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The Wachau World Heritage Trail

Walk the Danube Valley: from Dürnstein to Melk
 

Holiday Highlights

Dramatic Danube | Discover one of Europe’s most spectacular river landscapes.
History around every bend | Medieval towns, hill-top castles, and beautiful Baroque abbeys.
Wine country | A region carpeted in vines – with opportunities for tastings.
Flexible walking | Leisurely trails that combine well with boat trips on the Danube.
Visit Vienna | Enjoy a day trip to the Austrian capital, or add a city break here.

Price from
£1270pp
The Wachau World Heritage Trail. 7 nights
Price from
£1270pp
+44 (0)1653 617001 Call now
Price from
£1270pp
The Wachau World Heritage Trail. 7 nights
Price from
£1270pp
+44 (0)1653 617001 Call now
 

Holiday information

 

A walking holiday in the Wachau Valley

The Wachau Valley is the Austrian Danube at its most spectacular. Immerse yourself in its storybook beauty – the castles, abbeys, and hills clad with forests and vineyards – as you walk self-guided between the medieval towns of Dürnstein and Melk.

A UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Wachau is remarkable not only for its natural landscape but for its architecture and agriculture – from the apricot orchards that bloom in the spring to the seas of vines which yield the celebrated Riesling grape. There are plenty of opportunities for tastings as you walk – following both the river and the Wachau World Heritage Trail.
In an area where most visitors arrive by water, walking offers a different perspective. Your tranquil routes take you to the Wachau’s highest point for unforgettable views, and to traditional wine villages set amid idyllic rural scenery. You’re able to linger in historic towns and at fascinating landmarks, including the castle that held Richard the Lionheart captive in Dürnstein, and 900-year-old Melk Abbey. You also stay in some very special accommodation: from former monasteries to family-run, riverside guesthouses.

And – because no trip to the Danube is complete without taking to the water – your holiday includes a river boat journey (available from mid-May), with options for further cruises across the week.
 

 

Itinerary

The key to Inntravel holidays is flexibility. You can start on the day of your choice, and are free to add extra nights.
  • The average maximum daytime temperatures and monthly rainfall relate to the nearest weather station and are intended as a guide only.
    Average temperatures and rainfall
      Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
    °C 2 4 10 16 20 23 26 25 21 15 8 3
    mm 31 32 45 43 62 72 68 61 42 37 46 36
  • Arrival in Dürnstein
    Night 1: at Hotel Richard Löwenherz or Hotel Sänger Blondel (the first of 2 nights here).
    As your first night’s accommodation is on the day of travel, Day 1 is your first day of walking.
  • Choice of routes from Dürnstein: 13.5km or 17km

    Beautiful Dürnstein, a medieval town gathered on the banks of the Danube, is itself well worth exploring – its most famous features being its Baroque abbey and the ruined castle where Richard 'the Lionheart' was once held captive. Both of our suggested routes take in the castle as they explore the surrounding countryside.

    Dürnstein to Krems: 13.5km, ascent 650m/descent 640m
    The target of your first walk is Krems, the oldest settlement in Austria. Walking here along the Wachau World Heritage Trail, you’ll pass through wine terraces and beside ancient ruins, with many superb views to savour. In Krems, be sure to explore the cobbled Altstadt (Old Town) with its range of architectural styles, as well as the handsome Stein district and its modern art museum. Return to Dürnstein by boat or bus (pay locally).

    Dürnstein to Weissenkirchen: 17km, ascent/descent 300m
    This second option soon whisks you up high onto a panoramic path with fantastic Danube vistas. Continue to Weissenkirchen, a charming riverside village renowned for its wines and its church, which appears more like a fortress than a place of worship. Your return route can be undertaken either by boat or bus (pay locally).

    Krems to Dürnstein
  • Dürnstein to Spitz: 11.5km, ascent/descent 530m
    Beginning with an included boat or bus transfer, this varied hike leads you to some of the Wachau Valley’s most famous vineyards, including Kollmütz with its distinctive stone terraces. Traversing these – as well as the area’s woods and grasslands – you near the wine village of Spitz. Your entrance is via the historic Rotes Tor (Red Gate), so named for the blood spilled here during the Thirty Year’s War (1618-1648). In Spitz, you spend two nights at either Gasthof Goldenes Schiff or Pension 1000-Eimerberg.
    Weissenkirchen to Spitz
  • Around Spitz: 12.5km, ascent 675m/descent 530m
    Today’s route sees you leave the river behind to follow the World Heritage Trail through the higher vineyards of the Wachau. There are plenty of reasons to pause along the way – including to take in the views towards the Spitzer Graben, a valley of steeply rising slopes and high-altitude vineyards. From Mühldorf, a town crowned by its 12th-century castle (closed to visitors), you return to Spitz by bus (pay locally).
    We also include a wine-tasting in Spitz today, which can be enjoyed either instead of or in addition to the walk.
    Jauerling
  • Spitz to Maria Laach: 13km, ascent 875m/descent 630m
    Your onward route to Maria Laach provides a real walking high – taking you up the Jauerling, which, at 960 metres, forms the roof of the Danube. Beginning by included bus transfer, today’s trail also features the highest vineyard in Lower Austria, as well as the Jauerling-Wachau Nature Park. A gradual descent eventually brings you to your overnight base, the pilgrimage village of Maria Laach, where you stay at Hotel Ringl Wachau.
    Spitzer Graben
  • Maria Laach to Melk: 7km, ascent 110m/descent 480m
    This gentle walk leads you through hamlets and farmland to rejoin the Danube at Aggsbach Markt. From here, you trace the river towards Melk, the western gateway to the Wachau. After arriving in the town by included train and bus transfer, make your way to your final hotel – either Hotel Restaurant zur Post or Hotel & Restaurant Wachauerhof.
    Emmersdorf
  • Choice of routes from Melk: 9.5km or 16km

    Perched on the banks of the Danube and dominated by its colossal Benedictine abbey, Melk is both eye-catching and steeped in history. Visit the abbey, stroll through the Old Town, and don’t miss the post office – often described as Austria’s ‘most beautiful’. We also suggest two walking options from Melk (both ending with a bus transfer – pay locally).

    Melk to Schallaburg Castle: 9.5km, ascent 265m/descent 180m
    Choose this leisurely stroll through open countryside to visit Schallaburg Castle and its millennium of history – from medieval stronghold to Renaissance jewel to contemporary museum. The gardens are glorious, too.

    Melk to Aggsbach Dorf: 16km, ascent 580m/descent 585m
    Or opt to continue walking on the Wachau World Heritage Trail. This route focuses on the south side of the river, with impressive views towards Schloss Schönbühel – a 12th-century castle that towers high above the Danube from its rocky outcrop.

    Schallaburg Castle
 

Accommodation

From former monasteries to family-run guesthouses set beside the Danube, some very special accommodation awaits you on your journey through the Wachau Valley. We particularly recommend extra nights in Dürnstein and Melk, to take advantage of the extra walking and sightseeing opportunities on offer (or, from Dürnstein, enjoy a day trip by bus and train to Vienna).

In some places, we work with more than one hotel, as shown below. All are hand-picked by us and, unless there is a price implication (in which case we will contact you to discuss your options), we will tell you which one we have booked for you on your booking confirmation.

Please note: most beds in Austrian hotels are normally one large base with two mattresses/duvets. We refer to these as 'Austrian Twins' and they are locally regarded to serve requests for both double and twin-bedded rooms. Separate twin beds or traditional double beds with one large mattress are rare and cannot be guaranteed.

 
Prices & travel options
All prices are in £ sterling (GBP). If you'd like to see what they equate to in your currency, use the converter. For general information on pricing, see the 'your holiday price explained' page.
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  • 7 Nights: 01 May 2025 - 31 October 2025

    Start any day | End by latest date(s) shown above

    Starting Price Single room
    1 - 31 May 2025 £1365 £10
    1 Jun - 31 Jul 2025 £1380 £10
    1 Aug - 30 Sep 2025 £1330 £10
    1 - 23 Oct 2025 £1270 £10
    3rd & 4th person discount £0
    Single traveller supplement £0

    Includes accommodation, meals and services integral to the holiday as described, plus walking notes and maps, but no travel from the UK, nor any connecting travel from the airport unless stated below.

    Book your flights through us and we'll find the best route and times to suit you. Please contact us to find out more about our flight booking service. We can also book connecting travel - see below.

    7 Nights: 01 May 2025 - 31 October 2025

    Start any day | End by latest date(s) shown above

    Starting Price Single room
    1 - 31 May 2025 £1225 £10
    1 Jun - 31 Jul 2025 £1240 £10
    1 Aug - 30 Sep 2025 £1190 £10
    1 - 23 Oct 2025 £1130 £10
    3rd & 4th person discount £0
    Single traveller supplement £0

    Includes all elements in the 'walk price', plus a return Channel crossing between Folkestone and Calais with LeShuttle for your party and one car.

    A supplement of approximately £65 per car per single journey applies for travel at key dates over Easter, while from May onwards a supplement of approximately £42 per car per single journey applies for travel over public holidays and at weekends during school holidays. See the self-drive page or contact us for more details.

  • Room upgrades (£ per person per night)

    Hotel Richard Löwenherz , Dürnstein
    Deluxe: 01 May - 31 Oct 2025 £36
    Suite: 01 May - 31 Oct 2025 £103
    Superior: 01 May - 31 Oct 2025 £24
    Hotel Restaurant zur Post , Melk
    Smaragd: 01 May - 31 Oct 2025 £24
    Suite: 01 May - 31 Oct 2025 £61

    Extra nights (£ per person per night) in a double or single room

    Hotel Richard Löwenherz , Dürnstein (B&B) Double room Single room
    01 May - 31 Oct 2025 £169 £338
    Hotel Restaurant zur Post , Melk (B&B) Double room Single room
    01 May - 31 Oct 2025 £109 £218
  • RECOMMENDED AIRPORT(S):
    Vienna
    As an alternative to flying, we can arrange rail travel from London

    Travelling from the UK

    Travelling from outside the UK

    If you are flying from outside Europe,  we recommend flying via Vienna or Munich. To discuss onward connecting travel to the start of your holiday, please contact us.

    Travelling from outside the UK
    We have many years' experience catering for customers who live outside the UK, and will be happy to make tailored arrangements to fit with your plans.

    You have two options:

    1) Book your own flights to London, from where we can book flights and onward connecting travel to your hotel.

    2) Book your own flights direct to an airport appropriate to your chosen holiday. You can either make your own way from the airport to the hotel, or we'll be happy to book onward connecting travel for you. Please consult with us before booking your flights, so that we can advise you on the suitability of your proposed route and timings.
    Outward route Airline
    Birmingham - Vienna Austrian Airlines,  Eurowings 
    Birmingham - Vienna (via Munich) Lufthansa 
    Outward route Airline
    Edinburgh - Vienna Ryanair 
    Edinburgh - Vienna (via Amsterdam Schiphol) KLM 
    Edinburgh - Vienna (via Munich) Lufthansa 
    Outward route Airline
    Gatwick - Vienna British Airways,  Wizz Air 
    Outward route Airline
    Heathrow - Vienna Austrian Airlines,  British Airways 
    Outward route Airline
    Luton - Vienna Wizz Air 
    Outward route Airline
    Stansted - Vienna Ryanair 
    Outward route Airline
    Manchester - Vienna Austrian Airlines,  Ryanair 
    Outward route Airline
    Newcastle - Vienna (via Amsterdam Schiphol) KLM 
    Newcastle - Vienna (via Frankfurt) Lufthansa 
    Travelling from outside the UK

    If you are flying from outside Europe,  we recommend flying via Vienna or Munich. To discuss onward connecting travel to the start of your holiday, please contact us.

    This list of flight options should be used as a guide only, and you should check each airline’s website for current routes, frequency and schedules. Not all flights operate daily, and may not run for the entire season. You should also heed the latest flight arrival time and earliest flight departure time stated in the connecting travel section, as it may not be possible to arrange connecting travel outside these times. Please do not book your flights until we have confirmed your accommodation to you. Alternatively, our expert reservations team will be happy to offer advice and to make flight bookings for you for any of the options listed above. We charge £35 per person for our flight booking service. Your flights are then covered by our package-booking conditions, which give you greater protection in the event of delay or cancellation, as well as providing ATOL cover.

  • Connecting travel options - flying via Vienna

    Outward route Price per person Latest flight
    arrival time
    rail Vienna airport to Krems (2h), bus Krems to Dürnstein (0h20, pay locally) £29 1900
    Homeward route Price per person Earliest flight
    departure time
    rail Melk to Vienna airport (1h45) £29 1000
What is included
  • 7 nights
  • 1 dinner
    7 breakfasts
  • luggage transported
  • route notes and maps
  • GPS navigation
  • wine-tasting in Spitz
  • transfers on days 2, 4 & 5
 
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FAQs

If you have any questions relating to this or any other Inntravel holiday, our friendly travel experts will be happy to help. You might also find our General FAQs section helpful.
  • Yes, prior to going on holiday you will be able to download GPX tracks so that you can follow your route on your smartphone or dedicated GPS device if you wish. It’s entirely up to you whether or not you use them – our detailed, step-by-step route notes remain the principal means of guiding you from A to B – but we provide them as a secondary means of navigation for additional reassurance when walking.
  • We can book a wide range of routes from the UK with a variety of airlines. As well as being more convenient for you to book all elements of your holiday together, it also means that we’ll accept liability for your travel arrangements, so if things go wrong, such as the airline going bust, we’ll make suitable alternative arrangements for you. The fee for this service is £35 per person (£15 for children aged 2-11). More information on flights >
  • Absolutely! We are experts in tailored rail travel. Making use of sleeper trains or stopovers in cities along the route, we can get you from London to virtually anywhere in mainland Europe. We can even make arrangements to Mallorca, Sicily and Norway with a combination of ferries and rail. Please contact us to discuss your plans.
  • We can’t book flights that originate outside the UK, but if you wanted to book your own flights to London (or elsewhere in the UK), we can make all onward travel arrangements (including flights) from there. Alternatively, if you are booking your own flights to an airport in continental Europe that’s appropriate for your holiday, we can book onward rail travel and/or taxis. More information about how we can tailor holidays for customers outside the UK >
  • Since our holidays are self-guided, we recommend calling us for a chat about your plans before making a booking, especially if it’s the first time you’ve booked with us.
    The price panel shows the supplement for a single room and also the single traveller charge (this covers (luggage) transfers and other costs which are usually shared between two people).
  • Once you’ve decided on your exact itinerary (our travel experts will be happy to offer advice), you need to provide us with your party’s details, either by phone or via our booking form. At this point we also ask you to pay a deposit so that we can secure a room for you immediately on confirming availability with the hotel(s). If it turns out that we can’t secure the accommodation for the holiday you’ve requested, or offer an acceptable alternative, we’ll refund your deposit promptly and in full. After booking your accommodation and other key elements, we'll then book your travel (or you can do so if you’re making your own arrangements) and send you a Booking Confirmation and Invoice.

    More information about the booking process >
    Information about accommodation, general practicalities and more >
    Booking conditions >
  • Yes, it’s something we insist on, even for holidays in the UK. The vast majority of holidays go smoothly, but when things go wrong, it can be expensive to put them right. Buying a new pair of walking boots after your suitcase is stolen mightn’t seem so bad, but the bill for being airlifted down from a mountain with a broken leg or flown home while still recovering from an illness or accident can incur a five or six-figure bill.

    Many insurers offer travel insurance (you can find details on our insurance page of a policy that you may like to consider if you are a UK resident), but you do need to make sure that you’re covered for medical emergencies – including falling ill with Covid-19 while on holiday – and repatriation. We also recommend that you are covered for other eventualities, such as cancellation and loss of luggage and passports.

    When you purchase a policy, be sure to check that it covers the activities you'll be doing on holiday and that it is adequate for your own individual needs.
  • It is your responsibility to ensure you are in possession of the correct travel documents, with the correct validity. If you’re a UK citizen, you need a full British passport to travel to Austria, but not a visa (please note, however, that a new travel authorisation system is being introduced). If you are a citizen of another country, you’ll need to check requirements with the national embassy or your own consulate.

    Current information regarding vaccinations and travel health advice for UK citizens can be found through the Travel Health Pro website. You must make sure you have adequate insurance cover for illness, accidents and repatriation (see the insurance question). You should also apply for a Global Health Insurance Card (GHIC) if your EHIC has expired (if you have a still-valid EHIC, you can use this until it expires).
  • (Austrian) German is the most commonly spoken language. The currency is the Euro. Austrian time is GMT/UTC + 1. It uses Daylight Saving Time, so in summer is on BST + 1.
  • For information on the practicalities of travel now that the UK is no longer part of the European Union, visit www.gov.uk/visit-eu-switzerland-norway-iceland-liechtenstein.
  • The UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) provides up-to-date, country-by-country travel advice, as well as information on security, local laws, passports and visas for UK citizens.

    If you live outside the UK, see our essential travel information page for a list of relevant websites.
  • You are the best judge of your child’s/children’s capabilities. We are happy to take bookings for families of older children/teenagers if they walk regularly, love the outdoors and are comfortable with the distances and ascent/descent involved. Please note that the bedrooms at most of the accommodation we use will normally only sleep a maximum of 3 people, and sometimes only 2.
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