Go to Wachau Valley from Vienna, Austria

Wachau Valley in Austria, the beautiful, UNESCO-listed space not too removed from the capital, is likely one of the finest day journeys from Vienna. With stunning landscapes and quite a few spectacular historic websites, that is additionally a gratifying place to go to that I’m positive you’ll get pleasure from tremendously.

This area has been on my bucket record for years, and once I lastly visited Wachau Valley from Vienna, I used to be not disenchanted. Even when my predominant cause for going there was the jaw-dropping Melk Abbey, I loved each second of my day journey from Vienna to Wachau Valley.

I can’t advocate visiting Wachau Valley sufficient. I compiled this information that can assist you plan your journey to Wachau Valley from Vienna. Even when I had been there on a tour (and I can positively advocate this selection), there are different methods to go to Wachau Valley, and I lined all of them right here.

The place is Wachau Valley

Wachau Valley, the picturesque space alongside the magnificent Danube River, stretches for round 36 km between the cities of Melk and Krems an der Donau. Vienna, the capital of Austria, is situated some 90 km east of the Wachau Valley, making the place top-of-the-line day journeys from Vienna.

Why go to Wachau Valley

Even when the nation is understood primarily for its majestic mountains, I believe that Wachau Valley is likely one of the most picturesque and fascinating locations to go to in Austria. The panorama is just beautiful, with hills rolling all the way in which to the Danube, quite a few vineyards and apricot orchards dotting the realm, charming little cities alongside the river, and a few improbable historic websites (principally monasteries and castles).

The realm will not be very giant, just some 36km alongside the Danube, it’s filled with sights. In 2000, “Wachau Cultural Panorama” was included within the prestigious UNESCO World Heritage Listing.

get to Wachau Valley from Vienna

Relying on how a lot time you have got for visiting Wachau Valley, there are other ways to get right here from Vienna and discover the realm. The easiest way could be to drive to the Wachau Valley – this manner, you may discover the realm freely. You possibly can lease a automobile on your journey here.

If you wish to use public transport, prepare is the most suitable choice. Direct trains from Vienna (Wien Franz-Josefs-Bahnhof) to Krems depart each hour all through the day, arriving on the first cease on the Wachau Valley a bit over an hour later. You can even take the prepare from Vienna to Melk, on the opposite aspect of the Wachau Valley. Like with trains to Krems, there are direct departures (from Wien Westbahnhof station) each hour all through the day, arriving at Melk an hour later.

The value for a one-way ticket from Vienna to Krems or Melk (or from these cities again to Vienna) is round €20. You possibly can verify the connections and purchase the tickets here.

Wachau Valley tour from Vienna

If you’re brief on time and would love a simple journey, you may go on the Wachau Valley tour from Vienna. That is what I did, and I had a very good day exploring the realm. It was a great worth for cash, and I might see all of the highlights of the Wachau Valley hassle-free. This is the tour I took.

The tour departs from central Vienna (subsequent to the Opera) at 9 within the morning. After a bit over one hour drive, it’s time for the primary cease of the day – Dürnstein – the place you’ll have a brief guided tour and a few free time to discover the city by yourself.

From there, you’ll proceed to Spitz, the place you’ll board a ship for the sightseeing cruise on the Danube all the way in which to Melk. You’ll spend round one and a half hours on board, admiring stunning views throughout. It is a beautiful space, so the time passes by shortly.

When you arrive in Melk, you’ll have free time once more (a bit over an hour) to discover the city your self or cease someplace for lunch. You can even go to the gardens surrounding the Melk monastery; the ticket is included within the tour.

The final exercise of the day is the guided tour of the Melk monastery, the place you may study extra about this historic website, admire some beautiful interiors, and see the place the inspiration for Umberto Eco’s “The Title of the Rose” got here from. From Melk, you’ll return to Vienna, arriving round 6 p.m.

Click here to book the tour I took from Vienna to Wachau Valley.

There are additionally different excursions to Wachau Valley you may wish to think about:

get round Wachau Valley

In case you determine to go for the Wachau Valley tour, you don’t want to fret about getting across the space. However for those who discover the Wachau Valley independently, there are a number of methods to get between the sights.

When you have a automobile, driving from one place to a different is simple. Different choices embrace the prepare between the cities (it runs alongside the Danube, on the aspect of the river the place Krems, Dürnstein, and Spitz are situated) or the boat (departures are much less frequent, within the off-season solely as soon as a day, however the views are so significantly better).

You can even lease a motorbike and cycle alongside the Danube – there are good biking paths all the way in which alongside the Wachau Valley.

What to see in Wachau Valley

Apart from the attractive panorama, there are some fascinating locations to go to in Wachau Valley the place it’s best to cease throughout your journey. Listed below are the highlights of the realm:

• Krems – relationship again to the tenth century, this can be a beautiful outdated city value wandering round. There are quite a few museums, cultural websites, and historic locations, a few of them initially from medieval instances.
• Göttweig – throughout the Danube River from Krems, you may cease right here within the huge Benedictine Abbey based within the eleventh century.
• Dürnstein – that is in all probability essentially the most stunning and fascinating place alongside the Wachau Valley (and essentially the most visited one). The picturesque city was first talked about within the late Twelfth century when the English king Richard the Lionheart was held captive right here. Right this moment, you may wander across the winding lanes within the Outdated City, go to the attractive Baroque monastery with its distinctive blue tower, or climb to the Twelfth-century fort to admire breathtaking views over the Wachau Valley.
• Weißenkirchen in der Wachau with the spectacular Gothic fortified church from the 14th century
• Spitz – the principle wine-producing place within the area, with picturesque views of the city and surrounding space and the ruins of the Twelfth-century fort.
• Aggstein Fort – spectacular ruins of the fort from the early Twelfth century, situated excessive above the Danube River, with some breathtaking views over the Wachau Valley.
• Schönbühel Fort – with its picturesque location proper on the Danube, this Twelfth-century fort can impress with its magnificent construction. Sadly, this can be a non-public property, so visiting the fort is unimaginable.
• Melk – the spotlight of the Wachau Valley with its superb abbey and charming Outdated City under. Melk was first talked about within the ninth century, and the Benedictine Abbey was based right here in 1089. This is likely one of the most stunning locations to go to in Austria, and the abbey’s inside could make your jaw drop with all of the beautiful particulars and work. The place was truly the inspiration for Umberto Eco’s “The Title of the Rose.” For me, Melk Abbey was the principle cause I needed to go to Wachau Valley; it positively didn’t disappoint.

Ultimate ideas on visiting Wachau Valley

Wachau Valley may be comparatively small however filled with numerous sights which can be really easy to get pleasure from. If you’re brief on time, like me, the tour to Wachau Valley is the most suitable choice. You possibly can e-book it here.

However you probably have extra time to spend within the space, I like to recommend doing so so you may get pleasure from all of the Wachau Valley sights and the lazy vibe of the place to the fullest. Regardless of the way you determine to go to Wachau Valley from Vienna, you’re in for a deal with, as this area is such a gem!

For the top I left a number of bulletins that may curiosity you:

• Sign up to my newsletter or follow me on Bloglovin to get updates in regards to the new posts
• Be a part of my Fb group about Japanese Europe, the Balkans and former USSR and join with fellow travellers and lovers of those areas – just click here!
• I’ve included a number of useful hyperlinks of companies and merchandise I personally like and use so you may plan your individual journey to Austria too. They’re usually affiliate hyperlinks. This implies I’ll get a small fee for those who e-book/buy something by way of my hyperlinks, at no further prices for you. Thanks!

LIKED IT? PIN THIS POST FOR LATER!