Overview
Four days on the Danube between Krems and Melk — a 36km stretch of river valley so concentrated in castles, abbeys, terraced vineyards and riverside villages that UNESCO listed the whole thing in 2000.
For our purposes it may be the single best cycling proposition on the list. The Donauradweg runs along both banks, flat, surfaced, waymarked and largely car-free, with little ferries crossing the river so you can compose any loop you like. Add Grüner Veltliner and Riesling of genuine world class, Heuriger taverns where the grower pours their own, and — in October — *Sturm*, the cloudy half-fermented new wine, which is the Austrian cousin of the Mosel's Federweißer.
Getting There
| Outbound | Friday 23 October — easyJet/BA/Ryanair, Gatwick, Luton or Stansted → Vienna (VIE), ~2h15, several daily, from ~£45–85 |
| Return | Monday 26 October — Vienna → London, evening, from ~£45–85 |
| Airport → Krems | City Airport Train or S-Bahn into Vienna, then train to Krems an der Donau, about 1h. Roughly 4½–5 hours door to door |
| Bikes on trains | Austrian regional trains carry bikes for a small supplement — useful for the one-way rides |
Day by Day
Friday 23 October — Arrive & Krems
- Morning flight to Vienna; train up the Danube to Krems by mid-afternoon.
- Krems and its old quarter of Stein are a pair of medieval towns grown together, all painted facades and arcaded courtyards.
- Late afternoon: a first Heuriger — the grower's own tavern, a pine branch over the door meaning the new wine is open, cold cuts and bread on the table.
- Dinner in Krems; try the Wachau's Grüner Veltliner with Wiener Schnitzel and see why the Austrians never export enough of it.
Saturday 24 October — Upstream to Spitz and Melk
- The classic ride, and it is flat. West along the Danube cycle path through Dürnstein, Weissenkirchen and Spitz — the terraced vineyards climbing in stone walls above the river the whole way.
- Dürnstein: the blue-and-white baroque church tower on the water, and above it the ruined castle where Richard the Lionheart was held for ransom in 1192 after being caught coming home from crusade.
- Push on to Melk if the group is keen — around 36km one way, entirely flat, with the vast yellow Benedictine abbey on its bluff as the reward. Train back with the bikes.
- Evening: Sturm and something roasted.
Sunday 25 October — Terraces & tastings
- Clocks back overnight. A shorter, more vertical day: up into the terraces above Weissenkirchen or Spitz on the Welterbesteig paths and vineyard lanes, with the river below.
- Tastings: Domäne Wachau in Dürnstein — a first-rate co-operative in baroque cellars, open all week and welcoming — plus one of the great small growers if they will have you.
- Ride the far bank home on the quieter southern side, crossing back by ferry. 25–30km.
- Return bikes; last dinner on the river.
Monday 26 October — Home (via Vienna)
- Morning train back to Vienna, with time for a coffee house — Kaffee und Kuchen, taken slowly, is the correct final act.
- Evening flight to London.
Festivals & Local Events
Wachau Marille (apricot) season — July
The valley's other famous crop, celebrated in early summer. Apricot schnapps and jam are on sale year-round.
Sturm season — September into October
Not a festival but a season: the cloudy, half-fermented new wine appears at Heurigen and roadside stands from September and is gone by November. Our weekend is at the tail end of it.
Wachau Gourmet Festival — spring
A food-and-wine programme across the valley's restaurants, usually March–April.
Advent markets — late November onwards
Dürnstein, Spitz and Krems all run small, genuinely charming Christmas markets, if a winter return ever appeals.
The Region in Brief
A little history
The valley has been settled since the Palaeolithic — the Venus of Willendorf, a 30,000-year-old limestone figurine and one of the oldest artworks ever found, was dug up beside the Danube here in 1908. Charlemagne granted vineyards to Bavarian monasteries in the 8th century, which is why abbeys still own vines. And in 1192 Richard I of England, shipwrecked and travelling in disguise, was recognised and imprisoned at Dürnstein by Duke Leopold V, who was still furious about a banner thrown down at Acre; the ransom that freed him was a substantial part of England's annual revenue.
October weather
Crisp and often bright: typically 7–17°C in late October, with mist on the river in the mornings and the terraces turning gold. The valley is sheltered and warmer than the surrounding country.
The wines
Grüner Veltliner — white pepper, lentil, citrus — and Riesling, grown on terraced primary rock and classified by the growers' own system: Steinfeder (light), Federspiel (medium), Smaragd (ripest, named after the emerald lizards that bask on the terrace walls). Dry, precise and long-lived; the best bottles age for decades and almost nobody outside Austria knows it.
The food
Wiener Schnitzel done properly, Tafelspitz, Marillenknödel (apricot dumplings), Grammelknödel, smoked river fish, and the Heuriger spread of cold roast pork, Liptauer and dark bread. Pumpkin-seed oil from Styria on everything.
Where to Stay
Hotel Schloss Dürnstein
A 17th-century castle-hotel with a terrace directly above the Danube. The view is the whole point.
Steigenberger Avance Hotel
Comfortable, practical, close to the station and the old town.
Gasthof or Winzerhof rooms
Grower-run guesthouses through the valley — simple, cheap and often with their own wine at dinner.
The Wineries
Domäne Wachau
Around a third of the valley's crop, made to a very high standard and sold at fair prices. Open all week with a proper tasting room — the reliable anchor.
Weingut Knoll
Emmerich Knoll's wines, with the famous Saint Urban label, are among Austria's greatest. Small; email well ahead.
Weingut Prager
Steep terraced Rieslings of extraordinary precision, on the Saturday route.
Any Heuriger with a branch over the door
The grower's own tavern, open by rotation. No booking, no ceremony, and the most Austrian hour of the trip.
Eat & Drink
| Friday | Heuriger cold cuts and Grüner in Krems |
| Saturday | Lunch in Spitz or at Melk abbey |
| Sunday | Riverside dinner in Dürnstein |
| Monday | Coffee and cake in Vienna before the flight |
Useful Links
- Danube Cycle Path — official — the Donauradweg, stage by stage, with bike-friendly hosts
- Wachau Tourism — official regional tourist board — villages, ferries, events
- Vinea Wachau — the growers' association and the Steinfeder/Federspiel/Smaragd system
- Austrian Wine — the national wine board — regions, producers and visiting
Practical Notes
- Arguably the best flat cycling on the whole list, and unlike the Mosel it comes with abbeys, castles and a UNESCO valley.
- Use the ferries. Little cable ferries cross the Danube at several points, so you can ride out on one bank and home on the other. They run into late October but check the season.
- Bike hire is plentiful in Krems, Dürnstein and Spitz, e-bikes included, and many hotels lend them.
- Sturm is a trap. It tastes like grape juice, is well on its way to being wine, and is still fermenting in your glass. Pace accordingly.
- Clocks change overnight on 24–25 October.