Day 4 we drive the most kilometers through Austria, where there are many opportunities to stop. There are several museums, castles and pretty villages along the way to plan a short or long stop.

Some possible stops are;

The Postal Museum located in the Cistercian Monastery in Vyšší Brod. Here you can take a tour of an area of almost 2,000 m2 of postal service exhibits. It displays authentic exhibits, such as postal uniforms, post office signs, letter boxes, cash boxes and telecommunications equipment, which are used to document daily postal operations. A unique collection of stagecoaches and sleighs charts the history of postal transport.

The Hafnerhaus in Leopoldschlag, a ceramics museum where beautiful pottery ceramics, such as bowls, jugs, vases, cups are still produced. These items are very popular as gifts and souvenirs and for sale during the museum's opening hours.

"The Rushing Rock" between Mairspindt and Hammern. This rock, called "Der Rauschende Felsen von Windhaag" in German, is an extraordinary natural phenomenon. The sound of the water masses of the Maltsch is best heard when you stand directly at the rock. One possible reason for this "phenomenon" is that the murmur of the Maltsch is reverberated by the opposing rock faces on the Czech side.

The Railway Museum in Langschlag is a museum in a wagon on rails. In the museum car you will get to know the origin of the Waldviertelbahn with tunnel construction from Gmünd to Groß Gerungs. Showcases, old uniforms, cash register equipment and tools from track construction are displayed here. Within walking distance is the Kaufmanns- en Bier museum founded in 1989 on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the Fraberger department store. There is an abundance of old billboards, some from 1920. Also special are the machines of the 1st Waldviertel shoe wax production and the "Germschneider". There is an exhibition of more than 3000 bottles, cans and coasters from all over the world.

The "Hoar- und Weberstub'n" museum of the Friedrich and Erika Ertl family, where the visitor can experience all the work processes, from flax processing, winding, tailoring and construction of the warp to the actual weaving process. There is also the possibility for visitors and school classes to weave their own carpet.

The city museum of Zwettl in the old city hall with a wide range of topics such as: the city history of Zwettler, work of the Kuenringer, exhibition of newly restored gold, fork and bridal hats, Anton collection and regularly changing special exhibitions. This city also offers the opportunity for a longer break with a delicious cup of coffee and pastries in one of the coffee-pastry shops.

An absolute must is the Stift Zwettl Abbey! Founded in 1138 by Hadmar I. van Künring, this monastery has retained its medieval appearance to this day. The monastery was built in the first half of the 13th century. You can follow the different stages of medieval architecture here, if you look at the oldest parts, the northern and the eastern wings, you can see the round Romanesque arches, in the fountain house there are lanceolate-gothic arches.
Near the dormitory, where the monks slept, is the "necessarium", the latrine. The Romanesque-style chapter house dates from the last quarter of the 12th century. It is thus the oldest surviving Cistercian chapter. The monastery church has a late Gothic hall choir that harmoniously combines with an ambulatory and a ring of 14 chapels, the Baroque main altar is dedicated to the Assumption of the Virgin Mary.
Near the monastery there are two restaurants for the lunch break.

Another highlight is a visit to the ruins of Lichtenfels Castle. From the hill on which the castle stands you have a beautiful view of the Ottensteiner Reservoir. Ottenstein is the furthest upstream and also the largest of the three reservoirs along the Kamp River.
It offers landscapes of striking beauty and numerous popular recreational activities. The deep coves along the lake shore are reminiscent of Scandinavian fjords, a landform that isn't exactly Austrian. They are part of the special charm of this region around the Ottenstein reservoir.

In the craft museum “am Berg” in St Leonhard you can experience the old craft techniques and rural life! In the handicraft demonstrations, craftsmen show how people used to make everyday products with simple tools. Demonstrations include blacksmithing, tailoring, cobbling, weaving, woodworking, knot turning and bobbin lace.
Farm work such as felling scythes, covering straw and threshing can also be seen. The typical women's areas of that time, such as laundry, kitchenware, spinning and bread baking, are also shown. So-called “burn marks” can be tasted on the demonstration Sundays in the simulated oven!

In Zogelsdorf, in the Steinmetzmuseum, the stonemason's house, you can see how the sandstone was extracted and processed. The tools and techniques are discussed and explained in the museum and in the Johannes Schausteinbruch.
You can also visit the Zogelsdorf castle here, which dates from the 16th and 17th centuries. From 1522, the former mansion was owned by noble families. In 1831 it was used as an inn. Today the castle is owned by the Perko-Greiffenbühl family. In 2009, a museum of religious order was established in several rooms, which is managed by the IOU Society for Religious Studies, Heraldry and Family Research. Various decorations, awards and medals are on display.

Marchegg Castle is a Baroque castle in Marchegg in Lower Austria. As one of the five Marchfeld castles, it was chosen as an exhibition location for the Lower Austrian State Exhibition in 2022. To this end, the castle is being completely revived and restored. The castle in Marchegg was built by King Ottokar II of Bohemia as a moated castle and was part of the Marchegg town fortifications. The first written mention of this castle dates from the year 1268. Almost 400 years later, the moat was filled in, the corner bastion removed and the castle converted into a Baroque palace. In the following two centuries, the castle was mainly a hunting lodge and summer residence of the Hungarian royal family Pálffy ab Erdöd. The former hunting ground around the castle has been designated a nature reserve for 40 years and is managed by the WWF.

The last stop before checking into our hotel in Bratislava is a visit to the UFO bridge a must. The view over the city is fantastic.
Bratislava is a beautiful city with a lot of culture and definitely worth a longer visit.