World City Guide

Excursions

For a Half Day

Krems an der Donau: Along the River Danube, to the west of Vienna, lies Krems, a thousand-year-old town surrounded by vineyards. The western end, Stein, is the old portion of the town, which contains the street Landstrasse with its old buildings, including the 16th-century town hall. Above Landstrasse, the Renaissance town house, narrow streets and small squares show the structure of the original town. Both the Piaristenkirche and the Wienstadt Museum celebrate the work of medieval artist Johann Martin Schmidt. The 15th-century Steiner Tor gateway marks the end of Stein. Just before the Kremer Tor, at the other end of Landstrasse, is the town’s new Kunst Halle Krems, a major arts venue. The Gozzoburg, at the bottom of Hoher Markt, serves reasonably priced local dishes (closed Tuesday), while Piano, at An der Donaulände, on the banks of the river, is an attractive place for visitors to enjoy a drink.

Trains leave Vienna Franz Josef Bahnhof every two hours (journey time – 1 hour). The last train back to Vienna is at around 2130. Austropa Verkehrsbüro, Undstrasse 6 (tel: (02732) 82676; fax: (02732) 70011; e-mail: austropa.krems@netway.at; website: www.krems.gv.at or www.tiscover.com/krems), is located halfway between Stein and Krems and provides further information.

For a Whole Day

Wachau Valley: Between Krems an der Donau and Melk, the River Danube winds through one of the most beautiful areas of Austria. A variety of outdoor activities are available on this stretch, including watersports, hiking, cycling, boat cruises and wine-tasting tours. The Danube Bike Path follows the river on both banks. Johann Trautsamwieser, Siedlung Erlahof 10, Spitz (tel: (0664) 346 9486; e-mail: j.trantsam@aon.at), rents bicycles throughout out the region for ¬12 per day (¬60 per week). He can bring brings bicycles to any town in the region for a charge of about ¬5. Reservations are needed for a group of cyclists.

Trains to Melk, Pöcham and Ybbs depart from the Westbahnhof, while trains to Krems and Spitz depart from Franz Josef Bahnhof. Further information on the region is available from the Tourismusverband Wachau-Nibelungengau, Undstrasse 6 (tel: (02732) 85620; fax: (02732) 87471; e-mail: wachau@netway.at; website: www.wachau.at or www.tiscover.com/wachau), located halfway between Stein and Krems.

Melk: Founded in 831 and situated on the north bank of the River Danube, approximately half way between Vienna and Linz, Melk is an attractive town with a stunning abbey. Stift Melk, Abt Berthold Dietmayrstrasse 1 (tel: (02752) 555 225; fax: (02752) 555 226; e-mail: kultur.tourismus@stiftmelk.at; website: www.stiftmelk.at), sits atop an escarpment, commanding a large stretch of the river valley. It is a physical testament to the power and authority of both the Babenbergs, who built it over a thousand years ago, and the Benedictine monks, who have occupied it since 1089. The Abbey, which features in Umberto Eco’s novel, The Name of the Rose (1983), contains a museum, a restaurant and park and garden pavilion. The one-hour guided tour of the abbey takes one hour and is available all year round. The abbey is open to the public daily (0900–1800 May to September or 0900–1700 April and October), however, from November to March, it is only accessible to visitors taking the guided tour. Entrance costs ¬6.90 or ¬8.50 with the tour. Entrance to the Abbey Park only costs ¬3. Even those who do not have time to visit the abbey cannot fail to miss it as they approach Vienna by rail or road from the west.

Although a few trains continue on from Krems an der Donau to Melk, there are trains from Vienna’s Westbahnhof to Salzburg and travellers for Melk must change at St Pölten Hofbahnhof for the local line to Amstetten. The trip to Melk takes approximately 70 minutes. Returning to Amstetten, one can either go back to Vienna or continue on the InterCity train to Salzburg, Innsbruck or Bregenz.