World Heritage Trail Wachau | Eurohike Walking Holidays

Index

Basic information about the World Heritage Trail Wachau

The World Heritage Trail Wachau is one of the most beautiful and multifaceted hiking trails in Austria. There’s a reason why it is one of the top trails in Austria – a quality trail with special hiking experiences and optimal route guidance. The entire route on the World Heritage Trail Wachau leads 180 kilometres through the picturesque Wachau wine landscape in the Danube region. All in all, all exercise-hungry leisure hikers can hike this special active experience in 14 stages from Krems an der Donau via Dürnstein, Weißkirchen, Spitz, Mühldorf, Emmersdorf, Melk and back to Krems. Along the entire route, not only are the vineyards and views of the Danube Valley typical of the region waiting to be discovered, but there are also around 20 castles, palaces and ruins, as well as 14 villages in the UNESCO World Heritage Site to see. From wine and apricots: A diverse selection of refreshment stops and wine taverns along the way, where the best of the region’s culinary delights can be tasted rounds off the perfect active experience on a hiking holiday with luggage transfer.

The most beautiful stages on the World Heritage Trail Wachau

Discover the World Heritage Trail Wachau on a hiking holiday

Our hiking holiday World Heritage Trail Wachau, 8 days and the short hiking holiday World Heritage Trail Wachau, 5 days is an active break perfect for leisure hikers. You start your tour in Krems and travel first to the observation tower with a view of the Danube and on to Dürnstein. The following day the route takes you past the largest apricot growing area in Austria to Weißenkirchen. You can spend the fourth day of your hiking tour how you like: visiting cultural highlights, tasking wonderful wine or relaxing in your accommodation. Our tip: On the walking holiday World Heritage Trail Wachau with Charm, 8 days and the short walking holiday World Heritage Trail Wachau with Charm, 5 days you will stay in particularly charming hotels with that extra something. Full of energy, the next day you continue to the wine village of Spitz and the next day to Melk. The last stage takes you back to Krems.

You can find more information and impressions in our team member travel report ‘Helene en route along the World Heritage Trail Wachau’ on our Eurohike HikingBlog.

Hiking trails to Dürnstein in the Wachau

Our Eurohike moments on the World Heritage Trail Wachau

Enjoy Wachau wine: Don’t miss it and enjoy a glass of the world-famous and excellent wines of the Wachau at the end of a successful hiking stage.
Top cultural landscape: The Wachau is Austria’s oldest cultural landscape. There is a lot to see here, such as the 20 palaces and castles, the Melk Abbey and the Göttweig Abbey, Dürnstein with the ruins or Weißenkirchen with the Teisenhoferhof including the Wachau Museum and the Viticulture Museum.

Hiking adventures for two and four-legged friends: Due to the good routes, our hiking tours on the World Heritage Trail Wachau are also perfectly suitable for hiking with your dog.
Natural spring spectacle: A special experience in the Wachau is the time of the apricot blossom, which can be admired every year between mid-March and mid-April. The apricots are harvested from mid-July. Did you know that the Wachau apricot PDO is an EU-wide protected designation of origin and stands for unique quality? Read more about the beginning of spring in the Wachau on our HikingBlog.

Setting of Dürnstein on the world heritage trail Wachau

Vine and enjoyment on the hiking trail Wachau

Hiking with view to Weißenkirchen and vineyards

Route guidance on the World Heritage Trail Wachau

Hiking pleasure at the highest level

Since May 26, 2010 numerous active holidaymakers hungry for exercise have been walking the dreamy routes of the World Heritage Trail Wachau in the Danube region. The Austrian Alpine Association and the Austrian Tourist Association are responsible for the continued maintenance of the markings on the hiking trails. In addition, the World Heritage Trail Wachau is one of the Best Trails of Austria, a quality hiking trail in Austria that guarantees the highest level of hiking enjoyment due to the special hiking experiences, optimal route guidance and varied accommodation along the way. The World Heritage Trail Wachau is particularly worth experiencing, not only because of the fantastic natural scenery, but also the numerous cultural sights and refreshment stops along the way. So the hiking stages always remain varied.

Panoramic view of Dürnstein and the Danube

Facts & details

All information and facts about the World Heritage Trail Wachau can be found here at a glance:

Location: The World Heritage Trail Wachau is located in the Wachau in the beautiful Danube region of Austria.
Length: 180 kilometres
Highest mountain: At 960 metres, the Jauerling is the highest mountain on the Danube.
Route: The hiking route on our Eurohike hiking tours take you along unique natural scenery from Krems via Weißenkirchen to Melk.
Season: The ideal travel period for a hiking holiday on the World Heritage Trail Wachau is from March to October.

Tour character: Our hiking tours on the World Heritage Trail Wachau always lead on good, partly asphalted paths. Although the hills in the Wachau are generally not too high, the climbs can be steep in parts, which is why a good basic level of fitness and surefootedness are recommended.
Trail marking: The good hiking trails are marked with a white W for “Wachau” or “Welterbesteig” and are signposted in both directions. Any junctions are indicated with yellow hiking signs.
Special feature: A hiking holiday on the World Heritage Trail Wachau offers the best in natural and cultural enjoyment, as well as culinary delights of the region. The beautiful Wachau region has been a UNESCO world cultural and natural heritage site since 2000.

Hiking trail through the grapevines of Spitz

Hiking tour to Spitz with overview points

Hiker at the view point Seekopf with view onto Danube

View of Dürnstein and Danube on the hiking trail

Questions and answers about hiking on the Wachau World Heritage Trail

Where is the Wachau World Heritage Trail located?

The Wachau World Heritage Trail is located in the Wachau area in Austria.

How long is the Wachau World Heritage Trail?

The Wachau World Heritage Trail is 180 kilometres long.

Who is hiking on the Wachau World Heritage Trail suitable for?

The Wachau World Heritage Trail falls under our category hiking. The route guides you over good hiking paths and paved vineyard paths through the beautiful Danube region. With a good basic level of fitness and surefootedness, our hiking tour on the Wachau World Heritage Trail will be an enjoyable, active experience.

What special highlights can be found on the Wachau World Heritage Trail?

The hiking tours on the Wachau World Heritage Trail combine the best cultural and culinary highlights of the region. In addition, there is the picturesque natural landscape, which makes hiking an unforgettable experience. Visit one of the 20 palaces or castles or the Melk Abbey. Enjoy a very special hiking season in this region - the apricot blooms from March to April. You can read more about it on our Eurohike HikingBlog: ~~The beginning of spring in the Wachau~~.

Do you prefer to hike with your four-legged companion? Perfect, because our hiking tours on the Wachau World Heritage Trail are wonderfully suitable for hiking with dogs.

How long are the daily stages on the Wachau World Heritage Trail?

On the daily stages of our hiking tours on the Wachau World Heritage Trail, you cover between 4 and 16 kilometers of hiking per day.

How is the route/stages on the Wachau World Heritage Trail?

The route on our hiking tours on the Wachau World Heritage Trail varies depending on the duration of the trip - here is a brief overview:

Hiking holiday World Heritage Trail Wachau, 8 days: Starting from Krems, you hike to Dürnstein, Weißenkirchen, Spitz, Melk and end your hiking tour again in Krems.
Short hiking holiday World Heritage Trail Wachau, 5 days: On a short hiking break, you hike from Krems to Dürnstein, Weißenkirchen and finally to the well-known wine village of Spitz on the Danube. Read more about our short hiking holidays.
Hiking holiday World Heritage Trail Wachau with Charm, 8 days: On this hiking tour the route leads from Krems to Dürnstein, Weißenkirchen, Spitz, Melk and back to Krems.
Short hiking holiday World Heritage Trail Wachau with Charm, 5 days: On a short hiking holidays with charm, you experience the World Heritage Trail Wachau starting from Dürnstein, hiking on to Weißenkirchen and finally to the wine village of Spitz.

When can you hike on the Wachau World Heritage Trail?

The best time to travel for a hiking tour on the Wachau World Heritage Trail is from March to October.

Which hotels/accommodation do you stay in while hiking on the Wachau World Heritage Trail?

On our hiking tours on the Wachau World Heritage Trail, you will stay in inviting hotels and accommodation. On our hiking tours with charm, you can expect selected hotels with that certain extra comfort.