small town short train from Vienna for a day escape?

Not a small town but Bratislava is worth considering. We were in Vienna last year (just past Thanksgiving) and took the train from Vienna to Bratislava. Only took an hour and once in Bratislava it is an easy walk or quick tram ride to the old town. There is a very nice local market there on Saturday mornings with various local merchants offering food and other items as well as a Christmas Market and other attractions.
Our train ticket include access to public transit in Bratislava which is handy. The tram stops right in front of the train station and only takes 10 minutes or so to get to the old town.

I was looking at Bratislava - would take subway to train station, then train to bratislava, then tram -just debating if two transfers is worth it with our little one and ,my older mother - I see there is a bus that drops you off right in the old town -but I am guessing there is a reason no one suggests that!

just saw this:
https://www.seat61.com/trains-and-routes/vienna-to-bratislava-by-train.htm
The route will be closed and you have to go to Bratislava Petrzalka station then bus/taxi into town - sounds like a little more efford - boo!

The route will be closed and you have to go to Bratislava Petrzalka station ...

The other route (to Bratislava's main train station) is currently closed due to track repairs in Slovakia, but is scheduled to be reopened effective December 14, 2024.

Usually the trains from Vienna go to either train station in Bratislava, alternating every half hour.

If you buy the special Bratislava Ticket you are entitled to use public transport (trams, busses) in Bratislava for free. Commuting from the train stations and the city is simple. You may go on one route to Bratislava, and go back on the other route.

Melk. Small town, big Abbey. Easy train ride from Vienna.

Not a big tourist attraction, but Wiener Neustadt is nice.

The old town of Bratilsava is pretty sweet. I was there a month ago. Think of it as a very well restored pre-WWI Habsburg town. It really does provide a nice insight into the past. Except I suspect pre-War there were cars on the street, now its pedestrian But it is a museum more than a town. The only locals you will encounter will be the ones selling you food and trinkets and the prices are no great bargain. https://youtu.be/MpzdcaxTKsc?si=XrEbJqW0cPFGky-i

Another option is Győr. I was there a month ago as well. It is almost exactly 1 hour South East of Vienna on the same rail track that goes on to Budapest. The old town of Győr, has a lot in common architecturally to Bratislava in that it exists as it did in the pre-WWI Habsburg empire days. But it is not as well restored as Bratislava, you are more likely to hear Hungarian as English, the people sitting next to you in the restaurant will be speaking Hungarian; in other words its not a museum, its still a functioning part of the city and the prices reflect this as well. https://youtu.be/y3EhzDyCzxg?si=eRwjtVCGPTVqVHjq

Just outside of Győr is the Archabbey of Pannonhalma. This is the high holly place of Hungary and very interesting to visit (take a taxi). https://youtu.be/5w0_-J7FgrE?si=lcTSg8mZkqm4PNpK and https://youtu.be/tEL_wOmJ8V0?si=wHd3s52dNhoSjLIh

Another town worth considering is Sopron. I have to confess that I have not yet been to Sopron which is nothing to be proud of since i live so close.

Sopron is about 1 hour due south of Vienna. Since I cant speak frist hand, I will let the video do it. https://youtu.be/DhmrtTwKrGA?si=hLOzwdw1GJEBdJIO and https://youtu.be/Yj5vjIWd2uA?si=DoL9UhOx4nIgFTuO

Melk would work. Krems an der Donau— with its medieval center—is also interesting. Both are about one hour by train from Vienna.

As Mr. E mentioned— Sopron is a great town— totally lost in time with an intact historic center, Sopron was an important town by 1150. Located right on the Austria-Hungary border, it appears on maps as a bump sticking out from Hungary. This is because it was carved out for Hungary after WW1. when the Austro- Hungarian empire was dissolved.

I second the suggestion to see Wiener Neustadt.

In 2014 I spent a couple of hours there as an excursion from Vienna. It's interesting since the town is connected to Maria Theresa's reforms. True, no tourists are there but that's irrelevant. Walk from the train station to the Zentrum and soon afterwards you come to the old historical sights.

Sorry, but Wiener Neustadt is a bizarre recommendation, in my opinion. It is also worth considering that it will be freezing cold, so you want to go somewhere where you can escape inside for a coffee.

I can recommend Perchtoldsdorf or Mödling, which are two charming villages just outside of Vienna easily reachable by regional train. These both will have markets as well. There is also the option of Grinzing, Nussdorf, Neustift am Walde or Stammersdorf, which are all former villages now within the city limits of Vienna. All charming.

I got curious about Wiener Neustadt. I found a number of articles on the markets and it looks perfect for a really local Christmas experience away from the mass commercialism of the larger city markets. Love it. https://www.google.com/search?sca_esv=dd5ca5e64848e674&sca_upv=1&rlz=1C1VDKB_en&q=Wiener+Neustadt+christmas+market&tbm=vid&source=lnms&fbs=AEQNm0Aa4sjWe7Rqy32pFwRj0UkWd8nbOJfsBGGB5IQQO6L3J5MIFhvnvU242yFxzEEp3BcbXWGQjBp6XyyqfUu6Wz8hWk3bMeDVtqu_mrB1o-K4YflJcFQPwF_8HcO4g0e23yGFHocWKhGHUVyRw0szLJnh8A9Sf22qKDz0aW7pjYIFVMMH0Lk&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiqts7X5uqIAxUhgP0HHQBVGk4Q0pQJegQIChAB&cshid=1727703957151781&biw=1422&bih=770&dpr=1.35#fpstate=ive&vld=cid:da0f74cb,vid:giSE2xgQ7zg,st:0

Oh, forgot to note that I am also a fellow Tar Heel! Welcome to my new home.