Wachau: Danube, Wine and Abbeys between Melk and Krems

In 36 river kilometres between Melk and Krems, everything that defines Lower Austria comes together: a broad, calmly flowing river, steep vineyard terraces on primary rock, baroque abbeys on cliffs and villages barely changed since the Middle Ages. The Wachau has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2000, and it is not a backdrop but a working landscape: the apricot trees blossom in April, in autumn the winegrowers carry the grapes down the dry-stone walls by hand, and in between you sit at a Heuriger wine tavern looking out over the Danube.

This guide by the Alpengast editorial team takes you downstream from Melk to Krems, explains the wine categories on every label and shows how to experience the valley by bike, boat or on foot – with a village table, transport, seasons and budget. The Wachau is a classic day trip from Vienna; if you stay two or three nights, you experience it without the coach groups that disappear again in the evening.

The Valley at a Glance: Downstream from Melk to Krems

The Wachau begins where the Danube enters a narrow gorge at Melk and ends where it opens out again at Krems. On the north bank lie the wine villages of Spitz, Weißenkirchen and Dürnstein; on the south bank the quieter villages of Rossatz and Mautern and the Aggstein ruin. There are bridges only at Melk and Mautern/Krems; in between, cable ferries take over the crossing.

Melk Abbey: Baroque above the Danube

The Benedictine abbey of Melk has stood on a rock above the river since 1089; its present form was created by Jakob Prandtauer between 1702 and 1736. The tour leads through the imperial rooms and the Marble Hall with its fresco by Paul Troger, across the balcony with Danube views into the library with around 100,000 volumes and 1,800 manuscripts – and finally into the abbey church, a gold rush of stucco, frescoes and high altar. Expect admission of approx. €15 and two hours including the abbey park; from November to March visits are only possible with a guide, usually at 11 am and 2 pm.

Dürnstein: Lionheart and the Blue Tower

The most photographed motif in the Wachau is the pale blue tower of Dürnstein's collegiate church from the 1720s, which looks best from the boat. Above it lies the castle ruin where Richard the Lionheart was held prisoner in the winter of 1192/93, after being recognised near Vienna on his way back from the Crusade. The climb takes a short half hour, costs nothing and offers the best view of the Danube bend. The village itself consists essentially of one lane; before 10 am and after 5 pm you have it almost to yourself.

Weißenkirchen, Spitz and Willendorf

Weißenkirchen is the centre of Riesling: the Achleiten and Klaus vineyards are among the best sites in Austria, and in the village the fortified church and the Wachau Museum are the attractions. Spitz lies at the foot of the Tausendeimerberg, a single hill planted entirely with vines which in good years supposedly yielded a thousand buckets of wine – around 56,000 litres; a circular path leads to the top in an hour. A few kilometres upstream, in 1908, the roughly 29,500-year-old Venus was found at Willendorf; the original stands in the Natural History Museum in Vienna, while a small museum marks the site.

Krems, Stein, Göttweig and Aggstein

With around 25,000 inhabitants, Krems is the town of the Wachau and is often underrated. Through the late Gothic Steiner Tor gate you enter an old town of Renaissance courtyards and good coffee houses; along the Kunstmeile art mile towards Stein you find the Kunsthalle Krems, the Lower Austrian State Gallery and the Caricature Museum with the work of Manfred Deix. On the other side of the Danube stands Göttweig Abbey, the "Austrian Montecassino", with its Imperial Staircase and Troger's ceiling fresco (approx. €12, bus from Krems). At the far end of the valley, the twelfth-century Aggstein castle ruin sits some 300 metres above the south bank (approx. €8).

Wine: Grüner Veltliner, Riesling and the Three Categories

With around 1,350 hectares, the Wachau is a small but internationally highly regarded wine region. Two varieties dominate: Grüner Veltliner, spicy and peppery, at home on the deeper loess soils, and Riesling, which develops its mineral edge on the barren primary-rock terraces of gneiss. Practically all wines are made dry.

Steinfeder, Federspiel, Smaragd

The labels carry the three categories of the Vinea Wachau growers' association, based on natural alcohol content. Steinfeder is the lightest wine (up to 11.5% vol.), named after a feather-light grass of the terraces, ideal as a snack wine. Federspiel (11.5 to 12.5% vol.) is the classic middle category, named after a term from falconry. Smaragd (from 12.5% vol.), named after the emerald lizard on the warm walls, is the most powerful and age-worthy level from the best vineyards such as Loibenberg, Kellerberg or Singerriedel.

Heurige, Wine Shops and the Wine Autumn

The easiest way into the wine is the Heuriger: for a limited period, winegrowers serve their own wines with a cold Jause snack – a board with bacon and spreads, Liptauer cheese, bread and dripping, plus an Achtel (an eighth of a litre) of Veltliner for approx. €3–5. The sign is the pine branch hung above the door. If you want to taste without driving from farm to farm, visit one of the Vinotheken in Spitz, Weißenkirchen, Dürnstein or Krems. The highlight of the year is the Weinherbst Niederösterreich, the wine autumn from September to the end of October, with harvest festivals, cellar-lane walks and young "Sturm", the fermenting grape must.

Alpengast tip: At the Heuriger, do not order "a glass of white wine" but an Achtel of Federspiel, followed by the same wine as a Smaragd. The direct comparison explains the system better than any wine list.

Apricots: The Valley's Second Currency

Alongside wine, the Wachau apricot – the Marille – shapes the valley, with a protected designation of origin since 1996. Around 100,000 trees stand between Melk and Krems, and their blossom in the first half of April turns the slopes into a sea of white and pink for about ten days; the date shifts with the weather. On the plate, the fruit comes as Marillenknödel, dumplings of quark or potato dough rolled in buttered breadcrumbs and served as a main course for approx. €12–15, as apricot schnapps from the winegrowers' distilleries and as jam at breakfast in almost every guesthouse. Alongside comes the Wachauer Laberl, a crisp roll of wheat and rye flour invented in Dürnstein in 1905 and today the basis of every Jause in the valley.

Getting Active: Bike, Boat and the World Heritage Trail

The Danube Cycle Path: The Flat Showpiece Stage

The Danube Cycle Path from Passau to Vienna is one of the busiest long-distance cycle routes in Europe, and the Melk–Krems section is considered its highlight. The roughly 35 kilometres run practically without gradient on both banks: the north bank through the wine villages, the quieter south bank via Aggsbach, Rossatz and Mautern. Rental bikes and e-bikes are available in Melk, Spitz and Krems (approx. €20–35 per day, one-way hire Melk–Krems possible). The cable ferries Spitz–Arnsdorf, Weißenkirchen–St. Lorenz and Dürnstein–Rossatz carry you and your bike across the river for approx. €3–4, usually from April to October until early evening.

By Boat from Melk to Krems

The scheduled boats of DDSG Blue Danube and Brandner Schiffahrt run from roughly April to October between Melk, Spitz, Dürnstein and Krems. Downstream the stretch takes around 1 hour 45 minutes, upstream a good three hours; a one-way ticket costs approx. €30–35, and bikes travel for a surcharge.

Hiking the World Heritage Trail

The Welterbesteig Wachau circles the valley over 180 kilometres in 14 stages, mostly above the terraces with constant Danube views. Good day stages are Dürnstein–Weißenkirchen via the ruin and the Vogelbergsteig (approx. 3 hours, partly secured with cables) or Spitz–Weißenkirchen over the Tausendeimerberg. A popular destination is the Wachauer Nase, a viewing platform high above the river with views in both directions.

Alpengast tip: Take the morning train to Melk, cycle as far as Spitz or Dürnstein and change there onto the afternoon boat to Krems. That way you have tailwind and current on your side and reach Krems in time for an evening in the old town.

A Day Trip from Vienna: How to Make It Work

Trains on the Western Railway take around an hour from Wien Hauptbahnhof to Melk; there you visit the abbey in the morning, switch to boat or bike at midday and in the evening return from Krems on the Franz-Josefs-Bahn (approx. 1 hour 5 minutes). ÖBB offers a Wachau combined ticket for this, bundling the return rail journey and the Melk–Krems boat trip (approx. €60–70); Klimaticket holders pay only for the boat. If you are travelling on, combine the trip with Linz, which lies on the same Western Railway line.

Where to Stay? The Villages Compared

The Wachau has no large hotels, but it does have winegrowers' rooms, inns, guesthouses and a few stylish houses within historic walls. If you sleep at a wine estate, you breakfast with a view of the vines and taste in the courtyard in the evening. The six main locations:

Prices apply to the main season from May to October; during the wine autumn and the apricot blossom, winegrowers' rooms in Dürnstein and Weißenkirchen are often booked out weeks in advance.

Getting There and Around the Valley

By Train

Melk lies on the ÖBB Western Railway: regional trains and Cityjet Xpress services connect it roughly hourly in an hour with Vienna and in a good hour with Linz. Krems is reached on the Franz-Josefs-Bahn from Wien Franz-Josefs-Bahnhof (approx. 1 hour 5 minutes, hourly). Through the valley runs the Wachaubahn operated by NÖVOG between Krems and Emmersdorf opposite Melk: a nostalgic regional railway stopping at Dürnstein, Weißenkirchen and Spitz, which runs several times a day from April to October, carries bikes and takes around an hour. It has its own fare and is covered neither by the Klimaticket nor by ÖBB tickets (day ticket approx. €20).

Bus, Car and Airport

All year round, bus line WL1 of the VOR transport association links Krems and Melk along the north bank via Dürnstein, Weißenkirchen and Spitz; VOR fares and the Klimaticket apply. By car you reach Melk on the A1 in around an hour from Vienna; through the valley run the B3 on the north bank and the B33 on the south bank, busy on autumn weekends. From Vienna Airport (Schwechat) a hire car takes around 1 hour 15 minutes to Krems; by train you travel via Wien Hauptbahnhof to the Franz-Josefs-Bahn.

Alpengast tip: Leave the car once you are in the valley. If you park in Krems or Melk and combine the Wachaubahn, cable ferry, boat and bike, you travel more relaxed than in the queue outside Dürnstein – and you can order a second Achtel at the Heuriger with a clear conscience.

Best Time to Visit, Climate and Budget

The Wachau lies in the Pannonian-influenced east of Austria: summers are warm to hot, winters cold and foggy, spring and autumn stable and sunny. The first half of April belongs to the apricot blossom, the most beautiful and shortest window of the year. In high summer cycling along the river is more pleasant than climbing to the ruins, while Danube bathing spots at Rossatz and Aggsbach offer a cool-down. September and October bring the wine autumn, when the terraces turn yellow and red – the most popular and most expensive season. In Advent the Christmas markets open in Dürnstein and at Melk Abbey, small, atmospheric and without the bustle of the cities.

The Wachau is not a cheap destination, but a fair one. A double room in a guesthouse or winegrower's farm costs approx. €90–180, dinner at a Heuriger with a Jause and two Achtel approx. €20–30 per person, a set menu at an inn approx. €35–60. A weekend for two with two nights, bike, boat and wine therefore realistically comes to approx. €500–800.

Whether a winegrower's room in Weißenkirchen, an inn in Spitz or a house in Krems' old town: you will find suitable accommodation in the Wachau and across the country in the Alpengast.at hotel overview.