Wachau Valley, Melk Abbey & Danube Cruise Tour from Vienna

Melk Abbey, the Baroque Jewel of the Danube

Benedictine monks have lived on the rock above the town of Melk since 1089, and the abbey you see today was rebuilt between 1702 and 1736 by the architect Jakob Prandtauer. Its long yellow façade and twin towers dominate the river, and inside you walk through the Imperial Wing museum, the Marble Hall with its painted ceiling, the terrace with views over the Danube and the famous library.

The library holds thousands of precious volumes and manuscripts under a ceiling fresco by Paul Troger, and the abbey church glows with gold, marble and frescoes. Melk Abbey tickets are included in the default option, so you walk straight in with the group. Is Melk Abbey worth visiting? For Baroque architecture on this scale, it is one of the finest sights in Austria.

The Wachau Valley, a UNESCO Landscape

The Wachau is the 36-kilometre stretch of the Danube between Melk and Krems, listed by UNESCO in 2000 as a cultural landscape. Castles and ruins crown the hills, fortified churches and small villages such as Spitz and Weißenkirchen line the banks, and the terraced slopes and apricot orchards turn white with blossom in spring.

A Wachau Valley tour from Vienna is the easiest way to see it without a car, as public transport along the river is slow. The best time to visit the Wachau is from April to October, when the boats run and the orchards are green or in fruit; in autumn the hillsides turn gold, one of the most beautiful sights on the Danube.

A Danube Boat Trip Through the Valley

In the summer season, from late March to mid-November, part of the journey is on the river itself. From the deck you watch the valley slide by: the ruins of Aggstein and Hinterhaus above the water, onion-domed churches, and Dürnstein's blue tower appearing around a bend of the Danube.

The Danube cruise in the Wachau is included in the default option during the boat season, and the vehicle meets you at the landing afterwards. Take a light jacket even in summer, as it is breezy on the water, and choose a seat on the outside deck for the best photos. From mid-November to late March the boats do not run, and the trip continues by road.

Dürnstein and Krems, the Old Towns of the Wachau

Depending on the season, the trip includes a visit to Dürnstein or Krems. Dürnstein is a tiny walled town under a hill crowned by the ruined castle where the English king Richard the Lionheart was held captive in 1192 and 1193; its Baroque abbey church with a blue-and-white tower is the symbol of the whole valley.

Krems, at the eastern gate of the Wachau, is one of the oldest towns in Austria, with a pedestrian old town, Renaissance houses and the Steiner Tor gate from the 15th century. Your guide gives you free time to walk the lanes, find a café for lunch at your own cost and buy local apricot jam before the drive back to Vienna.