael, Spitz offer history , beautiful and well maintained buildings, excelent dining and wine tasting opportunities.
Nice opportunities to walk through the vineyards, paths on both sides of the Danube.
As mentioned above this is just more than 1 hour from Vienna.
September - they pick grapes too-
have a look at the websites-
www.duerstein.at
www.weissenkirchen.at
accomodations in all price categories - from castles
like Schloss Dürnstein to a room in a vintners home.
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Again, thank you for the information. We are going to check it out. Where would you say the best central spot to explore this area is? And would you recommend renting a car to see the area, or are there trains which would be adequate? We were just leaning towards Prague when we got these messages about the wine country...will appreciate any further direction you can offer.
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Just one other quick question...the website for Weisenkirken (sp?) looks gorgeous, but is in Austrian, and the other won%26#39;t open for me...are there any sites in english for that area?
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have a look at the following
www.wachau.at
www.duernstein.at
www.krems.at
www.stiftmelk.at
www.stiftgoettweig.at
www.domaene-wachau.at
www.ddsg-blue-danube.at
www.langenlois.at
all with english
www.weissenkirchen.at
the weissenkirchen site has an english version - check at the top of the site -clck on the flag ( forget english or american )
Melk Abbey and Stift Gottweig offer great history, well restored Churches , remarkable rooms, paintings etc.and restaurants.
Excelent views over the Danube and surrounding country side.
Many miss a visit to Stift Dürnstein - a very nice and histoic place - a favorite of many here for marriages.
Each village mentioned is unique to itself - much history , wine taverns and restaurants.
An auto is a plus but not mandatory as a regional train runs through the area , good tourist boat connections ( like DDSG ) and great bike paths .
The entire area is compact- the distance from Krems to Melk about 35 Kilometers - 21 + miles.
distance -Dürnstein- Loiben 1 kilometer
Dürnstein- Krems about 6 kilometers.
Durnstein - Weissenkirchen - perhaps 6 kilometers-
so much to do in this area easily reached.
Many wine taverns to offer excelent wine and food
an example
Heurigenkeller Graf
www.graf-loiben.at
I spend many happy days in the summer in this area- it is not just the wine that attracts but the overall atmosphere , fantastic views and a slightly slower pace of life that seems to bring the best of people to the surface.
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