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.
A typical image of us exploring the national park around Lake Neusiedl : Out on E-Bikes for some birdwatching and nature touring …
… where first of all, you get to see the mighty cows & buffalos that have been bred specifically to roam the swampy plains here …
… also, right now in the spring, newly-born lambs …
… 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 …
… as a visitor, you can easily spot them climbing this former Austro-Hungarian border watch tower …
… or rent binoculars for birdwatching from the national park authority …
… 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!) …
… thank you so much, dear Alois Lang, for taking us out and being our main interpreter that day …
… 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.
Check it out: Weinfrühling (Wine Spring Festival) in Illmitz, definitely the earliest in all of Austria …
… we gather for a peek around (and inside) the area’s many wine cellars …
… where next to tasting options, you can also find local handicraft and other souvenir items for sale …
… even a photo exhibition in connection with wine, which I particularly enjoyed …
… it’s comfortable here, that’s for sure …
… and wouldn’t you just love to take a seat here, by the beautiful cellar lane of Purbach?
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!
… use the Neusiedler See Card at the Haus am Kellerplatz in Purbach, the local area information (and wine) centre …
… try local wines thanks to this innovative cooling (and dispensing) system that never let you waste another drop in your life!
Thank you, PURbach am Neusiedler See, for this lovely wine spring visit!
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 … 😉
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 …
… love “her” stork couple, which breeds right in front of our guest room windows!
Spring, too, is all about wild garlic and the first blossoming of trees and flowers …
… a lovely time of the year to be out and about, right, dear Angelika? Here, we watch this farmer planting new small vines …
… don’t miss climbing up the small hill at the foot of the “Leithagebirge”, overlooking the whole of Lake Neusiedl …
… and for delicious local foodie options, head over to “Gasthaus zum Fröhlichen Arbeiter” in Apetlon …
… the “Alte Brauhaus” in Frauenkirchen, featuring many seasonal delights such as this wild garlic soup …
… or the all-time classic, fried chicken with salad …
… there are Somlauer Nockerl, too, a typical Burgenland dessert involving lots of cream and fluffy cake, at the Pauli-Stub’n restaurant in Purbach.
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.
