Breathtaking. I can’t think of a better way to describe my first impressions of the Wachau Valley. I spent the day making my way from Vienna to Dürnstein, my home base for the next five nights. And the scenery along the way was nothing short of spectacular.
It was bittersweet leaving my hotel in Vienna this morning. I know I have a lot more to see in Austria, but I also loved Vienna. I went for a short walk near my hotel this morning before heading to the airport to pick up a rental car for the rest of my trip. I successfully navigated the rental car process at the Vienna Airport, thanks to the helpful gentleman at the rental car counter and an automatic car with built-in GPS that was already set to English. It wasn’t long until I was driving the A22 Autobahn out of the city. The Wachau Valley is about an hour’s drive west of Vienna and encompasses the Danube River Valley between Melk (to the west) and Krems (to the east). It is known for its many wineries and apricot orchards. Many people visit the Wachau Valley as a day trip from Vienna, but I want to see it all and will be spending the whole week here.
My first stop of the day was in Krems, about 50 miles outside of Vienna. Once I found a parking spot and figured out the parking meter (by watching someone else use it first), I walked a short distance to Steiner Tor, one of the original town gates that dates back to the 15th century.
I stopped at the tourist information center to ask about a café for a snack and was directed to Ulrich Das Stadtcafe, with a nice patio just next to the Steiner Tor. It was there that I had my first apple strudel of vacation. Both it and the hot chocolate were fine, but they didn’t exactly wow me and certainly weren’t memorable.
I had picked up a walking guide from the tourist office and pretty much followed that around town. It took me past old markets, churches, and down the main shopping street, the Landstrasse.
I took a small detour to the south when I left Krems in order to visit Gottweig Abbey. I was prepared to pay the admission fee, but it turns out you only need to pay to visit the museum. You can visit the Abbey and wander the grounds for free. The Abbey is perched high up overlooking the Wachau Valley and can be seen from miles away. The church was filled with baroque ornamentation and like most other churches I’ve visited here, every part of the church was painted with great detail.
The village of Dürnstein is situated about halfway between Krems and Melk and just by looking at pictures, I knew I wanted to stay here. My hotel (Gartenhotel Pfeffel) is just outside of town, surrounded by vineyards, and overlooking the Danube. Were it not for the lack of air conditioning, it would be perfect.
I decided to walk into town to find some food. My hotel is about 10 minutes away by foot with a sidewalk the whole way. The sun had come out and the lighting was perfect for some pictures along the way.
I resisted Googling “best restaurants in Dürnstein” and decided to just walk around until I saw something appealing. Being a small town, with a population of less than 1,000, the options were limited. A sign caught my eye pointing to Alter Klosterkeller, and I recognized it from my list of places to try that I compiled before I left home. The name literally translates to “the old monastery cellar”. The restaurant patio and tables are situated right in the small vineyard and you can look out across the vines to the other side of the valley while you eat. I was adventurous with my meal, eating a spicy paprika chicken with spaetzle and ending with a marillenknödel, a specialty of the area, which is an apricot dumpling. Both the food and the setting were incredible and it was one of those evenings I didn’t want to end.
I savored the walk back to my hotel and decided that if the only thing I do for the next five days is wander around this town and enjoy the views along the way, I will be quite happy.
Traveling with Laura 