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Danube Castles & Vineyards

Once fiercely contested because of its importance as a corridor between east and west, the Danube Valley today is gloriously tranquil. The glut of imposing fortresses, as well as many monasteries and abbeys, is testimony to those ancient struggles and is concentrated to most dramatic effect in the Wachau region. Along this winding, 40-kilometre stretch of the river, considered by many to be the most picturesque section of the Danube, you find wine-producing villages and distinctive, pastel-shaded houses clinging to hills clad with vineyards, forests and apricot orchards. With bicycle tracks running along both banks, and the best scenery within easy reach of the river, cycling is by far and away the best means of taking it all in. Pay locally for all visits.

Nights: 7
Grade: 1-2, mainly flat with occasional hills
Terrain: roads and trails alongside the river and over rolling hills
Hotels: three 4-star hotels
Meals: breakfast each day, dinner on 5 nights
Climate: this part of Austria enjoys a warm summer and a fine spring and autumn. The table below gives the average maximum and minimum temperatures (in °C) for Vienna, situated to the east.

Castle at Artstetten

Hotel-Restaurant zur Post, Melk

Parlour-bar in Hotel zur Post

Abbey at Melk

Cycle trail alongside the Danube

Spitz, surrounded by vines

Dürnstein

Scenic cycle trails

Starting point: Hotel Schachner-Krone (4*), Maria Taferl. Given its sweeping views over the Danube Valley, this luxurious hotel in the beautifully positioned hill-top village of Maria Taferl is the perfect place to begin your holiday. Some of the best vistas are enjoyed by the elegant restaurant, but you can also soak up the panorama while you relax in the whirlpool. Other facilities include indoor and outdoor swimming pools, a sun terrace, Turkish bath, Finnish sauna, fitness room and massage facilities (pay locally for these).

Day 1: the day begins with a short transfer to Marbach so that you can collect your bikes. You then take the train (included) westwards to the Baroque town of Grein, where you can admire the town square and the 15th-century castle, once owned by Queen Victoria before she bestowed it on Prince Albert's family. Setting off, you cycle back to Marbach along the south bank of the Danube (which is at its narrowest here) through the wooded Strudengau. You pass the island of Wörth, behind which is a small, privately owned castle, then the attractive shipping village of Sarmingstein, and later the handsome mediaeval town of Ybbs. At Marbach you are collected and transferred the short distance back to your hotel. On your return, take time to visit the village's Wallfahrtskirche (pilgrims' church), a splendid example of Baroque architecture with an ornate interior, two onion-domed steeples and marvellous views over the Danube. (29km)

Accommodation: Hotel Schachner-Krone, as above.

Day 2: leaving the Hotel Schachner-Krone, you cycle to the Habsburg castle at Artstetten. This was one of the homes of Archduke Franz Ferdinand and became his final resting place following his assassination in 1914, the event which sparked the First World War. Surrounded by English-style gardens, the castle now houses an extensive exhibition about his life, giving you an interesting insight into this keen huntsman and his marriage to Sophie Chotek, deemed an unsuitable alliance for the heir to the throne. After visiting the castle, you wind back to the river and into the town of Melk, western gateway to the Wachau. (23km)

Accommodation: Hotel-Restaurant zur Post (4*), Melk. You are welcomed by the Ebner family to their hotel, which offers great views of Melk's famous abbey and plenty of space to relax, including a parlour-bar and elegant courtyard. For dinner, choose to eat in the hotel’s excellent restaurant, perhaps accompanying your meal with one of the wines from the impressive wine cellar, or take your pick from several places in the town (pay locally in both cases).

Day 3: we suggest just a short cycling circuit today so that you can spend the rest of your time exploring Melk. As you cycle, you can see for yourself how the views for miles around are dominated by Melk's Benedictine abbey, a huge, mustard-coloured celebration of Baroque architecture which stands on a granite bluff. The centrepiece of the abbey is its large, frescoed church with symmetrical spires and high octagonal dome. After visiting the abbey, take a stroll through Melk's Old Town, and seek out the Altes Posthaus, whose ornate stucco relief depicts horses' heads and eagles. (up to 15km)

Accommodation: Hotel-Restaurant zur Post, as above.

Day 4: enjoy a superb riverside route through the Wachau, passing peach and apricot orchards as well as the seas of vines which yield the noble and versatile Riesling grape. You catch glimpses of the onion-domed castle of Schönbühel and, as the valley continues to narrow, you pass through the typical Wachau town of Aggsbach, beyond which are the impressive ruins and famous rose gardens of the castle at Aggstein. A good place to pause for lunch is Spitz, a wine-producing village with cobbled streets, a Gothic church with 14th-century sculptures of Christ and the Apostles, and a museum devoted to how villagers used to make their living from the Danube. Setting off once more, visit the vine-covered Tausendeimerberg, a hill named for its reputed ability to yield a thousand barrels of wine per season! One last village before Dürnstein is charming Weissenkirchen, renowned for its wines and its church, which appears more like a fortress than a place of worship. (29km)

Accommodation: Gartenhotel Pfeffel (4*), Dürnstein. Owned by the hospitable Pfeffel family, this hotel boasts an enviable riverside location, adjoining vineyard and outdoor pool.

Day 5: your first target on this circular route is Krems, surrounded by vine-clad hills. The sloping, cobbled streets of the Altstadt (Old Town) display a range of architectural styles dating from between the 13th and 17th centuries, a time of great prosperity for the town, including the Renaissance town hall, a Gothic church and a Baroque church with trompe-l'oeil masonry. It is also worth exploring the town's Stein district, with its Renaissance buildings (many with arcaded courtyards), handsome medieval squares and museum of modern art. Once you have explored, you continue by bike to the exceptional Benedictine abbey at Göttweig, seated imperiously on a hill in the Dunkelsteiner Forest. Admire the abbey’s ornate Baroque interior, including the elaborate Imperial staircase, before a choice of routes leads you back to Dürnstein. Boasting an idyllic location on the riverbank, Dürnstein itself is well worth exploring. The two main sights are the blue and white tower overlooking the water, and the castle in which Richard the Lionheart was held for ransom for two years before being tracked down by his minstrel, Blondel. (30km or 35km)

Accommodation: Gartenhotel Pfeffel, as above.

Day 6: start the day by taking the boat to Spitz (included), a great way to enjoy a different perspective of the valley. At Spitz you pick up a leisurely route along the sheer-sided valley back to Marbach, where a final dinner in the Hotel Schachner’s panoramic restaurant awaits. (31km)

Accommodation: Hotel Schachner, as above.

Recommendations for extra nights: there is plenty to do and see around both Melk and Dürnstein.

Other information: if you would like to see the brochure page, you can download this (and the pages for any other holidays you are interested in) by using our brochure creation system.

Similar cycling holidays: Slovenia's Secret Corner (grade 1-2), Châteaux of the Loire (grade 1), Sicily, Realm of the Baroque (grade 1)

Prices & travel 2008:

Recommended destination airports: Linz & Vienna
Latest flight arrival time: Linz 1700; Vienna 1700
Earliest flight departure time: Linz 1300; Vienna 1200
*Connecting travel: return rail/taxi from Linz (out/home 1h40 or 2h) £58pp;
return rail/taxi from Vienna (out/home 1h50) £58pp
Book your flights through us and we'll find the best route, times and price to suit you
Self-drive includes: P&O Ferries Dover-Calais
Start: Tue-Fri

Extra night prices 2008 (extra nights can be booked at any hotel):

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