The tour meeting point is Vienna's 'Wien Mitte' railway station (09:00 between Apr-Oct & 09:30 from Nov-Mar). Once we've met and introduced ourselves, we'll board a train southwards (approx 30 minutes) to the heart of the Vienna Woods.

Summer We begin our hike in the lovely spa town of Baden, once a favourite country retreat of Beethoven. We meander through the classic village centre and its gorgeous parks before hiking along forest trails towards a magnificent elevated viewpoint which overlooks the Vienna basin & the Wienerwald in all directions. This spot alone is a photographer's dream! We then enter the vineyards, wandering through row upon row of lush green vines. As reward for our efforts, we'll take a break sat among the vines for an open-air wine tasting. Winter Our train brings us directly to the vineyards of the Thermal Region and to one of Austria’s oldest wine making institutions, steeped in middle-age tradition and history. We'll discover how the monastic orders became wine pioneers of their time, develop an understanding of what has shaped the Austrian wine landscape over time, and consider in what direction it may be moving forward...we'll discuss this during our first wine tasting of course!

Summer & Winter We then continue to the picturesque wine village of Gumpoldskirchen to have lunch at one of its traditional Austrian wine taverns. The main highlight of the day is an afternoon wine tasting, which takes place at one of the village's finest producers and is led by a local winemaker. This tasting allows for plenty of opportunities to ask questions regarding how wine is produced to give an intimate insight into the challenges facing vintners today. The tour ends with a short train ride back to the city center. You'll arrive to your hotel in plenty of time to freshen up before dinner, the opera, the theater, or the concert! Whichever it is, you'll sleep well that night!