The Thaya valley national park is located in the federal state of Lower Austria, in the very north to the border of Czechia. The Austrian park has a size of 1.360 hectares. Together with the part in Czech Podyjí National Park, it measures a size of roughly 7.700 hectares. The national park is rather young (not the youngest of Austria), it was founded in 2000.
The national park is the habitat of European wildcats and is home to a big variety of flora and fauna. 92% of the area is covered in forest. It is a hidden natural gem of Austria. You can even book last minute in the busy season of summer. Although it hasn’t been like that. Back in the days it was a popular summer destination for Viennese people. However, with the construction of the dam in Czechia, the water temperature dropped and the heyday of tourism was over.
Therefore, it is a real hidden gem in Austria, since it is not that popular anymore. Many places in Austria (Zell am See, Wolfgangsee, Hallstatt) suffer from congestion during the popular summer months. It’s the perfect place if you are looking for an alternative nature destination. Where you can enjoy the tranquility of the beautiful earth.
The National Park center Thaya valley
At the entrance of the national park you can find the national park center. That’s the place where you can find maps of the area. Either for cycling, hiking, or on the wall is even a 3D map. Which might surprise you: the area is pretty hilly. The river Thaya lies in a valley. This should be considered while hiking and cycling through the National Park. At the information center, you also have a bike station with various tools. It is better to fix anything there than being stuck in the middle of nowhere.
At the Thaya valley national park center is a small cafe, camper site, information center, playground, garden and starting point for many hikes.
You can also learn more about this hidden gem in Austria while doing a guided tour. Every Saturday and Sunday (starting from 21st of March) at 2 pm, there is a tour with a ranger where you can learn more about the national park. You will take a small walk – about 40 min. You can also rent a ranger and have an individual tour through the national park.
A wildcat feeding is every day (in July, August & September) at 3.30 pm. It takes 30 minutes and costs 3,50 euros.
As you see, there are a few activities that you can join in the Thaya valley.
Hiking at the Thaya valley national park
You have a great selection of hikes in the area. While hiking there is nothing compared to the alpine hiking you find in other Austrian regions. You still have some steep hills. The trails are very beautiful through the forest or along the river. Some trails are left as nature trails, which doesn’t mean that they are not maintained, but the fallen trees or branches are left on the ground.
A very lovely hike I can recommend is the hike to the Überstieg. From there, you have an amazing view of the forest of the Thaya valley and the bend that the river makes at this point. The famous photos of the Thaya valley were taken here. The path starts as a broad forest trail and soon narrows down to a hiking trail. Leading you to the river that you can walk along. You can also circle the Umlaufberg or continue your hike to the ruins of Kaja.
New since 2023 is the Hermit’s Bridge. A round trip to the Einsiedlerweg takes you there. There are two viewpoints and you can see the hermit’s cave. There is a myth that hermits really lived here. Don’t forget your passport, because this route takes you over the Czech side.
Explore the Thaya valley national park by bicycle
At the information center, I got informed that most of the hiking tracks weren’t doable by bicycle. Nevertheless, you do find the Thaya valley cycling trail, the iron curtain trail and many other cycling trails. As mentioned before, it is pretty hilly. But it is nothing too extreme. The cycling trails are mainly on asphalted roads, with very little or no car traffic. You have to be careful in the Czech Republic. Bicycles are not allowed on all paths. You must separate hiking trails from bike trails. There are signs in Czech and apparently there are fines for those who break this rule.
At the Vranov reservoir, for instance, you can not cycle over the pedestrian bridge that brings you to the swimming spot. At least that is how I understood the Czech sign there.
Cycling and history
If you want to combine sightseeing with cycling, the Thaya valley offers many tours where you can do that. I highly recommend the Thaya valley cycling path north variant. You can start anywhere along the route. But I would recommend the route from Hardegg over the bridge into the Czech Republic to Cizov, Lesna, Vranov nad Dyji, Felling and back to Hardegg. If you go the other way around, I had the impression you have to do more cycling upwards. However, both uphill parts of the route are in the forest and don’t get eaten up by the sun while strenuous pedaling uphill.
You can make multiple stops along the way and learn more about the fascinating history of the Thaya valley. Outside the Cizov national park center, you can find an information board about the iron curtain. Inside you can get information about the area and have a look at an exhibition. There is also a public toilet. The next stop is at the Vranov reservoir where you can swim and have food at some restaurants/bistros. There are many restaurants on the way to the dam. The swimming area is ok, nothing special and very busy on hot summer days.
After the refreshing dip, it is time for some history. The route takes you down to Vranov and then back up a steep hill to the castle of Vranov. This is one of the most spectacular castles I’ve ever seen. It is incredibly well preserved. Unfortunately, the tours are only in Czech and non-Czech speakers get a paper with information. I did the state room tour, which is about 9 euros. From the castle, the bike paths continue on the road. You still have to do a bit of climbing. On the way down, on the opposite side of the cemetery, there is an inconspicuous path. It looks like a hiking trail, but it is also a bike trail that takes you back across the border to Austria.
In Felling you can visit the pearl factory. On the last bit uphill you have a long downhill to Hardegg. Before reaching Hardegg there is a forest swimming pool, which is very popular in summer. An alternative is a very refreshing jump into the Thaya river.
How to discover the captivating history of the Thaya valley
The Thaya valley is indeed a place of strong history. As it lies directly at the border with the Czech Republic, it has a very interesting history. The remaining castles and fortresses are some hints that the area has been of significance back in the days.
Hardegg is a very interesting place. It is the smallest city in Austria. In 1290 there were first mentions of the city of Hardegg. You can have a self guided city tour and visit the former elementary school or the toll house. The city even has audio information about the city in an app.
The fortress in Hardegg is privately owned and not open to the public. Only occasionally in summer you can join a night watchman tour.
The castle Vranov nad Dyjí in Czechia is the best preserved castle I’ve ever seen. I highly recommend a visit! At the tourist information, the ruin Neuhäusl was praised. You can take a walk there from Lukov or cycle there.
The city Retz has an astonishing 20 kilometers wine cellar network. With a guided tour, you can visit these cellars. Furthermore, the landmark of Retz is the windmill that you can also visit with a guided tour. On the other side of Retz in the Czech Republic you can find the city Znojmo. Also, here are wine cellars and a huge castle that you can visit.
As you can see, wherever you stay in the Thaya valley, you can find something to do. Whether it is hiking, cycling or historical tours and even join the culinary in Retz.
The author of the blog
Lisi is an adventurous, mostly solo traveler from Austria. She likes to travel slowly, discover underrated countries/regions, and of course, learn about cultures. She has been traveling the world and creating travel content since 2016. With a degree in tourism management and a passion for travel and cultures, she wants to tell stories that inspire her readers and help them travel more consciously.
