How to spend 3 days in Austria’s Wachau wine region
A 3 day wine tour itinerary for exploring the heart of the beautiful Wachau Valley, including cycling and cruising the Danube
Picturesque Dürnstein on the River Danube- Source: Winekeller
Why explore Austria’s most famous wine region - the Wachau Valley
The Danube Valley between the historic towns of Krems and Melk, otherwise known as the Wachau Valley, is probably the most picturesque and romantic place to visit for wine lovers in Austria. Not only is it famous for its stunning white wines, especially Grüner Veltliner and Riesling wines, it’s a UNESCO World Heritage site, offering amazing scenery, history, culture and tradition for the wine enthusiast to discover!
We have visited the Wachau several times and find it to be one of the most relaxing, enchanting, interesting and captivating of wine tourist destinations. It is famous for its charming old villages surrounded by steep, terraced vineyards and lovely apricot orchards, its ancient castle ruins and baroque monasteries and of course the beautiful, romantic River Danube.
We want to share with you here our recommendations for discovering the heart of Austria’s stunning Wachau wine region in 3 days by boat and bike…
Austria’s Wachau wine region - Source: Austrian Wine
An outline of our ‘Wachau Valley’ wine tour
We suggest below how you could spend 3 full days to get a great impression and appreciation of Austria’s Wachau Valley. These are just suggestions and naturally you could swap things around to fit with your schedule and priorities.
We suggest flying to Vienna and then hiring a car. It takes approximately 1.5 hours to drive to Dürnstein in the heart of the Wachau Valley and the route takes you through some lovely countryside and scenery.
Where to stay in the Wachau wine region
The Wachau wine region is just an 18 mile stretch along the Danube valley between the historic towns of Krems and Melk. There are many options for accommodation - we would recommend basing yourself in one of 3 wine villages in the centre of the region - all beautiful to explore and right on the River Danube - Dürnstein, Weißenkirchen or Spitz:
See here for accommodation options in and around Dürnstein
See here for accommodation in Weissenkirchen
See here for accommodation in Spitz
For other accommodation suggestions click here.
Day 1 - River cruise and cycle tour to Spitz along the Danube
A great way to discover Austria's Wachau region, is by bike and river cruise - and what better way to discover this stunning wine region than by a combination of the two?
We rented bikes in Loiben, then cycled to nearby Dürnstein where we purchased one-way tickets to take us to Spitz on a river cruise. We took our bikes onboard with us and later enjoyed a wonderful cycle ride along the Danube, back to Loiben. Our river cruise lasted approximately 2 hours and we were considerably faster cycling back to Loiben, downhill all the way!!
You can purchase river cruise tickets at any of the main towns along the Wachau between Melk and Krems. River cruise companies include: DDSG Blue Danube and Brandner .
You can enquire about cycle hire in your hotel accommodation, but you’ll find many places offering cycle hire along the river and in the main towns. You can also hire bikes at the railway station in Spitz (from May to October).
To learn all about what to see and do in Spitz, including which wineries to visit, see here
Day 2 - Visit the famous Melk Abbey & explore Weissenkirchen
A visit to the Wachau wine region is not complete without taking time to visit the stunning Benedictine Melk Abbey.
Take the train or river cruise to the city of Melk and spend some time there, including a tour of the Abbey. Take time to stop off at Weissenkirchen on the way there, or the way back. If you fancy cycling, combine it with the train or river cruise.
We actually took a train to Spitz, then rented bikes from Spitz rail station, directly on the river and cycled from there to Melk, then back to Weissenkirchen.
The stunning Benedictine Melk Abbey, towering over the town below
What to see and do - Melk Abbey:
At the foot of the world-famous Benedictine Abbey on the hill, lies the city of Melk, a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage site. Take time to wander round, soaking up the atmosphere, exploring the many side streets and beautiful squares, with their old, traditional ‘Burgher-style’ houses. Check out the events calendar as Melk is a centre for many cultural and music events across the year.
Melk is a good place to also do a bit of shopping for some Wachau mementoes and to enjoy a spot of lunch.
Climb the hill up to the huge Abbey, which dominates the city below and from which you can enjoy brilliant views over the Danube and surrounding countryside. Take time to do a tour of the Abbey - see here for details and allow at least a couple of hours. The Abbey dates back to the 1700s when it was built as a royal palace. It was eventually gifted to Benedictine monks and despite being open to tourists today, it continues to serve its religious purpose and is home to hundreds of pupils training to become monks.
If you cycle back back to Weissenkirchen, look out for the impressive castle, Schloss Schönbühl on the right bank of the Danube, just below Melk, with origins dating back to the twelfth century.
Stop for refreshments in the pretty riverside town of Mittarnsdorf for ‘coffee and cake’ or, as we did, some lovely fizz with fresh apricot juice and some apricot patisseries!
To learn all about what to see and do in Weissenkirchen, including which wineries to visit, see here
Day 3 - Explore Dürnstein and the ‘Loibens’
Dürnstein, in the heart of the Wachau wine region, is better known as the 'Pearl of the Wachau Valley'.
It’s celebrated for its stunning vineyards and its incredible wines, its fairytale-like setting of picturesque architecture and stunning rolling vistas. Close to Dürnstein are the two wine villages of Unterloiben (lower) and Oberloiben (upper), where you can visit some fabulous wineries and enjoy some excellent food!
Dürnstein with its famous Baroque tower and castle ruins - Source: Winekeller
Dürnstein isn’t to be missed! Many visitors flock to this jewel on the Danube in Lower Austria, to experience the beautiful setting, the culture, the history and the landmarks and it’s a prime stopping point for the many river cruises along the Danube.
Learn all about beautiful Dürnstein and what to see and do here
However, Dürnstein has so much more to offer - especially to the wine tourist! - venture a few minutes outside Dürnstein and you arrive at what is known as the ‘Loibens’ - 2 wine villages, Oberloiben and Unterloiben, nestled in the heart of the world-famous Wachau vineyards and home to some top wineries and also restaurants.
In the Wachau there are some 150 officially named vineyard sites and many are steep and terraced, making them highly challenging to cultivate, but the best vineyards in the Wachau Valley produce some of the world’s finest white wines with great ageing potential. There is a cluster of these top vineyards around Dürnstein and the Loiben villages.
See here our recommendations for visiting top wineries in Dürnstein and the Loiben villages.
Where to eat in the Wachau region
There is no shortage of great places to enjoy excellent, traditional food in the Wachau.
We have made some personal suggestions which would work well as part of this suggested 3 day tour, in Spitz, Weissenkirchen and in Dürnstein and the Loiben villages - and see here for some alternatives!
We would always recommend trying out the local heurige - where family wineries open their doors at certain times of the year to offer their wines and excellent, local, traditional food. Check the heurige calendar and try it out - you won’t be disappointed - you can be assured of a warm welcome, friendly service, great wines and good, honest home-cooked and prepared food! Somethings it’s just cold dishes on offer, so if you prefer a hot meal, check in advance!
Conclusion
Austria’s Wachau wine region is a magical place to spend a few days and we hope this article has given you the inspiration to plan your own Wachau wine tour. There’s so much to explore, the wine’s are simply first-class and the people and their hospitality are just second-to-none.
