After spending several days exploring the imperial grandeur of Vienna it was time for some fresh air and green spaces. I love to explore the countryside and small towns in Europe, so when looking a day trip options from Vienna Melk and the Wachau Valley (pronounced Va-how) looked like a perfect fit. Quaint villages, an incredibly picturesque church, wineries and the opportunity to cycle along one of Europe’s most storied rivers? I was in.
A quick comfortable train ride brought us into the town of Melk, with the saffron hued Melk Abbey towering over the cute hamlet. We spent several hours touring the Abbey, grabbed a couple of sandwiches and set off to find some bikes. You can join a tour group based in Vienna or incorporate your cycling with one of the numerous river cruises,we opted to go on own. (For more on Austria check out this Austria travel guide).There are a couple rental services(Nextbike and Fahrradverleih) that allow you to pick up in one location and drop off at your choice of destinations downstream making it very convenient for day trips.
After a wrong turn brought us to the gates of a small military base we got our bearings and began to make our way along the Danube. With the exception of one steep hill at the beginning the paved trail provided a flat smooth ride. The Danube cuts a small canyon into the verdant landscape and each turn of the river yields a new surprise. We passed hillside castles, vineyards and small villages that get progressively more charming.
A ferry delivered us across the river at the small town of Spitz after which the scenery became even more spectacular. The trail led us through several of the small family owned wineries that dominate this section of the landscape. Most of the wine in this area of Austria are made from the indigenous grĂĽner veltliner grape which produces a crisp, sweet wine that is best sampled at one of the many small wine taverns in the area known as heurige.
We made a brief stop at the story book village of Durnstein, which is likely a popular stop for the river cruises going through the area. The hillside hamlet consists of a cobblestone street lined with shops purveying all things apricot, the other big agricultural gift of the Wachau. Departing town with a bottle of the deliciously potent apricot schnapps we hurriedly pedaled the remaining 4 miles to the town of Krems to beat the setting sun and catch our train back to Vienna.
The Wachau Valley offers a lot Europe’s best into one destination and I would love to go back and spend a few days exploring the area further.
Where is your favorite place to cycle in Europe?
Anna from The Blonde Banana says
So beautiful!
Brianna says
Thanks Anna, it really is a gorgeous area!
Adelina @ PackMeTo says
Wow it looks so gorgeous! It looks like an amazing bike ride. Next time I’m in Budapest, I’ll have to head out to this area.
Brianna says
It’s a great ride. We met several people doing multi-day trips from Passau to Vienna
Margherita @The Crowded Planet says
Wow! Sounds cool, would love to explore the area on two wheels. I have a friend who is cycling Vienna to Prague in June, will pass the article on!
Brianna says
That will be a fantastic trip, the path from Vienna to Prague is very scenic (at least from the bus window).
City Sea Country says
Oooo. I always love to read about my home country on other blogs. Great pictures!
Brianna says
Thanks, I absolutely loved my trip to Austria! I would love to go back and explore the Tyrol and Styria.
Jen says
That looks like a really lovely ride. It’s always so nice to explore a place on two wheels because you can really get off the beaten path. We did a cycling tour in Thailand with our little guy in a baby seat on the back of the bike and it was fantastic! We haven’t explored much of Europe yet, but you’ve inspired us to include more cycling tours when we do visit.
Brianna says
It was really a great ride! Eurpoe is very bike friendly, you’ll find lots of wide paved dedicated bike paths that often connect larger cities
Erin says
Durnstein looks so enchanting. I’d love to walk those cobblestoned streets.
Brianna says
It was charming, almost liked it was plucked from a Disney movie.
Emily says
Sounds like a gorgeous trip! I’ve not really cycled much in Europe – except for the lovely canals outside of London, which is great – but I’ve always wanted to cycle through the South of France. Austria looks amazing, too, though!
Brianna says
Austria really surprised me,it has so much to offer!
JR says
I did my first river cruise through Europe last year and one of the great things was being able to grab a bike off the ship and use it for self-guided tours along beautiful river landscapes. We were on the Rhine and Mosel. Your ride looked wonderful. The wines country. The castles. I agree. It beckons to return again and again.
Brianna says
Lucky you! I’m not a huge cruise person but the river cruises look wonderful.
Bianca @itsallbee says
These are beautiful shots! I like the thought of a bike tour and one that you can go at your own pace. This is one to try when I visit Austria next year.
Brianna says
Thanks Bianca! I’m sure you’ll have a great time in Austria
Karen Warren says
You always see so much when you travel overland under your own steam (in my case it would be walking not cycling). And you chose a lovely part of the world to do it.
Brianna says
Karen, you definitely see so much more once you get off the highway.
Dave Cole says
Biking through the countryside and old villages sounds like a perfect day trip to me. And then there’s that apricot schnapps to enjoy on the ride home. Pretty shots of the village.
Brianna says
The schnapps alone was worth the ride 🙂
Bob R says
That really is nice country, great for biking. I love bicycling anywhere with wineries nearby. 🙂 That one-way/drop off service is a very nice touch.
Brianna says
The one way option makes it great for a day trip, the wineries and villages were utterly charming.
Jon @ jonistravelling.com says
Looks great. There’s nothing better than exploring the countryside on a bike!
Brianna says
I concur!
Ashley and Alex says
Looks absolutely gorgeous! We explored Vienna but I would love to go back to Austria and explore the countryside. This definitely looks like something I could actually do!
Brianna says
I really enjoyed all of my time in Austria, I’d love to go back.
jennifer says
I have only been to Vienna, but it was enough to make me know I want to see so much more of Austria. Love the picture of the village church.
Brianna says
I’m glad you enjoyed my photos. Austria is such a lovely country with so much to explore.
Caitlyn says
Your post brings back some great memories! I did a daytrip out to the Wachau Valley in 2011 and loved cycling along the river and the vineyards. The more wine I drank, the more confident I got on the bike, too 🙂
Brianna says
Wine certainly does have a way of making us bolder.
frankaboutcroatia says
Love the fact that you can pick up a bicycle in one location and drop it off in another. This make it perfect for a self-guided cycling tour. The scenery, judged from your photos, seems really spectacular. Have you stopped at any winery along the way? This is so close to home, and I should really plan a visit. Durnstein looks so pretty.
Brianna says
We had planned on stopping at Domane Wachau near Durnstein but our unplanned tour of an Austrian military base cut our time a little short as we needed to catch the evening train back to Vienna. I did have plenty of opportunity to sample plenty of Austrian wine throughout my trip. If you visit in Autumn you have to try sturm. It’s partially fermented wine only available during the harvest, it is fizzy and very addicting. It’s pretty much wine soda.
Molly S says
Looks like a really lovely ride – and flat is always good!
Brianna says
It is certainly a lovely area to explore no matter how you do it.
Ashley @ A Southern Gypsy says
Sounds and looks like a great place to see via bike! Thanks for linking up to the #SundayTraveler 🙂
Brianna says
Definitely worth a visit. Thanks for stopping by 🙂
Daidri | Thee Getaway Gal says
Oh boy, that apricot schnapps sounds so good! This whole days sounds like a lot of fun. We looked into doing a wine tour on bikes when in Italy and then decided against it and went with a Vespa tour instead which was also fun. I love your picture of the church perfectly shot through the row of vines.
elaine schoch says
Looks like a great ride! I haven’t done too many cycling trips yet but this one sounds amazing…
Brianna says
Aside from one large hill at the beginning it was a fairly flat and easy ride. The scenery was spectacular, I loved it!
Simone says
WOW! Beautiful place! Not big cyclers, but we hope to do some in Copenhagen next week. We loved cycling in Vietnam though
Brianna says
I here Denmark is quite biking friendly, have a great trip!
Carmen (CarmensTravelTips) says
My husband has been wanting to do a cycling trip around Europe. It looks like a great way to see the sites and explore the local towns. Great pictures.
Brianna says
I’d love to do a multi-day cycling trip too!
Hannah says
Gorgeous! Only in Europe can you take a bike ride down the river and pass a bunch of castles…amazing!
Brianna says
Castles and vineyards, what’s not to like?
Mindi @ 2foodtrippers says
Did you do any wine tasting? That would be my favorite part of the day.
Brianna says
Just a little as we needed to make our train back to Vienna. If you ever make it during harvest season you need to try sturm- its basically young wine during the fermentation process and its very fizzy. Its basically wine soda!
Amy says
What a great way to explore the countryside. It looks beautiful there!
Brianna says
It was just so charming!
Els says
Lovely and very charming! Austria always seems so neat and clean, doesn’t it? 🙂 Love the vineyards surrounding the castle and church!
Brianna says
It was very fairytalesque. I loved my time in Austria!
Tammi @ My Organized Chaos says
Coming from Canada, a relatively new country – we don’t have much by means of great history here. Everything looks very new, even the ‘older’ buildings etc. I’m always amazed by Europe, each picture is fascinating to me – great photos by the way! I rode through the streets of BĂĽhl in Germany once – it was amazing!
Brianna says
In Europe its nothing to stay in a building over 700 years old.
Jessica (Barcelona Blonde) says
Wow, this is so pretty! I love bike rides to get to know a city/place. And it’s even better if you can get a train for the ride back home (which is always less interesting).
Brianna says
It was a great way to see the scenery and burn off some calories from the awesome Austria pastries!
Lyn says
Just beautiful, I saw Vienna to Prague from a bus window last year and hope next time to experience the Danube on a river cruise.
Brianna says
A Danube river cruise would just be spectacular! I loved the scenery between Vienna and Prague too
Jen Seligmann says
What a great things to do! I didn’t see nearly enough of the countryside in Europe as I had hoped, mostly just the cities. As great as they were next time i’m over there I’ll be focusing on more rural areas. This bike ride looks like something I should be adding to my list.
Brianna says
The small towns and countryside of Europe are just so charming. I’ll always try to fit in a side trip from a major city.
Sarah Ebner says
Beautiful pictures. We are doing our first family cycling trip this summer, in Austria too. I hope we do as well as you!!
Brianna says
Lucky you, I’m sure you’ll have a fantastic time!
Alli says
Oh my goodness! What beautiful and quaint scenery! And the fact you saw it all while cycling is just perfect. Beautiful!
Brianna says
It was a perfect location for cycling, I just loved it!
Bianca @itsallbee says
Beautiful place to go for a bike ride. Those views are just perfect for a nice easy ride taking in the scenery and fresh air.
Brianna says
It really was just lovely.
Milosz Zak says
This is a part of Europe that I still haven’t done. I was considering doing the river cruises, but I feel that in order to do it properly, you need a car rental, and hit all of the picturesque villages along the route.
Brianna says
I’ve heard the river cruises are quite good but no matter which route you choose this is such a charming area of Europe to visit.
Joseph @ Green Global Travel says
Looks like a gorgeous route!
Brianna says
The scenery was stunning!