Alte Donau (Old Danube)

Erlaufsee

Hinterbrühl Seegrotte (Flooded Mine)

Lunzer See

Neue Donau (New Danube)

Lower Austria and Vienna share the hearty, comforting cuisine of the east. Wiener Schnitzel, Tafelspitz and Schweinsbraten are staples, while the Wachau produces excellent Grüner Veltliner and Riesling. The Mostviertel is famous for pear cider (Most), and the Vienna coffee house tradition offers Sachertorte and Apfelstrudel. Lakeside inns serve fresh fish and seasonal game.

Hotel Sacher Wien

Hotel Imperial, a Luxury Collection Hotel

Ruby Sofie Hotel Vienna

Seehotel Grüner Baum

Hotel-Restaurant Moser

Vienna and Lower Austria offer the most accessible freshwater diving in the country, blending urban convenience with genuinely wild alpine water. In the capital itself the Alte Donau and Neue Donau provide shallow, training-friendly arms of the Danube where sunken boats, a bus and dense weed beds attract pike, zander and a surprising amount of macro life, all within a tram ride of the city centre. Beyond Vienna the landscape climbs into the Alps: Erlaufsee sits at 800 m with rock walls and submerged trees in crystal water, while the deep, pristine Lunzer See drops past 30 m against steep rock faces. The Hinterbrühl Seegrotte adds a surreal twist, a flooded gypsum mine with massive submerged chambers reached only on strictly permitted guided dives. This region is the ideal place to begin Austrian diving, combine a city break with easy training dives, and step up to altitude and cold-water skills without travelling far.

Vienna & Lower Austria

Fly into Vienna International Airport (VIE) and base in the city or in the lakeside towns of the Mostviertel and Salzkammergut fringes. The Danube arms are reached by U-Bahn and tram; Erlaufsee and Lunzer See need a rental car or regional train plus a short drive. The Seegrotte is a short trip south of Vienna.

Dive Sites in Vienna & Lower Austria

Alte Donau (Old Danube)

Erlaufsee

Hinterbrühl Seegrotte (Flooded Mine)

Lunzer See

Neue Donau (New Danube)