Danube River Cruise: Wachau Valley and Krems
In this seventh post of a multi-part series, Bethany explores Wachau Valley and Krems, Austria on her Active and Discovery on the Danube Cruise on Avalon in 2018.
The Active and Discovery on the Danube cruise was the second river cruise I did with Avalon. This cruise sailed from Linz, Austria to Budapest, Hungary in the summer of 2018. Join me as I explore many wonderful stops in the Czech Republic, Austria, Slovakia, and Hungary along the way!
Active and Discovery on the Danube Full Itinerary
Below is the full itinerary for the trip. This post includes details about my day in Wachau Valley and Krems, Austria.
- July 26 & 27: Prague, Czech Republic
- July 28: Český Krumlov, Czech Republic
- July 29: Linz & Steyr, Austria (embarkation)
- July 30: Engelhartszell & Schlogen Oxbow, Austria
- July 31: Mauthausen & Grein, Austria
- August 1: Wachau Valley, Krems, & Vienna, Austria
- August 2 & 3: Vienna, Austria
- August 4: Komarno, Slovakia & Visegrad, Hungary (disembarkation)
- August 5: Budapest, Hungary
Wachau Valley, Austria
After a lovely afternoon in Grein yesterday, we set sail around dinnertime and sailed to Spitz, Austria. We arrived in Spitz overnight. This was just a quick stop on the itinerary. There were three early morning excursions offered in Spitz, but I decided to sleep in a bit and stay onboard. The ship departed Spitz shortly before 9:00AM, enroute to our next stop in Krems. This morning’s sailing was through the wonderful Wachau Valley.
The Wachau Valley is known for wine making, and there are many beautiful vineyards studded along the banks of the Danube. Small, picturesque villages are also perched on the riverbanks. I was able to enjoy the Blue Bell tower of Dürnstein and the Melk Abbey as we glided along the Danube.
Shortly before arriving into Krems we approached a fairly low bridge. So, some of the crew came up to the upper deck to lower the sunshades to provide enough clearance. We made it under the bridge with just enough room to spare…let’s just say that I almost ducked while sitting on the upper deck!
Krems, Austria
We arrived at the beautiful town of Krems around 10:00AM. Once again, we docked right in the heart of the town, so it was a short walk to get to my morning excursion at Winzer Krems. This is a local winery here in Krems.
Upon arriving at the winery, we were given the first of three wines to taste. We started with a local specialty, Grüner Veltliner. This is a light and refreshing white wine, with hints of apple. Of course, sipping it outside and being mere steps away from the vineyards only helped enhance the overall experience!
After the first tasting we headed inside the winery itself. We made our way downstairs and had a tour of the cellars. Here we got to taste a Blauer Zweigelt. This is a delicious red wine with hints of black cherry.
We finished our tour of the cellars and headed back up to the main winery. We then watched a 3D movie which explained the wine making process and the history of the winery. The movie was a multi-sensory experience: smells and breezes were piped in at certain points to heighten the overall experience. After the movie, a traditional Riesling was the third and final tasting. It was just as delicious as the first two.
Vienna, Austria – First Night
Once the morning in Krems was finished, we headed back to the ship for lunch and another relaxing afternoon sailing. This time, our destination was Vienna. At around 5:30PM, the ship made a quick stop in Nussdorf, just before arriving in Vienna itself. Several of us got off the ship here for a wonderful late afternoon / evening excursion. We took a short bus ride to the top of the Cobenzl Mountain. We had a few minutes here to soak in the stunning views of Vienna and the surrounding countryside.
Cobenzl Hike
Then, we set out on the first part of the excursion. We did a fantastic hike through the vineyards on the Cobenzl. This is part of the Alps above Vienna. While it was classified as a “hike,” it was really more of a leisurely walk down the mountain. We had plenty of time to soak in the gorgeous scenery along the way.
The lush, green vineyards cover most of the mountainside here. The views are stunning. The city of Vienna got closer and closer as we made our way to the bottom of the mountain.
Heuriger Dinner
The pot of gold at the end of our hike was a dinner at a Heuriger. A Heuriger is a wine tavern where local wineries serve their new wines. There are some specific rules around how many Heurigers can be open in any given town at any given time, and the wineries require special licenses to serve the wines during the growing season.
We sat outside under a canopy of trees and enjoyed a typical Austrian dinner. Sausages, pork, ham, sauerkraut, and dumplings were served for dinner. There was also plenty of local wine from the latest harvest available. During dinner, a lively trio of musicians played traditional Austrian music for us. The apple strudel for dessert was to die for!
Conclusion
This was another day with a wonderful mix of excursions and relaxation onboard. I really enjoyed a relaxing morning, sailing through the stunning Wachau Valley. The late-morning excursion to the “Austrian Wine World Experience” in Krems was fun (and tasty!). The afternoon sailing was a perfect opportunity to rest and recharge before the fantastic late-afternoon excursion through the lush vineyards high above Vienna. The Heuriger dinner was a delicious end to a fabulous day. This evening was just the first experience in Vienna…the next two full days are spent in Vienna, so look for the next post for much more about the vibrant city of Vienna!
Links
Ready to continue the journey? Click the button below to read the next post in the series:
Missed any of the journey so far? Click the button below to read the earlier posts in this series:
Click the buttons below for more information about Avalon, and to read about my other fabulous Avalon river cruises:
2 Responses
[…] Wachau Valley & Krems […]
[…] Krems […]