Zotter-Schleife Genusswanderweg Riegersburg

If on the one hand it is the enjoyment of nature in the soft-formed landscape, on the other hand there is the sweet pleasure provided by the famous Zotter chocolate manufactory. This hiking tip starts at the Riegersburg information office, where a free hiking brochure (Riegersburger Genussweg) is available. The "Zotter Loop" takes you to the west and northwest of the market town of Riegersburg, passing the Zotter chocolate factory, the "Vulkanland Sekt Kulinarium", the Genusshotel Riegersburg and the valley station of the panorama lift. If you would like to include a visit to Riegersburg Castle in your hike, you should skip the last part and use the lift to ascend to the castle (€ 6). Via the castle you then hike comfortably back to the starting point.

We start at the information center of Riegersburg (1), 377 m, walk slightly uphill in the direction of the center and the castle walkway. Passing the marketplace and several stores, we reach a crossroads, where we keep left and after a short time we reach a traffic circle, where we continue straight ahead. Pass the Altenmarkt b.R. town sign and immediately turn left into a side street. After the bridge we continue to the right along the asphalt road. We hike comfortably uphill, past a few houses, to reach a gravel road in succession. After a forest section we reach an asphalt road again, which takes us directly to the Zotter Schoko-Erlebniswelt (2), 392m. The hiking trail leads us to the right along the road until we reach the Kulinarium, where we again keep to the right to go downhill along meadow and forest paths. Once we reach the valley floor, we keep to the right and follow the asphalt road. We see the Riegersburg castle directly in front of us, turn left at the next junction and shortly afterwards turn right into the forest. From now on, the trail goes uphill through a beautiful piece of forest. When we reach an asphalt road, we keep to the left and walk along the road surrounded by orchards and vineyards. After going slightly downhill, we turn right at the next crossroads. The view convinces us, as we can see the Riegersburg on one side and the Schöckl on the other. We hike along well-kept cultivated areas and a sparsely populated area and have the Riegersburg almost always in front of our eyes. Passing the Genusshotel Riegersburg (3), 391 m, we soon turn right onto a meadow path. Now follows a section over fields and meadows downhill and subsequently through the forest slightly uphill until we reach the parking lot of the Riegersburg (4), 400 m. We see the sign "Fußweg Zentrum" on the opposite side of the road, so we cross the road and now hike slightly downhill. The way back leads across farmland and meadows back to the starting point.