wildlife of Austria, Czechia and Slovakia (by train)
A leisurely introduction to the wildlife of Central Europe, exploring flower-filled meadows, limestone hills, ancient forests and reed-fringed wetlands.
Download leaflet
Contact us to register your interest
Dates
To be confirmed
Leaders
Martin Hrouzek
Price
To be confirmed
Included
Return train travel from London St Pancras. Local transport as specified in itinerary. Seven nights accommodation, full board.
Not included
Refreshments. Gratuities. Travel insurance. Covid tests and associated costs.
Group size
Minimum 4, maximum 12.
We will travel by train, crossing to Brussels by Eurostar and then taking one of the comfortable and newly-modernised Nightjet sleeper trains across to Austria. Here we start our holiday by visiting two of Vienna’s most endearing residents: Black-bellied Hamsters, at home in the city’s historic cemeteries, and European Sousliks, the characterful ground squirrels of eastern Europe’s grasslands.
Our next port of call will be South Moravia, where Czechia (formerly the Czech Republic) rubs up against Austria, in a region of rich and diverse habitats: oak woodlands and riparian floodplain forests, craggy limestone hills and steppe grasslands, oxbow lakes and reed-fringed fish ponds, all with an almost Mediterranean climate. This is also a traditional wine-growing area, and we are sure to sample some of the area’s home-grown specialities.
The Carpathians form the backbone of Eastern Europe, curving eastward in an arc from Slovakia through Ukraine to Romania. Here at their western end, the White Carpathians are shared between Czechia and Slovakia – much of the area is protected within a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve and is famed for its patchwork of flower-rich meadows and extensive mixed forests. It is not surprising that this is one of the best areas in Europe for butterflies. Flowers are also abundant here and local meadows are amongst the richest in Europe.
Our guide for this exploration of Central Europe will be Martin Hrouzek, an excellent Czech naturalist, experienced guide and great friend of Wildlife Travel, who has led all our previous visits to this part of the world.
Download trip report
Please note that holidays change, although sometimes only slightly, from year to year and previous trip reports may not reflect the planned itinerary, or other holiday details, for the current trip. Please ask us if you would like to know of any significant differences.
Day 1 After our morning Eurostar to Amsterdam, with some spare time to explore the city, we will join the excellent Nightjet sleeper train for our overnight journey to Vienna, arriving just after breakfast the next morning.
Day 2 The city of Vienna is home to two notable mammals: on arrival we will walk the short distance to a nearby cemetery, where a healthy population of one of Europe’s most endangered mammals, the Black-bellied Hamster survives amongst the city’s gravestones. We will then travel a little way into the suburbs, to visit a colony of European Sousliks, the endearing ground squirrels, before travelling on into Czechia, to our first hotel.
Day 3-5 Our first few days are spent in South Moravia, where Austria and Czechia meet, a region of limestone hills, reed-fringed wetlands and oak woods. The forest and scrubby woodland edge are home to Collared Flycatcher, Wryneck and Icterine Warbler, Red-backed Shrike and Barred Warbler sing their scratchy songs from the scrubby areas, while Black Stork and Honey Buzzard may be seen overhead. We will visit the limestone karst of the Palava Hills, the riverine forests along the Morava valley, and the parklands and baroque palaces of the Lednice-Valtice complex.
Day 6-8 The White Carpathians form a 96-kilometre long ridge of hills on the border between Czechia and Slovakia and rise to a maximum elevation of 1,000m. Famed for its patchwork of large, flower-filled meadows dotted with solitary limes and oaks, and extensive mixed forests, it is not surprising that this is one of the best areas for butterflies in Europe. We will spend our days exploring the area, looking for some of the local specialities such as Twin-spot Fritllary, Large Chequered Skipper, Woodland Brown and Poplar Admiral. Many attractive flowers should be in flower, perhaps including the magnificent lousewort Pedicularis exaltata whose single Czech locality is in these mountains. Local meadows rank amongst the richest in Central Europe. We will pick out Grassy-leaved and Variegated Iris, Mountain Germander, Cross Gentian and Crested Cow-wheat among many others. Orchids could include Globe-flowered, Greater and Lesser Butterfly, Military and Burnt, as well as the endemic Ophrys holubyana. The nearby Vah River Valley and the low dolomitic hills to the east offer another interesting area to explore. Amongst the diverse flora is the endemic pink Dianthus lumnitzeri, while more butterflies include Assmann’s Fritillary, Turquoise and Chequered Blues, Woodland Grayling and Safflower Skipper.
Day 9 Time to head south, stopping along the way to visit the sandy forests of Zahorie if we have time, before we bid farewell to Martin in Vienna, and re-board the Nightjet sleeper train for our journey back to Amsterdam, and from there back to London by Eurostar (arriving Day 10).
Please note that the itinerary may be changed to suit the weather or other practicalities at the discretion of the leaders.
We will be staying at two comfortable, family-run local hotels. All rooms are en-suite. Our evening meals will be taken in the hotel restaurant. We will take picnic lunches out with us every day.
Accommodation on the sleeper trains is in twin bed private compartments, with shared toilet facilities at the end of the carriage. Single occupancy is possible, but limited.
For our daily excursions, we will travel by small coach or minibus.
Group travel
We hope to be able to secure space on the NightJet sleeper trains between Amsterdam and Vienna, as follows.
If the NightJet is sold out, we will look at travelling overnight via Brussels or Paris, or travelling during the day via Frankfurt.
Alternatively, if you prefer to make your own travel arrangements, you can book the holiday without the travel: you would need to meet the group on arrival in Vienna. You may choose to extend your holiday to spend more time in Vienna, or fly.
Time zone
All of the countries visited are one hour ahead of UK time.
Entry requirements
If you hold a British passport you can travel to countries in the Schengen area (including all the countries visited) for up to 90 days in any 180-day period without a visa. Your passport must be issued less than ten years before the date you enter the country and valid for at least three months after the day you plan to leave.
Starting in mid-2025 British passport holders will need to apply for the ETIAS European Travel Authorisation to visit Schengen countries. This must be applied for online prior to travel, at a cost of €7 (free for over 70s). Once granted, your ETIAS will be valid for three years.
At this time of year the weather is usually sunny and warm (24-30°C). However, as with everywhere the weather is no longer entirely predictable, and there could well be some significantly hotter or cooler weather, or rain (perhaps heavy). There can be strong sun, and sun protection is needed. We will do our best to adapt our walks and excursions accordingly.
On most days, we are walking for much of the day, albeit at a relaxed pace, with plenty of time to enjoy the surroundings and take photos as well as stopping to enjoy the wildlife along the way. We will mostly be walking across easy terrain, although it may be necessary to walk on rougher ground and up/down some (gentle) slopes. Good (light) walking boots are essential. You must be able to carry your own luggage on and off of the trains.