Did you know that the earliest signs of spring can be found in the very (north)East of Austria, in the Pannonia plains of northern Burgenland, near Lake Neusiedl? That as you travel here and stay in one of its cozy accommodation units (either B&B or hotels), you will receive the so-called Neusiedler See Card offering you many attractive freebies or discounts on excursions, transport tickets, admission fees, etc. (check out www.neusiedlersee.com for an overview of all discounts or freebies applying to your individual travel time!).
We’ve recently travelled there together with my friends and had a look around starting with the rather famous national park Neusiedlersee-Seewinkel.
![Ein typisches Bild vom Neusiedlersee: Unterwegs mit unseren schicken E-Bikes zur Vogel- und Naturbeobachtung an den Neusiedlersee ...](https://www.creativelena.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/IMG_5667.jpg)
A typical image of us exploring the national park around Lake Neusiedl : Out on E-Bikes for some birdwatching and nature touring …
![... zur Belohnung gibt's auf halber Strecke erst mal die berühmten ungarischen Steppenrinder ...](https://www.creativelena.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/IMG_5696.jpg)
… where first of all, you get to see the mighty cows & buffalos that have been bred specifically to roam the swampy plains here …
![... bzw. die nicht minder berühmten, weißen Esel des Nationalpark Neusiedlersee-Seewinkel zu bewundern: Wie auch den Rindern ist ihnen gemein, dass sie im zum Nutzen der Nationalparkbehörde liebend gerne fressen und so die umliegenden Natur- und Kulturlandschaften helfen zu erhalten ...](https://www.creativelena.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/P4061401.jpg)
… as well as the rather famous white donkeys, which again have been bred in order to help with grazing, and maintain the typical steppe area north and east of the national park …
![... die flotten Haubentaucher im Schilfgürtel des Neusiedlersee Feder für Feder durchs Fernrohr unter die Lupe zu nehmen ...](https://www.creativelena.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/P4061394.jpg)
… what with Lake Neusiedl being an international paradise for birdlovers, and birdwatchers of all kind, as with this great crested grebe here (an ornithologists’ delight!) …
![... und zu guter Letzt noch dieser Genusstipp hier: Beim ... könnt Ihr Euch eine pannonische Jause servieren lassen! Unvergleichlich fein, in der Sonne und mit Blick auf die in der Ferne weilenden Graugänse!](https://www.creativelena.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/P4061360.jpg)
… and don’t forget to order yourself a beautiful, Pannonian picnic such as this one from Landgasthaus Karlo in Illmitz, which you may enjoy right next to the national park including a view of its many grey goose that have just come here to breed. Lovely!
But the area around Lake Neusiedl offers so much more.
(Wine) Shopping vouchers, for instance, as part of the annual wine spring celebrations, again linked to the Neusiedler See Card. Taste & buy sipping wine around the local wine towns of Illmitz and Purbach, the latter one especially famous for its picturesque cellar lane and typical, historical town centre.
![Los geht's beim Weinfrühling in Illmitz, dem frühesten in ganz Österreich ...](https://www.creativelena.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/P4061447.jpg)
Check it out: Weinfrühling (Wine Spring Festival) in Illmitz, definitely the earliest in all of Austria …
![... in so manch einer findet sich neben Weinverkostungsmöglichkeiten auch ... aus der Region ...](https://www.creativelena.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/P4061460.jpg)
… where next to tasting options, you can also find local handicraft and other souvenir items for sale …
![... und vielleicht trefft Ihr ja auch auf ..., der Euch erzählt, was es mit "Rent-A-Weinstock" auf sich hat: Eine](https://www.creativelena.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/P4071549.jpg)
You might even meet this gentleman here, telling you more about the concept of “Rent-A-Weinstock” (rent a vine) in Purbach: Six times a year, you can join the winegrower in its daily wine growing (and grooming) business, until you end up with 100 bottles of your very own vintage at the end of the year!
![... und im Haus am Kellerplatz in Purbach ist die Neusiedlerseecard einmal mehr "Tür- und Toröffner" ...](https://www.creativelena.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/P4071488.jpg)
… use the Neusiedler See Card at the Haus am Kellerplatz in Purbach, the local area information (and wine) centre …
![... wenn es darum geht, verschiedenste Weine dank eines hochmodernen Dosier- und Kühlsysteme zu verkosten.](https://www.creativelena.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/P4071588.jpg)
… try local wines thanks to this innovative cooling (and dispensing) system that never let you waste another drop in your life!
Then, how about knowing more about the famous Burgenland storks, complete with their arrival back from Africa at the onset of spring ..?
They are sooo incredibly cute, let me tell you, all those ubiquitous stork couples breeding on virtually any nest high up at the chimney tops of houses, churches, or any kind of building they find. Each and every year, people await their return from Africa – one of them is Maria Pilles, our host at the “Gästehaus Zur Langen Lacke” in Apetlon. On the very day of our arrival, the second stork has landed, completing the couple and allowing for some “stork love-making” right in front of our eyes … 😉
![Gemütlich. Burgenländisch. Direkt vor dem Gästehaus von Familie Pilles, die uns mit Wein und köstlichem Frühstücksbuffet empfängt ...](https://www.creativelena.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/P4061337.jpg)
A typical Burgenland guest house, and our host Maria (centre) awaiting us with a glass of wine, and boy what lovely breakfast buffet each morning …
![... von wo aus wahrlich gute Aussichten herrschen, nicht wahr Angelika ...](https://www.creativelena.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/P4071559.jpg)
… a lovely time of the year to be out and about, right, dear Angelika? Here, we watch this farmer planting new small vines …
![... zum Beispiel über Purbach sowie den gesamten nordwestlichen Neusiedlersee ...](https://www.creativelena.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/P4071509.jpg)
… don’t miss climbing up the small hill at the foot of the “Leithagebirge”, overlooking the whole of Lake Neusiedl …
![... zur Stärkung empfehlen sich einerseits das "Gasthaus zum Fröhlichen Arbeiter" in Apetlon ...](https://www.creativelena.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/P4061480.jpg)
… and for delicious local foodie options, head over to “Gasthaus zum Fröhlichen Arbeiter” in Apetlon …
![... das Alte Brauhaus in Frauenkirchen mit saisonalen Spezialitäten wie der wunderbar cremigen Bärlauchsuppe ...](https://www.creativelena.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/IMG_5707.jpg)
… the “Alte Brauhaus” in Frauenkirchen, featuring many seasonal delights such as this wild garlic soup …
![... oder aber auch Somlauer Nockerl, eine burgenländische Spezialität genossen im](https://www.creativelena.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/P4071539.jpg)
… there are Somlauer Nockerl, too, a typical Burgenland dessert involving lots of cream and fluffy cake, at the Pauli-Stub’n restaurant in Purbach.
![Mein Tipp zuletzt: Die Neusiedlerseecard](https://www.creativelena.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/IMG_5702.jpg)
Last but not least: Thanks to the Neusiedler See Card, you can also head over to the St. Martin’s Therme spa and receive a 20% discount on the admission fee, even a free three-hour-stay during wintertime, the perfect extension to your adventurous exploration …
Check out even more of my travel photography from Burgenland, and Lake Neusiedl here:
My travel writer friends have also written and shared about their trip here:
- Angelika Mandler | Wiederunterwegs.com: “Neusiedler See: Natur & Kultur an 365 Tagen im Jahr“
- Wolfgang & Jessica Möller | Reiseblitz.com: “Der Neusiedler See: Ein Urlaubsziel fürs ganze Jahr“
- Gudrun Krinzinger | Reisebloggerin.at: “Die Neusiedler See Card – Start in den Frühling mit Natur und Wein“
- Florian Figl | TravelPins.at: “Aktiv- und Genussreisen am Neusiedler See: Pannonische Vielfalt rund um Wein, Kulinarik und Natur“
Disclaimer: Paid cooperation. We have been invited by Neusiedler See Tourismus to explore the area around Lake Neusiedl. All opinions are my own.