BEAR SANCTUARY Arbesbach is located in a northern region of Lower Austria called "Waldviertel", just a few minutes' drive outside of the village of Arbesbach. Find detailed road descriptions and public transport schedules here.

BEAR SANCTUARY Arbesbach is the first sanctuary for rescued bears that FOUR PAWS has built. There are now more than ten other sanctuaries and cooperation projects in which FOUR PAWS takes care of rescued bears, big cats and other wild animals. 
Read more about FOUR PAWS' worldwide commitment to animal welfare here.

BEAR SANCTUARY Arbesbach is financed by ticket and shop revenue and donations to FOUR PAWS. 
Find out how you can support BEAR SANCTUARY here.

You can always contact us via e-mail or by phone (+43 (0) 2813 7604 10) during office hours between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., if you have further questions about our work. In addition, you can contact our colleagues at the FOUR PAWS Austria office in Vienna if you have any questions regarding the work of FOUR PAWS.

Our website, Facebook page and Instagram account are the best ways to be updated on our latest news and activities, as also on our individual animal and rescue stories. 

The BEAR SANCTUARY is open to visitors between March and the end of October. In winter the bears rest and the sanctuary is closed. 
You can find detailed information about your visit here.

BEAR SANCTUARY Arbesbach is open daily between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. during the visitor season. 
You can also read about our current opening hours here.

An admission ticket to BEAR SANCTUARY Arbesbach is a day pass. You can enter and exit the sanctuary at any time between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. on the day of your ticket purchase/validation of your online ticket.
Currently valid admission fees can be found here.

You get one free entry per person and per season to BEAR SANCTUARY Arbesbach with the Niederösterreich-CARD. A guided tour needs to be paid for separately. You can find more discounts here.

BEAR SANCTUARY Arbesbach is not a point of sale for the Niederösterreich-CARD, so an extension is not possible on site.
Information on points of sale can be found on the Niederösterreich-CARD website.

Your dog is very welcome to accompany you on a leash at BEAR SANCTUARY Arbesbach. In our dog zone you can even romp around with your four-legged friend without a leash. You can find out more about our activities for dogs here.

At restaurant "Kolm" right next to the sanctuary, toque-awarded menus as well as classic inn cuisine are served. A food stall also offers snacks and drinks. You are allowed to bring your own food and drinks to the sanctuary. 
Information on opening times and reservations can be found on the restaurant "Kolm" website.

Guided tours in German are offered several days a week. Pre-registration for these fixed dates is not required. If you would like to book a guided tour on an individual date or in another language (English or Czech), we ask you to reserve at least a week in advance. You can do this via our online ticket shop or via e-mail at office@baerenwald.at. 
Information on tour dates, duration and reservations can be found here.

There are no thresholds on the entire site, all steps can be bypassed in other ways. However, a large part of the visitor path is paved with natural subsoil or gravel. On some sections of the path the incline is over 6%.
Find out more about accessibility at BEAR SANCTUARY Arbesbach here.

We take great care of a species-appropriate and balanced diet for the bears. Therefore, they may only be fed by our trained animal keepers.
Of course, we would be happy to receive support in the form of donations in kind, e.g. durable food such as walnuts or materials which can be used to make enrichment for the bears.
Here we have put together a small list of useful things and delicacies for the bears.

In order to reduce the risk of a forest fire - and thus potential dangers for visitors and bears - smoking is strictly prohibited throughout the sanctuary. We ask for your understanding.
Smoking is permitted in the gastronomy area (outdoor area) right next to the BEAR SANCTUARY.

After you have selected the tickets you want in the ticket shop and paid by credit card, you will receive an email from Regiondo. This e-mail contains your tickets in PDF format. Please take your smartphone with the PDF file or a printout of the PDF with you when you come to the BEAR SANCTUARY.
If you purchase a gift voucher, it can be activated online (by the recipient) using the following link: regiondo.com/gutschein. You can also find detailed instructions on how to do this directly on your gift voucher. 

After you have selected your desired tickets and paid by credit card, you will receive an email from Regiondo. This contains your gift vouchers in PDF format.. 
If you purchase a gift voucher for a guided tour, you will also receive this by 
e-mail at the address provided. The person receiving the gift can then activate it online at the following link https://www.regiondo.com/voucher to reserve the desired date for the tour. You will always find detailed instructions on how to do this directly on your gift voucher.

Unfortunately, we are currently unable to grant visitors contact-free entry to the BEAR SANCTUARY. Please present your online ticket at the ticket office for validation. In accordance with the requirements of the federal government, we strive to make the processing as safe as possible. Please have your online ticket ready when entering the ticket office to ensure that the validation process is carried out quickly.

Unfortunately, we cannot offer a faster entry to the BEAR SANCTUARY with an online ticket. We try to keep waiting times at the ticket counter as short as possible.

Yes, you have to buy a separate day pass (per person) or a season ticket either in our online shop or on site at the ticket office if you want to join a tour.