Overview
- Day trip to the Danube Valley from Vienna
- Take in the spectacular Austrian countryside dotted with vineyards, castles, abbeys and pretty villages
- Discover the treasures of the Wachau Valley, a UNESCO World Heritage Site
- Enjoy a romantic 1.5-hour boat ride down the Danube River from Spitz to Melk (seasonal)
- Visit Melk Abbey, an imposing Benedictine overlooking the Danube
- Learn about the area’s history from a guide
Why Travelers Choose This Tour
From $93.09 USD
Lowest Price GuaranteeWatch the scenery change from the capital’s bustling streets to the picturesque landscape of the Austrian countryside. Journey through the UNESCO-listed Wachau Valley, a 24-mile (39-km) stretch of the Danube River. Running between the towns of Krems and Melk, the area is celebrated for its blend of natural and historical beauty, dotted with vineyards, wine villages, forestland, fortresses and castles. Hear about the history of the area from your guide as you travel.
Pass by the medieval castle ruins of Burgruine Dürnstein before heading to Spitz, where you’ll hop aboard a boat. Enjoy a stunning ride along the Danube, passing the wine town of Krems (seasonal).
Arrive in Melk for a visit to the Benedictine Melk Abbey, which overlooks the river. First established in the 11th century, the Baroque-style abbey is adorned in bright frescoes and has housed monks for over 900 years.
Purchase lunch in town before hopping back in your coach for a smooth return to Vienna.
Itinerary
Reviews
Viator Traveler's Reviews
The locations are gorgeous, the river cruise lovely, good amount of time for visiting all the places. However, I signed up for the English tour and found out when we started that the tour would be conducted in English, German, and Spanish. While I was impressed with the guideâs linguistic dexterity, it was incredibly tiresome to hear the same information (inconsistently) translated all day long. Moreover, the guide himself made at least one mildly racist comment about tourists of Chinese descent and seemed bored the whole time.
It was good value. However, the guide's live commentaries were translated in English, then German, then French, and Spanish which made it long winded and distracting. When we got to the Abbey, an audio guide was provided with a choice of language - lo and behold, everyone chose English!! The guide should have checked at the beginning if everyone understood English.
This trip is a "must do" when in Vienna. The bus leaves from the opera house in central Vienna (across the street from the big pink rabbit). The countryside is beautiful and we stopped at a couple of quaint little Austrian villages. We got on the luxurious riverboat and had a great meal while we cruised to the city of Melk. At Melk Abbey we had some free time to explore the gardens and grounds before our guided tour of the Abby itself which is absolutely gorgeous. Well worth the time and money if your looking for a relaxing day and some beautiful scenery.
Very nice tour. My only comment is that when we arrive at Melk Abbey, we were left to roam around without any idea of what to look for or see. After the Abbey tour we were told that our tickets enable us to go to the garden for free. This information should have been told yo us earlier so that we could visit the garden before the tour, since after the tour there is not much time.