Discover Riegersburg: Castle, Museums and Local Delights

Riegersburg: Castle, Local Delights and Outdoor Activities

If you choose Riegersburg for a stay, you’ll find a range of things to focus on: the castle and its history, tasting experiences, and outdoor activities. Since 2024, Riegersburg has held the Austrian Hiking Quality Seal and is an Austrian Hiking Village. You can consider these topics separately or combine them in your plans, without assuming they promise the same kind of visit.

The Castle and Its History

Riegersburg Castle stands on a 482-metre-high volcanic rock. Its fortifications include seven gates, eleven bastions, four kilometres of defensive walls and two moats. These figures give a concrete sense of the site’s architecture: gates, bastions, walls and moats are distinct elements of its defences.

Riegersburg Parish Church offers another historical perspective. It was built in two stages in the Late Gothic style. Its furnishings date mainly from the Baroque and Renaissance periods. The building’s history and furnishings therefore point to different eras, rather than assigning the church to a single style.

At the Witch Museum, videos, sound installations and informative texts offer insights into a dark chapter of the history of Styria. The Weapons Museum has a different focus: its collection includes armour and pieces of armour, sabres and rapiers, various cutting and stabbing weapons, as well as different types of rifles and pistols. Visitors interested in history can thus distinguish between a thematic interpretation and a collection of historical weapons.

Tastings and Outdoor Experiences

At Zotter Erlebniswelt in Bergl, near Riegersburg, you can watch bean-to-bar production through glass architecture on a tasting tour of the Chocolate Theatre, and sample chocolate at tasting stations. The Zotter Chocolate Tasting Tour includes more than 40 creatively designed tasting stations and 300 samples. So it offers more than a glimpse of the production process: it’s also an extensive tasting experience. Reservation information and tour details may change; check them before your visit.

The Fromagerie zu Riegersburg offers groups various tours exploring the world of cheese. A full tour combines an introduction to the world of cheese with a tasting of ten cheeses that are currently ripe. The group format and the seasonally changing maturity of the cheeses are specific details to bear in mind when planning a visit.

Zotter’s Edible Animal Garden is described as an open-air experience. It includes many animals, a giant slide, a petting zoo, an adventure playground and a motor skills course. These activities show that a visit involves more than one thing to do; the description includes both animals and opportunities to play and be active.

Trails, Lido and Birds of Prey

Riegersburg Lido lies at the foot of the castle and has 18,000 square metres of water as well as an equally large sunbathing area. It is a seasonal facility, and opening hours may change. If a day of swimming is part of your travel plans, check the current opening hours in advance.

The Obstgartentour-FB7 is a pleasant, moderate circular route around Riegersburg. The via ferratas are just a few minutes’ walk from the castle entrance in the town of Riegersburg. These details describe different outdoor options: a circular route around the castle and via ferratas accessible from the specified starting point.

The Riegersburg Falconry Centre is located just below the main castle on the north side of the volcanic cone and presents birds of prey shows. The visitor programme is seasonal; check the shows before travelling. Flight demonstrations do not take place in heavy rain.

Getting to Riegersburg

Verbund bus route 406 runs daily from Feldbach railway station to Riegersburg. As timetables can change, it’s worth checking the current schedule before finalising your journey. No specific journey time is provided here, so plan your connection using the timetable rather than assuming a travel time.

When choosing your stay, you can first decide whether to focus on the castle and its collections, tastings or outdoor activities. Take seasonal offerings and the visitor conditions mentioned into account when planning your schedule. This will help you tailor your search for a hotel in Riegersburg to the things that really matter to your trip.

Discover more destinations: Studenzen, Auersbach, Sankt Stefan Im Rosental, Kapfenstein, Paldau, Hatzendorf, Kirchberg An Der Raab, Jagerberg

See the full travel overview: Feldbach.