Danube Valley Day Trip from Vienna

Vienna, Austria

From $123.69

Select Date and Travelers

up to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)

8 to 9 hours
Mobile ticket
Offered in: English

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Overview

Spend a day discovering Austria’s UNESCO-listed Wachau Valley on this trip along the Danube River from Vienna. Led by a local guide, pass the vineyards, abbeys, and forests of the countryside as you learn about the area’s rich history. Top off your day trip with a boat ride (summer only) to Melk along the Danube where you visit a Benedictine abbey overlooking the river, or an Austrian meal in a local restaurant (winter only). Your excursion concludes with transportation back to Vienna.

Take in the spectacular Austrian countryside dotted with vineyards, castles, abbeys and pretty villages
Discover the treasures of the Wachau Valley, a UNESCO World Heritage Site
Enjoy a romantic boat ride down the Danube River from Spitz to Melk (summer)
Visit Melk Abbey, an imposing Benedictine overlooking the Danube
Enjoy lunch and a walking tour through Krems or Dürnstein (winter only)

Why Travelers Choose This Tour

A hidden highlight of this tour is seeing Melk Abbey’s impressive library of medieval manuscripts.

What's Included

Bus trip in a modern coach from Vienna to the Danube Valley
Visit of Krems/Dürnstein (depending on the season)
Boat tour (only included in summer)
Admission Melk Abbey (depending on which option you choose)

Food and drinks
Boat tour (not included in Winter)

Meeting and Pickup

Meeting point

Operngasse 8, 1010 Wien, Austria
Meeting point is 15-10 minutes before departure in front of the Opera Fountain at the Vienna State Opera. Take the lines U1 (red), U2 (purple) or U4 (green) to station "Karlsplatz". Follow the exit "Oper" and walk left along the Vienna State Opera to get to Operngasse.

Start time

09:00 AM

End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

What To Expect

Your day trip begins in central Vienna, where you meet up with your guide and hop aboard your coach.

Watch the scenery change from the capital’s bustling streets to the picturesque landscape of the Austrian countryside. Journey through the UNESCO-listed Wachau Valley, a 24-mile (39-km) stretch of the Danube River. Running between the towns of Krems and Melk, the area is celebrated for its blend of natural and historical beauty, dotted with vineyards, wine villages, forestland, fortresses, and castles. Hear about the history of the area from your guide as you travel.

Pass by the medieval castle ruins of Dürnstein Castle before heading to Spitz, where you hop aboard a boat. Enjoy a stunning ride along the Danube, passing the wine town of Krems. (Please note, during the winter months November through April the boat tour will be replaced by lunch).

Arrive in Melk for a visit to the Benedictine Melk Abbey, which overlooks the river. First established in the 11th century, the Baroque-style abbey is adorned in bright frescoes and has housed monks for over 900 years.

Then, hop back in your coach for a smooth return to Vienna.

Wachau Valley

7 hours • Admission Ticket Free

Durnstein Castle (Pass By)

DDSG Blue Danube Schiffahrt GmbH

30 minutes • Admission Ticket Included

Melk Abbey

1 hour 30 minutes • Admission Ticket Included

Schloss Schonbuhel (Pass By)

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Infants must sit on laps
Wheelchair accessible
Stroller accessible
Service animals allowed
Infant seats available

Transportation is wheelchair accessible
Surfaces are wheelchair accessible
Travelers should have a moderate physical fitness level
Due to weather conditions the boat trip can only take place between April and October. The same applies if the boat trip has to be cancelled due to high water or other nature reasons.
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 100 travelers

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.

Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.
This experience requires a minimum number of travelers. If it’s canceled because the minimum isn’t met, you’ll be offered a different date/experience or a full refund.

Traveler Photos

Featured review

David_H

We very much enjoyed the experience. The bus was plush and the tour guide was outstanding. He was so interesting and informative and imparted so much information throughout the day. Melk Abbey was magnificent. We were somewhat disappointed that the shops in the towns closed at Noon or never opened but that’s the way things are in Austria. I highly recommend this trip.

Reviews

4.0

1,494 reviews

Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews

Reviews by Viator travelers.

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Showing 1-10 of 1,494 reviews

Great day in the Danube Valley.

Allan_W, May 2024

Beautiful sights on the Danube cruise, excellent tour of Melk Abbey, a wonderful experience! Tour director was extremely knowledgeable and made the trip an unforgettable experience.

A worthwhile day!

Roslyn_G, May 2024

The monastery is magnificent in its history and antiques. The bus guide provided excellent information about Austria as we travelled along.

Somehow not satisfactory. One ful day for a small village in Wahae and a Monestry....

Pnina_D, May 2024

It is a petty we visited only one small village and instead we visited the Monstry in Melk. I e,pected.ore small villages and wine tasting

Lovely day in the country

Susan_A, Apr 2024

It was great to be on the Danube and see the mountains and castles. Martin was a very good guide. Loved the little town and the gardens at Melk . Overwhelmed by the church at the Melk Abbey

Fabulous Danube Valley tours

Maggie_M, Apr 2024

Fabulous outing. Loved the boat cruise ion the Danube. Stunning gardens and tour of Melk Abbey with very informative guide. The whole day was most enjoyable with exceptional guides and bus driver.

Great way to visit and enjoy the Danube Valley and Melk Abbey with Danube boat ride.

Richard_D, Apr 2024

A wonderful experience. Excellent guide, Comfortable bus ride, outstanding sightseeing from outside deck of boat ride from Split to Melk. There was suffient time to enjoy both Durstein and an the village of Melk. The Melk Abbey tour was excellent and informative. I highly recommend this tour.

Good Tour

Judy_H, Apr 2024

The guide was knowledgable, interesting and easy to understand. We enjoyed the Danube River cruise, Durstein and the Abbey.

Fantastic experience

Aniket_M, Apr 2024

Eva and Gary were both great. Had a lovely experience and a very smoothly conducted trip. If you are looking to explore wachau valley I would definitely recommend this trip, the boat ride from Spitz to melk was the highlight of the trip for me.

Outstanding experience at Melk Abbey and the Danube Valley.

David_H, Feb 2024

Visit medieval town in addition to the phenomenal Melk Abbey

Linda_M, Jan 2024

The bus trip first to the quaint towns of Krem and Durnstein are wonderful. Our linguistic tour guide was able to explain the history of what we would see in several languages. We had adequate free time to stroll the medieval stone streets to shop and take lovely pictures. We travelled along the beautiful Danube River passing vineyards and beautiful countryside. Arriving at Melk and the Abbey was breathtaking. The restaurant on the premises is wonderful and offers true Austrian food that satisfies. The preserved Abbey and treasures are incredible. The final visit to the church is unbelievable. I have not seen an altar as decorated in gold and grandiosity as this. The view from the terrace over the town and river at sunset was a spectacular ending to a wonderful day.

Really great day seeing the countryside of Austria

Timothy_B, Dec 2023

Great guide and driver... Saw so many beautiful villages and towns drove through The Valley. Got to see the Melk monastery just a wonderful trip all the way around.. Would highly suggest

Good tour, less so for the winter.

Chris_H, Dec 2023

The tour is good but suffers in the winter. The wording on the website makes it sound like you get lunch included in place of the boat trip, but you don’t. Some of Melk Abbey is also closed in the winter. Charging the same in the winter for a lesser product is frustrating despite everything else being enjoyable.

Lovely day visiting Melk, Krems & Wachau valley

JenniferA_G, Nov 2023

Enjoyed the tour but felt our guide lacked enthusiasm. Have done a few tours whilst in Europe and our tour guides have kept us amused along with historical side.

Last minute trip to Wachau

Landy_J, Nov 2023

Last minute booking that didn't disappoint. Wachau Region is beautiful. Visited 3 towns in the area all very different. Plenty of time in each place to see everything.

Do not miss out, it's worth it.

Ravi, Nov 2023

Loved exploring Danube Valley and walking through the streets of historical towns. Never seen anything like Melk Abby. Our guide was very knowledgable and fluent in English and German.

Melk Abbey is a must visit!

AnnClaire_C, Nov 2023

The visit to the Melk Abbey was awesome! Truly one of Austria's most precious gems. The church in all its Baroque splendor was one of the most beautiful I have ever seen. Situated in the Danube Valley, the view was breathtaking!

Great tour.

Ronald_S, Nov 2023

Excellent tour guide! Amazingly fluent in English, Spanish, and German!! Beautiful Abbey and quaint villages. Loved it.

Disappointing Day Trip

Susan_C, Oct 2023

The trip was not as expected because of water levels. We felt that this info should have been given to us in order to decide if we wanted to proceed with day trip. The guide was not well informed and often gave wrong information about meeting places and tour details. We would not recommend this guide or this day trip. Way to much time on a bus !! We could have rented a car and driven to Melk for far less money and far less disappointment. We took 7 Viator on our 2 week trip and this one was such a disappointment. This day trip was far too expensive for the experIence. Very disappointing !!

Beautiful and scenic. An absolute pleasure!

Apurva_s, Oct 2023

Wachau valley was beautiful, scenic and almost from a fairytale. The guide was wonderful and very helpful. Melk town and the Benedict Abbey is not be missed. Very highly recommended!

Excellent

Lisa_L, Oct 2023

The river cruise on the Danube was excellent. We also had a very knowledgeable guide. It was a beautiful day.

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