Burgenland, a slice of Austria near the Hungarian border
Would you like to discover a lesser-known part of Austria? Then take a look at Burgenland. This is a small, narrow federal state along the Hungarian border in the southeast of the country. The main attractions are the vineyards, the hilly landscape, a few castles and Lake Neusiedl. This is the largest lake in Austria after Lake Constance. Burgenland is a rural federal state without large cities.
Typical rolling landscape of the federal state of Burgenland.
Facts and figures about Burgenland
Burgenland is the easternmost and with 287,000 inhabitants the least populated federal state of Austria. After Vienna and Vorarlberg, it is also Austria’s smallest state with an area of only 3,962 km². It borders the federal states of Lower Austria and Styria and the countries of Slovakia, Hungary and Slovenia. The capital of Burgenland is Eisenstadt.
The coat of arms of Burgenland that you see here is a combination of the old coats of arms of the Counts of Mattersdorf and the Lords of Güns. The areas that these families owned in the Middle Ages roughly correspond to the current Burgenland. The new coat of arms was designed in 1922, just after Burgenland was added to Austria as a federal state.
On the map above, I have marked the borders of Burgenland with a red line. As you can see, it is a narrow, elongated federal state. The Hungarian city of Sopron, which is almost completely surrounded by Burgenland, is particularly noticeable.
What is there to see and do?
Burgenland is the least Austrian of all the country’s federal states. Instead of snow-capped mountain peaks, you will find a rolling landscape with many vineyards. The highest point, the 884-meter-high Geschriebenstein, is much lower than the Alps in the western states. The lowest point in Austria is also in Burgenland. This is the Neusiedler See, which is only 115 meters above sea level.
Water recreation at Lake Neusiedl, photo by Andrij Bulba (under CC BY 2.0)
There is more than enough natural beauty to be found in Burgenland. There is the Nationalpark Neusiedler See, which also lies partly in Hungary. This park is located around the lake and is especially suitable for swimming and cycling. With a bit of luck you will see countless breeding birds. Another great destination is the Naturpark Geschriebenstein located around the highest mountain in the state. Here you will find hiking trails, old towers, mills and farms. Naturpark Raab in the very south of Burgenland lies on the border with Hungary and Slovenia and offers a number of good hiking opportunities too.
In terms of culture, Burgenland is also the least Austrian of all the federal states. The area was part of Hungary until 1920 and there is still a significant Hungarian minority living in Burgenland today. This is reflected in the bilingual place name signs, among other things. Sopron, historically the most important city in the area, was not assigned to Austria in 1920 and is now located just over the border in Hungary. This makes it a nice place for a day trip.
The absence of large cities makes Burgenland the most rural state of Austria. The capital Eisenstadt has only 13,000 inhabitants. Nevertheless, there are enough sights to spend a day there, including the impressive Schloss Esterházy. Other interesting places in the north of Burgenland are Rust, the smallest statutory city in Austria, Kittsee with two old castles and Frauenkirchen with a beautiful baroque basilica.
In the higher central part of Burgenland, Deutschkreutz, Mattersburg and Oberpullendorf are the most important towns. Although they each only have a few thousand inhabitants, you will find beautiful historic churches and medieval castles in these towns.
Güssing Castle, photo by János Korom (under CC BY-SA 2.0)
Finally, in southern Burgenland, Oberwart and Güssing are worth a visit. Oberwart is known for having the largest Hungarian minority in all of Burgenland. Güssing on the other hand, is a tourist town with a castle built on top of a hill along with an old Franciscan monastery.
Summer activities
In addition to its many sights, Burgenland is also a good destination if you like active holidays. There are countless opportunities for hiking. The most popular routes are near the wooded Geschriebenstein in the center of the state and around Lake Neusiedl. Because a large part of Burgenland consists of gently rolling hills with vineyards, you can also enjoy excellent cycling here, unlike in the rest of Austria. Sailing, horseback riding and bird watching are other popular activities.
Opernfestspiele of St. Margarethen, photo by CC BY-SA 3.0)
Summer is also the season for cultural events in Burgenland. If you like the idea of an open-air opera performance, then visit the Seefestspiele in Mörbisch. Equally special are the Opernfestspiele of St. Margarethen, which are held in an old Roman quarry. Nova Rock in Nickelsdorf, with around 150,000 visitors annually, is another large-scale music festival. Smaller festivals with theater and music can be found in Güssing and in Schloß Kobersdorf.
One last highlight are the thermal baths that have quickly become very popular since the beginning of the 21st century. The larger ones are located in Lutzmannsburg, Stegersbach and Bad Tatzmannsdorf.
Winter activities
Although the thermal baths are also open in winter, this season is less suitable for visiting Burgenland. Due to the low altitude and the regular supply of warm Mediterranean air from Croatia, there is relatively little snow. Compared to the Austrian Alps, the possibilities for winter sports in Burgenland are hardly worth mentioning.
History of Burgenland
Up until the First World War, Austria was one of the largest and most powerful countries in Europe under the House of Habsburg. It stretched from the Adriatic Sea to what is now Ukraine. In the 19th century however, tensions between the dominant German-speaking population and the Hungarians grew steadily. In 1867 this led to the formation of the Austro-Hungarian Dual Monarchy, in which Hungary was given its own parliament but still remained under the Austrian crown. After the First World War the empire finally fell apart.
Sopron, now part of Hungary, photo by Emmanuel Dyan (under CC BY 2.0)
Initially the plan was to add the western part of Hungary, which had a significant German minority, to the newly formed Austria. This federal state would be called Vierburgenland, named after the four castles of Pressburg (Bratislava), Eisenburg (Vas), Ödenburg (Sopron) and Wieselburg (Moson). However, the Slovak and Hungarian populations opposed this idea. In 1920, Pressburg became part of Czechoslovakia and the other three cities became part of Hungary. The western, rural areas did become part of Austria. Because the four castles were all outside of Austrian territory, the federal state was eventually called Burgenland instead of Vierburgenland.
Climate of Burgenland
Burgenland lies on the Pannonian Plain, a low-lying plain in Central Europe that is surrounded on all sides by high mountains. This results in a relatively dry continental climate. The average annual precipitation is only around 600 millimeters, which means there is a high chance of dry and sunny weather throughout the year. In summer you may expect warm and often even hot temperatures. The winter months again see little precipitation, but they are noticeably less cold than the Alpine regions of Austria due to Burgenland’s low altitude. Spring and fall are dry and pleasant.
Above you can see a climate graph of the capital city of Eisenstadt. The southern part of Burgenland has slightly higher temperatures and even less precipitation due to the dry, warm Mediterranean air that occasionally blows in from Croatia.
Getting to Burgenland
Most tourists will reach Burgenland by car. If you come from Vienna or Lower Austria, the A2, the A3 and the A4 are obvious choices. Coming from Styria or Slovenia, the A2 is the most convenient route. Are you approaching from Hungary? Then choose from the M1 for northern Burgenland, the M85 for the central part of the state or or the M80 for the southern part. Finally, from Slovakia you can take the Austrian A6 very close to Bratislava.
Do not forget that a toll vignette is required on the Austrian highways. Read more about this on our page dedicated to the Austrian toll vignette.
The A3 near Eisenstadt, photo by My Friend (under CC BY-SA 3.0)
By train
There are regular trains from Vienna to Eisenstadt and a number of other places around Lake Neusiedl in the north of the state. These take between one and one and a half hours. The center and south of Burgenland are less easy to reach by train. Only Mattersburg, Deutschkreuz and Oberwart have train stations and you will have to change trains in Wiener Neustadt. A good alternative are the regional bus lines from Vienna to Eisenstadt and the rest of Burgenland.
By plane
Burgenland itself does not have an airport, but it is easy to reach from Vienna airport. The state is also not far from Bratislava airport, just across the border in Slovakia. It will take you longer to reach the center and south of the federal state. You could consider flying to Graz.
Are you traveling to Burgenland by plane or train? If so, remember that many destinations are less easy to reach when you use public transportation once you are there. Therefore, consider the option of renting a car. It is best to do this at the airport in Vienna or Bratislava, or at the train station in Vienna. It will then take between half an hour and an hour to drive to the northern part of Burgenland.
Spending the night in Burgenland
Small-scale tourism in Burgenland, photo by Christoph Sammer (under CC BY 2.0)
You will notice that Burgenland is a completely different part of Austria when you see the range of accommodation on offer. Do not expect large hotels for hundreds of guests in this friendly federal state. Instead, tourism is still small-scale and you will find many hotels, holiday homes and guesthouses run by families.
Want to read more about Burgenland?
Below you will find a list of cities and villages in Burgenland that have their own page on this website. Choose a location to read more about sights, accommodations and other practical information. General articles about Burgenland also appear below.