Even when you are living in the most ‘livable’  city in the world, you want to step away once in a while. I want to introduce this beautiful park, Schlosspark Laxenburg, in Laxenburg in Mödling district located in lower Austria near Vienna. As the name indicates, Laxenburg castles’ park/ garden. Along with Schönbrunn palace, Laxenburg castles were royal summer residences of Habsburg dynasty. Maybe because Laxenburg castles are located by the water, the name “summer palace” seems to be more suitable for Laxenburg than Schönbrunn. It is about 20 min drive from Vienna and with public transit it will take about 40 min.

A tip! There is an amazing ice cream place called Eissalong Laxenburg. I heard it is the best ice cream place in the area, but I would recommend to try it before walking around the park.

The admission to the park cost 2 euros. From the ticket office, there is a trail leading to the lake and the main castle, where holds still holds various events such as concerts and theatres. The castle looked like one of Disney’s theme parks with a touch of authenticity. Surrounding the castle, a number of trails, bridges, playgrounds, and a minigolf course. This park is perfect if you are looking to visit a historic site peacefully when you are in Vienna, surprisingly not crowded at all!

Also, I know the picture of the castle make it look like you can’t access the inside, but you just need to take a short ferry from there, which costs less than one euro, or you can walk around the park if you don’t want to pay.