Overnight Melk-Krems-Durstein - between Vienna & Budapest?

Since you will be spending time in Vienna I would suggest that you do it as a few days in the middle of your Vienna stay. Primarily because it is one to two hours in the opposite direction from Budapest. To move on to Budapest you will have to go back towards Vienna anyway.

Are you renting a car? If not, then thats another reason to put it as a day trip or overnight(s) trip out of Vienna. Plenty of guides make that trip out of Vienna.

If you want to do somehting similar that is between Vienna and Budapest the choice might be Győr and the archabbey at Pannonhalma. Not as scenic as the Wachau Valley but interesting and lovely and in the correct direction towards Budapest and fewer tourists. Győr is actually almost exactly half way between Vienna and Budapest and on the rail line that connects the two. But again, a different experiece.

Oh my, this region deserves a month to see all the beauty!

Thanks for re-directing me. I'll follow your advice.

Now to find a Melk hotel...or tour/guide.
Lee

I haven't been in 10 years, but it was uniquely beautiful. There were a lot of tourists then, now I presume even more so, but if you can do this in one of the shoulder seasons I think that might add to the enjoyment .. that and a car.

Have fun.

I do not plan on having a car.

Funny, I'm not averse to a bike, though it has been many years since I've gone for a bike ride.

Thanks,
Lee

No car, then you have a logistics challenge ahead. But solving the issues is half the fun. I'm good on a bike for about 5 miles, then ......

Thanks, all. It does seem to be a challenge to see it with leisure but no car :)
Lee

You can do it with no car, but you may wish to dust off your biking skills because it's so fun. You can even rent an e-bike, which, while not really needed, makes the biking very, very easy.

On those dates in October, there will still be some boats. Try ddsg blue danube website to check schedules. Earlier in the season there are more options, but October is still doable.

For a leisurely visit, perhaps take the train to Melk, tour the Abbey, spend the night having a lovely dinner at the Hotel restaurant zur poste, then the next day take the 1:50 boat to Durnstein (the boat leaves Melk late enough that you could tour the Abbey that morning if you prefer), get off and see Durnstein, spend the night there and the next day you could travel the 5 miles to Krems either by boat, bike, walking or bus to continue your travels.

I loved Durnstein; in fact, it was probably one of the prettiest villages I have been to. I would definitely recommend spending a night there if possible.