Baden bei Wien and Wien - Canabae West und Gräberfeld

Scenic road chapters

Waypoint introductions and full write-ups

1. 1. Baden bei Wien

   The Romans already knew about the hot sulphur springs at Baden, just south of Vienna, but it was in the early nineteenth century that the town became the summer playground of the Habsburg court. Emperor Franz I spent his summers here, and the aristocracy and the wealthy bourgeoisie followed, building elegant villas, parks and bathhouses in the Biedermeier style. Beethoven came to take the waters too, staying many times and working on his Ninth Symphony in a house that is now a museum. In 2021, Baden was listed by UNESCO as one of the Great Spa Towns of Europe, alongside Bath, Baden-Baden, Karlovy Vary and others.

   Read the complete Baden bei Wien write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   Baden bei Wien is where the day begins. Next is Palace and Gardens of Schönbrunn.

2. 2. Palace and Gardens of Schönbrunn

   Schönbrunn was the summer residence of the Habsburgs, the dynasty that ruled a large part of Europe for centuries. The palace, on the western edge of Vienna, was rebuilt in the Baroque style in the eighteenth century under Empress Maria Theresa, and it has more than a thousand rooms. It began as a hunting lodge on land where, legend says, Emperor Matthias found a beautiful spring, the schöner Brunnen that gave the place its name. The gardens are vast and formal, with avenues of trees, fountains, statues, a maze, and the Gloriette, a colonnaded structure on the hill above the palace with views over Vienna. The palace and gardens were inscribed on the UNESCO list in 1996.

   Read the complete Palace and Gardens of Schönbrunn write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   Palace and Gardens of Schönbrunn comes up about 32 km into the recorded legs. Next is Zeiselmauer - Kastell Hufeisenturm.

3. 3. Zeiselmauer - Kastell Hufeisenturm

   Zeiselmauer is a village that grew up inside a Roman fort, and it never quite moved out. The late Roman fort of Cannabiaca guarded this stretch of the Danube near Tulln, part of the frontier of the province of Noricum, and its walls, gate and towers were absorbed into the village over the centuries. One of the best-preserved features is a horseshoe-shaped tower, typical of late Roman fortifications, and a later fortlet within the fort, with walls standing several metres high, is one of the most impressive Roman buildings in Austria. Zeiselmauer is part of the Danube Limes, listed by UNESCO in 2021.

   Read the complete Zeiselmauer - Kastell Hufeisenturm write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   about 60 km into the recorded legs you reach Zeiselmauer - Kastell Hufeisenturm. Next is Wien - Canabae West und Gräberfeld.

4. 4. Wien - Canabae West und Gräberfeld

   Vienna began as a Roman legionary camp, Vindobona, on a terrace above the Danube, and its streets still follow some of the old lines. The camp itself was in what is now the inner city, around Hoher Markt, and the canabae, the civilian settlement that grew up beside it, spread out to the west and south with workshops, taverns, houses and cemeteries. The Gräberfeld, the field of graves, lay beyond, as Roman custom demanded. The remains here are mostly underground and under pavements, which suits a city that has built on every layer of its past.

   Read the complete Wien - Canabae West und Gräberfeld write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   Wien - Canabae West und Gräberfeld, about halfway. Next is back through Zeiselmauer - Kastell Hufeisenturm.

5. 5. back through Zeiselmauer - Kastell Hufeisenturm

   Return visit. Read the place description above.

   Read the complete Zeiselmauer - Kastell Hufeisenturm write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   back through Zeiselmauer - Kastell Hufeisenturm sits at 104 km, about halfway. Next is back through Palace and Gardens of Schönbrunn.

6. 6. back through Palace and Gardens of Schönbrunn

   Return visit. Read the place description above.

   Read the complete Palace and Gardens of Schönbrunn write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   back through Palace and Gardens of Schönbrunn comes up about 141 km into the recorded legs. Next is Baden bei Wien.

7. 7. Baden bei Wien

   Return visit. Read the place description above.

   Read the complete Baden bei Wien write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   Baden bei Wien closes the day.