Medieval Castle
Stay in this beautifully restored one thousand year old castle. Learn to ride, dressage, driving in historic carriages and 300km of trails for riding in beautiful countryside. Gallops along the Danube. Delicious picnic baskets available for lunches by the river. Candlelit gourmet dinners in historic vaulted restaurant. Ayurvedic spa with hot stone therapy, beautiful watergarden swimming pool, fishing in the lake. Golf. Bikes. Summer camp for kids
The Riding and Driving
Learn to drive carriages (two wheelers and four wheelers) with an international tournament winner. One to one instruction and group classes, with the most modern teaching methods. Novices and intermediate/advanced riders welcome. Beautiful unspoilt riding hacks in majestic open landscape.
There is a veterinary clinic and a farrier on the castle estate. First aid for horses available. Young riders summer school for girls at the Estate farmhouse (see our Young Riders page for more details).
Short breaks with hacking along the Danube. Includes a drive around the estate in an historical carriage and a picnic lunch.
The Riding Facilities
1, 2 or 4 span carriages including historic landau and racing off-road carriage. 14 warmblood horses. Sand school 15x33m, jumping paddock 40x60m, riding square 20x60m. Dressage and jump training
The hotel
Now a member of the Small Luxury hotels of the World group. Based at the Medieval Castle, recently voted the best 4 star hotel in Austria. Old world atmosphere in ancient walls combined with every modern comfort. Luxurious designer rooms with large stylish bathrooms; sauna, steam room, solarium, massage and beauty treatments all available in the M-Spa. Estate fishing lake: your catch of the day prepared by our chefs for dinner. Vinotech with superb wines and gourmet award-winning restaurant. Outdoor swimming pool in a beautiful water garden. PIicnic baskets prepared on request. Bikes available free of charge.
Activities for non-riders and rest days
Just 4 par from the castle walls, lies the 27 hole golf course of the Danube Golf club. New and exclusive at the Medieval Castle, Heligolfing, to the most beautiful golf clubs in Austria.
The area is perfect for hiking and biking along the banks of the Danube. Horse-carriage rides. Visit also the Baroque city of Linz, just a half hour away. Guided sightseeing city tours available or just stroll along the pedestrianised Landstrasse, stop for a slice of the famous 'Linzer Torte' in one of the many cafes in the 13th Century main square (Hauptplatz), visit the flea market, or take a cruise down the Danube.
Christmas and New Year : Celebrate the festive season in style. Special programme. Contact us for details. The castle has its own traditional arts and crafts Christmas market in November.
Ride & Relax
The M-Spa is a great place to relax after any sporting activities. The Spa offers a full range of treatments including La Stone and Ayurveda, Thalasso, Reflexology, lymphdrainage, St. Barths Harmony massages, Lavender energy massages and ultasound facial treatments. Enticing spa packages for both men and women such as bioenergy sessions, herbal scrubs followed by multivitamin gold massages and 'beauty and soul' champagne packages for him and her.
Guest book:
'I had a fantastic time and the owners of the Medieval Castle made me feel right at home and included me in their events. The food was fantastic, the Castle was very comfortable and no amenities were lacking! I did learn a lot in my dressage lessons and learned even more in the theory classes. Robert is a great teacher. I rode two different horses in two days and we continued to use the second horse for the rest of my lessons. All of the horses are in good shape and well taken care of which I was glad to see. Robert is a very good instructor therefore I would recommend him again. I also believe he did a good job of matching me to a suitable horse. He also allowed me to ride a bit on my own so that I could practice which was very much appreciated. For our ride out his son, Phillip, took myself and two other children out to the Danube river. It was a great ride through the forests and even through a river. I also really enjoyed the carriage ride and learning how to drive a carriage.
I would highly recommend this to friends, and have! Thanks again for a perfect and very relaxing holiday.' Krisine, Texas'
'We had a marvellous holiday at the Medieval Castle, the Wurmer family are superb hosts and made us feel very welcome. The carriage driving was excellent and both Robert and Brigitta proved to be good tutors. I spent half a day with Robert visiting two stables where horses required their feet trimming and shoeing, it was interesting to see how this was done in Austria - a definite advantage when the farrier is also the vet! The rides out were enjoyable and the horses were typical of those one would find at many riding schools in England. My husband enjoyed his cycling and spent many happy hours touring the surrounding area.' Joan, Cheshire.
Press Articles
The Telegraph Newspaper, Health section.
The Independent Newspaper, Traveller section.
Half-board accommodation per person, based on two sharing a double room with return airport transfer to Linz and riding or driving program where stated. Price excludes flights and insurance. Half-board here starts with a rich and nutritious breakfast buffet from the gourmet kitchen with a natural health food corner and eggs done a la carte for you, coffee, tea and pastries in the afternoon, and a delicious candle-lit 4 course dinner in the romantic vaulted restaurant. Free use of the M-SPA: outdoor pool, sauna, steam bath and the relaxation room. High season supplements apply. Kids 6-12 50% discount.
Riding short break
£499 per person for 4 nights on half-board with return airport transfer with daily ride out (3 rides of c.1.5 hrs each). Non riding is £428 per person with half-board and transfer. Singles: £462 with 3 rides.
Riding week
£871 for 7 nights with 5 rides out (c.1.5hrs each). Singles £804. Non-riders: £766
Riding prices: Extra hours of riding can be arranged: Hacks £25 (per 1.5hrs), private lessons £30 (30 mins), jumping lesson £40 (50 mins) or £25 with min 3 riders.Carriage driving taster session: £42
Carriage rides for 2 £85 (per carriage). Day trips with picnic lunch also available for small groups.
Special courses, prices with 6 nights accommodation on half board:
Dressage course £1033 (8 private lessons and 2 group lessons with 6 nights on half board). Single room £1128
Jumping course £1033 plus 4 jump, 4 dressage lessons. Single room £1128
Beginners riding course £1042 for 7 nights with 6 lunge, 2 private and 2 theory. single room: £1057
Driving course
£1385 for 7 nights. 6 day course with 2 practical and 2 theory sessions daily. With one or two horses, beginner or advanced carriages. (min 4 participants).
For novices or intermediate drivers, with one or two horses with Marathon carriages, dressage carriages and training carriages, both two wheeler and four wheeler. The novice driving programme includes learning the correct way to harness the horse and putting to, correct use of reins to be able to control and steer the horse in a two wheel carriage, and very importantly, safety and proper procedure in traffic. Theory includes a session on first-aid for horses with the resident vet, comprehensive understanding of harness and its usage, and important points about carriages. No prior riding experience is necessary.
Short Driving course
£990 for 5 nights. 4 day course includes 8 driving lessons and 6 theory lessons. (min. 4 participants). £541 for 3 nights with 4 driving sessions and 4 theory sessions.Golf week5 nights £695 with 4 green fees, 1 tournament entry fee, free use of driving range. The golf course is adjoining the hotel and offers an 18 hole championship course as well as a 9 hole academy course. It is the home of Austria's largest golf academy. Improve your handicap: £805 for 5 nights half-board with 20 training sessions, lunch snacks, free use of clubs, tournament, theory and use of driving range.
Please note that no prior riding experience is necessary to learn how to drive a carriage.
Heli Golf:
Tempt your man with the ultimate! 5 nights, 3 flights £1762 per person (5 overnights in a single or double room on half-board. 4 Green Fees at the Danube Golf club, the Sterngartl Golf Club, the Boehmerwald golf club and the Wels golfclub) and 3 helicopter flights to the golf courses including golf-bag transportation on 3 different days.
Non-riders
For accompanying guests the price for 4 nights is £438 and for 7 nights is £766 including half board and return transfer. Extra nights £108 per person half board. Single room £110 per night.
Holidays can generally be of any duration and start on any day (except where specified).
Make a reservation / enquiry.
These prices are guidelines only. Please contact us for an exact quote since prices will vary depending on the season, the amount of riding you wish to do and whether you are travelling alone or with a group. To calculate the equivalent cost of your holiday in another currency, please visit XE.com's Universal Currency Converter.
Getting there
Fly direct to Linz from London Stansted. Transfer to the Castle takes about 30 minutes and is included in the price of the holiday.
Transfers from Munich also available but a supplement will be charged.
Ryanair (London Stansted and others to Linz).
Austrian Airlines (London Heathrow and Dublin to Linz via Vienna).
British Airways (London Heathrow to Munich).
Easyjet (London Stansted to Munich).
Lufthansa (London Heathrow, Birmingham and Manchester to Munich).
Lowcostseats - internet travel agent for charter flights offering good deals.
Jetnav - an independent website searching schedule services, budget airlines and some charters.
Dohop - searches charter and schedule services.
Travelocity - internet travel agents for schedule services.
We can advise on flying from other airports, train, car hire and self-drive options - please contact us.
Austrian train timetable.
Self-drive: Car rental can be booked easily and inexpensively online with Holiday Autos. Please tell us so that we can reduce the quote of your holiday.
Train travel: For everything you need to know about any train journey visit Seat Sixty-One.
If you would like to view the location of this holiday, please refer to the overview map and detailed map.
Riding ability
Novice riders are those who have limited riding experience or who ride in a controlled environment.
Intermediates are those who are comfortable at all paces, including a controlled gallop and are able to ride in open country but who may not ride on a regular basis.
What to bring
Your normal jodhpurs / trousers and boots will be suitable for most rides. In the summer months, boots with ankle support and good treads worn with half chaps would be ideal. Although rarely insisted upon outside the UK, you should always wear your hat whilst mounted. Although hard hats are available in all our riding establishments, you are advised to bring your own.
Internet access: high speed internet access in every room. No charge.
Weather:
Current weather and forecasts for the next few days can be found here and here.
Environmental issues
You can calculate the CO2 emission of your journey to Austria at Climate Care and compensate for your 'environmental footprint'. If you let us know how much it is we will be happy to pay this on your behalf.
Austria has one of the highest levels of household recycling and organic farming in Europe. It also has some of the cleanest lakes, is 47% forested and produces nearly 70% of its energy from renewable sources such as water.
In the office, we use paper from sustainably managed forests and recycled material where possible.
We encourage you to travel onwards from your arrival airport by rail when possible, and will book seats on your behalf.
Consumer protection
As a member of the Association of Bonded Travel Organisers Trust Limited (ABTOT), an Association approved by the Department of Trade and Industry, this company has provided a Bond to meet the requirements of the Package Travel, Package Holidays and Package Tours Regulations 1992. These regulations apply to packages sold in the UK and this Bond provides security for the money paid over by its UK customers and for their repatriation to the UK in the event of this company's insolvency.
How to book
To make a non-binding enquiry or a provisional booking, please fill in the reservations & enquiries form. Once we have checked availability, we will send you a quote with a holiday reference number by email. To secure your holiday, a deposit is required of £200 per person (or half the cost of the holiday, whichever is lower) and forward any insurance premiums to the insurance company. You should book your flights at this stage, and forward details to us so that we can organise your transfers. The balance of payment must be received by us not less than eight weeks before departure. Payment instructions.
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Browse our Guest book or look at what the press have had to say.
Insurance: all riders must be fully insured. We can recommend this travel insurance policy. The application form may be printed out to send with your premiums direct to the insurance company.
Please read our Terms and Conditions.
