48.40° N · 15.52° E
A stretch of about 35 km of the Danube between Melk and Krems, a World Heritage site since 2000, with terraced vineyards of grüner veltliner and riesling, apricot trees and Baroque abbeys.
Part of Danube
What to do
Each plan says how long it takes, who it's for and whether you can book.
About 35 km of cycling through the Wachau from Melk to Krems, almost flat, on whichever bank you choose and with ferries; return by boat with your bike.
A DDSG cruise on the Danube from Krems to Melk in about three hours, with stops at Dürnstein and Spitz; from €34.50, March to November.
A Baroque Benedictine abbey above the Danube, with a library of 100,000 volumes and the Marble Hall; €16 per adult, tour in Spanish in summer.
Itineraries
Days and weekends already planned out, with how to get between each stop and who to book with.
Plan the trip
Each choice narrows the next: the season shapes how best to travel, and how you travel decides where you stay and where you eat.
When to go
From April to October, with the boats and bike rental running. July brings apricots and the Marillenkirtag in Spitz; September and October, the grape harvest. In winter the boats do not sail.
How you travel
Choose how you're travelling and we'll tell you where to stay, how to get around, where to eat and which services you'll need. We only show the ways of travelling that make sense here.
The Wachau is one of the few valleys in Europe that can be done entirely without a car: a train from Vienna to Krems or Melk, a DDSG boat between the two ends, the Wachau train on the north bank in season and an almost flat cycle path beside the river. The only thing it asks is that you check timetables, because the boats and the Wachau train only run from spring to autumn.
The Danube cycle path runs through the Wachau on both banks, almost flat, among vineyards and apricot orchards: from Melk to Krems it is about 35 km. The comfortable way is to go downriver with the current, west to east, and combine with the boat or the train so you do not have to pedal back.
By car you travel along both banks and reach the Heurigen and viewpoints that are far from the boat stops. The valley has a road on each bank and bridges at Krems-Mautern and Melk, and small ferries at Spitz, Weißenkirchen and Dürnstein. Watch out for Dürnstein: you cannot park in the village.
The Wachau offers a luxury weekend without ostentation: sleeping in Dürnstein castle or in Richard the Lionheart's former convent, eating at the Landhaus Bacher and spending the afternoon on the terrace over the Danube with a riesling or a grüner veltliner from the valley. It works from late March to October, when the seasonal hotels are open.
The Wachau has no airport: you fly to Vienna-Schwechat (VIE), which has direct flights from Madrid, Barcelona and other Spanish cities. From the airport it is a little over an hour by motorway to Krems or Melk. Without a car, you go first to the centre of Vienna and continue by regional train to Krems, at the eastern end of the valley, or to Melk, in the west.
Who you're with
A trip with a toddler is not the same as one with a teenager. Pick yours to see what works and what to bear in mind.
The Wachau is good for families because it is flat and can be cut into stages: a stretch of cycling, a boat to come back and a stop to eat apricots.
Teenagers like the Wachau if they are on the move: a whole day on the bike, the climb with cables to Dürnstein castle and the boat for a rest.
Where to stay
We show you what suits the way you travel.Change how you travel
Why we like it: A five-star hotel in Dürnstein castle, above the Danube, with a terrace restaurant open to everyone, pools, a spa and bike hire. Closed in winter.
Why we like it: A four-star hotel in a former convent in Dürnstein, on the Danube bank, with a garden, a pool from May to September, bike hire and dogs admitted.
Why we like it: A family hotel in the centre of Melk, a few minutes from the abbey and the station, with a bike store with electric charging, a garden and a restaurant. Good for starting the Wachau in the…
Why we like it: An urban hotel in Krems, next to the museums of the Kunstmeile and the campus, with a garage, a bike cage with charging and a gym. Practical if you arrive by train or by car from…
Services for this trip
Where to eat
From set lunch menus to Michelin stars. We mark the price level and what to order at each place.
What to order: the Krebsnudeln (pasta with Danube crayfish), the pan-fried veal schnitzel and, for dessert, the Marillenbuchteln or the Topfenknödel with apricot.
What to order: the long menu if it is the special meal of your trip; at midday from Thursday to Saturday there is a shorter midday table. Ask for the pairing with Wachau wines.
What to order: the Mittagsteller (midday dish of the day) or a schnitzel; in autumn, the goose, and for dessert something with apricot.
Nearby
The closest places, whichever country they are in.
48.37° N · 15.61° E
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Tips
Start in Melk and finish in Krems, where you have a train to Vienna.
It is apricot season: Marillenknödel in the restaurants and the Marillenkirtag in Spitz.
The winegrowers' taverns open only a few weeks a year; ask at the tourist offices which Heuriger is open on your dates.
Boats and coaches fill it. Go early or late in the afternoon.
Fly to Vienna. From Vienna's station there are trains to Krems, at the eastern end of the Wachau, and to Melk, at the western end, on the western line via St. Pölten. The Wachau line links Krems with Spitz along the north bank. You can do it as a day trip from Vienna, but with two nights you see it without rushing.
The valley can be explored in three ways: the Danube cycle path, almost flat; the DDSG Blue Danube boats, which call at the villages; and the north-bank train. The most practical approach is to combine them: boat out, bike back, or the other way round. Bikes can go on the boat.
On summer weekends the cycle path and the boats are busier, and Dürnstein receives many day visitors. Book the Heuriger at the Domäne Wachau in July, because it fills up, and the Friday guided tour. For the boat and the bike, a day's notice is enough.
If you only have one day, take the train to Melk in the morning, go into the abbey first thing, have lunch in the centre and take the afternoon boat downriver to Krems, where the train back to Vienna leaves. It runs from late March to early November, when the DDSG boats sail. In winter the valley is still beautiful, but without the boat or the Wachau train: then it is better by car, with the abbey and a walk around Dürnstein.
There are three bases for sleeping. Dürnstein, in the middle of the valley, is the prettiest: the Hotel Schloss Dürnstein and the Richard Löwenherz are beside the river, but both close in winter and you cannot park in the village. Melk is the most practical for starting at the abbey and cycling downstream; the Hotel zur Post is in the centre, near the station. Krems has more choice and trains to Vienna all year. For eating, the Loibnerhof in Unterloiben is the classic Wachau house and the Landhaus Bacher, in Mautern, is the special-occasion meal with two Michelin stars.
Questions
Yes: train to Melk, abbey, boat to Krems and train back. With two days you add cycling and the Heurigen.
About 35 km from Melk to Krems, almost flat.
A winegrower's tavern that serves its own wine of the year with cold food. It opens only a few weeks a year.
In July. In 2026 the harvest ended in early August.
Dürnstein is the prettiest village, but its hotels close in winter and you cannot park inside. Melk is convenient for starting at the abbey; Krems has more hotels and trains to Vienna all year.
No. In 2027 DDSG sails between Krems and Melk from 20 March to 1 November.
Geocaliahttps://www.geocalia.com/en/austria/lower-austria/wachau
