The green Prater is one of the most beautiful and greenest urban parks in the world. Although it is located only three kilometers in a straight line from St. Stephen's Cathedral, nature thrives in this area. Its vast meadows and woods as well as water areas offer an ideal environment for relaxing strolls, brisk hikes, extended jogging tours, bicycle and skating trips, and much more.

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The 4.5 kilometer-long main avenue runs right through the Prater. Straight as a ribbon, this broad boulevard between Praterstern and the Lusthaus, a restaurant that was once an imperial hunting pavilion, is lined by approximately 2,500 trees. If you get hungry while out walking, take a detour to the restaurant Allee, where a nice terrace in summer and a cool indoor bowling alley in winter will round out your excursion to perfection.

Runners know the avenue, which is marked by distance signs and running checkpoints, from the Vienna City Marathon, where it is known as a notoriously long and hard haul. Skaters also find enjoyment on this road lined with old chestnut trees, which is additionally frequented by walkers, cyclists, and sometimes even by fiakers (Vienna's horse-drawn carriages).

Simply Biking ...

If you want to get to know this splendid promenade in a leisurely way, rent a bicycle, or even a “Pedi cab” (a bicycle rickshaw) – or step onto the “Liliputbahn” miniature railroad, which leaves near the Riesenrad and takes you to the Ernst Happen stadium in the Prater.

You will pass not only the BMX rink, but also the public swimming pool Stadionbad, which offers you all the amenities of a modern open-air pool from May to September.

Off the Main Avenue

Take a few steps away from the main avenue of the Prater and you will find an expansive area of meadows, woods and former Danube channels. The best way is to follow the signs on the 13 kilometer-long City Hiking Trail 9, which takes your directly from Praterstern (U1 Praterstern) away from the main avenue on the level to the little water meadow area at Freudenau. Heustadlwasser lake is a former arm of the Danube and invites you not only to go bathing but also to dream and walk. And explore the area from the saddle along attractive bridle paths.

Information on hiking trails in Vienna

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Golf players are welcome at the Golfclub Freudenau, right behind the Lusthaus. And if you want to experience a real horse race up close, the events organized by the Wiener Trabrennverein (literally the “Vienna Trotting Club”) just behind the VIECON Vienna Congress & Convention Center could be exactly what you’re looking for. The harness racing track was completed in 1878 and features the oldest reinforced concrete stands in Europe, which now enjoy protection as a historic monument. The link between old and new is especially clear in the ultramodern district Viertel Zwei.

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