The area along the Danube river in Lower Austria is among the most impressing landscape of Lower Austria. Visitors from all over the world love the unique scenery of the famous river, vineyards and historic places to see. We recommend a trip by train and ship four your exciting day.

From Vienna take one of the hourly trains from the station "Westbahnhof" (underground U3, U6) or "Hütteldorf" (underground U4) to Melk. It is only a short distance from the station in Melk to the baroque abbey. The monastery is one ot the most valuable historic cultural treasures of Austria. Guided tours are available in certain languages, including an English tour (for groups tours or other languages please contact the monastery - tours@stiftmelk.at).

After discovering the monastery, take a ship to Krems passing the most beautiful part of the Wachau. On your way you can discover historic buildings or ruins like Aggstein high above the river and the romantic village of Spitz that is located within vineyards and plantations of the famous apricot "Wachauer Marille" or Dürnstein with the lovely blue steeple and the ruin overlooking the Danube valley.

A direct train brings visitors back to Vienna (in Vienna leave at station "Spittelau" for connections with underground U4, U6 and tram D or station "Franz-Josefs-Bahnhof FJB" for connections with tram D, 5, 33).

Package
A good option to discover th region ist the "Bahn-Schiff-Kultur"-package which is available at the station from April 5 to October 26. The package includes the rail trips, the Danube cruise and entry to the Abbey of Melk or museums in Krems (Kunsthalle, Karikaturmuseum,Gozzoburg).

Price: € 44,00 from Vienna

You want to explore more of the Danube valley by tain?
A good choice is to catch the "Erlebniszug Wachau" which runs all the way along the Danube from Vienna to St. Valentin (close to Linz).
The train passes Krems, the Wachau including villages like Dürnstein and Spitz and the Aggstein castle, the Abbey of Melk, the Nibelungengau, the narrow valley of Strudengau and Mauthausen. The train provides enough space for bikes and a restaurant car service. In St. Valentin, the terminal of the "Erlebniszug Wachau" you can catch an InterCity-train heading back to Vienna (1 h 30 min.).

Dürnstein
One ot the most famous sites along the line is the idyllic village of Dürnstein. It is the mixture of its setting on a small stretch of land between the river and the mountains covered with wineyards, the beautiful architecture, wine and its legendary history which attracts thousands of tourists every year. Did you know that the legendary English King Richard the Lionheart was imprisoned here for several months in 1193 after being captured on the way home from a crusade?
Trains between Krems and Dürnstein run hourly.

Aggstein castle
To visit the medieval Aggstein castle high above the Danube in the Wachau, we recommend you to catch the "Erlebniszug Wachau" to Spitz. Buy the "Aggstein package" directly in the train. In Spitz you get off the train and take the boat to the southern bank of the river. From here a bus takes you up the steep slopes to the castle. Visit the castle and enjoy the views down to the valley and the river. The ticket includes the trains ride from Vienna, all transfers and the entry to the castle.

Price: € 22,00 from Vienna
Available on Saturdays from April 12 to October 25.

Mauthausen memorial
Near Mauthausen you can visit the Mauthausen memorial. The former Nazi Concentration Camp was one of the most notorious camps in the Nazi camp system. More than half of the 200.000 prisoners did not survive the camp between 1938 and 1945. The site can be reached from the train station by taxi or on a 5 km walk through the village and then uphill.
From Vienna take the Erlebniszug Wachau to Mauthausen. For your way back it is best to go to St. Valentin by one of the frequent regional trains and then by InterCitiy-train back to Vienna.

timetable “Erlebniszug Wachau” (March 15 – October 26)

Between Vienna and Spitz and between Grein and St. Valentin services run frequently (hourly/2-hourly). The stretch between Spitz and Grein is only served by two through trains daily.

For your personal timetable-information see www.oebb.at.