Cruising Through The Wachau Valley On A Danube River Cruise
Thinking about taking a Danube River Cruise? We recently went with Gate 1 Travel. Cruising through the Wachau Valley is one of the highlights of a Danube River Cruise. Heres what youll see in the Wachau Valley:
On the third day of our Danube River Cruise, we woke up in the Bavarian village of Durnstein, one of the prettiest villages on the Danube River.
We spent the morning exploring this fairytale town, then spent the afternoon cruising through the scenic Wachau Valley. We had incredible views of vineyards, castles, hilltop ruins, and also monasteries. This was one of my favorite days on the cruise! Keep reading below for photos of everything we saw.
Danube River Cruise Bratislava
After Budapest, the second stop for the Viking Prestige was Bratislava. This town contrasted sharply with the beauty of Budapest. The city was controlled by Russia after World War II and there modern communist architecture is very dominant in the city. Even the older buildings, such as Bratislava Castle, are plain. The castle is sometimes referred to as the upside down table, because of its 4 spires. Our Viking guide spent a lot of time complaining about what the Russians and modern development had both done to destroy the beauty of the city. The old town was small, but interesting.
After the Viking tour, we wandered on our own to find the Blue Little Church. Next we wandered back through the Old Town to eventually reach St Martins. This stop was a highlight for me. The coronations of Hungarian emperors happened here. The wood work on the pews near the central altar was impressive and eerie. A stairwell led up to a collection of Hungarian imperial jewelry. Another passage led down to the crypts under the church, which was bizarrely interesting. Bratislava definitely wasnt my favorite stop on the Danube, but we enjoyed the visit.
Hofburg Palace
Day Trip To Wachau Valley With Boat Ride And Winetasting
Wachau boat trip. This one day trip to Wachau valley covers a great bit of top wine tasting. It also includes a boat ride from Spitz to Melk between mid April and end of September.
Its like I would take you on a tour to Wachau Valley in an 8-seater Mercedes van. The driver guide tells you stories about the little villages and castles, their history and culture. You visit the best local wineries and learn and taste their wine. When I joined the tour, I loved our visit to a 450-year old wine press, and the first wine tasting at the local cooperative.
You will see the ruins of Dürnstein castle, where medieval crusader King Richard Lionheart was once imprisoned. You will also get past the many historic villages there. Many are dating from the renaissance or even the Middle Ages. If you had grown up in Austria, you would know them from those romantic Austrian comedies from the 1940s and 1950s!
I particularly like this tour because it also takes you off the beaten track and has no more than eight participants. Read more about Wachau Valley wine tasting trip with boat ride.
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Danube Christmas Cruise Review: An Epic 10
Even before we’ve reached the ship we’re humming Bing Crosby’s White Christmas. Gazing through the windows of our transfer coach, the misty Bavarian countryside has taken on a suitably Narnia-esque appearance, its fields and forests of spruce and fir coated in fresh white powder.
When we arrive in Regensburg, snow has tickled the roofs and spires of the city’s storybook houses and churches, and there, berthed in the River Danube, strung with fairy lights, is Viking Egil, our home for the next seven nights.
As you may expect from this new cruise titled, guess what, “Christmas on the Danube”, there’s a festive spirit on board with bauble-blessed decorations and crew in good cheer, especially now that cruising is properly back on track after the pandemic.
Hopes are also high that the region’s traditional Christmas markets will be buzzing rather like pre-pandemic times .
But will this voyage turn out to be overloaded by yuletide schmaltz? Will grinches find themselves grinching merrily all the way through Germany, Austria, Slovakia and Hungary – four of the 10 countries that the Danube, Europe’s second longest river, flows past on its epic 2857-kilometre journey from the Black Forest to the Black Sea. There’s only one way to find out.
Tips For Cruising The Wachau Valley
- The company that we cruised with was Brandner but DDSG Blue Danube also offers Wachau Valley sightseeing cruises. Both companies sail between Melk and Krems , have on-board restaurants, and sell one-way and round-trip tickets.
- Depending on the ticket you buy, it may be possible to hop-on hop-off the boat at Dürnstein or Spitz. You definitely want to confirm this with the cruise company first, as their websites arent always as clear as they could be about this. When we did our Wachau Valley cruise, it wasnt an option to hop off and then re-board the boat later, even though we had a ticket for the full route .
- The Wachau Valley cruise from Melk to Krems takes approximately 1 hr 45 mins.
- The train ride from Krems back to Vienna was about an hour long.
Information was updated January 2022, but can change without notice. Please confirm directly with service providers.
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Other Experiences In Vienna
These activities are designed to give you the most authentic experiences around where you’re staying. We work with local guides, who use their knowledge and often a resident’s eye to show you the main sights and more out-of-the-way attractions. Our specialists can suggest tours and activities that will introduce you to the local ways of life.
Villages And Towns In Wachau Valley
Krems The Entrance to Wachau
Krems is the largest town in the Wachau Valley but the smallest enough to be easily explored on foot.
The twin towns of Krems-Stein are a delight to explore. The medieval cobbled streets, charming cafes, and diverse cultural attractions make them worth a while.
The UNESCO Marine and World Heritage Center right at Danubes waterfront in Krems houses Brandner cruises and DDSG Blue Danube Cruises ticket counters and Wellenspiel restaurant.
Krems and Stein count many churches and museums.
Pfarrkirche St Veit aka Cathedral of the Wachau swanks a vibrant frescoed ceiling by an artist named Martin Johann Schmidt .
Gothic Piarist church Krems is the oldest church in Krems which is often compared to St. Stephens Cathedral in Vienna because of its shape.
Bürgerspital church, Dominican Church, Göttweigerhof Chapel of Stein, Church of St. Nikolaus & Frauenbergkirche Assumption of Stein, and Gothic Matthias Chapel of Förthof are other notable churches.
Art Miles Krems is a one-mile stretch between the two historic old towns of Krems and Stein. It combines the Minoritenplatz, Museumplatz, and Dominikanerplatz. A haven for art lovers!
Krems Mustard is famous across the world. You can see an exhibit dedicated to Krems Mustard in museumkrems.
You cant talk about Krems without mentioning Venus vom Galgenberg or Fanny von Stratzing. Its considered to be Austrias oldest and the worlds second-oldest female statuette .
Dürnstein
Loiben
Rossatz-Arnsdorf
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Wachau Valley Tour On The River Danube
An alternative independent day trip is to explore the Wachau by taking an early train from Vienna Meidling station to Melk and then hop on a Danube river cruise going downstream to Spitz or all the way through to Krems.
It is also possible to take a Wachau valley day trip on a boat from Vienna including breakfast, lunch, evening meal and afternoon snack, as well as an afternoon stop in Dürnstein.
Danube River Cruise Passau
The last stop on our Viking Danube River Cruise was Passau. The early morning approach to the city was beautiful. The sun was behind the ship and provided the perfect light for pictures and views. The ship docked beside the historic old town . Viking provided a walking tour of the town, but we again found the pace too slow and soon departed on our own. We strolled out to the point where the Danube, Inn and Ilz rivers merge together. We also checked out St Stephens and St Pauls. After that we wandered to the train station to purchase tickets for the next day, which was the start of our 8 day train trip through Switzerland. Our Viking Danube River Cruise was a big success.
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Wachau Valley Day Trip With River Cruise On The Danube
- Wachau Valley day trip with river cruise on the Danube
Sorry, its event is not available. Unfortunately, all tickets have been sold out for this event
This all-day trip starts in Vienna and takes you to the beautiful Danube Valley: In the Wachau region, which is steeped in history and legends, the Danube winds its way past many picturesque towns and vineyards. The comfortable coach takes you from Vienna to Krems, the heart of the Wachau winegrowing region. Depending on the season, you either have a short break there or drive through the historical city centre.The next stop is Dürnstein and Spitz, where you will board the boat to Melk. You can enjoy lunch on board or eat later at the restaurant at Melk Abbey. In Melk, the coach awaits you to take you to the nearby Benedictine Abbey. The highlight of the trip is a guided tour of the abbey, one of Austrias most famous baroque buildings. The tour ends at the Vienna State Opera.NOTE: In winter time, lunch is offered instead of boat ride.
Wachau Valley Day Tour With Wine Tasting
Visiting the Wachau Valley without enjoying its amazing wines is akin to sitting through the last game of the World Series without having a hot dog and a beer.
This full-day tour includes transportation by Mercedes van to a number of local wineries, where guests will have the opportunity to learn about grape growing, the production process, and sample a variety of tasty wines.
Between the end of April and the beginning of October, theres also a river cruise portion of the tour, but if you visit during the winter, itll be substituted for a trip to historic Melk Abbey.
Its a nine-hour whirlwind tour thats a must for wine aficionados.
E-bikes are great modes of transportation for eager and energetic tour guests because they allow riders to burn calories, but provide extra oomph when the terrain gets hilly.
During the spring and summer, the Wachau Valley is typically awash in sunshine, wildflowers, and seemingly endless expanses of awe-inspiring scenery.
Youll cycle through the countrys most well-known wine region, stop at local wineries, and take time to relax and sip the fruits of the vintners labor.
Tours begin and end in Vienna, making them great day-trip options for those looking to distance themselves from the capital citys hustle and bustle.
Tours include transportation, guide, bike, and helmet.
Its truly a sight to behold, which is probably why its consistently ranked one of the worlds most amazing destinations.
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Danube River Cruise Salzburg
Next the ship stopped at Linz, but we proceeded directly from there by bus to Salzburg. The Old Town in Salzburg consists of three long parallel streets at the base of the protected bank of the river. Our tour started are Mirabel Palace, opposite the Old Town. We were quickly introduced to filming locations for the Sound of Music. Our guide explained that North Americans are obsessed with the movie and its film locations in Austria, but Austrians have little interest or even knowledge of the movie.
After a guided tour of the old town and its churches, we headed off independently on the funicular to Hohensalzburg Castle. The views and cool breeze were refreshing in the heat of the day. We toured the castle and then spent a long time at the restaurant. Even though the food wasnt great, it was a wonderful refuge from the heat in the Old Town below.
Weissenkirchen, Wachau Valley, Austria
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A Day Out In The Danubes Wachau Valley
The Wachau Valley, where the Danube River makes its way toward Vienna, is blanketed with vineyards and ornamented with cute villages. And the 24-mile stretch of the Wachau between the towns of Melk and Krems is as pretty as river valleys come.
For a fine day trip from Vienna, catch the early train to Melk, tour its glorious abbey, eat lunch, and spend the afternoon meandering down the river to Krems by bike, bus, or boat. From Krems, catch the train back to Vienna.
Melk is sleepy and elegant under its huge abbey. The restored Melk Abbey , beaming proudly over the Danube Valley, is one of Europe’s great sights. Established as a fortified Benedictine abbey in the 11th century, it was destroyed by fire. What visitors see today is 18th-century Baroque.
The grand restoration project financed in part by the sale of the abbey’s Gutenberg Bible to Harvard was completed by 1996 to celebrate the 1,000th anniversary of the first reference to a country named Österreich .
For 900 years, monks of St. Benedict have lived and worked in Melk’s abbey, during the Reformation , occupation by Napoleon , and the Nazis . Today, the institution survives, funded by agriculture and your visit.
Just outside is the abbey’s park, with its picturesque Baroque pavilion housing some fine Bergl frescoes and a café.
You can also just hop a boat along this route. From May through September, five boats a day make the 1.75-hour trip.
Wachau And Danube Valleys Combo Tour From Vienna
Featuring impressive castles, idyllic pastoral settings, mountains, and meandering rivers, theres really no more romantic setting than Austrias Wachau Valley.
This Wachau and Danube Valleys tour begins and ends in Vienna and is the perfect excursion for those exploring the area for the first time.
Tours include portions by bus and boat, as well as interesting and educational narration from a knowledgeable local guide.
Guests will appreciate the panoramic views of the nearby mountains, sprawling wineries, and fascinating humanmade structures like Dürnstein Castle.
Due to river and weather conditions, boat trips are only offered in the summer.
Tours last about 8 ½ hours.
Previous guests whove participated in this five-hour cruise of the Wachau Valley from Krems tend to agree that it was one of the most memorable experiences of their trip to Lower Austria.
Theres just something extra special about enjoying a three-course meal aboard an elegant vessel on the ancient Danube River.
Depending on the weather, guests can see the sites from the boats outdoor deck, but if its windy, cool, or rainy, theres ample seating inside that offers unobstructed views.
Sights include castles, wineries, and some of the most beautiful natural scenery youre ever likely to see.
Theres also a fully-stocked bar when its time for a Viennese-style coffee or an adult beverage.
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Highlights Of The Danube River
A Danube River cruise unveils Europes rich and dramatic history. Glittering cultural capitals, lush vineyards, magnificent monasteries and endless scenic splendor line the rivers banks. Here are some sample highlights you will see with Viking:
- Enchanting Passau, set where three rivers meet
- Lush vineyards of the Wachau Valley
- The baroque splendor of Melk Abbey
- Viennas elegant architecture
- The splendid Benedictine Abbey of Göttweig
- Scenic beauty of the picturesque Danube Bend
- Budapests stunning Chain Bridge and Parliament Building
- Soaring cliffs of the scenic Iron Gate
- Romanias rural culture and rich folklore
- Belgrades impressive Kalemegdan Fortress
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Austrias Wachau Valley A Unesco Site
The gorgeous Wachau Valley of Austria is nestled along the Danube River between the towns of Melk and Krems. It welcomes visitors with hilltop vineyards, scenic Austrian villages and storied castles. Quaint towns offer an idyllic setting for a relaxing and romantic getaway. Highlights include Melk Abbey, a striking example of Baroque architecture, run by the Benedictine Monks. Another is sweeping vistas from atop Dürnstein Castle.
We recently visited the region as part of an 8 day Danube River Cruise with Emerald Cruises. Its unique agricultural and architectural landscape have made the Wachau Valley a designated UNESCO World Heritage Site. Heres tips for visiting including for active travelers looking to bike along the Donauradweg .
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