Raab River - Neumarkt to Szentgotthárd

Level of difficulty 2 |  Gastronomy 1 |  Length 15 km |  Time 2 - 3 hours

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Well hidden, the almost inconspicuous Raab River meanders through the Austro-Hungarian border area and opens up incredible insights into the deserted primeval forest landscape of the Raab Nature Park.

General information

• Südburgenland tourist information
• Southeast Styria tourist information
• Western Transdanubia tourist information
• Raab Nature Park
• Raab Wikipedia
• Szentgotthárd Wikipedia
• Climate
• Wind, waves, weather

Navigation rules

Any boating or paddling should be avoided between 6:00 p.m. and 8:00 a.m. In addition, gravel and sandbanks as well as zones with aquatic plants should be avoided (animal and nature conservation). Please take waste with you and dispose of it later on land.

Dangers and risks

The water level is not always optimal and with a bit of bad luck the Raab is impassable. If the water level is high enough, you can already be quite fast from the starting point on, so get on the water well warmed up!

The following water levels are recommended: Feldbach 100 cm, Neumarkt 150 cm.

The entire route is marked by trees, branches and bushes hanging towards the water (so-called sweepers). There are also dead trees or tree trunks in the water. Especially in combination with the fairly fast flow speed, paddling on sight is indispensable.

Sometimes you glide over shallow areas. It is best to check the water depth with a paddle in calmer sections of the river.

When disembarking in Szentgotthárd, take the concrete steps on the left. The power plant with its sharp drop is just behind the staircase. Since there is no limit, you could be pulled up to and over its edge - danger!

In the border area it is advisable to always paddle with a passport!

Directions

Coming from the west or the north via Jennersdorf, turn from Eisenstädter Straße (opposite the Billa supermarket) into Neumarkter Straße heading south and after approx. 1.3 km you arrive at the small bridge over the Raab River. After the bridge turn right, driving down to the weir and the parking lot by the south bank.

Coming from Szentgotthárd, take Mártírok út Street towards the southwest and follow the road for 10 km. Shortly before the small bridge over the Raab, turn left down to the weir and the parking lot.

Parking

In front of the weir in St. Martin an der Raab there is enough free space for parking. Please note the signs and keep the loading zone free for commercial canoe providers (Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday mornings)!

Swimming

Just because of its recent environmental history it is not advisable to bathe in the river. Of course, it's not bad to fall into the water from time to time, but you won't find classic bathing water here. However, it has to be said that the brownish color is due to the sediments carried along, not to any industrial effluent.

Otherwise, Jennersdorf and Szentgotthárd offer a few bathing lakes that are a good alternative to the river. In addition, the Szentgotthárd Spa offers year-round water fun and relaxation.

Worth seeing

The Tabor Castle was built in the 15th century, is now known as a popular venue and houses a wine tavern. Since 2003, great outdoor events called JOpera have been held here every summer.

The Styrian house was originally built as a workers' home (1902) and has been a museum since 1983. Today the Museum of Homeland and Slovene Nationalities Pável Ágoston consists of several collections and is open all year round.

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 first floor is now used as a concert hall and wedding hall.

Extra Tips

The Raab Nature Park stretches across Austria, Hungary and Slovenia and offers sports enthusiasts and nature lovers a wide range of activities. In addition, cultural and informative events are regularly held in the region.

The rustic artists village in Neumarkt an der Raab is also open to non-artists. At this quiet and inspirational place everyone can rent a room and attend events while absorbing the spirits of greats as Peter Turrini, H.C. Artmann and Rosa Pock who all lived and worked here.

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 barrage of St. Martin an der Raab to the weir in Szentgotthárd.

Length

15 km

Time

2 - 3 hours

Start and landing

Start at the small power plant near Neumarkt an der Raab.

Land at the pier/concrete stairs in front of the weir in Szentgotthárd. 

SUP rental

Association for the Promotion of the Raab Nature Park
Kirchenstrasse 4, 8380 Jennersdorf
Phone +43 (0)3329 48453

Overnight Stay

Stunning home in St. Martin ad Raab
Jennersdorfer Strasse 8, 8380 Neumarkt an der Raab
Phone +45 (0)39 14 30 80

Hotel Raffel
Hauptplatz 6, 8380 Jennersdorf
Tel. +43 (0)3329 46622

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

Burgenlandhof
Kirchenstrasse 4, 8380 Jennersdorf
Phone +43 (0)3329 453410

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

Austro-Hungarian border experience

The Raab River rises north of the Styrian capital of Graz, runs through the state called Burgenland and ends in Hungarian Győr, where it flows into the Danube. The narrow lowland river winds its way through the countryside in innumerable meanders, carves its way into the ground like a canyon and then again forms large sand and gravel banks as well as islands. The Raab offers paddlers pleasant, sometimes quite brisk, tame water.

A beautiful and scenically varied route can be found between Neumarkt/Raab in the Austrian state of Burgenland and the small border town of Szentgotthard (Hungary). This stretch of river in the middle of Raab Nature Park is very popular, especially among canoeists, which is why the Association for the Promotion of the Raab Nature Park offers up to three weekly canoe tours between May and October.

We take advantage of the great preparatory work of the canoeists and decide to also board at the barrage at the Neumarkt/Raab power plant. Driving from Jennersdorf in the direction of Neumarkt an der Raab, you turn sharply to the right immediately after the small bridge leading over the river and get to the expansive parking area in front of the power plant.

However, it is important to heed the warnings here, because you are asked not to park directly in front of the snack banks on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, as this is where the canoe unloading point for the guided tours is located. The area offers enough other free parking spaces away from this unloading zone.

Our first route upon arrival is down to the river, as the enticing rush of the water below the weir is too alluring to ignore. So we start sightseeing right away and rejoice in the fact that, contrary to expectations, there is a clear but calm current here.

Looks good that we can complete the almost 15 km to Szentgotthárd in about 2.5 entertaining hours. As we begin to unload our boards, the first load of canoes is already delivered, and so we prepare for our forthcoming trip together with the canoeists.

The way down to the water is a bit steep, but you can get in flat at the bottom of the river bed and start the Raab adventure with momentum under the bridge. Here the river is a maximum of twenty meters wide and overhung by trees on both sides. Despite the sunny weather, we paddle in the pleasant shade and immediately get a sense of the entertainment value of this waterway.

Like snakes, we drift briskly from one meander to the next and marvel at the untouched floodplain landscape around us. Maybe this isn't exactly a jungle, but it comes very close to defining one. Well, after all we are paddling through agricultural land, but you don't notice that down here on the water. Forest and bushes are too dense along both banks.

Again and again low-hanging branches stick in our way, dead trees have to be avoided and sometimes driftwood islands or beaver dams can be found along the route. Fortunately, the easy rapids can be mastered by beginners, so the Raab is certainly a good opportunity to get your first experience of paddling on moving water. There are always opportunities to approach eddies and learn to read the water.

After 3 km in a zigzag course through the natural landscape, we suddenly find ourselves in front of a small surge, which our fins would probably not approve of. Luckily, from the congestion zone in front of it, a small side arm leads to the right. It leads through the thicket and due to the previous satellite sighting on the computer, we know that it is a loop leading back into the main river just below the surge.

Full of anticipation, we enter the narrow canal, which is hardly wider than five meters. Countless times we have to bend down to avoid the tree branches and overhanging bushes. Nevertheless, the water carries us quickly through the loop, and so one after the other we paddle an extra kilometer before the main stream pushes us to the Hungarian border. Directly at the border there is another loop you are welcome to paddle through to avoid the small surge there.

As the church of the village of Alsószölnök becomes visible one kilometer in front of us, we know that we have crossed the border and will arrive at the first weir in just a few minutes. We go ashore at the rustic facility and enjoy a short half-time break. To the right of the weir and to the left of the old power station, a small trail leads down to the other side, and from there we head straight back into the second leg of our tour.

Weeping willows and other trees continue to rise like a protective roof over the friendly brown river, which until a few years ago was highly debated due to water protection failures and led to major disagreements among the neighboring countries of Austria and Hungary.

Today, the water quality has improved significantly, and the Raab owes its brown water mainly to the sediments that have been stirred up. After the weir, you never really know exactly which national territory you are in, because the national border seems to run across the Raab in a diffuse way, instead of using the course of the river as a natural border. This is because the national border was once based on the river, but the river has changed its flow over time.

The countless trees and tree trunks blocking the entire river in some places should not be underestimated. Some of them can be bypassed prone, but other times we have to dismount and carry the boards to the other side.

The closer we get to Szentgotthárd, the more the Raab sinks into the landscape and digs into the ground like a canyon, while the banks rise to meter-high earthen walls above us. We let the water push us through those canyons, at the same time the corn fields pass above us. Later, we believe to hear the noise of chainsaws in the distance. But the closer we get to the source of the noise, the clearer it becomes to us that it is probably vehicle engines.

Eventually, we pass the noise on the left and realize that it must be motocross engines. Szentgotthárd has its own motocross track and when we pass it, we are not far from the landing point of our river tour. More and more houses and private properties appear on the right-hand side, some with access to the water. Before we reach the power station of the town, we paddle under the shades of the last trees just before our final destination. There is a good place to moor here at the concrete steps on the left bank.

After the power plant, you could continue paddling straight away on the remaining 207 km to Győr (mouth into the Danube) where there is still a lot to explore. For the return journey you can either be picked up here by car or you walk to the local train station. There you can take the train or the bus. Within 30 minutes and with one change you get back to Neumarkt an der Raab. You find connections to and from all directions on Omio and on RailEurope.

For us, however, this extremely entertaining tour ends here, but we will be back - for another adventure on the Raab.