Lower Austria (Austria)

What do you get if you mix Mother Shipton’s Cavern with Universal Studios and BAE? See Grotte. Intrigued? Read on. Couldn’t care less? Read it anyway.


What am I on about?
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I spent Saturday morning at Europe’s largest subterranean Lake, See Grotte. As for the above references, well they have lots of weird bits and bobs strung up all over the place just like at the ...
...(and they still have some of the props on show) and during WW2 they built planes here, just like BAE. Don’t worry, I didn’t mention the war. The guide brought up the topic ;-)

Speaking of the guide, he was one of the worst I’ve ever had. He didn’t seem at all interested in what he was saying and rattled on quickly even though it must have been obvious that 90% of the group couldn’t speak good German. Still, ... more

What do you get if you mix Mother Shipton’s Cavern with Universal Studios and BAE? See Grotte. Intrigued? Read on. Couldn’t care less? Read it anyway.

What am I on about?
**********************

I spent Saturday morning at Europe’s largest subterranean Lake, See Grotte. As for the above references, well they have lots of weird bits and bobs strung up all over the place just like at the cavern. Parts of Disney’s „The 3 Musketeers“ were filmed here (and they still have some of the props on show) and during WW2 they built planes here, just like BAE. Don’t worry, I didn’t mention the war. The guide brought up the topic ;-)

Speaking of the guide, he was one of the worst I’ve ever had. He didn’t seem at all interested in what he was saying and rattled on quickly even though it must have been obvious that 90% of the group couldn’t speak good German. Still, if you could keep up he had some useful facts to offer and a few little anecdotes to keep the kiddies amused. The tour begins with visitors walking through a narrow dingy little tunnel. This widens into a cavern filled with statues of Mary (why?), props from the film and some model aeroplanes. From there you move on to the boat ride, which was probably the best bit. Until the end, that is, when the beautiful darkness was disturbed by a fluorescent sign which frankly would have been better suited to Blackpool promenade. This was in German, and a little poem which I cannot remember exactly. Still the gist was

Let’s all thank God
That we just didn’t die
Now give your guide a tip
As you say goodbye

Cheeky? Yep, but unfortunately commonplace in Austria these days. The Viennese family dug into their pockets but since the Italians hadn’t understood I just snuck out with them. For the record, I do tip (and as an former waitress I know how much tips can mean in some cases), but not when the service / product was that bad.

Facts and Figures
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Tours, which are compulsory, run every half hour or so and last about 40 minutes. Entrance fees range from 40 Ös (2 GBP) for children to 65 Ös (3.30 GBP) for adults. They have a student discount but I’m not sure what it is since they weren’t willing to accept my UMIST ID card. Interestingly enough they wouldn’t take ISIC either, only Euro 26.... There’s a little shop selling general Austrian crap, sorry, souvenirs. Prices start at 5 Ös (25p) for postcards. The lake opens at 9am every day and shuts between 3.30pm and 5.30pm depending on season and day of the week. For more info visit the website.

One last point. I am not a coat person. I have never been one either. During the last year I think I’ve worn one twice, and I’m a person who spends 8 or 9 months of the year in Manchester which is hardly known for it’s tropical climate. But, even I would recommend a jacket or at least jumper for this place. The temperature inside it a steady 9 C all year round. If you forget you can rent a blanket for 20p but they looked a bit manky.

Getting There
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From Vienna you need to get an S(chnell) Bahn to Mödling (although quite near, it is classed as NiederÖsterreich not Wien). These run via Wien Mitte, Wien Südbahnhof and Wien Meidling usually ever 15 mins. Anything with final destination as Mödling or WienerNeustadt will do. Fare is 21 Ös return (just over a pound). From Mödling you need bus 364 or 365 from the stop outside the pizza stand. Fare is again 21 Ös but this time each way. Weird Austrian transport system... Anyway according to the website you should get off at stop See Grotte. Fair enough, except they don’t announce the stops, and the signs are so badly faded that you can hardly tell where you are. My advice? Ding the bell and get off as soon as you go past the huge branch of Billa. Then walk down the hill you’ve just driven up and follow the signs along a little alley way until you see the welcoming See Grotte sign. Busses run every 30 mins in both directions, so miss it and you’ve got a bit of a wait.

Alternatively, Vienna Sightseeing run tours every week to here along with a trip to Baden. These cost 520 Ös for 4 hours. In comparison I paid less than 130 Ös for travel, entry and souvenirs.

Verdict
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Since the tours only run in German I wouldn’t recommend it unless you’re pretty fluent. Only being able to say „weil ich spät ins Bett gegangen bin“ will, needless to say, not suffice. Of course if you really want to go you could just pay for me to come along on holiday with you and I’d be happy to translate ;-)

Website
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Not official, but good none the less

http://www.tourist-net.co.at/niedoe/seegrotte/seegr1e.htm

 

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