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Itinerary: Not a Mountain in sight
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A trip through Austria without spotting a snow-capped peak? Are you crazy, you ask? Certainly not; this suggested itinerary reveals that Austria is not only home to the Alps, but a rich array of castles, spas and vineyards too.
Start your journey in the middle of Burgenland at Lockenhaus, a small town once home to the Blood Countess Elizabeth Báthory, and featuring a bold castle. Before moving on, take time out to sample the fine Blaufränkisch wine so famous in this region. Your road then takes you west past another hilltop castle, Bernstein, before heading south to the warm, soothing spa waters of Bad Tatzmannsdorf. If you’d prefer to bath amongst Hundretwasser’s unique architectural vision, skip Tazmannsdorf for Rogner-Bad Blumau in Styria. Crossing back into Burgenland once more, turn south and before long the arresting sight of Güssing Castle comes into view.
From Güssing, there is only one place to head for: Riegersburg in Styria. Its castle, perched precariously on a rocky outcrop, is possibly the most impressive of its kind in Austria. Schloss Kapfenstein, Riegersburg’s more refined cousin directly to the south, has excellent dining and accommodation. The countryside here, and to the west, is Austria’s equivalent of Chianti in Tuscany; a wine-lovers paradise, criss-crossed by Styrian wine routes. Not far west of Kapfenstein is the small, rural spa Bad Gleichenberg, while only 25km further south directly on the border with Slovenia is the walled spa town Bad Radkersberg. From here, the road veers west through the heart of the Styrian wine country, taking in pretty Ehrenhausen and Celtic-rich Grossklein before winding up at the gates of Deutschlandsberg’s Castle, surrounded by vineyard-covered hills.
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