World Heritage Trail Wachau

Hiking along the famous Wachau wine route.

In the Wachau area, the Danube is exceptionally beautiful, boasting a unique charm. The mild climate and steep hills create perfect conditions for orchards and vineyards to flourish. Our week-long hiking adventure takes you along the "World Heritage Trail Wachau," a long-distance trail that follows the ridges of the Danube Valley. Along these diverse walking routes, you'll be treated to magnificent vistas of one of Austria's most ancient cultural landscapes, characterized by vineyards, apricot orchards, and the majestic Danube flowing through the valley.

During this varied hiking tour, you'll traverse steep cliffs, gentle hills, and thriving vineyards. The landscape is dotted with picturesque hamlets, and in addition to the renowned wines, you can savour delectable apricot delicacies, which are among the region's outstanding specialities.

Book this holiday: World Heritage Trail: Wachau

Details about the hiking holiday in the Wachau

In the Danube valley, between Krems and Melk, your hike will take you along the river, through vineyards, up to scenic viewpoints, and to the ruins of Dürnstein. Your hiking experience will also include a visit to the impressive Melk Abbey, and you'll cap it off with a delightful boat trip, making for a well-rounded and memorable journey.

The highlights of this walking holiday at a glance:

  • Hike in the vineyards: What makes the Wachau region so special is the numerous vineyards perched on the slopes.

  • Wine & Culinary art: Pancakes filled with apricot jam, fine spirits and of course the wonderful wines of the Wachau – on the hiking holiday in the Danube river valley you experience culinary highlights every day.

  • Discover the Wachau from the River Danube: Between Melk and Krems you have the opportunity to gain completely new impressions of the Wachau.

Worth knowing about the hiking tour in the Wachau

You start your hiking week with your arrival at Krems. The UNESCO World Heritage city features winding streets and wineries. Your hiking holiday begins the very next day with the first hike to Dürnstein. The route takes you via Weißenkirchen and Spitz to Melk, before returning to Krems by boat on the Danube.

Every day you hike between 12 and 14 kilometres and climb several Wachau peaks, which are not high but steep. Surefootedness is therefore an advantage in certain sections.

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.

Book this holiday: World Heritage Trail: Wachau

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
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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 vineyards and green forests the mighty gothic parish church of Weißenkirchen is a remarkable sight. The wine grower villages Joching, Wösendorf and St. Michael form together with Weißenkirchen the biggest wine grower community of Wachau. Visit museums, and beautiful walking trails or take a boat tour on the Danube. Enjoy a glass of Wachauer wine in one of the wine taverns. Or do a short hike on the Achleiten circuit to stop by the winegrower!

ca. 2 Stunden
4 km
100 m
100 m

Leave Weißenkirchen via the wine trail, past picturesque wine cellars and ascend to Seiber. Walk through the forest, initially quite steep to Buschandlwand where an observation platform allows stunning panoramic 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, and see all the vineyards as well as Spitz and Dürnstein.

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: World Heritage Trail: Wachau

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, AT-WAWKR-08A
Base price
829.00
879.00
959.00
Single room surcharge 229.00 229.00 229.00

Hotel information: Partly 4**** hotels, but mostly 3*** hotels and inns.

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, AT-WAWKR-08A
Base price
Single room surcharge
829.00
229.00
879.00
229.00
959.00
229.00

Hotel information: Partly 4**** hotels, but mostly 3*** hotels and inns.

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
Double room p. p.
Single room surcharge
75.00
29.00
75.00
29.00
85.00
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
Double room p. p. 75.00 75.00 85.00
Single room surcharge 29.00 29.00 29.00
Prices per person in GBP

Included services and travel information

Services

Included:

  • Accommodation as already mentioned
  • Breakfast
  • Luggage transfer
  • 1 Boat trip from Melk to Krems*
  • 1 Wine tasting (German, English)

 

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

 

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

Arrival Infromation

Arrival / Parking / Departure:

  • By train from Vienna to Krems and a few minutes walk to the starting hotel.
  • Vienna airport.
  • Parking: free parking spaces at the hotel or in the surrounding for approx. EUR 20 per week. No reservation required.

Important information:

  • Tourist tax, if due, is not included in the price
  • 3x ferry trips Danube, bus fare from Aggsdorf to Melk, approx. EUR 6 per person
Sample hotel list

This is a sample hotel list. Hotels will be booked depending on availability.

Krems

Hotel Unter den Linden 3***

www.udl.at

Dürnstein

Hotel Sänger Blondel 3***

www.saengerblondel.at

Weißenkirchen

Hotel Kirchenwirt 4****

www.kirchenwirt-wachau.at

Spitz

Hotel Goldenes Schiff 3***

www.goldenesschiff.at

Melk

Hotel Post 4****

www.post-melk.at

 

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