The Wachau is a beautiful valley on the Danube west of Vienna traversed by Eurovelo 6, a bike route which goes from the Atlantic all the way to the Black Sea, mostly along the Danube.  It’s an ideal location for an easy excursion as the trail is mostly flat. Autumn seems the best time to do the ride as it’s off season, the weather isn’t too hot, there aren’t too many tourists, and the leaves in the vineyards are changing colors. 

Technically the Wachau is the 22 mile stretch between Krems and Melk, but the ride can be extended as far upstream as you want.  Like Winston’s mom you can go either way or both ways, upriver and downriver.  If you want to make it a one-way trip you can take the train (again like Winston’s mom), or alternatively you can ride the ferry and get off wherever you want (one more time, like Winston’s mom).

Durnstein

Krems is a sleepy but pretty town of about 25,000 people with not a lot to do, but it’s a good place to park and start your journey.  About 5 miles upriver is Durnstein.  It is a picturesque village with a blue tower on the river which you’ve probably seen in a travel commercial at some point.  Durnstein is also the location where Richard the Lionheart was held captive by Leopold of Austria as he was returning from the Third Crusade.  Leopold was angry at Richard for killing his cousin and for dissing him by throwing down his colors at the battle of Acre.  Kind of like the Bloods and the Crips or maybe the Nortenos and Surenos.  Last time here we stumbled on a festival reminiscent of the Griswolds on their European vacation, but in our case we were wearing Lycra instead of lederhosen, neither of which is really appropriate for polite company. 

Documentary footage

Seven miles further upriver is Spitz.  Spitz is home to many wine cellars which makes it a good place to stop for a drink, as if you need an excuse.  If you keep your eyes open, you’ll see signs for grappa for sale out of people’s garages, proving that Austria is the West Virginia of Europe: landlocked, mountainous, a little slow and with available moonshine.

Melk

Another 12 miles upriver at the west end of the Wachau is Melk, home of the Melk Abbey.  If you have read or seen The Name of the Rose, Christian Slater’s character was from here.  The abbey was founded in 1089, but the current ornate iteration was built in 1702.  A friend described it as “too baroque”, and indeed it looks as if it could have been designed by Trump’s decorator.  Nevertheless, it’s the best abbey.  Everyone says so.

Wir haben die besten Dekorateure. Jeder sagt es.

If you are looking to make this a multi-day trip, a nice place to stay is across the river from Melk in the town of Emmersdorf at the Hotel-Restaurant Zum Schwarzen Bären.  They have a nice pool and sauna, where you can exchange your bike shorts for a speedo or nothing at all, if you are going full European.  Also, the restaurant serves delicious meals, but you probably need to get dressed for that.

After Melk you are out of the Wachau proper.  If you choose you can return to Krems, or you can continue up the river.  Grein, about 28 miles upriver, makes a pretty good destination for the second day.  It’s home to Schloss Greinburg owned by the House of Saxe-Coburg which is known for its Prince Albert.  If Grein is a grind too far, then a good bailout point is Ybbs, only about 18 miles upriver from Melk. Here you can have a meal by the river and catch a ferry or the train back to the start.

Find the Prince Albert

All in all it’s a nice way to spend a weekend if you have the time and happen to be in the area.  There are other sites to see that are more accessible by car, and a day trip from Vienna is certainly feasible, but I prefer the slower pace of a bike.  And on a bike you are less likely to get ticketed for a DUI after stopping for drinks.