Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
End
Krems
Length
150km, one day
From the Krems-Stein roundabout in
Krems an der Donau
(
Click here
) take the B3 southwest towards
Spitz. About 3km from Krems-Stein you approach the small settlement of Unterloiben, where on the right you
can see the
Franzosendenkmal
(French Monument), erected in 1805 to celebrate the victory of Austrian and
Russian troops here over Napoleon. Shortly afterwards the lovely town of
Dürnstein
(
Click here
), 6km from
Krems, comes into view with its blue-towered Chorherrenstift backed by Kuenringerburg, the castle where
Richard the Lionheart was imprisoned in 1192.
The valley is punctuated by picturesque terraced vineyards as you enter the heart of the Wachau. In
Weis-
senkirchen
(
Click here
)
, 12km from Krems, you'll find a pretty fortified parish church on the hilltop. The
Wachau Museum here houses work by artists of the Danube school.
A couple of kilometres on, just after Wösendorf, you find the church of
St Michael
, in a hamlet with 13
houses. If the kids are along for this ride, now's the time to ask them to count the terracotta hares on the roof of
the church (seven, in case they're not reading this!).
Some 17km from Krems, the pretty town of
Spitz
(
Click here
) swings into view, surrounded by vineyards
and lined with quiet cobblestone streets. Some good trails lead across hills and to
Heurigen
(wine taverns) here
(start from the church).
Turn right at Spitz onto the B217 (Ottenschläger Strasse). The terraced hill on your right is
1000-Eimer-
Berg
, so-named for its reputed ability to yield 1000 buckets of wine each season. On your left, high above the
valley opening, is the castle ruin
Burgruine Hinterhaus
. Continue along the B217 to the mill wheel and
turn right towards
Burg Oberranna
(
Click here
), 6km west of Spitz in Mühldorf. Surrounded by woods,
this castle and hotel overlooking the valley is furnished with period pieces and has a refreshing old-worldly feel.
From here, backtrack down to the B3 and continue the circuit. The valley opens up and on the left, across the
Danube, you glimpse the ruins of Burg Aggstein.
Willendorf
, located 21km from Krems, is where a 25,000-year-old figurine of Venus was discovered. The
original is today housed in the Naturhistorisches Museum in Vienna. Continuing along the B3, the majestic Stift
Melk rises up across the river. There's some decent swimming in the backwaters here if you're game to dip into
the Danube.
At Klein Pöchlarn a sign indicates a first turn-off on Artstettner Strasse (L7255); follow it for 5km to
Artstetten
, (
Click here
) unusual for its many onion domes. From here, the minor road L7257 winds 6.5km
through a sweeping green landscape to
Maria Taferl
(
Click here
) high above the Danube Valley.
Head 6km down towards the B3. Turn left at the B3 towards Krems and follow the ramp veering off to the left
and across the river at the Klein Pöchlarn bridge. Follow the road straight ahead to the B1 (Austria's longest
road) and turn left onto this towards Melk.
This first section along the south bank is uninteresting, but it soon improves. Unless the weather isn't playing
along, across the river you can make out Artstetten in the distance, and shortly
Stift Melk
(
Click here
)
, will
rise up ahead in a golden shimmering heap.
From Stift Melk, a 7km detour leads south to the splendid Renaissance castle of
Schloss Schallaburg
(
Click here
)
. To reach the castle from the abbey in Melk, follow the signs to the
Bahnhof
(train station) and
Lindestrasse east, turn right into Hummelstrasse /Kirschengraben (L5340) and follow the signs to the castle.
Backtrack to the B33. Be careful to stay on the south side of the river. When you reach the corner of Abt-
Karl-Strasse and Bahnhofstrasse, go right and right again at the river. Follow the B1 for 4km to
Schloss
Schönbühel
, a 12th-century castle standing high on a rock some 5km northeast of Melk. Continue along this
lovely stretch of the B33 in the direction of Krems. About 10km from Schloss Schönbühel the ruins of
Burg
