My wife and I spend an amazing 6 weeks travelling around 9 countries and I can say that the Wachau Valley was unforgettable, in fact we are thinking about coming back
so we can stay longer in this beautiful part of the world. Everywhere you looked it was picture post card beautiful, mind you Austria is spectacular place, unfortunately we didn't have enough time as we were driving through to get to the Eagles nest. Well worth a look.
The best way to see and appreciate this beautiful valley is while cruising the Danube. The vineyards are charming and difficult to imagine how they harvest the grapes. We did see a few of the hand pickers clinging to the hillsides. The many villages and ruins were charming and flower filled. All in all, it is a very idyllic world heritage site.
My husband and I booked a Gate1 Danube River cruise and enjoyed a relaxing afternoon sipping a hot drink while passing through the Wachau Valley. The amount of vineyards surprised me! Most white grapes are grown. The small towns looked picturesque.
We experienced the Wachau Valley area by taking a bus from Vienna and then a riverboat to the abbey. The tour itself was good enough, but you didn't really get much for your money. They just provided transportation with a little bit of information about the place while you were on the bus. The boat ride was nothing special. The weather was rainy, so it was difficult to appreciate the view. Melk Abbey was a beautiful sight though. It had an amazing library and the tour guide was very passionate and made the place more interesting. I would recommend seeing the Abbey, but if you want to do the Wachau Valley, I would suggest going yourself and taking your time by visiting the small towns along the way.
Despite the tourist brochures, this area is not set up for tourism. The towns are pretty and Durnstein has a shopping area but it was difficult to find vineyards with welcoming cellar doors. Signage to restaurants/cafes were non existent. Despite advertising that cyclist were welcome, there were some areas that did not provide racks or any indicating where bikes could be left for a short time.
