Walking the Wachau Heritage Trail

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8 Days from

USD 1,849

Incl. taxes Excl. flights

Walking & Trekking

Ways to Travel :

Self-Guided Holidays

Activity :

Walking & Trekking

Activity Levels :

2 out of 7 - Leisurely / Moderate

Trip Code :

W07WV

Follow the curve of the River Danube through the Wachau area, this world heritage landscape is where the Danube is at its most beautiful with sweeping curves framed by hillsides. The mild climate and steep hills make it ideal for wine and fruit growing, which adds to the beauty of the valley. Enjoy magnificent views of one of Austria's oldest cultural landscapes where small hamlets dot the landscape.

Stay in Durnstein, where Richard the Lionheart was imprisoned on his return from the Crusades and explore Krems with its medieval alleyways and historic buildings in the old town. The area has outstanding regional food and drink specialities. Apart from the famous wine there are delicious apricot dishes and many others all making best use of the local produce. Your trip ends with a river cruise back to your starting point in Krems; glide past the highlights of the week with fond memories of your Danube adventure.

Highlights

Walk through vineyards to panoramic viewpoints and sample the exquisite Austrian wines
Witness the outstanding natural beauty of the Wachau Valley
Explore historic towns & take a river cruise on the Danube

Key Information

Management by your local Headwater-appointed agent
Countries visited: Austria

What's Included

7 nights hotel-to-hotel accommodation in 3* & 4* hotels
All breakfasts
Management by your local Headwater-appointed agent
Route directions and maps
Luggage transfers between hotels
Danube boat trip from Melk to Krems (only possible from mid-April - bus ride is the alternative)
One wine tasting (either in Durnstein or Spitz)

What's Not Included

Travel insurance
Single accommodation (available on request - compulsory supplement)
Visas or vaccinations
Lunches & dinners
x3 Danube ferry crossings (Durnstein to Rossatz, St Lorenz to Weissenkirchen & Spitz to Arnsdorf)
Bus from Aggsbach Dorf to Melk

5 Days of Walking & Trekking

Day 2

12 km / 7.5 miles

Day 3

12 km / 7.5 miles

Day 4

3 km / 1.9 miles

Day 5

12 km / 7.5 miles

Day 6

15 km / 9.3 miles

Responsible Travel

At Exodus we believe in the power of Responsible Travel.

Every time we travel, we are part of a global movement that creates jobs, builds more sustainable societies, encourages cultural understanding and safeguards common natural and cultural heritage. To learn more about what Responsible Travel means to Exodus click here…

Itinerary

If you arrive early, you will have an opportunity to explore this wonderful town with its old medieval centre.

Overnight Hotel Unter der Linden 3*, Krems.

Begin your walk from the centre of Krems, making your way through vineyards and forest roads to an observation tower with views over the city of Krems and the Danube. Continue over the hilltops to Fesslhutte and the ruins of Durnstein as you follow this scenic trail to the banks of the blue Danube.

Visit Domane Wachau winery in the afternoon for wine tasting (one wine tasting is included, either in Durnstein or in Spitz).

Overnight Hotel Sanger Blondel 3*, Durnstein.

Meals Included: Breakfast

Take the ferry to the other side of the Danube to Rossatz (paid locally) where you walk through vineyards. Alternatively, you can follow the route through the largest apricot growing area of Austria before ascending to the Seekopf observation tower. There you will have a wonderful view of the Danube valley before walking down a zig-zag trail to St Lorenz. Cross the Danube again to the town of Weissenkirchen (paid locally).

Overnight Hotel Kirchenwirt 4*, Weissenkirchen.

Meals Included: Breakfast

Enjoy a rest day in Weissenkirchen, the biggest wine growing area in the Wachau and surrounded by vineyards. If you'd like a short walk, there's a trail leading through the local vineyards with the opportunity to sample the produce back in the town. There are also museums to visit in the wonderful historic old town.

Overnight Hotel Kirchenwirt 4*, Weissenkirchen.

Meals Included: Breakfast

Today is a gentle start through the vineyards from Weissenkirchen to Joching. There you head through the upper vineyards to the forest and to an observation tower with views towards Gschwendt in the northwest and of the Danube. There is a gentle descent before a final small climb to the 'Red Gate', one of the old seven defence gates of Spitz. It gets its name because of the blood shed when the Swedes took it in the Thirty Years War; here you have a beautiful view of Spitz below.

Enjoy wine tasting at Klosterhof in Spitz after completing your walk (one wine tasting is included, either in Spitz or in Durnstein).

Overnight Hotel Goldenes Schiff 3*, Spitz.

Meals Included: Breakfast

Begin by taking the ferry across the Danube to Arnsdorf (paid locally). A longer walk today, with some quite steep climbs through woodland, culminating in a visit to the pilgrim church of Maria Langegg located in a small village in the hills. The church is a hidden beauty, off the beaten track, built originally about 1600. It is on Austria's pilgrim Route of St James so you could follow it all the way to Santiago de Compostela in Galicia, but we only go as far as Aggstein, a ruined castle, and then onward to Aggsbach Dorf, where there is a former Carthusian monastery. From Aggsbach Dorf you take the bus to Melk (paid locally).

Overnight Hotel Post 4*, Melk.

Meals Included: Breakfast

In the morning, we highly recommend a visit the imposing Melk Abbey, which dominates the city. As well as visiting the abbey, there are extensive gardens to stroll around; the city of Melk is also worth a visit. In the afternoon you take a river cruise (included) back down the Danube past the towns where you have stayed during your walking week - Spitz, Weissenkirchen and Durnstein, before finishing at Krems for your final night.

Overnight Hotel Unter der Linden 3*, Krems.

Meals Included: Breakfast

Leave Krems.

Meals Included: Breakfast