Cycling Melk to Krems - how to return to Melk where we are sleeping?

You can ride the 24-mile route, which is a dedicated flat bike path, in two-three hours. But there are so many castle ruins and vineyards along the way, you’ll find yourselves stopping frequently for points of interest and photos and maybe a wine-tasting. It’s a leisurely pace that makes this such a fantastic daytrip. You might have to wait 15 minutes for the ferry that crosses the Danube to get to Durnstein.
The steep climb to the castle ruins above Durnstein where King Richard-the-Lionheart was held captive, takes time as well.

Explore Weissenkirchen and Krems. They both are historic towns with intact medieval centers. When you’re ready to return to Melk from Krems— just buy your tickets at Krems train station and hop on the train with your bikes. The trains here are ready to accommodate bike riders and trains sell “bike tickets” for about €2 from Krems to Melk. There are trains departing hourly from Krems for Melk and the train ride takes an hour.

When I rode from Krems to Melk on a rented cruiser bike and returned by train, it turned out to take about 6 leisurely hours. I remember riding while listening to a local radio station through my earbuds when “On the Beautiful Blue Danube” by Johann Strauss began playing.
As riverside castles drifted by while biking to music of the Blue Danube, an unforgettable memory of Europe was created. Take your time en route because the Wachau Valley is a stunningly beautiful area. Be sure to see Melk Abbey which has a library as beautiful as its outside gardens.
Have a great trip!

There are hourly trains from Krems/Donau to Melk with a change in St Poelten. Takes about 1 hour. Both trains allow bicycles, but there is a small extra charge, 10.40 EUR without a bike and 11.80 EUR with a bike per person. Looks like a cross-platform transfer at St Poelten, so should be easy.

The train from Krems to Melk I was on was direct without any change in St. Polten. That was a few years back.

They are not showing up on the schedule now, even in July. Maybe direct trains will get added later.

Thank you all SO much! I was not finding hourly trains. We would much prefer a train to a bus, so that's what we will plan on! I really appreciate the great info.

And yes, @Kenko, we plan to do just as you describe! Take most of the day exploring and taking our time, seeing castle ruins, etc. The day before we'll be going to the Abbey.

One quick question - I'm wondering why you wouldn't just leave your bicycle in Krems as I thought that was an option. But maybe it's pricier to do it that way. We want to save money, so if it's cheaper to return the bikes to Melk, we'll do that.

So excited, and what a great forum here! THANKS!

If it is an option to leave the bike in Krems and it costs nothing, then of course, that is the way to go. I've never done it, so I don't know if they charge a fee to transport the bikes back to Melk. Just find out, and if it is no cost or cheap, leave them there. but if they are going to charge you 20 or 30 EUR to transport them back to Melk, you might consider bringing them back yourselves and spend the savings on a couple bottles of wine for the ride.

Hi hj sullivan, Yes! There is an Austrian bike rental service that will allow you to pick up the bikes in Melk and return the bikes to the train station in Krems-an-der-Donau or several other locations in Krems. It’s only €15 per day for a bicycle for 24 hours.plus a €1 Registration fee. You pick up the bikes where they are locked to bike racks and return them to a bike rack that locks. There are locations throughout Austria.
The website is www.nextbike.at. Opt for English and click under the 4th photo where it says “ nextbike NiederOsterreich.” A map shows all the locations where the bikes can be picked up and returned.
It looks like there are direct trains from Krems to Melk departing at eighteen minutes after the hour during afternoons. So, at 14:18 ( 2:18pm) 15:18; 16:18; 17:18; 18:18 and so on.
Have a great time riding in the Wachau Valley!

The direct transport at 18 past the hour are buses, not that there is anything wrong with that. They take exactly the same travel time as the trains. Price is the same as the train.

Ok, as someone who considers themself a sort of expert on the area, here’s what I would do.

Rent bikes from Nextbike. You just leave the bike in Krems. No brainer.

Take the 715 bus from Krems to Melk. It is a cute little bus that passes scenic areas, unlike the train which is a dinky little regional train with a change and less frequent than the bus. Same amount of time for both.

Emily, Does the #715 bus depart from Krems near the train station?

Just checked the schedule - yes.

Vielen Dank!

As someone who's ridden a bike approaching 10,000km in Europe, if you use a service like Nextbike where you are picking up/dropping off a docked city bike, give all the bikes you rent a really good once over: good tire tread and properly inflated, pedal nicely without a lot of noise or problem, everything straight and tight and operational. No fun to get halfway into a long point to point ride and and a bike conks out.

Personally I'd also be able to deal with a flat. Pump, patchkit, and levers, and know how to patch a tube without removing the wheel (wheels generally don't easily come off city bikes for obvious reasons). Of course you can always ditch the flatted biked and hop on another nextbike, but this assumes there is one nearby and available. Tires tend to be thick and armored on these sorts of bikes, so not a high chance of a flat, but they can and do occasionally happen.

If it was me and there was a different service than nextbike that rents bikes one way on your route, I'd use that. You'll likely get a better quality bike that's been more recently checked and maintained if a shop hands it to you; they'll likely give you a small tool kit and pump; and if something goes wrong they likely eventually show up to help.

But if not then I think nextbike and not dragging the rental onto the train is probably the best choice. Although taking a bike onto those Danube local trains --- you're certainly not the first, and those trains are built/configured to haul a lot of bikes. Nearly all low roll in entrances and extensive bike storage areas. Might be worth it to have a better quality bike and potentially better support.

Also, Krems is the wine biz hub of the Wachau. One fun aspect of that is that there are some fantastic traditional Heurigen in Krems. Wine, good food and fun atmosphere await at the end of the ride!

Google Krems Weingut Mayer Resch for a nice one not far from the center.

Also also, you are in for a treat. Melk to Krems is one of the greatest cycle touring segments in all of Europe. Fantastic choice, you'll love it!

Has your trip taken place yet? We are planning to do this bike ride in a few week. Would love to hear where you ended up renting the bikes from and any gems you found along the way. Thanks!