Melk Abbey, library and Baroque church

What it is

Melk Abbey is a Benedictine monastery on a rock above the Danube, at the western end of the Wachau. Monks have lived here since 21 March 1089, and the building you see is a Baroque reconstruction commissioned by Abbot Berthold Dietmayr and directed by Jakob Prandtauer: work began in 1702 and the church was consecrated in 1746. The south wing is more than 240 m long. It receives about 500,000 visitors a year, forms part of the Wachau landscape declared a World Heritage site, and its school is the oldest in Austria still in operation.

What you see

With your ticket you walk through:

• The former imperial rooms, where the emperor's family stayed, converted into the abbey museum, with Jörg Breu's altarpiece.
• The Marble Hall, with Paul Troger's ceiling fresco of 1731.
• The terrace, to the west, which links the Marble Hall with the library, with a view of the river, the town and the church facade.
• The library: about 100,000 volumes, nearly 1,800 manuscripts from the 9th century and about 750 incunabula, under Troger's frescoes.
• The church, with Johann Michael Rottmayr's frescoes in the dome and nave.
• The abbey park, with its Baroque pavilion, and the year's temporary exhibitions.

Opening hours

• 2 November 2026 – 6 January 2027: with or without a guide, from 10:00 to 16:30; last entry at 15:45. On 24 December, only from 10:00 to 12:30.
• 7 January – 28 February 2027: guided tour only, at 11:00, 13:30 and 15:00.
• 1 – 19 March 2027: on weekdays, with a guide only; Saturdays and Sundays, with or without a guide, from 10:00 to 16:30.
• 20 – 31 March and 1 November 2027: from 9:00 to 16:30; last entry at 16:00.
• 1 April – 31 October 2027: from 9:00 to 17:30; last entry at 17:00.

Tickets

Prices from 1 April 2026 to 31 March 2027:

There are combined tickets with Artstetten Castle, the Schallaburg and Göttweig Abbey.

Guided tours

They last about 50 minutes. For individual travellers there is a tour in Spanish from May to September, at 14:50. In English they leave at 10:55 and 14:55 from April to October (also at 13:55 from May to September) and at 11:00, 13:30 and 15:00 from November to March. For queries, the abbey can be reached on +43 2752 555 232 or at [email protected].

Getting there and parking

The abbey is at Abt-Berthold-Dietmayr-Straße 1, in Melk, and its map marks the walking route from the train station and from the landing stage. If you go by car, the visitor car park is free if you buy a ticket: validate the ticket at the ticket office in the first courtyard. It has barrier-free access and electric charging points.

The boat through the Wachau arrives at Melk from Krems, and here begins the Donauradweg for cycling downriver.

How long and accessibility

Allow an hour and a half for the abbey and half an hour more if you stroll through the park. There are barrier-free routes and lifts; the interior of the garden pavilion is not wheelchair accessible.

With children

Under-16s are covered by the €32 family ticket. With small children, prioritise the library, the terrace and the park; the museum rooms may feel long to them.