Melk Abbey and Danube Valley Day Trip from Vienna

This was an amazing day trip to Melk and a cruise on the Danube river. Dürnstein and Spitz are a very pinturesques places and I feel that the tour is exactly as described. Wachau Cultural Landscape, on the UNESCO world heritage list, is a 40 km long valley along the Danube between Melk and Krems blanketed with vineyards and ornamented with cute villages, old churches, occasional castles or monasteries, including Melk Abbey. Beautiful. You are able to get lunch on the cruise but waiting until you get to the Melk Abbey to have lunch is worth the wait. The restaurant is well priced and service is friendly, quick and efficient. Melk Abbey is one of the biggest and most beautiful European Baroque ensembles. The highlights of the Abbey are certainly the Library containing old and rare manuscripts and thousands of printed works and a magnificent painted ceiling, and the Church embellished with marble and frescoes. Absolutely gorgeous. There are also fine views of the river and Melk town from the Abbey's terrace (I wish I had some time to walk around the little beautiful town of Melk). The guide inside Melk Abbey was excellent, she informed us on the history, the Library, the magnificent wall and roof paints and was able to deliver an interesting informatiom and keep everyone's attention at all times. Just one disappointment, taking pictures is not allowed inside the premises. Great tour from our guide Erich, high professional, very knowledgeable about the history and culture and fully engaged speaking German, English and Spanish translations the during the trip. The tour is well organized so I highly recommend it.

A very good tour overlooking the Danube river, outside Vienna, visitng country villages and finally the Melk Abbey which is a great sightseeing! I specially recommend it for the old library and the baroque immpressive church inside. Also, the great view of the Danube river from the balcony is magnificent! A small minor is the food in one of the villages, which in the winter is included in the price, but still it is definetely a must see outside Vienna!

Great tour on the last day of the year, wonderful sights, well timed, good guide (Tommy). Because of season, quite empty.

This was a wonderful day trip from Vienna. We met on the corner of the Opera House at Operngasse and Opernring. A representative in a yellow slicker was there to check us in and then we went on a nice, large, comfortable coach. We first stopped in the town of Krems for photos and a quick walk of the old town on our own buying coffee, pastries and a souvenirs of course! Next stop was Dürnstein along the river. It's a small village with winding streets and lovely quaint homes and stores. We bought schnapps and liqueurs in a great wine shop (Wieser Wachau - don't miss that place). We walked just a little up the hill close to the ruined castle that once held Richard the Lion Heart in 1192. Fascinating. We walked thru town and then along the Danube and back to the bus. We had a nice length of time to stop there too. Then we stopped at the Hotel-Restaurant Zum Schwarzen Bären (the Black Bear Inn) and had a very nice included lunch of soup, pork, rice, vegetables, rolls and dessert. Then onto Melk with a guided tour! This baroque palace of the Babenberg’s is well over 1,000 years old and looks like something out of a fairy tale. It was given to the Benedictine monks for their monastery in 1089 and is one of the best museums in Austria. It holds countless artifacts from the centuries, reliquaries, triptych portable altars, vestments, and artwork. The Library has tens of thousands of books going back to the 10th century – the library itself is a work of art. Still a monastery and school for 900 students, the property is in pristine condition. Lovely outdoor restaurant in the summer. The view from the terrace is magnificent. The church is the highlight of the tour. This church is not only the most beautiful in Austria but in Europe. I have seen many, many churches, cathedrals and basilicas over the last 20 years traveling thru Europe but this is the most gorgeous church I have ever seen anywhere. It is high baroque artwork at its finest. Money had not been spared when the interior of this church was completed in the early 1700's. It is a representation of heaven on earth. Don’t miss it. We were home promptly at 6:00 and had plenty of time to have a nice dinner and visit the Christmas markets when we arrived back in Vienna. I highly recommend this tour.

Beautiful little town to visit. Tourguide was extremely knowledagble. Don't think it is a tour that younger children will enjoy.

Guide was awesome. Bus was awesome. Tour had unexpected stops which were very welcome. I’d book it again in a heartbeat.

The tour is nice and the guide was very good at English. The day was very cold and rainy but we managed to do all the tour. Really enjoyed it

i recommend this trip along the Danube, seeing ruined castles on top of hills. and visiting such a lovely monastery in Melk. the weather at the time was fantastic.

Loved every bit of the day , The stop over at Durnstein was lovely, cute shops and lovely views, then trip up the Danube was everything you would hope and the visit to the Milk Abby was really great and interesting

Beautiful day out exploring the Danube around Melk. The abbey is beautiful and interesting, with amazing views. Our guide was very informative.