Train stations for Wachau combo ticket

Both train connections, i.e., Wien > Melk and Krems > Wien, are direct, but depart/arrive at different train stations in Vienna.

The train to Melk departs at Wien Westbahnhof, the train from Krems arrives at Wien Franz-Josefs-Bahnhof.

https://www.oebb.at/en/

Here's how I would do it. I would take the direct train from Vienna's Westbahnhof to Melk, which takes a little over an hour. I would tour the Abbey and then get on the boat to Duernstein. In Duernstein I would have lunch at the Alte Presshaus and hike up to the castle ruins. I would then take the 715 bus to the Krems train station (just a couple of Euro). Then you will get on the direct train at Krems to Vienna's Franz-Joseph Bahnhof, which also takes a little over an hour.

Essentially, any trip to the Wachau should include Duernstein, in my opinion. Also, the boat dock in Krems is a 30 minute walk from the Krems train station - and not a particularly nice walk. The 715 bus from Duernstein, however, stops right in front of the train station in Krems.

... the boat dock in Krems is a 30 minute walk from the Krems train station - and not a particularly nice walk.

The walk is not so nice if you follow the instructions given by Google Maps, which suggests to follow route #3, a main through-road.
Better is to walk on Ringstraße starting at the roundabout near the boat dock.

Emily, my daughter would like to take some time to walk around the village of Melk. Is it possible to take some time to walk around before boarding the boat and still fit in the stop in Durnstein? Do the boats run often enough to accommodate this? (We will probably get to Melk pretty early - we're morning people.)

We've also considered skipping the combination ticket, taking the train to Melk and then taking the bus to Krems after visiting the Abbey. The RS guidebook mentions a bus ticket that allows for stops along the way. Would this also be the 715 bus? How often does the bus run and does it end service at some time that we would need to be aware of?

I'm sorry for so many questions - I like to know all my options in advance and plan carefully to minimize surprises! And thank you! Your contributions to this forum are so helpful!

Thank you for the helpful information!

Diana M - The DDSG boat leaves Melk at 11:00, 13:50, 14:35 and 16:25 (https://ddsg-blue-danube.at/linienschifffahrt-wachau/). If you use the OeBB website, you will find that trains leave Vienna's Westbahnhof station at :18 after every hour and arrive in Melk at :21 the following hour. You want to tour the Melk Abbey, right? It is the crown jewel of the Wachau and should not be missed. The village of Melk itself is cute but not particularly quaint. You'll want a couple of hours to tour the Abbey before boarding the boat. Then get off the boat at Duernstein - the cutest village in the Wachau - at 12:30, 15:10, 15:55 or 17:50, depending on which boat you take. You'll want a couple of hours to explore Duernstein and hike up to the castle ruins for the views. If you are on an earlier boat, I highly recommend having lunch in Duernstein at the terrace of the Richard Lionheart Hotel. Bus 715 runs from Duernstein to Krems train station. You can't hop on/hop off the bus, you have to buy a ticket for each journey you take on the bus. The bus comes through every hour and current schedules have the bus stopping at the station by the tourist office at :18 past the hour. You can check this on Google Maps.

Thank you so much, Emily. This is really helpful information! I'd really like to take the boat trip, but I think my daughter prefers the bus. I don't think she wants to pay 82 euros, but I think it would be worth it.

What about riding a bike? It’s my favorite way to see the Wachau. It is easy with NextBike. I suggest the ride from Spitz or Weißenkirchen to Duernstein.

Emily, I looked up Nextbike and that sounds like a fun way to see the valley. I assume we could take the bus from Melk to Spitz, then bike to Durnstein, which is only an hour or so. That would probably be the right amount of biking for me! Are the Nextbike locations generally easy to find from bus stops?

Do you need to reserve a place on the boat from Melk to Krems if you get the Wachau ticket?

With two people would the Einfach Raus ticket make sense? And just buy boat tickets from Melk to Durnstein, and bus from there to Krems?

With two people would the Einfach Raus ticket make sense? And just buy boat tickets from Melk to Durnstein, and bus from there to Krems?

Check the prices and do the math.

I'd urge you to check me on this, but I did the math a few weeks ago and it seemed the Einfach Raus approach would be cheaper. However, I'm always reluctant to buy any transportation ticket that requires me to travel precisely the same route at precisely the same time as someone else (otherwise the ticket is totally worthless--can't be used by one of the co-travel3rs riding solo). Especially in a case like this when one person might want to cover some of the route on foot or by bicycle or stay in the boat longer. Anymore those would render the train ticket useless for at least part of the journey.

Going from memory here: I think there may be a senior fare available for some part of the excursion. I'm a senior but my prospective travel mate isn't, so that factored into my calculation.

Does the OBB combo ticket include local transfer in Vienna?

Does the OBB combo ticket include local transfer in Vienna?

No. But being in Vienna you should have a public transort pass anyway.

Hi there! I'm a train nerd so a little while ago I compiled a load of information on Wachau trains. (I've checked very recently and this all seems to still be up to date).

As far as I know, this information is valid on weekdays (the train from Krems to Vienna doesn't seem to run on weekends...?). And as always, don't take my word for it; double check stuff at the OEBB website (www.fahrplan.oebb.at) or the Deutsche Bahn website (www.bahn.com), which also has timetables for Austria.

Direct trains from Vienna to Melk leave Vienna Westbahnhof every hour at 18 minutes past, so that's 8.18am, 9.18am, 10.18am etc. However, there are also more frequent trains that leave from the Hauptbahnhof and require a change in St Poelten, which might suit your personal schedule better as long as you're willing to make the change. Be aware that the Westbahnhof and the Hauptbahnhof are quite a way from each other, so you kinda need to commit to one or the other as it's not like you can just quickly hop between them.

Trains from Krems to Vienna leave Krems Bahnhof every half hour at 22 and 52 minutes past, and they arrive in Vienna Franz-Josefs-Bahnhof. One little trick here is that all these trains seem to also stop at Spittelau before they terminate at FJB, and Spittelau - unlike FJB - is connected to the U-Bahn via lines U4 and U6, which might be more convenient for you than going all the way to FJB and then having to walk to connect to the U-Bahn or S-Bahn.

Disclaimer again, do double check all this before you head out, but I hope this helps!

As far as I know, this information is valid on weekdays (the train from Krems to Vienna doesn't seem to run on weekends...?).

This is not correct. Trains between Krems and Vienna run on an hourly schedule every day, times may vary depending on the day of the week.

Be aware that the Westbahnhof and the Hauptbahnhof are quite a way from each other, ...

The ride on public transport between these two train stations is about 16 minutes, either by tram 18 (direct), or subways U1 and U3 (one change).

Thanks for that correction wmt1! I've no idea how I missed that the Krems-Vienna train does run on weekends - maybe I was looking too far in advance initially or something. From what I can see, the direct trains seem to be hourly at the weekend and half-hourly on weekdays (at least in the afternoon, when you're likely to be coming back from Krems).