Sometimes you don’t have to travel far at all to find yourself surrounded by green. From our place in Hernals, a few minutes is all it takes to swap pavement for forest floor – no car needed, no long expedition. That’s exactly what Christian and I love about our district: the city right on the doorstep, the Vienna Woods just behind it.
Two spots are especially close to our hearts. Come along.
Schwarzenbergpark – Austria’s first landscape garden
The Schwarzenbergpark in Neuwaldegg, part of Hernals, is no ordinary park. In the 18th century, Field Marshal Count Lacy had the grounds reshaped into Austria’s very first English landscape garden – around 80 hectares that today flow almost seamlessly into the Vienna Woods. You wander across broad meadows, past quiet ponds like the Paraplui pond, and with a little luck you’ll still spot traces of the old estate: the „Hameau“, the last little house of a village once built in the Dutch style.
For families, the park is a real find: comfortable, stroller-friendly paths, a lovely natural playground, and wonderful sledding meadows in winter. Dogs are welcome, too. The easiest way to get there is tram line 43 to its terminus, Neuwaldegg – from there it’s just a few steps into the green. If you fancy more, follow City Hiking Trail 3 (Stadtwanderweg 3) up to the Hameau.
The Schafberg – Vienna from above
A little further north lies the Schafberg, at 390 metres one of the lovely rises on the city’s edge, right on the border between Hernals and Währing. The climb is worth it: from the top you get a sweeping view across the whole of Vienna and the Vienna Woods – a real moment to breathe. The little Schafberg church sits up there, too.
In summer, the popular Schafbergbad awaits, with sunbathing lawns under old trees and one of the longest water slides in the city. Handy: from the Hernals suburban train station, bus lines 42A and 42B take you straight up.
Fancy combining the two?
If you’re a good walker, you can link both into one fine loop: from Neuwaldegg through the Schwarzenbergpark, over the Schafberg and on towards Pötzleinsdorf palace park. That way you walk a good stretch through the northern Vienna Woods – which we’ve already told you about in our post on the Vienna Woods.
Best to pack sturdy shoes and something to drink – and then off you go into the green. See you afterwards, thoroughly aired out, back with us in the Ferchergasse …
