Wachau - Wachau

View of Dürnstein

The Wachau is the 36 km long section of the Danube Valley between Melk and Krems at the Donau in the central Lower Austria with important viticulture and fruit growing (Wachau apricot). Less known than the scenically and culturally comparable section of the Rhine between Bingen and Koblenz, the Wachau was nevertheless declared a World Heritage Site.

places

View from Dürnstein Castle to the Danube

background

getting there

In the street

Via the A1 (Westautobahn), junction Melk, or via the S33, junction Krems.

By train

Melk can only be reached by regional trains, the international trains no longer stop. There are direct trains to Krems from Vienna (Franz-Josefs-Bahnhof) and St. Pölten (Westbahn).

mobility

In the warm season of the year there are services between Melk and Krems Danube ships several companies, most of the links are from the DDSG shipping company or the Brandner shipping operated.

Well developed Bike paths There are many places to rest and stay overnight on both banks of the Danube, with the north-facing one being the more frequented one, as it leads through the better-known places such as Spitz or Dürnstein.

If you drive with the automobile through the Wachau, there is the B3 to the north and the B33 to the south. The B3 is well developed, but be careful with the speed limits, which are often difficult to see (it is often measured using radar!). The B33 is also attractive, especially in summer, as there is significantly less traffic on it. It is less well developed and still has some bottlenecks in the old town centers through which it runs.

There is also a fairly well-developed one Bus network between Krems and Melk. There is an hourly service on the north bank, while there is a two-hour service on the south bank. There are also connections to Mühldorf, the Jauerling and Göttweig Abbey. There is a day ticket for 10 euros for the buses, which is also valid for the three Danube ferries.

They also run between March and October Trains from Krems to Emmersdorf. Tickets for the trains online on the NÖVOG website and directly from the conductor on the train.

There is no bridge over the Danube between Melk and Krems, but there are some Ferries for pedestrians, cyclists and sometimes also cars.

Tourist Attractions

  • Krems, the "capital" of the Wachau, is a beautiful city with a large old town. Worth seeing are, for example, the stone gate, the many churches in the old town or the various museums.
  • Melk, at the other end of the Wachau, is smaller but no less interesting. The main attraction there is that Melk Abbey. Another pen is on the Göttweiger (A mountain), south of Mautern and Furth.
  • Castles - For fans of the Middle Ages this is Ruin Dürnstein a must, as you can see a large part of the Wachau from above. On the southern side of the Danube there is the well-known one Aggstein castle ruins, which is above Aggsbach.
  • Charterhouse Aggsbach - Located on the right side of the Danube about 10 km downstream from Melk. The former Charterhouse is located on the outskirts of Aggsbach Dorf (in the direction of Mauer / Loosdorf) and cannot be seen from the Danube. The Carthusian Church and the Carthusian Museum are open to the public. The former cell wing is currently shown as a garden (kartaeuserland.at). The Hammer forge Pehn goes back to a property of the Charterhouse Aggsbach. The restored forge and the mineral exhibition in the neighboring one Steinstadel are open from spring to autumn.
  • Hotel Burg Oberranna. .

The smaller towns with their picturesque town centers are also worth seeing. Especially on the B3, it is worthwhile to drive down from the main road to get to know the old town centers (preferably on foot, especially in summer there are traffic jams in the old town passages, mostly foreign vehicles). Those in Spitz and Weißenkirchen are particularly recommended.

Museums:

activities

A visit to one is definitely recommended "Heurigen". In these bars, local winegrowers sell their own wine and often small dishes from regional specialties (for example a "Brettl- or Hauerjause", consisting of meat, cheese, spreads and garnish). It is advisable not to be distracted by the outside, often the places that look the most shabby are the ones with the most rustic furnishings and the best wine. The Heurigen are not always open, they are usually only open for a few weeks to months throughout the year. In local newspapers (NÖN) and on information boards (with the inscription "Ausgsteckt is") and in Heurigen calendar you can find out which wine taverns are open at the moment.

In March for the apricot blossom and in July for the apricot harvest, everything in the Wachau revolves around the blooming apricot trees. In July there are also festivals around the harvest time. Both Apricot festivals in the Wachau there are apricot dumplings, apricot juices and apricot schnapps to eat and drink.

Also hikes are quite possible in the Wachau. Most of the hills and mountains have paths that often lead through endless vineyards. If you get hot in summer, you can relax either on the numerous Danube beaches or in the outdoor pools in Krems or Pointed cooling down.

kitchen

Apricot liqueur

There are a large number of good restaurants and inns in different price ranges throughout the Wachau. If you have high demands, you should visit the "Landhaus Bacher" in Mautern, one of the best restaurants in Austria. Here, however, the prices are also appropriate (whoever comes to € 100 per person shouldn't be surprised). But there are also many inns that offer excellent regional cuisine for a normal budget. For a normal lunch you should expect from 10 to 20 € per person, depending on the restaurant.

They are a particular specialty of the Wachau Apricots (Apricots). They are also sold next to the street during harvest time (around mid-June to early July) and otherwise processed into all sorts of products; from cakes to the famous, peck-sweet apricot liqueur (Mariandl). The Open apricots are fresh apricots in a mixture of apricot brandy and apricot liqueur.

The Wachau is also an important one Wine-growing area, especially the north bank.

climate

The Wachau has its very own microclimate, which is one of the reasons for the excellent wines. In general, it is warmer and milder in the Wachau than in the surrounding area Lower Austria (especially the Waldviertel), as the Danube has a climate-regulating effect. Nevertheless, one should not rely on the fact that it is beautiful all day when the sun is shining in the morning, especially in summer thunderstorms often suddenly appear.

trips

If you come from the west, you can head towards the Danube Tulln and Vienna drive along. Along the Danube to the west, the Nibelungau and the Strudengau connect to the Wachau, which stretches as far as Upper Austria extend. As the next major city along the Danube it is Linz to mention that an ideal base for traveling within Upper Austria is.

Web links

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