From Vienna: Winter excursion destinations with the ecolabel

Experience the winter outdoors

With or without snow - there are plenty of opportunities to spend some quality time outdoors not far from the Austrian capital despite the cold temperatures. For example on the Tulbingerkogel in the Vienna Woods, where you can pay a visit to the Leopold-Figl-Warte after visiting the eco-labelled restaurant of the same name (see below) or continue hiking on the wide forest paths.

Farm holidays such as the certified organic St. Annahof farm in Rapottenstein also offer a wide range of winter activities such as alpaca hikes, walks through the idyllic village and of course horses and other animals to get to know, and not just for interested children.

The Sonnentor-partner farm in Lichtenau near the Kamptal reservoirs, where hikes with the charismatic donkeys are offered, has not yet been awarded the eco-label, but is also highly recommended. There are also similar offers in the Buchenberg Nature Park near Waidhofen a.d. Ybbs in the Mostviertel region.

Eat well

The cold season lends itself to good food - but not too sumptuous, that should be the motto. Of course, there are many options for this during an excursion. For nature and health, you should look out for eco-labelled establishments - such as the Höldrichsmühle in der Hinterbrühl, not far from the Sparbach Nature Park, which unfortunately only reopens in spring. Franz Schubert is said to have enjoyed spending time here. At least there is an old lime tree, which is said to have been the model for the lime tree in the world-famous song "Am Brunnen vor dem Tore".

Also highly recommended is the Tulbingerkogel restaurant, which has been awarded the eco-label since 2009 and was recently honoured again. It is about a ten-minute walk from the Leopold-Figl-Warte with its beautiful view over the Vienna Woods on a clear day. The team from the Tulbingerkogel restaurant is happy to pick up guests from Mauerbach by e-car on request, as the 49A bus, which is otherwise recommended, does not run often at weekends.

Visit museums

If the weather doesn't want to play along at all, a visit to a museum is a good idea. The Ecolabel-certified Museum of Lower Austria in St. Pölten is not only worth a visit in bad weather. It combines the "House of History" and the "House of Nature". The special exhibitions "Aufsässiges Land" (only until 21 January 2024), "Heraus mit der Sprache - Wie Pflanzen und Tiere kommunizieren" (until 11 February 2024) and "Zimmer frei - Urlaub am Land" (until 2 February 2024) can only be seen for a short time. There will be new special exhibitions from the beginning of March and, of course, the permanent exhibitions on the history and landscape of Austria's largest federal state will always be on display. Around 40 live, native animal species can also be found in the House of Nature, in aquariums, terrariums and a formicarium (ant house). The house is open until 6 pm at weekends and until 5 pm on Fridays.

Theo Kust: Museum of Lower Austria

The Krems Art Mile with its State Gallery, Caricature Museum and Art Gallery is also well worth a visit. The cultural institutions not only set exciting cultural but also ecological accents and are working hard to implement the eco-label.