Day Trip from Vienna – Eisenstadt, Home of Joseph Haydn

Eisenstadt, home of Joseph Haydn and the beautiful Esterhazy Palace, is just a 45-minute-drive from Vienna. It is the perfect destination for a day spent exploring the beautiful corners of the town, listening to classical music and enjoying a glass of wine from the surrounding vineyard regions.
Eat and Drink
Enjoy a glass of local wine and some snacks at the terrace of Weinbar with a beautiful view of the Esterhazy Palace. (Esterhazyplatz 4/1)
Die Alm is up the Glorietteallee past the palace and offers you a beautiful view of the region around Eisenstadt. I recommend their burger and steak. (Glorietteallee 51)

Die Greisslerei is part of the award-winning Taubenkobel restaurant and located in a traditional house of the Burgenland region. Their Schnitzel and steaks (AND fries) are delicious. I highly recommend the poppy seed cake with whipped cream as a dessert. You can also shop for regional products and interior design and accessories from around the world at Greisslerei. Check out my restaurant review here.

In the Kleinhoeflein-area, 2Beans Coffee Roasters has some really delicious coffee. (Kleinhoefleiner Hauptstrasse 8)
Chic Antique is located in a small alley off the Hauptstrasse and is a cute little café. (Hauptstrasse 26)
Visit

The main sight of Eisenstadt is the Esterhazy Palace and its Palace Garden. The palace dates back to the Middle Ages and has repeatedly been updated and expanded. My personal highlight is the Leopoldinentempel in the Palace Garden.

In summer, there are concerts in the famous Haydnsaal. Joseph Haydn worked for Count Esterhazy and composed a big part of his oeuvre in Eisenstadt.

If you want to learn more about Joseph Haydn, I recommend a visit to the Haydnhaus museum as well. The Haydngasse is also a really nice street with traditional houses. You can then turn right into the Hauptstrasse. Similar to Haydngasse, this high street has many traditional houses and small shops.

The Bergkirche is a church with a very special type of architecture. Similar to the palace, it also hosts concerts regularly.
Shop
If you are looking for regional delicacies, Nah und Frisch Jagenbrein in the St. Georgen-area is a must-visit. Their offer ranges from cherry products by Kirschengenussquelle, to sheep cheese, to organic juices and oils. (Brunnegasse 23, St. Georgen)

How to Get There
By far the easiest transport option is by car. It will take about 45 minutes from Vienna to Eisenstadt. As the restaurants and cafés are a bit spread out and public transport is not comparable to Vienna, it is most convenient to come by car.

Alternatively, you could take a bus from Suedtiroler Platz (Vienna Main Train Station), which takes about one and a half hours. You will arrive at Domplatz, the centre of Eisenstadt.

There is a train connection as well with a direct train once per hour. However, the train station is a bit far from the town centre and you may need to take a taxi or walk. The bus intervals are quite long.
All information as of the date of publishing. We cannot accept responsibility for the correctness or completeness of the data, or for ensuring that it is up to date. All recommendations are based on the personal experience of Elisabeth Steiger, no fees were received by the recommended places above.
The poppy seed cake sounds fantastic! I’d love to visit Eisenstadt since I play the piano and it would be interesting to see the Haydn-related places. Will keep this in mind for the next time I travel to Austria:)
The poppy seed cake is so good! I’m craving it right now just when I think about it, haha!
Great post, already saved it, planning on checking out this cute town on my next trip to Vienna!
That’s great! I hope you will have time to visit Eisenstadt!
Vienna looks like a beautiful and elegant city. My husband visited last year but I missed it.hope to visit soon
Hi Madhu, thank you for your comment. Even though the palaces look similar, this is the palace in Eisenstadt, a city South-East of Vienna. But if you make it to Vienna, I hope you have time to visit Eisenstadt as well!