Hi!

You are right about the Vienna Woods. Spots you can visit by public transport are:

Seegrotte Hinterbrühl - you have to take one of the commuter trains to Mödling and then Bus 364 or 365. Opening hours are Mo-Fr 9-12 and 13-15, Sat & Sun 9-15.30. Local taverns - but I am not sure about opening hours

Cobenzl winery - the City of Vienna is the owner of the vineyard and produces wine, of course, as well. Nice scenery, nice restaurant. Take the U4 to Heiligenstadt or the tramway 38 to Grinzing (Heurigen!) and then Bus 38A.

Wilhelminenberg - you can spend time there and take a rest at Schloss Wilhelminenberg, which is a hotel as well, that offers a christmas market and an ice rink later in the season as well. Or dine at Villa Aurora that offers a splendid view of Vienna. Take Bus 46B or 146B depending on which direction you come from.

But: Please consider that the sun sets at about 5 to 5.30 pm. It´s not a safety question, but things get more complicated in unfamiliar surroundings.

A very nice restauant near the Seegrotte is the Höldrichsmühle:

http://www.hoeldrichsmuehle.at/en-hotel.htm

The web site for the Seegrotte lists other hotels in the area:

www.seegrotte.at/002_englisch/frameset.htm

There was a serious accident on the underground lake in 2004 in which a few people drowned. The Seegrotte has changed the type of boat used so that such an accident cannot in theory now happen. However the website seems to make no mention of the accident!

Hi,

Thank you very much for the information. I have another question. Can I do the three that momatwork mentioned in the previous messsage and have lunch at Höldrichsmühle? How can I manage the transportation? Am I asking to much to be done in one day (Seegrotte in the morning -> lunch at Höldrichsmühle -> Wilhelmineberg in the afternoon -> dinner at Grinzing ->back to hotel in Vienna) or any other suggestion? Thank you so much for your help again.

It would be tight. You would need to take the bus back to Mödling and travel back towards Vienna on the Schnellbahn train alighting at Wien-Meidling. From there you take the U6 underground train to the Westbahnhof, change to the U3 to Ottakring and from there the bus 46B or 146B to Schloss Wilhelminenberg.

I think you would need to try to get to Seegrotte by 10:00 to fit this in.

As far as the evening is concerned have a look at this post:

tripadvisor.co.uk/ShowTopic-g190454-i147-k15…

and read the excellent advice given by Vertical and Operettaman about alternatives to Grinzing.

Hi,

After study a little bit more about it. I think we will join the local tour to go visit Seegrotte in the morning, and then go to Grinzing in the afternoon, do a little hiking, pay some respect to Mahler, visit Beethoven's house, and settle in one of the taverns for dinner. Even though we get to see less, but I think it's more relaxing. Any suggestion on top of it is greatly appreciated. Also, do you think Huber or Wolff at Neustift am Walde fit into the plan? Thank you again.