Frequently asked questions.

When you book direct through this website, there's no portal surcharge — you pay the same or a lower price and, if anything comes up, you speak to us directly rather than to a hotline. City tax is already included in the price.

City tax is included in the price. On top of that, a final cleaning fee is charged — depending on the size of the apartment. The exact amount is shown to you during the booking process, before you book. There are no hidden costs.

Payment is handled securely via Stripe. You can pay by credit card, SEPA direct debit, Sofort or Klarna. International guests can also use iDEAL, Alipay, WeChat Pay and PayNow.

Yes, up to 14 days before check-in you get the full amount back. Up to 5 days before check-in we refund 50 per cent; after that no refund is possible.

Yes, we rent from two nights.

Yes, and we're especially well set up for this in Mariazell. At Pater-Heinrich-Abel-Platz there are seven units in the same building — from the Family Apartment for six people to the penthouse for twelve. Together we can put up a whole wedding party, a family clan or a company team under one roof. The best thing is to write to us directly at welcome@hospitalityservices.at, then we'll sort out availability together.

Check-in is possible from 4:00 pm, check-out until 11:00 am.

You check in yourself: two days before arrival we send you a message with the code for the key box and directions. That way you're not tied to any arrival time and can arrive late in the evening too.

If the apartment is free, we're happy to make it possible. Whether there's a surcharge we look at individually — arriving an hour early is different from staying until the evening. Just let us know in advance and we'll find a solution.

From Vienna you take the A1 West to the St. Pölten Süd exit and then 76 kilometres south on the B20 — around two hours. From Graz it's via the A9, S35 and S6 to Kapfenberg and then 49 kilometres north on the B20, also around two hours. From Linz and Salzburg you come via the A1 to Ybbs and on via Scheibbs.

That works very well. From Vienna Hauptbahnhof the regional bus line 169 runs to Mariazell bus station with no changes, a journey of around three hours. The nicer option: take the train to St. Pölten and from there the Mariazellerbahn — 85 kilometres of narrow-gauge line through the foothills of the Alps, partly in a panorama carriage with a glass roof. From Graz you take the Railjet to Kapfenberg and continue on bus line 170.

Please note: Mariazell station isn't in the town centre but towards St. Sebastian — reckon on a good kilometre on foot or take a taxi. Locally there's Taxi Scheucher (+43 664 4837688, daily 6:00 am–10:00 pm) and Taxi Orttenburger (+43 664 5129651, daily 7:00 am–11:00 pm); both ask you to book the evening before and take cash.

We don't have our own parking spaces right by the building — but we're happy to reserve you a space in a garage a few minutes' walk away. It costs 15.00 euros per day. Just let us know when you book that you're coming by car, and we'll take care of it in good time.

If you'd rather park yourself: the town centre has a paid short-stay zone, daily from 9:00 am to 8:00 pm, with a maximum parking time of 180 minutes. For longer parking the public car park on Grazer Straße (P2) is ideal, around five minutes' walk from the main square, maximum 7.00 euros per day. On the edge of town there are also free parking spaces, five to twenty minutes' walk from the Basilica. Important: the ticket machines only take cash and give no change — it's worth having coins with you.

We don't have our own charging facility at the building. The public Grazer Straße car park (P2) has EV charging stations.

We have eight very different units:

• Family Apartment Basilika — two bedrooms, up to 6 people, with a view of the Basilica
• Family Apartment Bürgeralpe — three bedrooms, up to 8 people, spacious for families and groups
• Family Apartment Erlaufsee — two bedrooms, up to 6 people, central with a Basilica view
• Family Apartment Ötscher — two bedrooms, up to 6 people
• Family Apartment Hubertussee — two bedrooms plus a sofa-bed room, up to 6 people
• Family Apartment Kalvarienberg — two bedrooms with a sofa bed and a bathtub, up to 6 people
• Shalala Penthouse — five bedrooms, up to 12 people, with a private sauna and a view over Mariazell
• MiniZell — studio for 2 people right on the main square. Small. Fine. Central.

Every apartment has its own kitchen and its own bathroom. On top of that there's free Wi-Fi, a TV, a washing machine, a hair dryer, clothes hangers, bed linen and a smoke detector. You reach the building on Pater-Heinrich-Abel-Platz by lift — handy with suitcases, a pram or ski gear. The MiniZell studio on the main square is in a building without a lift.

Every kitchen is fully equipped — with an oven, dishwasher, microwave and coffee machine as well as crockery, glasses, cutlery and cooking utensils. So you can easily cook for yourself. The coffee machines are Nespresso machines — it's best to bring matching capsules, though you can also buy them in town.

All apartments are heated. You won't need air conditioning in Mariazell — the town sits at around 850 metres above sea level, and the nights stay pleasantly cool even in high summer.

Yes, free Wi-Fi is available in all apartments — stable enough to work or make video calls.

Yes. Bed linen is provided, plus one hand towel and one bath towel per guest. If you need more — for swimming at the Erlaufsee, say, or for the sauna — please bring your own towels.

Yes, in all apartments. The penthouse also has a tumble dryer — a real advantage with wet ski clothes, especially in winter.

Yes. The Family Apartments have room for six to eight people, the penthouse even for twelve. We provide a travel cot and high chair free of charge on request — just let us know when you book.

In the Shalala Penthouse, yes — a private sauna is part of the apartment there. We don't have a shared sauna for all units. If you still don't want to go without: the JUFA Hotel in St. Sebastian lets external guests into its indoor pool with sauna by prior arrangement.

Dogs are welcome in the Family Apartment Basilika by prior arrangement. In the other units pets are unfortunately not possible. Please let us know before booking so we can assign you the right apartment.

Smoking is not allowed anywhere indoors. Between 10:00 pm and 7:00 am we ask for quiet — we live in the middle of town, and the building also has permanent residents as neighbours. Please use the apartment only with the number of people booked; parties and events are not possible.

In Austria waste is collected separately. The bins are in the building — on the left-hand side as you stand in front of it. We appreciate your help.

You can reach us by phone on +43 720 115188 and by email at welcome@hospitalityservices.at, and we'll take care of it at short notice.

We don't offer a breakfast service — but every apartment has its own kitchen. You'll get fresh baked goods at the Köck bakery on Grazer Straße. And Pirker on the main square is one of the few places in town open seven days a week, from 8:00 am on weekdays and 9:00 am at weekends — Mariazell gingerbread included.

The BILLA at Grazer Straße 26 is open Monday to Friday from 7:00 am to 7:15 pm and on Saturdays from 7:15 am to 6:00 pm — a few minutes away on foot. In St. Sebastian, a few minutes by car, there's another BILLA and a SPAR.

Important: on Sundays all grocery shops in Austria are closed, Mariazell included. If you want to cook for yourself at the weekend, it's best to shop on Saturday morning. For a Sunday emergency: Pirker on the main square is open, as is the Drogerie zur Gnadenmutter from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm.

Our recommendations, all reachable on foot or a few minutes by car:

• Brauhaus Mariazell, Wiener Straße 5 — house-brewed beer and, for us, the best food in town (closed Mon & Tue, +43 3882 25230)
• Stadtheuriger, Grazer Straße 19 — evening restaurant and bar with a terrace (Thu–Sun from 5:00 pm, +43 699 12806183)
• Edelweißhütte on the Bürgeralpe — mountain-hut food with a panorama, open as long as the cable car runs (+43 664 8950258)
• Seerosi at the Erlaufsee — self-service right by the water, ideal for a day at the lake
• Ochsenwirt on Arthur-Krupp-Platz — classic inn cuisine next to the Basilica (cash only)
• Hotel Drei Hasen on Wiener Straße and Pirker on the main square
• Lurgbauer in St. Sebastian — the special evening for two, by reservation only (+43 3882 3718)

Almost all of them have closing days and work by reservation. A call before you set off is worth it, especially at weekends and during Advent.

The Basilica is practically on the doorstep and open from 7:30 am to 8:00 pm; you can visit the treasuries from May to October (closed Mondays). You can light candles in the Kerzerlgrotte behind the church.

The Bürgeralpe Express takes you from the town up to 1,267 metres: Holzknechtland, the Biberwasser play world, the Erzherzog-Johann-Warte lookout and the "Flylinas Hexenflug" forest roller coaster. At the Kristallsee there's water fun with a water-ski lift and a flying carpet. On the Gemeindealpe in Mitterbach you ride mountain carts almost five kilometres from the mountain down into the valley.

The Erlaufsee is around three kilometres away: drinking-water quality, a pebble beach, a lawn for lounging, boat hire, free entry. Plus the Ötschergräben, the "Grand Canyon of Austria", as well as tennis courts and bike hire in town. In July and August, bands play at the concerts by the mountain lake — the Mariazeller Bergwelle — on the lake stage at 1,270 metres.

Three things. First, the Pirker erLebzelterei, 150 metres from the Basilica: through a glass passage you can watch gingerbread being made, more than 80 varieties a day (7.90 euros per person, no booking needed). Second, the Museumstramway to the Erlaufsee — in 2026 it runs from 23 May to 26 October on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays with the world's oldest steam tram locomotive, built in 1884.

And a third that most people overlook: the Kerzerlgrotte right behind the Basilica. Hundreds of candles, soot-blackened walls, complete silence — one of the most striking places in town, especially in the evening.

The Bürgeralpe ski area starts right in town: 11 kilometres of pistes from 851 to 1,267 metres. With one ticket you can also ski in Annaberg and on the Gemeindealpe Mitterbach — around 42 kilometres of pistes together. The Gemeindealpe is the sportier mountain: 15.5 kilometres of pistes up to 1,626 metres, a snow park, a fun slope and the steepest piste in Lower Austria. With a valid ski pass, the Mariazellerbahn between Mariazell and Mitterbach is free.

Add to that the natural toboggan run with night tobogganing under floodlights, around 58 kilometres of cross-country trails, ski tours and an ice rink in town. A special experience is the Lichterzauber on the Bürgeralpe: from 19 November to 20 December 2026 (Thu–Sun) and daily from 26 December to 6 January, the Holzknechtland turns into a garden of lights.

The Mariazeller Advent is regarded as Austria's largest traditional Advent market — deliberately quiet and nostalgic, with the Basilica as a backdrop. In 2026 it runs from 19 November to 20 December, Thursday to Sunday each week plus 7 and 8 December. A tip from experience: on the Advent weekends the town is busy and parking is scarce — it's better to arrive early in the day.

The Basilica with its treasuries, the Pirker erLebzelterei, the Heimathaus with its hunting and natural-history museum, the Montanmuseum mining museum in Gußwerk and the water-supply museum. The JUFA Hotel in St. Sebastian lets external guests into its indoor pool and sauna by prior arrangement. There's no cinema in Mariazell, but the K.O.M.M. cultural association regularly holds film days.

The Mariazell health centre at Spitalgasse 4 is open daily from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm, phone +43 3882 2222. Outside these hours the health advice line on 1450 helps around the clock; in a life-threatening emergency dial 144. The Apotheke zur Gnadenmutter pharmacy at Hauptplatz 4 is open on weekdays from 8:00 am to 6:00 pm and on Saturdays from 8:00 am to 1:00 pm.

The most important emergency numbers in Austria: 144 ambulance, 133 police, 122 fire brigade, 140 mountain rescue, 112 European emergency number.

Five of our apartments are at Pater-Heinrich-Abel-Platz 2, a few steps from the Basilica and the main square. The MiniZell studio is right on the main square. Mariazell itself sits at around 850 metres above sea level in the Mariazell region, about two hours' drive from both Vienna and Graz. The town centre is so compact that you can usually leave the car parked for your whole stay.