Austria’s glorious Wachau valley is home to the winding Danube, charming towns, imposing castles, and some of the country’s best wine. A cruise along the river (if you’re up for something more active, you can bike some or all of the way) from Melk to Krems must be on your itinerary. It’s a nice day trip from Vienna. Note that the cruise is only available seasonally, from May to September.
The most economical way to do this trip is to buy a “Wachau Ticket” from ÖBB, Austria’s national rail system. You can buy the tickets in advance online or at Vienna Central Station. The ticket includes a train ticket from Austria to Melk, a boat ride from Melk to Krems, and rail service from Krems back to Vienna. Spend some time coordinating train, boat, and tour schedules to make sure you have time for everything. There are only about 5 boats each day, and they’re run by different companies so some will run at the same time, reducing your options. We recommend picking the boat you want to catch and planning the rest of your schedule around that.
You can also do the tour in reverse (Vienna to Krems, Krems to Melk, and Melk back to Vienna). But we think it’s easier to see Melk Abbey if you start there. You’ll also have more time to explore, as the upstream trip from Krems to Melk is much longer (3 hours versus about 1.5 hours). And if you want to bike all or part of the way, consider that there’s more downhill from Melk to Krems. Finally, Rathauskeller is a great option for lunch in Melk.
If you want to bike, you can do the whole trip in about three or four hours. But we really enjoyed riding the boat from Melk to Spitz and biking the rest of the way. We got to see Wachau from the river and enjoy a cocktail on the boat; then we had an opportunity to explore the lovely towns along the river (Dürnstein in particular is beautiful) and stop at wineries along the way.