Lainzer Tiergarten - Nikolaitor

Brief information:

• Where is the Lainzer Tiergarten located? In the west of Vienna, parts also belong to Lower Austria
• What animals can you see there? There are 800 to 1000 wild boar, 80 to 100 red deer, 200 to 250 fallow deer, countless roe deer and around 700 mouflons.
• Where is the entrance? There are 6 goals: Lainzer TorSt. Veiter Tor, Gütenbach Gate, Pulverstampftor, Laaber Tor and Nikolaitor
• Does it cost admission? No
• When is it open? All year round, you can find the exact times HERE.

Nikolai Gate

The Nikolaitor is located just before the motorway west exit from Vienna - from the U4 Hütteldorf stop and can be reached in about ten minutes on foot. There is a small playground and a Nature trail. The nature trail leads via the Nikolaikapelle and the Hackinger Wiese to the Grünauer Teichwiese and along the Lainzer Tiergarten wall back to the Nikolaitor. It offers an entertaining discovery tour for the whole family.

18 exciting experience stations with display boards and interactive elements such as the treetop cinema or the animal jumping field invite nature enthusiasts of all ages to learn the secrets of the flora and fauna in the Lainzer Tiergarten in a playful way. Carpenter ants, nuthatches and common beech are just some of the many animal and plant species presented on the information boards.

At each station, the mascot Susa - a small wild boar - has tips and hints for observations and experiments. A special extra: young visitors to the Lainzer Tiergarten can pick up a quiz sheet from the porter at the Nikolaitor - anyone who returns it fully completed later will receive a small surprise.

The entire route takes about an hour

Here you can find information about the Lainzer Tor and the Gütenbachtor.

The Lainzer Tiergarten in general

The Lainzer Tiergarten is not an animal park or zoo like Schönbrunn or the Herberstein Animal World imagine. There are no exotic animals here. Instead, wild boar, red deer, fallow deer, roe deer and mouflon live in the wild. Only if you are lucky will you see a wild boar - on other days you might only see ducks.

Nevertheless, the Lainzer Tiergarten is a very popular destination for the Viennese and Lower Austrians, as it is a very relaxing place to walk and hike in this unspoilt part of the Vienna Woods. Over 500,000 visitors come here every year. The area covers a total area of 2,450 hectares - 1,945 hectares of which is forest. The entire area is surrounded by a 22 kilometre long wall. This wall still has a funny history today:

From 1782 to 1787, Emperor Joseph II commissioned the master bricklayer Philipp Schlucker to build the wall. The price offered by Mr Schlucker was so low at the time that the Viennese people feared that the master bricklayer would become impoverished; although this fear did not materialise, the expression "poor bastard" is still a familiar term today.

You can only enter through 6 gates. Cycling is prohibited in the nature reserve (except for children under the age of 6). Dogs are also not allowed in the Lainzer Tiergarten.

Plants and animals:

Since 2008, the Lainzer Tiergarten also a European nature reserve. The zoo has a high level of biodiversity and is home to numerous endangered plant and animal species. A special feature of the zoo is its impressive beech and oak forests. Some of these have been preserved for over 400 years.

The Lainzer Tiergarten is home to around 800 to 1000 wild boar, 80 to 100 red deer, 200 to 250 fallow deer, countless roe deer and around 700 mouflons.

The birdlife at Lainzer Tiergarten is particularly diverse, with over 94 different species to be found here. Numerous species of birds of prey live in the zoo, as well as rare birds such as the white-backed woodpecker, the lesser spotted and collared flycatcher, the stock dove, the tawny owl and the black woodpecker.

15 reptile and amphibian species live here, such as the yellow-bellied toad, fire salamander, alpine newt, alpine crested newt and European tree frog.

There are also 39 different species of grasshoppers and countless butterflies in the Lainzer Tiergarten. If you are lucky, you can see one of the 13 species of bats view.

Leisure offers:

As already mentioned, the zoo is particularly popular with hikers, runners, walkers and strollers. For families, there are 6 children's playgrounds, mostly located near the gates. Visitors will find various viewing points, picnic areas, running trails, an observation tower, the Nikolai Chapel and places to stop for refreshments such as the Rohrhaus (+431 8041323), Hirschgstemm (+43 664 1572585) or the Café-Restaurant Hermesvilla (+43 676 3926140).
For visitors, there is the forest nature trail at the Lainzer Tor and the nature trail at the Nikolaitor.

Forest playgrounds

• Lainzer Tor: This playground is 200 meters from the Lainzer Tor away, is located on the left of the chestnut avenue, which leads to the Hermesvilla.
• Hermesvilla: This is a small playground located in the Tiergarten on the path leading from Lainzer Tor towards Hermesvilla, just before the villa on the left.
• Gütenbachtal: About 100 metres from the Gütenbach Gate in the zoo, this forest playground can be found on the left-hand side.
• Hirschgstemm: This playground is located next to the corresponding inn in the Lainzer Tiergarten.
• Rohrhaus: This playground is located at the Rohrhaus inn.
• Nikolaiwiese: About 100 meters from the Nikolaitor in the Lainzer Tiergarten