Level of difficulty 3 |  Gastronomy 1 |  Length 18.2 km |  Time 5 - 6 hours

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The south-east of Austria is full of lonely waterways that stretch all the way to Hungary. For almost twenty dreamy kilometers the rivers Feistritz and Lafnitz run through beaver areas, river meadows and past remote sandbanks.

General information

• Südburgenland tourist information
• Southeast Styria tourist information
• Western Transdanubia tourist information
• Fürstenfeld Wikipedia
• Szentgotthárd Wikipedia
• Feistritz Wikipedia
• Lafnitz Wikipedia
• Burgenland Card
• Genusscard Styria
• Climate
• Wind, waves, weather

Navigation rules

Avoid gravel and sand banks as well as zones with aquatic plants as far as possible (animal and nature conservation). Please take waste with you and dispose of it later on land. Species such as the Siberian iris, stork and kingfisher need to be protected. That is why since 2022 the Lafnitztal valley with its wetland habitats has also been a Ramsar site.

Dangers and risks

The unpredictable is a constant companion on this tour and depending on the water level and previous weather conditions, blockages of driftwood are always possible along the Feistritz. Both rivers have dug deep into the ground in parts, and because many places involve portage, sturdy shoes are a better choice than neoprene shoes or sandals. In any case, please wear footwear, because usually you have to portage over steep banks with a height of up to three meters!

A lot of dead trees and larger branches are lying in the water. You have to paddle with foresight to avoid catching your fins on a trunk or branch just below the surface of the water. Sweepers - i.e. branches and trees occasionally hanging down to the water - and the dead trees lying stuck in the water can also be dangerous for advanced paddlers if overlooked.

Riffels and shallow areas appear again and again, but mostly no dismounting is necessary. Standing far forward on the board should be enough to lift the fins.

The Lafnitz River has sills every few kilometers, of which probably only two are passable. However, this could be different in the event of high water. The portages often take place over steep and earthy banks. You should therefore be sure-footed and have good coordination in order to carry all the equipment past the obstacles.

We also point out the danger of too low a water level. On both rivers this can happen more often than paddlers desire.

The relevant measuring stations on the Feistritz should show at least the following water levels:  Anger 200 cm, Hofing 80 cm.

The relevant measuring stations on the Lafnitz are situated in Dobersdorf and Eltendorf. Both should show at least a water level of 140 cm.

We recommend bypassing the mill in Dobersdorf via the canal of the meander cutoff. After the mill you would otherwise have to re-enter on private property, which is not allowed. It is currently unknown how easy it is to get into the water on the opposite side of this private property.

Occasionally fishermen can go about their daily work on the banks, because the Feistritz and Lafnitz, together with their side channels and oxbow lakes, are popular fishing areas. Then it's time to look out for fishing rods, swimmers and fishing lines and navigate around them.

Directions

Coming from Graz, take the A2 motorway (Südautobahn) in the direction of Vienna and take the Ilz/Fürstenfeld exit. Coming from Vienna, take the A2 southbound via Hartberg to the Ilz/Fürstenfeld exit. Follow the course of the country road until after about 11.5 km you pass the main station of Fürstenfeld. This is not easily recognizable on the left because the station building looks more like a large residential building.

After another 800 m, take the Loipersdorfer Straße street on the left at the fork in the road, drive straight ahead over the roundabout and after 140 m turn into Rennmühlstraße (sharp left after the red snack bar on the left-hand side of the road). This road runs straight for 1.7 km, going over a small bridge at the weir. After the bridge, turn right and park on the right-hand side of the road along the bike path.

Parking

North of the small weir in Fürstenfeld, at the water entrance, you can park your car on Kohlwiesenweg Street on the right-hand side of the road. Unfortunately, the spacious parking areas on the opposite bank of the river are private property, so parking without a permit is prohibited.

At the Hungarian end of the tour there are plenty of parking spaces on both banks of the river in the area of shops, but using them for several hours at a time is at your own risk. In paddler forums there are a few reports of bad experiences with parked cars in the area.

Parking lot of Penny und DM supermarkets
Parking lot of Fezo supermarket
Parking lot of market square

Swimming

In many places with little current, such as on the banks of the river, you can cool off wonderfully at your own risk. However, the water of the Feistritz is not always as clear as one would like it to be, because the sandy and loamy subsoil releases sediments again and again, which can turn the water brownish. Even if the water levels are generally low, there are enough sections without sufficient footing.

Foam crowns also tend to appear on blockages, which unfortunately indicate a certain degree of contamination.

As an alternative, the baths in the region offer comprehensive bathing fun and comfort with fewer risks:

Public bath Fürstenfeld
Badstraße 1, 8280 Fürstenfeld
Phone +43 (0)664 73451854

Natural bathing lake Königsdorf
7423 Neustift an der Lafnitz
Phone +43 (0)3338 3050

Worth seeing

On a walk through Fürstenfeld you get to know the historic old town along 16 interesting spots. The walk leads through narrow streets and past centuries-old buildings (e.g. the old town hall, the parish church or the Franciscan monastery).

The Szentgotthárd Abbey dates from the 12th century and part of its premises – the rooms of Cistercians – now serves as the town hall. The former dining room on the ground floor is now used as a concert hall and wedding hall.

Extra Tips

If it's not the SUP board, it could also be a canoe. Guided canoe tours abound in the region as it is a popular destination for canoeists. The various bodies of water and tour providers usually invite you to take a discovery trip of several hours between May and October.

Info page of the tourist board Südburgenland
Info page of the tourist board Jennersdorf
Sunsplash Kanu

The so-called subscription concerts in Fürstenfeld offer music from a wide variety of styles throughout the year. The summer, however, is event-free.

In Szentgotthárd you will find an entertaining nature trail. It is located near the Cistercian church and the monastery building. Along this path there are seven information boards in the shape of an open book, giving the reader a glimpse of the earlier life of the Cistercians.

Tour

From the small weir in Fürstenfeld along the rivers Feistritz and Lafnitz to the mouth of the river Raab in Szentgotthárd.

Length

18,2 km

Time

5 - 6 hours

Start and landing

Start at the small weir in the east of Fürstenfeld.

Land in Szentgotthárd on the left bank at the confluence of the Lafnitz and Raab.

SUP rental

None

Overnight Stay

Big apartment in Bad Loipersdorf on a farm near Fürstenfeld
Rittscheintalstraße 84, 8282 Bad Loipersdorf
Phone +31 (20) 894 5659

Aparthotel Heuberger
Grazer Straße 1, 7571 Rudersdorf
Phone +43 (0)660 460 0919

Haus Semmi
Grazer Platz 9, 8280 Fürstenfeld
Phone +43 (0)676 7448234

La Villa Pergola
Kossuth ut 56, 9970 Szentgotthárd
Phone +36 (0)30 9 471 559

Andante Guesthouse & Restaurant
Füzesi ut 12, 9970 Szentgotthárd
Phone +36 (0)94 44 55 66

Hotel Zsida
Zöldlomb utca 1, 9970 Szentgotthárd

Gastronomy

Das Hermann’s
Ungarstraße 1, 8280 Fürstenfeld
Phone +43 (0)3382 52939

Fürstenbräu Braugasthaus
Hauptstrasse 31, 8280 Fürstenfeld
Phone +43 (0)3382 55255

Beim Borckenstein – Styrian Style Tapas Bar
Hauptstraße 2A, 8280 Fürstenfeld
Phone +43 (0) 664 5142326

Maximilian Cocktailbar
Stadt-Zug-Platz 2, 8280 Fürstenfeld
Phone +43 (0)676 5833330

Havanna Lounge
Burgenlandstrasse 2, 8280 Fürstenfeld
Phone +43 (0)664 1200092

Rezi Pizzeria and Restaurant
Martirok ut 5/A, 9970 Szentgotthard
Phone +36 (0)70 263 2761

Cafe Corso
Szell Kalman ter 21/A, 9970 Szentgotthard
Phone +36 (0)20 430 5766

Double river pleasure

The Austro-Hungarian border area is characterized by countless natural tame waterways, which provide paddling areas with different characters for nature lovers. Today's tour is a combination of the two rivers Feistritz and Lafnitz, which will end after about 18 km in the Hungarian town of Szentgotthard right after the border.

We choose to start in the small austrian town of Fürstenfeld in south-east Styria, which is well known in this country for a wonderful classic Austropop song (Band: STS – Song: Fürstenfeld). East of the town there is a small weir, which offers us ideal starting conditions, because here you can park your car on the side of the road and comfortably carry the board between the bushes to the sandy-loamy pool under the weir.

After about a hundred meters, the almost standing water merges with the faster-flowing water of the weir and with a little push we start our natural adventure. We paddle the first one and a half kilometers under the treetops through long curves and enjoy the spring-like chirping of the birds around us.

We were told that it is far more difficult to paddle here in the summer as the water levels are often poor. It is therefore worth taking a look at the water water levels online. We were also lucky that during the week before our tour rainy days had spoiled the weather again and again, which resulted in a far better water level on the two rivers today.

If the measuring station on the Feistritz shows a water level of 200 cm near Anger and at least 80 cm near the municipality of Hofing a SUP ride should be possible.

The water levels for the Lafnitz should reach at least 140 cm at the measuring points in Dobersdorf and Eltendorf. Below that, also the flor rate will probably be extremely slow.

After about 1.5 kilometers of leisurely drifting, we enter the meandering part of our route with a sharp left turn. Here the Feistritz River is only between ten and fifteen meters wide and there are always tree trunks and driftwood in the water. The zig-zag course through the river meadows is obviously fun and we pass the small islands to the left and right, mostly with increased currents. In contrast to the river Raab, which has a similar character over long stretches, fewer trees and branches hang into the water here. However, there are also steep and high meanders and dreamy sandbanks.

Shortly before the mill in the village of Dobersdorf we end up in a wooden blockage, because in a river bend the driftwood has collected with plastic waste.

The floating carpet looks insurmountable at first, even portaging the boards is out of the question, since the banks are vertical and earthy and you can't stand in the water. Fortunately, on the far right, a nice tree trunk is about 30 cm firmly fixed above the water, so that you can slide the board under it and climb over the tree yourself. You don't find such an easy obstacle solution every day and later we will also find even less easy spots to bypass.

After a few bends in the river we reach the mill in Dobersdorf (also called the Bagdy Mill) and go ashore to portage the mill. Just around the corner on Mühlwinkelstraße Street you can marvel at an old boundary stone from 1756, the inscription on it mentions Maria Theresia, the Queen of Hungary at the time.

Unfortunately we do not know that our planned entry on the other side (on the right after the bridge and the fish ladder) is on private property, it is therefore not permitted to pass. After a nice and enlightening conversation with the property owners living there, we exceptionally climb into the fast water under the weir and make the following recommendation for this transfer:

The most sensible thing would be to take the meander cutoff just before the mill, because it offers the shortest route around the private property and is easily accessible.

You could possibly try your luck at the mill by not going left over the small bridge to the private property, as we did, but going right past the mill and climbing across the meadow down to the shore. The terrain here allows for a good descent in many places (please feel free to pass on your experiences with this variant to us).

At the latest at the end of the next bend we realize that we are in the middle of the beaver area, when we have to dodge two tree trunks that have recently fallen across. This is tricky and time-consuming because there is no stable footing, just a few reasonably well-wedged branches to climb on. The landowner had warned us about this obstacle beforehand and we could easily have saved ourselves 15 minutes of time and nerves via the canal.

When crossing the two blockages, we don't even notice that the Golfclub Loipersdorf is already on the right above us, but this becomes obvious a few meters downstream as soon as the short-mown meadows rise up next to the Feistritz river. We have been in the austrian state of Burgenland since the mill and are now paddling by the unspectacular confluence of the Feistritz and the river Lafnitz, which suddenly comes from the left between Dobersdorf and Königsdorf.

Both narrow rivers now continue in a somewhat wider river course. The Feistritz ends here and the Lafnitz is now up to 30 meters wide in some places, but carries almost motionless tame water most of the time.

The Lafnitz has always been a border river, separating the Roman regions of Pannonia and Noricum. However, rivers are not always reliable as boundary markers as they can change course. So it is not surprising that the border between the states of Burgenland and Styria along our route does not always correspond to the course of the river. The actual course of the border thus corresponds to a historical course of the Lafnitz river, which has changed over the decades since the First World War due to the ongoing flow dynamics. A look at a map tells us how much unregulated river courses can change over time.

From now on, however, the course of the river is heavily regulated and one sill follows the next. Shortly after the golf course there is the first one, which can be navigated on the right hand side if the water level is right. But it doesn't hurt to stand or even kneel a little further forward on the board.

A few minutes later we stand at an impassable rapid, in addition, both banks in the immediate vicinity are unfortunately too overgrown. On the right bank, however, there is a small channel around the sill. We take it and paddle it out until the way is completely blocked. Too much driftwood and low growing bushes. So the solution lies in the 2-3 meter high climb to the meadow above us. The bank is almost vertical and earthy, but a few well-placed stones make our work easier. One paddler goes ahead, after that the boards are pulled up and then the other paddlers follow. We'll have to repeat this maneuver a few more times before we get to Hungary.

The meadow is now quite passable in spring and at the next opportunity we climb down the steep but not high bank leading to the water. Also because of the vegetation, this tour would probably be unthinkable in summer, because many portages would probably be even more tedious through tall grass and lush vegetation .

Then we leisurely paddle on, while occasionally light breezes blow around our ears. Replica chartaques appear again and again near the shore. These watchtowers were used by the Ottomans to defend their territory and today enrich the views of the land from the shore. Finally we approach the Pannonian plain which is influenced by the Mediterranean climate. From time to time we pass lonely farm buildings, otherwise we are in idyllic no man's land.

The next swell in front of us is already audible, unfortunately this one is not passable either, but here too, there is a quiet place to get off on the right bank. We go back up the earthy, loamy wall to the next meadow and shortly afterwards back into the water. We establish a rhythm.

The fairly straightened river slowly pulls us further to the east and fortunately the soon to follow groundsill is easily navigable under a bridge slightly to the right of its middle.

Bike and farm paths run along both banks, making us an attraction for Sunday cyclists and walkers. Unfortunately we can't offer them more action to watch as most of the rock outcrops are impassable, at least not at the current water level.

The other sills are as follows:

Near Poppendorf the sill should be portaged to the left. The bank is only about a meter high, the ascent is relatively easy, but the descent directly below the threshold is a bit steep.

300 m further on you have to stop again and it is best to carry around on the left hand again. Due to the vegetation, you have to enter the water again directly below the sill at the last boulders.  

After that there is almost three kilometers of free-flowing water and the last sill is easily passable again. It is best to stay slightly to the right of center, but expect that the fin may touch the rock slightly. Therefore shift the weight a little forward!

Although the water level is okay along the entire route, shallow areas and ripples are to be expected. Especially with the idyllic pace of this ride, it's no problem to keep your sights on the ground under your boards from time to time. In the area of the municipality of Neuheiligenkreuz on the Austro-Hungarian border, with a bit of luck, we spot an elongated and transverse stone edge in the shallow water and can paddle past it to the left in a swinging manner.

If you recognize this spot too late, you either have to lift your board over the stones or paddle back a bit to be able to enter the left-hand current.

In any case, there is a little push here again, which brings us over the border and into a long right-hand bend to Szentgotthárd. Shortly thereafter, we pass a green-painted railway bridge and see the tower of the Virgin Mary Church in the town's center.

Shortly before the third bridge, over which the street Füzesi út leads, we land on the left at a reasonably suitable place. From the other side, the river Raab flows around the corner. The Lafnitz has reached its end with its confluence with the Raab. One last time we climb a small difference in altitude and walk throug tall grass in order to reach the road. Our afternoon tour ends here in the north of the small town and after a high-five and a victory pose, a tick check awaits, which fortunately remains negative for all of us.

In terms of paddling, this route is not a great challenge and it should also be suited for beginners. The difficulty sometimes lies in the awkward portages of the sills and any blockages. Sweepers and dead trees lying in the water can also be dangerous for advanced paddlers if you overlook them. That's why we recommend always paddling into the Pannonian Plain in groups.

If you are not traveling with two cars and are thus able to shuttle, you can take public transport back to Fürstenfeld.

By train: From the exit it takes about 15 minutes to walk and from there it takes no more than an hour and a half (depending on the connection) to the train station in Fürstenfeld. In the small town called Fehring you have to change trains once.

From the train station in Fürstenfeld it takes about half an hour to walk back to the water entry of this tour.

By bus: From the exit it takes about 15 minutes to walk to the train station and from there take the train to Fehring (ride lasting no more than 20 minutes). Here you can change to the bus and go to Fürstenfeld main station (Fürstenfeld HBF) if you don't continue by train anyway.

From the train station in Fürstenfeld it takes about half an hour to walk back to the water entry of this tour.