If you are after a holiday bathed in sunshine, the Neusiedler See is the right address. Austria's largest lake welcomes you with a pleasant climate and up to 300 sunny days a year. Beautiful beaches, unique nature and a dense network of cycle paths make an ideal base for your holiday in one of Austria's most popular destinations.
Families with children appreciate the maintained beaches and the gentle entry into the water, active sportspeople the wide choice of water activities at the lake and in the water parks. The surroundings invite quiet walks, on which you can admire the unique natural character of the lake and watch the water birds nesting in the abundant reeds.
Cyclists also get their money's worth at the Neusiedler See. The area around the lake is criss-crossed with excellent cycle paths, where you can push yourself hard or take a quiet ride and enjoy the view. You will not be idle in winter either: the ice of the frozen lake is the largest skating rink far and wide.
Do not forget the local restaurants, which serve delicately prepared fish dishes.
You can wash them down with good wine from the local Burgenland vineyards. Anyone who is a keener fan of the drink should call on the winemakers directly.
Accommodation in this region ranges from well-equipped campsites right by the lake to apartments, Pensionen and hotels in the picturesque towns nearby.
The Neusiedler See in winter: ice, geese and thermal baths
There is no skiing at the Neusiedler See – the winter programme rests on ice, nature, culture and wellness.
A layer of ice on the lake needs several days of hard frost; skating on the lake is always at your own risk. Artificial ice is the sure thing: PODO on Ice in Podersdorf am See has 600 m² of ice with a view of the lake, and the partly covered artificial rink in Eisenstadt has 2,600 m² on two rinks.
The winter highlight is ornithological: up to 35,000 geese winter in the Neusiedler See-Seewinkel national park and rangers lead observation trips. Winter walks in the Leithagebirge and the Seewinkel, the St. Martins Therme & Lodge thermal baths and the Advent markets in Eisenstadt, Rust, Siegendorf, Weiden am See, Oggau and Podersdorf belong to it as well.
The Neusiedler See in summer: 1,000 km of cycle paths and eight beaches
The lake covers 320 km², of which 180 km² is reed belt – the second largest continuous stand of reeds in Europe after the Danube delta. The average depth is 1 m, the maximum 2 m, and the surface lies at 115 m above sea level. The water is slightly salty, about twenty times less than sea water.
The region has 1,000 km of cycle paths on 12 themed routes. The B10 circuit around the lake is 117.5 km long, of which 41.5 km is on Hungarian territory; the Nationalpark Radweg is 154.08 km and the Lackenradweg 49.97 km.
You can swim at eight beaches – PODOBEACH Podersdorf, Mörbisch, Neusiedl am See, Weiden am See, Rust, Breitenbrunn, Illmitz and Joiser Strand – and the shallow shores suit families. The region has around 300 sunny days a year and about 60 hot summer days; the wind favours windsurfing, kitesurfing, sailing and paddleboarding. Over 300 bird species live in the reeds; the Fertő/Neusiedler See area has been on the UNESCO list since 2001.
Accommodation in the destination
The regional tourist board divides accommodation into establishments with an eco-label, accommodation in the Pannonisch Wohnen style, family accommodation, a holiday at a winemaker's, accommodation for guests with a dog, campsites, cycle-friendly establishments, a holiday without a car, wellness hotels, a farm holiday and private accommodation.
A category of its own is the holiday at a winemaker's – you stay at family wineries and experience winemaking at first hand. Guests of partner accommodation draw the benefits of the Burgenland Card from the first night; there are 434 partner establishments.
Typical local cuisine
The wine of the lake is Zweigelt – the Neusiedlersee DAC region rests on it across its whole range. Rust produces the sweet Ruster Ausbruch DAC; Rust is the only Austrian municipality with its own DAC for sweet wine. North of the lake lies Leithaberg DAC with mineral white and red wines.
Pikeperch and catfish for the Pannonian fish soup with paprika come from the lake. Burgenland has approximately 14,000 hectares of vineyards and is Austria's second largest wine-growing province.
Other Burgenland products named are peppers, tomatoes, chilli, Bohnensterz, cabbage strudel, Grammelpogatscherl, wedding pastries, beer from Gols, saffron and cherries.