We are using Vienna as a base for ten days in July and I was wondering how best to see Melk / Durnstein / Krems (no car). I was thinking about getting up early and taking the train to Melk and seeing the Abbey; about mid-day heading to Durnstein via train - just long enough to walk the streets and take in the flavor; then finish the day by taking the train to Krems and exploring (dinner) before heading back to Vienna by train. Is this too much for one day? Would we be better off splitting it into two days? And I know Rick talks about biking between Melk and Krems (or picking up the bikes in Spitz and biking to Krems)...anybody done this? Many thanks for your tips!
Posted by
Baltimore, Maryland, USA
322 posts
We did this as a biking trip (picking up the bikes in Melk after visiting the abbey) and easily accomplished it in a day. In fact, we went back to Vienna and had a lovely dinner at a wine garden starting around dusk (in June, so the days were long). It was the highlight of our trip, and I highly recommend it.
Posted by
Happy Valley, PA
672 posts
Easily done in one day. Take the train from Vienna to Melk, where you can get off and tour the Abbey. I recall the last time we did this we even had time to eat lunch in a cafe in Melk before going through the Abbey and still catching the boat. You then take the boat from Melk and can get off at Durnstein. Of course, go inside the church and, if you can, hike up to the castle ruins where Richard the Lionhearted was held captive. You can get a great view of the Wachau from there also. Then, you could take a train to Krems, run around there, and finally take a train back to Vienna. We did this several times when we lived in Vienna in the 1990s. I can't remember if you get off the boat (at Durnstein) whether you could get on another later one heading towards Vienna and then get off at Krems, or if you can only take the train from Durnstein to Krems once you exit the boat at Durnstein (i.e., no 'hop on hop off'). Maybe someone else can answer that. Combination train and boat tickets are available through the DDSG (see: http://www.ddsg-blue-danube.at/eng/cruises_wachau_combitickets_train_ship_abbeymelk.php). In any event, it is a great day trip!