Excursions & Recreation
Loosdorf, Melk/Danube Austria
The region of Nieder-Österreich is characterised by natural beauty of forest, creeks and rivers, hills and mountains. This offers tourist a variety of possibilities for long walks , bicycle trips, steamer excursions on the river Danube.
The Wachau/ Waldviertel is well know for its fruits (apricots, peaches, apples, plums) and internationally famous for its wines and wine-shops. The 35 km long Wachau is the most picturesque part of the Danube valley with century old villages, castles, abbeys and ruins.
Melk (mentioned in the medieval Nibelungensong ‘Medelike’) is the starting point for many of the trips in the nearby Danube valley, which is named as the 'Wachau'. The Wachau has several abbey's of which the Benedict monastery of Melk is the most known and on the UNESCO list of world heritages.
Boat trips between Melk, Krems and various other places offer a good view of the Wachau. Many tourists make day or even week tours on the specially made bicycle roads along the Danube.
Melk harbours a beautifully situated swimming pool whereas horses can be rented in the Loosdorfer stable.
Vienna at ca. 70 km of Loosdorf can be easily reached by train or highway. Well-know attractions are the exclusive shopping areas such as the Kärnterstrasse and Mariahilferstrasse and palaces such as the Hofburg, Belvedere, Schönbrunn and the Palais Harrach.
Throughout the year cultural events take place in Vienna and the region. Vienna has been a cultural centre for decades and has museums, theatres among which the Staatsoper, Volksoper, Theatre an der Wien and Burgtheater. Famous churches are the Stephansdom, Karlskirche,
The New-year concerts and the Spanische Hofreitschule are known all over the world. A visit to the attraction park Prater with its Riesenrad, cafés en terraces.
South of the Loosdorf the Alp-mountain range start and mountain walks with or without cable-line can be made in resorts such as Mariazell, Lilienfeld. It is also possible to explore this region by narrow-gage railway line which sometimes operates with nostalgic steam-engines
Near Loosdorf you find on the forested hill the legendary renaissance-castle Schallaburg with its unique 'arcadenhof'. It is home to major cultural exhibitions during the year.