World Heritage Trail Wachau with Charm

Wine and culture on the Blue Danube

Spitz, Dürnstein, Weißenkirchen, Melk - these delightful places in the Wachau offer culture, hospitality, cuisine and much more. You could also say that they are bursting with beauty and are perfect destinations in Austria for the daily stages on the 8-day hiking tour along the Wachau.

Book this holiday: Wachau World Heritage Trail (Charm)

Details about the hiking holiday in the Wachau

The city of Krems, the Göttweig Monastery, Dürnstein and its ruins - even the first stage is full of highlights. The next day you will first enjoy a ferry ride before the hike passes Austria's largest apricot-growing area.

There has to be a break and therefore day 4 is a rest day. It is perfect for taking a stop at one of the wine taverns around Weißenkirchen. Spitz and Melk are not only world-famous but also other destinations on our tour. On the way, you hike the ruin Aggstein, which towers imposingly over the Danube and offers impressive views of the region. On the return journey by ship, the journey ends in Krems.

The highlights of this walking holiday at a glance:

  • Idyllic vineyard hikes: The famous Wachau stone terraces may have been built around the 13th century and still shape the landscape today.

  • Discover the Danube on ridges: The special geography of the narrow valley offers great hiking opportunities, although the elevations are never higher than 1,000 metres. From the Seekopf and Buschandlwand, you have unique panoramas over the Danube or the Alps.

  • Culinary highlights: Let's be honest - good food is simply part of a holiday! The first-class wines go well with light fish dishes as well as a hearty ‘Jause’ (snack) (including Wachauer Laberl!).

  • Wine villages: Wachau is one of the most popular regions in Austria, to which the unique climate certainly contributes. When different climatic influences come together, the quality of the grapes and thus the wines are improved significantly.

Worth knowing about the hiking tour in the Wachau

The Wachau World Heritage Trail not only offers numerous scenic, cultural and culinary highlights, but it is also one of the “Top Trails of Austria”. So here you can confidently say that the journey is the destination. Another plus point is that some of the routes can be designed by yourself, depending on your fitness and experience levels.

Route summary

Hiking tours along well-maintained paths and in parts on asphalted vineyard paths. Depending on the route you can either enjoy the tours at a leisurely pace or make it more challenging. Summits in the Wachau area are not high, but partly steep. Hence surefootedness is required in a few places. This week of walking offers a beautiful combination of nature, sights and enjoyment.

This tour has been graded as Medium. Find out more about our walking holiday difficulty levels.

About our Active holidays with Charm

On our ‘Hiking Tours with Charm’, you can enjoy the full service of our active holidays while staying in very special accommodations with that extra something in the best location. That means you can look forward to luxury furnishings and decor in the local style, as well as cuisine at the highest level. Many of our hotels with charm also offer large pools and a wellness area where you can relax after a lovely day of hiking.

Book this holiday: Wachau World Heritage Trail (Charm)

Tour information
Medium
  • 8 Days / 7 Nights
  • Self-Guided
  • Luggage transfers included
  • Total walking distance: approx. 59 km
Steven Rittey
Steven Rittey
+44 1706 618 155 Contact
To the online version
QR-Code

Itinerary

Walk up into the vineyards to the tower with a view of the Blue Danube, the city Krems and the impressive monastery Göttweig. Cross the hills to the cosy Fesslhütte and reach the Dürnstein ruins on a trail with great views before reaching the banks of the Danube.

ca. 4,5 hours
12 km
530 m
550 m

Take the ferry from Dürnstein to Rossatz. Continue past the largest apricot growing area of Austria, on old tracks up to Seekopf with stunning views of the Alps. Optionally take a walk along the Danube through orchards to the ferry.

ca. 5 hours
16 km
480 m
480 m

Surrounded by sunny vineyard hills and green forests, the mighty Gothic parish church of Weißenkirchen rises up. Together with the wine-growing villages of Joching, Wösendorf and St. Michael, Weißenkirchen forms the largest wine-growing community in the Wachau. Weißenkirchen offers many possibilities for your rest day: museums, beautiful hiking trails or a boat trip on the Danube. Take time to taste a glass of Wachau wine in one of the wine taverns. Or take a short hike on the Achleitenrunde for a stop at the wine growers!

ca. 2 hours
4 km
100 m
100 m

Leave Weißenkirchen via the wine trail, past picturesque wine cellars to the climb up to Seiber. Walk through the forest at first quite steep to Buschandlwand where an observation platform allows stunning panorama views. An alternative route passes through vineyards to the famous wine grower community Spitz an der Donau.

ca. 4 to 5 hours
12 km
600 m
600 m

Cross the Danube by ferry to Maria Langegg. Here you follow St. Jacob’s trail to ruin Aggsbach. Visit the fortress with scenic views across the Danube valley and stop for a snack. Down you walk to Aggsbach where you catch the coach to Melk.

ca. 4,5 to 5,5 hours
15 km
640 m
640 m

Visit the impressive monastery with beautiful grounds before you board the Danube boat. During the cruise to Krems you pass the highlights of the week, see all the vineyards as well as Spitz and Durnstein.

Route information

You walk mainly on good trails and some paved vineyard paths. Depending on the route, you can make the stages more comfortable or more challenging. The peaks in the Wachau region are not high, but steep in places. Surefootedness, therefore, is required in some places. This week offers a perfect blend of nature, culture and culinary delight.

Prices and dates

Prices are per person in GBP and exclude flights. All bookings are ABTA-protected.

Price calculation and check availability: Wachau World Heritage Trail (Charm)

Place of arrival: Krems
  Season 1
23.03.2024 - 14.04.2024
26.08.2024 - 08.09.2024

Daily
Season 2
15.04.2024 - 09.06.2024

Daily
Season 3
10.06.2024 - 25.08.2024
09.09.2024 - 13.10.2024

Daily
World Heritage Trail Wachau with Charm, AT-WAWKR-08D
Base price
1,029.00
1,089.00
1,169.00
Single room surcharge 299.00 299.00 299.00

Hotel information: You spend the night in selected hotels with special "extras" and can really enjoy all the facilities of the charming accommodations.

Season 1
Mar 23, 2024 - Apr 14, 2024
Aug 26, 2024 - Sep 8, 2024
Daily
Season 2
Apr 15, 2024 - Jun 9, 2024
Daily
Season 3
Jun 10, 2024 - Aug 25, 2024
Sep 9, 2024 - Oct 13, 2024
Daily
World Heritage Trail Wachau with Charm, AT-WAWKR-08D
Base price
Single room surcharge
1,029.00
299.00
1,089.00
299.00
1,169.00
299.00

Hotel information: You spend the night in selected hotels with special "extras" and can really enjoy all the facilities of the charming accommodations.

Season 1
Mar 23, 2024 - Apr 14, 2024
Aug 26, 2024 - Sep 8, 2024
Season 2
Apr 15, 2024 - Jun 9, 2024
Season 3
Jun 10, 2024 - Aug 25, 2024
Sep 9, 2024 - Oct 13, 2024
Krems
Extra night p.p / BB
Surcharge single room
89.00
29.00
99.00
29.00
99.00
29.00
Additional nights
Place of arrival: Krems
  Season 1
Mar 23, 2024 - Apr 14, 2024
Aug 26, 2024 - Sep 8, 2024

Daily
Season 2
Apr 15, 2024 - Jun 9, 2024

Daily
Season 3
Jun 10, 2024 - Aug 25, 2024
Sep 9, 2024 - Oct 13, 2024

Daily
Krems
Extra night p.p / BB 89.00 99.00 99.00
Surcharge single room 29.00 29.00 29.00
Prices per person in GBP

Included services and travel information

Services

Included:

  • Overnight stays as stated
  • Breakfast
  • Luggage transfer
  • Boat cruise Melk – Krems*
  • Wine tasting (German, English)

 

 

  • Carefully elaborated route description
  • Detailed travel and tour documents 1x per room (German, English)
  • App for Navigation and GPS-data available
  • Service hotline

 

* Boat cruise is only possible starting from mid-April, bus ride as an alternative.

Arrival information

Arrival / Parking / Departure:

  • By train from Vienna to Krems and a few minutes walk to the starting hotel.
  • Parking: limited free parking at the hotel, no reservation possible. Public parking garage available for approx. EUR 20 per week, no reservation required.

Important information:

  • Tourist tax, if due, is not included in the price
  • 2x ferry crossings Danube, bus fare from Aggsdorf to Melk (only 8-day tour), approx. EUR 6 per person

Accommodation

Why book with Active on Holiday?