Melk to Krems through the Wachau

From the Hafenspitz car park below Melk Abbey, founded in 1089, the ride crosses the Danube bridge to Emmersdorf and follows the Danube cycle path (Donauradweg) down the north bank through the Wachau. It passes Aggsbach Markt and Willendorf, where the Venus of Willendorf was found in 1908, then Schwallenbach and Spitz, Wösendorf and Weißenkirchen among the terraced vineyards, and Dürnstein, where Richard I of England was held prisoner, before Unterloiben and Krems.

It is 37.2 km (23.1 miles) one way with 24 m of climbing; allow about 2½ hours of riding. The grade is Moderate. It is flat, largely on a cycle path beside the B3 road, with stretches through the wine villages on quiet streets.

The Wachaubahn railway from Krems back to Emmersdorf, opposite Melk, carries bikes free; it runs daily until 1 November 2026 and on Fridays, weekends and holidays until 15 November, in about 45 minutes. Low water has stopped some of the Danube boats this autumn. Ferries cross at Spitz all year and at Dürnstein until the end of October.

The Hafenspitz car park costs €0.60 for the first hour and €5 a day at most. Melk is on the main line from Vienna, and the Wachau is a UNESCO World Heritage landscape.

Route drawn by Global Adventurer along OpenStreetMap paths (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL), with figures worked out from it. Check the forecast and the ground on the day: paths change.