World Heritage Trail Wachau

Here in the Wachau area, the Danube is even more beautiful than anywhere else. The mild climate and steep hills make it ideal territory for orchards and vineyards. Our hiking week leads through the long-distance trail along the ridges of the Danube valley. On the varied walking routes, you can enjoy magnificent views of one of Austria's oldest cultural landscapes with characteristic vineyards, apricot gardens and the impressive Danube stream in the valley.

Details about the hiking holiday in the Wachau

Wine, culture and nature create a unique symphony on the hiking holiday in Wachau. From the mountain ranges in the Danube valley, you have unique views over Austria’s largest river and one of the oldest cultural landscapes in the country, the Wachau region. En route along the World Heritage, long-distance hiking trail, you will pass pretty towns and wine villages such as Weißenkirchen, Spitz and Krems.

The highlights of this walking holiday at a glance:

• Hike in the vineyards: What makes the Wachau region so special is the numerous vineyards perched on the slopes.

• Wine & Culinary art: Pancakes filled with apricot jam, fine spirits and of course the wonderful wines of the Wachau – on the hiking holiday in the Danube river valley you experience culinary highlights every day.

• Discover the Wachau from the River Danube: Between Melk and Krems you have the opportunity to gain completely new impressions of the Wachau.

Worth knowing about the hiking tour in the Wachau

You start your hiking week with your arrival at Krems. The UNESCO World Heritage city features winding streets and wineries. Your hiking holiday begins the very next day with the first hike to Dürnstein. The route takes you via Weißenkirchen and Spitz to Melk, before returning to Krems by boat on the Danube.

Every day you hike between 12 and 14 kilometres and climb several Wachau peaks, which are not high but steep. Surefootedness is therefore an advantage in certain sections.

Route summary

Hiking tours along well-maintained paths and in parts on asphalted vineyard paths. Depending on the route you can either enjoy the tours at a leisurely pace or make it more challenging. Summits in the Wachau area are not high, but partly steep. Hence surefootedness is required in a few places. This week of walking offers a beautiful combination of nature, sights and enjoyment.

This tour has been graded as Medium. Find out more about our walking holiday difficulty levels.