Donau-Auen National Park

East of Vienna the Danube runs for about forty kilometres without dams, and the floodplain forest on both banks is a national park. It is a landscape of side arms, gravel banks, willow and poplar, rearranged every year by high water that shifts channels and drops new sediment. Beavers are common and their work on the trees is easy to spot, while kingfishers and herons use the quiet backwaters and sea eagles hunt the river in winter. The national park centre at Orth an der Donau has a walkway through the canopy and out over a backwater. Canoe and boat trips run from several points through the warmer half of the year.

What you actually see

• The side arms - quiet backwaters off the main river, still and green, best seen from a canoe or a low bank.
• The gravel banks - open shingle along the main channel, shifted by every flood, good for a swim and a long river view.
• Beaver signs - felled and gnawed willows and poplars along the water, easier to find than the animals themselves.
• The Orth national park centre - a treetop walkway and platform over a backwater, with exhibits on the floodplain.

When to go

April and May before the mosquitoes take over, and again in September and October when the poplars turn. Winter is good for birds, with sea eagles on the river and bare views through the trees. Summer is hot, humid and heavily bitten. Check water levels: high water closes paths for days at a time.

Honest expectations

Mosquitoes in summer are relentless and repellent only partly works. The forest is flat and visually repetitive, so several hours of walking can feel like the same kilometre. Wildlife takes patience and an early start. Paths flood and close without warning, and the guided boat trips book out well ahead in season.

Nearby

Vienna is at the western end, with Orth an der Donau and Hainburg along the river to the east.