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Help planning Vienna to Melk, Wachau Valley ONE day excursion (June 2016)

Leaving Vienna early in the morning for Melk Abbey. Want to experience Scholbuhel Castle, Willendorf, Durnstein, and Krems.
1) Best way to travel from Vienna to Melk on morning of June 30th, 2016?
2) Best to bike the South shore, or take a River Cruise? where to rent bikes? (can this be done if it rains?) What Cruise Line?
3) Would it be best to go with an organized tour to fit in all the crucial things for one day and coordinate timing?
We will be going from Wachau Valley to Salzburg, where we will be for one day before heading to Munich.
1) Do we (and can we) stay in Krems and leave early in the morning for Salzburg? How do we get to Salzburg fastest?
2) Would it be best to go to Salzburg at night after our day tour of Wachau Valley, so we will be ready to roll for our one day in Salzburg?
Any advisement on traveling between sites, tour groups, hotels, restaurants greatly appreciated.

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5362 posts

This is an area I have been to many times. I would suggest that you take the train from Vienna to Krems and then take the WL1 bus to Durnstein. Explore Durnstein (hike up to the old castle), rent a bike or hop on the WL1 again and have lunch in Weissenkirchen (the best village in the Wachau, in my opinon). From Weissenkirchen, you can continue by bike or WL1 to Willendorf. Scholbuhel castle is on the opposite side of the river, but you'll be able to see it just fine. Again, you can continue on bike or WL1 to Melk and from there take the train easily to Salzburg, with a change in St. Polten.

I should note that I haven't been to Willendorf, nor do I understand it to be exceptional. You might want to skip it, and just hop on the boat (DDSG or Brandner) from Weissenkirchen and float up the river where you will get a good view of Scholbuhel. I also want to point out that the Ruine Aggestein is a really attraction on this stretch, but it is a bit hard to reach without a car.

Answers to your questions:

  1. Travel from Vienna to Krems instead. Train. This is a regional journey, so you can buy from a kiosk at the train station on the day of travel.
  2. North shore. See above about cruise. Several places to rent bikes. Google it.
  3. Easy to do on your own and much more pleasant.

  4. If you are tired, stay in Melk for the night. From Melk to Salzburg, buy a regional train ticket from the kiosk on the day of travel to St. Polten. Once in St. Polten, get on a Westbahn train to Salzburg (not an OBB train). Buy your tickets on the train from the conductor.

  5. I think that's up to you.