Vienna to Melk, then Danube cruise

The train between Melk and Vienna is very easy and I don't think it would be too crowded on a weekend or weekday.

September is a busy time in this area as it is the wine harvest. That fact, however, should not dissuade you from visiting as it will be a great time to try Sturm, a local fresh wine speciality, and other special menu items.

Don't cruise from Vienna all the way up to the Wachau; less than spectacular scenery until you hit Durnstein.

You can check train schedules yourself at www.oebb.at. Trains are very regular, so it doesn't really matter when you go.

I suggest to take the train from Vienna to Melk; boat from Melk to Weissenkirchen or Durnstein; bus to Krems; train to Vienna. Bus is better to get back to Krems as it stops at the train station; the boat stops well outside of town and it would be necessary to take the bus from the boat station anyway.

In Durnstein be sure to have an apricot dumpling on the terrace of the Richard Lionheart Hotel and then climb up to the castle ruins to burn some calories.

I just did this excursion a week ago on a special offer from OBB; train from Wien Westbahnhof to Melk and a tour of the Abbey with plenty of time left to wander the charming village below and have a sit-down lunch before boarding the boat for a 1 1/2 hr cruise on the Danube to Krems where I caught the train back to Franz Josefs (thanks to Rick's book I knew to exit at Spittelau to catch the metro since Franz Josefs is not attached to a metro station). Don't expect to walk from the Krems dock to the train station, it's a long convoluted path with hills, just catch the bus that's right there after you exit the boat. I would have explored a bit of Krems but was having blister trouble!

My trip was on a Friday and it wasn't overly crowded, timing was leave Vienna at 9 am, board boat at 1:50 and board train back at 5. I expect Saturdays might be a bit busier.

Thanks! We will be in Vienna late next week and I really want to do this trip. Did you buy the Kombi ticket? How much did it cost? Where did you eat lunch? Any other recommecdations?

I seem to recall the Kombi ticket costing about 49 euro, included train to Melk and back to Vienna from Krems, admission to the Abbey (though I paid 2 euro more for the guided 45 min tour), then the 1.5 hour boat ride on the Danube. You aren't locked into a particular time-frame, and can reverse the order (i.e, train to Krems, boat to Melk, etc), but OBB gives some suggested itineraries and I went with that, and so, it seemed, did a lot of others I encountered that day. You won't be able to print the tickets at home, just go to the collection machine at the train station and enter the code and out comes 3 tickets. I don't remember the restaurant's name, there are several along the main road and when I saw one with people eating things that looked particularly good, I sat myself down. There's a tourist info office at the end of the main road with very nice and helpful people, should you get confused about anything once you arrive in Melk.

Thank you so much for the help. We are very much looking forward to this day trip from Vienna. We have another 4 days in Vienna, so I think we are going to have a great trip!

Here is a link for the Kombi Ticket for the Wachau which includes prices and schedules:

http://www.oebb.at/__downloads/en/Travelling_in_Austria/Folder_Train-Ship-Culture.pdf

I highly recommend going downstream, which means starting in Melk. You should also note that there are two boat companies to choose from - DDSG and Brandner. They are of nearly identical quality.

In my opinion, it is a mistake to get off the boat at Krems, as you miss the heart of the Wachau. I am speaking of the cluster of villages - Spitz, Weissenkirchen and Durnstein - which are between Melk and Krems. Durnstein is the most well known of these as there are quaint shops and lovely restaurants with terraces; Richard Lionheart was also held captive here and a castle ruin sits atop the town which makes a lovely quick scenic hike. Lunch at the terrace of the Richard Lionheart Hotel is a special experience. The Old Press House restaurant is equally nice. Personally, I prefer Weissenkirchen as the best restaurants are here and a local flavor remains.

I would highly suggest getting off the boat at one of these three villages, exploring, maybe even renting a bike to ride to the next one, and then hopping on the WL1 bus which stops in every village and will deposit you at the Krems train station.

I should note that Krems is ok, but it is a larger town that lacks the character of the villages named above.

I second the bicycle suggestion. You can easily rent a bike from one train station and turn it in at another train station, so how far you pedal is up to you. It's been a few years, but we rented bikes in Vienna and, over a few days, biked up to Ybbs. Melk, Krems, and Durnstein were all memorable stops along the way, with an occasional beverage of radler or Wachau wine to help fuel the journey.

We did this trip and it was EASY. We loved the Abbey and had a great lunch in Melk. Then the cruise on the Danube, lovely. Public transport is great in Europe!