Laxenburg Castle Park: Peaceful Day Trip from Vienna

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If you’re looking for an easy day trip from Vienna to enjoy nature and a bit of imperial history, Laxenburg Castle is an amazing choice.

I visited with my parents and was surprised by how huge and natural the park feels. There’s even a little tourist train because the grounds are so big!

Unlike the manicured palace gardens in Vienna, Laxenburg Castle Park is full of trees, wide lawns, and white benches, perfect for a walk and a quiet break.

In this guide, I’ll show you how to get there, what to see, and my tips for planning your visit.

Table of Contents

How to Get to Laxenburg Castle from Vienna

By Bus (Best Option)

The easiest and fastest way to get to Laxenburg Castle is by taking bus number 200 or 210 from Wien Hauptbahnhof.

Make sure you get off at Laxenburg Franz-Joseph-Platz, this stop is just a 5-minute walk from the main park entrance. (There are several stops in Laxenburg, so don’t miss this one!) The bus continues on to Eisenstadt as its final stop.

The bus runs every 15 to 30 minutes, depending on the time of day, and takes just over half an hour. You can simply buy your ticket from the bus driver.

By Train

It’s also possible to take a train from Wien Hauptbahnhof to Laxenburg-Biedermannsdorf Bahnhof. The train is slightly faster than the bus, but the station is further away from the park, so taking the bus is generally quicker overall.

By Car

Driving is very easy and takes about half an hour without traffic. Simply navigate to: 2361 Laxenburg, Schlossplatz 1

There are 3 car parks with 1,000 free parking spaces, so you’ll easily find a spot. P1 is right in front of the main entrance. P2 and P3 are a little further away, but you can enter the park through a side entrance with an automatic ticket machine.

By Tour

I couldn’t find any tours specifically to Laxenburg Castle, but you don’t really need one anyway!

The only reason why you might want to opt for a tour is if you want to make a whole castle-hopping day trip from Vienna, then you can visit the following spots in one day:

Laxenburg Park
Kreuzenstein Castle
Seegrotte
Marchfelderhof
Old Liechtenstein Castle

🏰 Book your castle hopping day trip now!

Aerial view from the castle tower, showing Franzensburg Castle's spires and courtyards nestled beside the park lake, with a distant mountain backdrop. — View from the tower of Franzensburg

Tickets and Practical Tips

There’s a small entrance fee for Laxenburg Castle Park, when I visited, it was 4€ per person. You can buy your ticket at the entrance.

Green and cream tourist train in Schloss Laxenburg Park driving along a shaded path, with a sign indicating daily operation from 10:00 to 18:00. — The train comes add an additional fee

Good to know:

Swimming is prohibited in the lake
If you want to rent a boat on the lake, make sure to bring cash, the boat rental is cash only
The park is huge, so wear comfortable shoes for walking
There are white benches all around the park, perfect for relaxing breaks
If you prefer a more relaxed visit, you can also take the tourist train for an additional charge that runs through the park

Franzensburg Castle reflected in the water of Schloss Laxenburg’s lake, with pointed towers and medieval-style walls under a bright blue sky. — View of the ferry and Franzensburg

Best Time to Visit

The warmer months are definitely the best time to visit. The park is full of greenery and it’s a perfect place to escape the city heat.

In winter, the park hosts a very cool light show event, the Illumina, it looks great if you enjoy winter walks, but otherwise I’d recommend visiting in spring, summer or early autumn to really enjoy the gardens and park.

Ornate black-and-white Dianatempel pavilion in Schloss Laxenburg Park, surrounded by lush green trees and a grassy lawn. — One of my favourite spots in the garden

Exploring Laxenburg Castle Park

Laxenburg Castle Park really surprised me with how huge and natural it feels. It’s more like a beautiful old landscape park than a formal palace garden.

You’ll find lots of trees, wide lawns, and those iconic white benches everywhere, perfect for a walk and a rest. Even though there were other visitors when we went, the park felt really peaceful because it’s so big and you can easily find a quiet corner.

There are also several lovely attractions to discover as you wander, my favourites are:

The Grünes Lusthaus (Dianatempel): a beautiful green pavilion and a great photo spot
The Gotische Brücke: a romantic old Gothic-style bridge
The Grotte: an artificial rocky cave and ruin feature, built to give the park a touch of mystery and charm (it was under construction when I visited)

Stone arched bridge over a green-tinged canal in Schloss Laxenburg Park, with a visitor leaning on the railing and tall trees in the background.

The Lake

One of the highlights of Laxenburg Castle Park is the large man-made lake, according to our guide, it was dug out completely by hand!

You can walk around the lake, or if you want to get out on the water, you can rent a boat. Just remember to bring cash, the boat rental only accepts cash.

Swimming is not allowed in the lake, but it’s still a lovely place to relax and take in the views, especially with Franzensburg sitting on its island in the middle.

Boats docked at the rental station in Schloss Laxenburg Park, with a red sign reading "Bootsvermietung Laxenburg Willkommen Welcome" and decorative flags. — It’s such a peaceful lake

Calm lake in Schloss Laxenburg Park, framed by leafy tree branches, with paddleboats docked in the distance. — It’s such a peaceful lake

Franzensburg: The Show Castle on the Lake

One of the true highlights of Laxenburg Castle Park is Franzensburg, the small but very striking castle on an island in the middle of the lake.

Nobody ever lived in Franzensburg. It was built as a “show castle” by Kaiser Franz II/I, who was fascinated by the medieval era and wanted to create his ideal version of a knights’ castle.

How to Get There

There are two ways to reach the island:

From the front side, you’ll find a quirky ferry system: you ring a bell, and someone comes across the lake on a small platform ferry to pick you up. It’s free, and just adds to the charm of the visit!
From the back side, you can simply walk across a small bridge.

Panoramic view over tiled rooftops toward the tall, round tower of Franzensburg Castle at Schloss Laxenburg, under a partly cloudy sky. — The most amazing view in the castle

Franzensburg Guided Tour

There are two tours available inside Franzensburg:

The Museum tour
The Towers tour, which is the one we chose, and I can really recommend it!

Tickets for both tours can be bought in the Franzensburg souvenir shop. They only have a few tour per day, so make sure to check the schedule in advance.

On the Towers tour, you get to walk on the rooftop walkway of the castle, the views over the park and the lake are absolutely fantastic.

The tour is only offered in German, but even if you don’t speak the language, it’s still well worth it just for the experience and the view, this part of the castle is not accessible without joining a tour.

Altes Schloss

Also located within Laxenburg Castle Park is the Altes Schloss (Old Castle).

To be honest, the building itself isn’t the most impressive from the outside, especially compared to Franzensburg. But what makes it interesting is that you can actually rent apartments inside the Altes Schloss.

I haven’t stayed overnight myself (we visited as a day trip), but I had a look at the photos and the interior apartments look really beautiful. If you’re looking for a unique place to stay near Vienna, this could be a very special option.

Smiling visitor leaning on a railing with a view of the medieval-style tower of Franzensburg Castle at Schloss Laxenburg. — We had a private tower tour because nobody else came

Is Laxenburg Castle Worth Visiting?

If you want a peaceful day trip from Vienna with a mix of nature and imperial history, I can definitely recommend Laxenburg Castle.

It’s an easy escape from the city where you can enjoy a long walk through the beautiful park, explore a romantic castle on the lake, and discover some fun little attractions along the way.

And best of all, it’s simple to reach by public transport, so you don’t need a car or a guided tour to visit.

If you enjoyed this guide, you might also like my post about the most beautiful castles near Vienna you can visit on a day trip by public transport, perfect if you’re planning more off-the-beaten-path adventures around Vienna!