Dürnstein castle ruin and the Starhembergwarte

From the P2 car park in Dürnstein, near the railway station, the way goes through the old town to the foot of the Eselsteig, the stepped path up to the castle ruin where Richard the Lionheart was held in 1192 and 1193. Beyond the ruin the Ruinenweg climbs through rocky woods to the Schlossberg and the Starhembergwarte, the lookout tower on its top, with the Danube and the Wachau vineyards below. From there the path runs on to the Fesslhütte junction, where the inn lies just off the path, and drops into the Mehntalgraben: a path down the valley, then tracks and a road back to the car park.

It is 5.6 km round with 341 m of ascent; allow about 2½ hours. The grade is Moderate: stone steps and a steep, rocky climb to the Schlossberg, then a long descent on paths and tracks. Stone and steps are slippery when wet, and the ruin stands on cliffs, so keep to the paths.

The town says the ruin is freely accessible all year round, about 20 minutes' climb from the town centre. The page of Donau Niederösterreich Tourismus for the Welterbesteig says the Starhembergwarte tower is closed until further notice; it does not say the path is closed. The Vogelbergsteig, a steep way up from the valley that the tourist board says is secured with wire rope and chains in its last third and not passable in snow and ice, is not part of this walk.

Dürnstein-Oberloiben station, on the seasonal Wachaubahn, is about 150 m from the car park; check the timetable. The town's car parks P1, P2, P3 and P6 are charged; the town's parking page gives the rates.

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.