How To Bike Melk To Krems In The Wachau Valley Austria

An easy day trip from Vienna is to the Wachau Valley in Lower Austria. It’s the perfect city escape to reconnect with nature and see explore more of Austria. The best way is to explore the Wachau Valley by bicycle.

You’ll want to bike Melk to Krems. These two cities in the Wachay Valley are 40 km apart, but there’s a bike path that takes you the entire way. It’s hands down the best way to see the region.

There’s also quite a lot of things to do in the Wachau Valley on the bike path. There are abbeys and medieval castles to visit, and you’ll definitely want to stop to taste the local wine!

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Why Visit The Wachau Valley?

The Wachau Valley is a small region in lower Austria filled with wineries and picturesque towns. 

It’s the perfect escape from the hustle and bustle of city life in Vienna. You can come here to visit one town or several. Come here to taste local wine or ride the ferry along the Danube. But, I think the best things to do in the Wachay Valley the 40 km Melk Krems bike ride.

Why Bike The Wachau Valley?

There’s quite a lot of things to do in the Wachau Valley but it isn’t all close by so walking from town to town just isn’t an option. 

You can drive through the region, but it isn’t the same experience. By biking, you’re taken on smaller bike paths through each town, along the Danube, and besides the vineyards. 

If you bike the Wachau Valley from Melk to Krems, you can easily stop whenever you want. If you want to stop for a picture, or get off your bike to walk through a town instead. To see the most of this beautiful region, the best way is to bike the Wachau Valley . 

How To Get To The Wachau Valley From Vienna

I recommend starting off in Melk in the Wachau Valley and working your way back towards Vienna (this way the bike path is more downhill). 

It’s pretty easy to get to Melk from Vienna, it’s about an hour train ride. There are two train stations you can leave from Vienna to get to Melk. The trains leave from Westbanhof and Hauptbahnhof, so it’s whichever is easiest for you to get to.

They’re both direct but the one from Westbanhof takes 10 minutes longer and leaves less often. So it requires a bit more planning, whereas the train from Hauptbahnhof leaves every hour at 00:30 and 00:55.

You can buy your train tickets in advance, or at the tickets booths at the train station.

Alternatively, you can book an organized tour to the Wachau Valley that takes care of everything for you.

Renting Bikes In The Wachau Valley

One of the simplest bike rental methods is to rent from NextBike. This is the Austrian version of city bikes (like Bixi in Montreal, or Citi in New York City).

The convenience of them is that you can pick it up in one location and drop it off at any other NextBike station. For example, pick it up in Melk, ride it all the way to Krems and leave it at a station there.

It’s a good option if you’re trying to save money and don’t plan ahead, like us. But you do need a phone with data to unlock the bike. The downside is that they’re not very good bikes – at all. There are only 3 gears (in total). Even though it’s a pretty easy bike path, this just made the ride a bit harder.

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If you do manage to plan this trip in advance, rent your bikes from Wachau Bikes. You rent the bike in Melk and they’ll pick it up in Krems the next day.

If you find yourself in Melk without a bike, go to the information centre at the edge of town. They’ll point you in the right direction and give you a map for the ride.

Bike Melk To Krems: What To Expect

The Melk Krems bike ride is about 40 km and it’s slightly downhill. It’s easily doable in half a day but you’ll want to save time to stop along the way. 

Just the bike ride would take you around 2-hours. For us, less-experienced bikers, we did it in 4 hours with a lot of stopping to take a picture every few seconds. 

The bike path in the Wachau Valley isn’t the most difficult terrain, but there are some hills. I’ll admit we did have to get off and walk up some. But I can’t stress enough how out of shape we are and we still managed to make it all the way to Krems.

There are signs to follow along the way. A big green sign that says Donauradweg. These will keep you on the path towards Krems. 

Two Routes To Bike The Wachau Valley

There are two possible bike routes to see the Wachau Valley by bicycle. You can choose to bike on either the North and South side of the Danube river. Each has their own pros and cons. 

It’s rumoured that the south side is prettier (more scenic), but all the attractions and little towns are on the North side. 

So! The recommended Melk Krems bike ride route is to actually bike on the South until Splitz, where you can take a ferry to the North side. Splitz is about halfway between Melk and Krems in the Wachau Valley. 

We ended up biking on the North side the whole way, and it was totally fine. We were still blown away by the views and this way we didn’t have to rely on ferry times. 

Bike Melk To Krems: How Is The Bike Path?

For the most part, the bike path itself is a well maintained paved path. It takes you through towns, wineries, and along the Danube river. 

At some points, the path is next to the road. This is not a small suburb road where there aren’t any cars passing you. It seems like the main highway road, that was very populated. You still have a designated bike path that’s higher than the street and pretty wide, so you aren’t ever biking directly on the street.

But, if you aren’t an experienced biker, this can be a bit nerve-racking at times. Keep in mind, my partner was able to bike this route and he had only biked a handful of times before taking on the Wachau Valley by bicycle.

The Wachau Valley By Bicycle Itinerary

There are so many things to do in the Wachau Valley that you won’t be bored for a second! Here’s how we biked from Melk to Krems in the Wachau Valley and where we stopped along the way.

Start Your Day In Melk

We started our Wachau Valley bike ride in Melk. While you’re here, visit their famous abbey. It’s a UNESCO world cultural heritage site. You’re invited inside to see the life of the Benedictine monks (and get some pretty great views at the same time). 

Once you get out of the train station it’s about a 15-minute downhill walk towards the Danube river. The abbey is actually at the top of a pretty steep hill making it pretty easy to see.

We spent a good chunk of the morning here and then went for lunch in the town before starting on our bike ride to Krems.

Where To Stop Bike Melk To Krems

My favourite view for a picture is Weissenkirchen. It’s about halfway between Melk and Krems (just before Durnstein which is the main point of interest). The best view is just past the town. Make a point to look back to see the vineyards with the town and the church. 

Along your bike ride, you’ll want to make sure to stop in Durnstein to visit the Durnstein Castle. We settled for seeing the castle from below, and walking through the town to see all the shops instead. 

The castle is a 15-minute walk up what looked like a pretty steep hill. We just didn’t have the energy to do that. But we heard there’s a pretty incredible view if you make it to the top.  

On the North side, you also end up biking through other small towns. They’re great to stop at for some ice cream … or a glass of wine… to get you through the rest of your ride to Krems.

Making It To Krems

You made it to Krems! Once you’re here, enjoy the city. Did you know it’s actually the 5th largest city in Austria?

Because we were so out of shape we were too tired to do anything but stuff our faces at a Chinese buffet. But there’s quite a bit to do here. Follow this guide for what to see in Krems. 

They have their old city gates and their own Abbey that they’re known for. Even if you don’t want to go full out touring after that bike ride, just take in the beautiful colourful homes throughout the city.

Heading Back To Vienna

To head back to Vienna, lock up your bikes somewhere safe, and jump back on the train in Krems. I recommend checking the times right when you get to the city to make sure you don’t miss the last one back to Vienna.

Too Tired To Head Back? Stay The Night In Krems

After you bike the Wachau Valley you may just want to stay the night. We went back to our Airbnb in Vienna for the night, but we were exhausted. There’s also quite a bit of things to do in Krems that you can easily spend the next day exploring the city itself.

I found these hotels in Krems with great reviews that you can stay at after you bike the Wachau Valley.

Hotel Unter den Linden is a reasonably priced, family run hotel in the heart of Krems. I love that breakfast is included with your stay and you’re minutes away from everything in Krems! See availability and room rates.

Another great option is to stay at the Klinglhuber Suites in Krems. This is the perfect place to stay after a long bike ride because this hotel has a pool where can relax all afternoon long! You can even book a room with a private terrace if you want! Breakfast is also included at the Klinghuber Suites. See availability and room rates for your dates.

If you bike the Wachau Valley in the other direction, you may find yourself in Melk for the night stay at the Pension Marillenhof, a budget-friendly bed and breakfast! See availability and room rates for your dates.

For other hotels in Krems see Booking.com, or if you’re going to be in Melk see hotels on Booking.com.

Bike The Wachau Valley Don’t Forget To Pack…

Because you’re going to be outside all day and you may not be near a town at all times so you want to make sure to pack a few things. 

Pack water! And lots of it! There is a water fountain on the path and you can always ask a restaurant to refill (although Vienna wasn’t the nicest about refilling water bottles… maybe now they’ve changed though, it’s been a few years). Today, my go to refillable water bottle is either the collapsible Nomader water bottle or my Thermoflask.

Make sure to sunscreen before and pack extra sunscreen. I put on every hour and I still managed to burn. The sun is really strong, especially in the summer, and there isn’t that much shade to take cover while biking.

Also because you’re going to be outside all day, just make sure to check the weather before you leave. You don’t want to get caught in any rain while biking halfway through the Wachau Valley.

More Austria Travel Guides To Read

• 7 Things I Wish I Knew Before Travelling To Vienna
• How To Get From Vienna To Hallstatt
• Visit Salzburg in One Day From Vienna

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Last update on 2024-12-22 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API