Would you believe it? The Danube is not Blue after all…read more My wife and I recently went with a tour group to Austria and were able to take a river cruise on the Danube river. To set the record straight, the Danube is not blue. Who knew? However, the cruise on the river will leave you anything but blue. During our cruise, we saw some beautiful scenery, old castles on the hills and of course, the beautiful Danube itself. It was a pleasant sunny day as we cruised on the river. At many places we could see rolling hills and typical Austrian villages, houses and churches along the shore. Granted, for those already familiar with the area, these scenes are expected. However, for the visitors to the area, it was quite a treat - especially when we do not have mountains of any sort back home. All that to say, we had an enjoyable cruise down the River Danube - but no one was Waltzing. I would certainly recommend this for those coming to this area. You will be glad you that you invested the time.

After a day trip to Melk from Vienna, we decided to try out a river cruise for part of our return…read morejourney. We boarded the MS Austria in Melk for the downstream trip to Krems. While the boat was rather crowded, we managed to get to the dock early so that we could board first and find a place to sit. We scored a table next to the windows and ordered wine and a light lunch. The sightseeing was wonderful as we were able to enjoy many sights that we would have missed on the train. The cruise stopped in Emmersdorf, Spitz and Durnstein before our final destination of Krems. Definitely a much nicer way to travel than by train.

Charming Austrian Gasthof with large rooms, some suites and family rooms. Great water pressure and…read morecomes with complete breakfast. Accommodate gluten free and vegetarian. Very accommodating. Free parking. On south side Danube just west of Krems bridge. Easy drive to Melk (25 minutes). One hour west Vienna.

A really great Gasthof with pleasant accommodation, really nice swimming pool and great restaurant…read morethat serves typical Austrian food and great wine! Honestly, the wines in the Wachau area are one of the best ever! Definitely make sure to try some local wines if you are here. As for food- go with their recommendation! The staff was lovely and friendly :)... and the prices are reasonable. Great choice!

This is the place to stay when you come to Durnstein, the location is simply unbelievable, built…read moreinside an old castle and literally steps from the Monastery, you will no doubt have an amazing experience, I mean, after all you are all the way in the Wachau, one of the most beautiful regions in the world, staying in an historical hotel surrounded by amazing views, buildings ruins and history. Keep in mind that the Wachau has been designated by UNESCO as a world heritage site for its history and beauty, you will be staying in a unique place on top of a rock overlooking the Danube. This is a whole different story, remember that the Austrians invented the croissant, you MUST have a chocolate croissant here....or many, it will be one of the highlights of your trip.

This hotel has been in the same family for 200 years and the pride of ownership is clearly visible…read more The proprietors come from the old school. I don't think that I ever encountered them that they did not bow. Although my wife and I both speak German, the proprietors also speak English. They gave us excellent site seeing advice for both Dürstein and the area. There is both a hotel and a restaurant. We stayed at the hotel for three nights and completely enjoyed our stay. The room was incredibly comfortable, large, lots of light, and very quiet. The bathroom was large and the beds were comfortable. The hotel itself is old Austria with lots of wood. The breakfast was fantastic, including everything you could possibly imagine for an Austrian hotel breakfast. The hotel has about six or seven parking spaces in a garage, so if you're bringing a car you should reserve a spot. Most people seem to arrive by train if they are staying overnight. The first time you try to find the hotel it will be an adventure. You have to get right into Dürnstein which has very narrow streets. The hotel is through an archway near the church. There are a lot of day trippers so driving during the late morning or early afternoon is an adventure. The restaurant had an excellent menu of local specialties. Every meal we had there was excellent. The only problem is that the restaurant closes about 4:00 PM on Saturday and except for breakfast for hotel guests isn't open at all on Sunday. We left after breakfast on Sunday so I don't know what else was available in Dürnstein or whether you'd have to drive 10 minutes to Krem, which is a little larger.

A delicious family hotel just in the heart of romantic Durnstein, neigbouring with the Durnstein…read moreCloster, very quiet and spiritual location on the Danube River. Nice & friendly & cozy, with comfortable rooms (views either to the garden, or to the Durnstein ruins), with a hotel garage, and with a reasonable price. In the hotel restaurant, please try a fantastic home-made cuisine (Wiener Schnitzel, Apricot Strudel, Home-made Broth, ...) accompanied with a great Wachau wine (try Domaine Wachau Loibenberg, Gruener Veltliner). If the weather allows, enjoy the garden restaurant. Mr. Schendl is a great gardener, he has flowers everywhere, and he even grows his own wine grapes and in the right season (September/October), he serves them for breakfast. Another highlight is an apricot nectar and a home-made apricot marmalade. We have been going back and forward in the last six years, usually in May with the bikes and in September/October for the wine tasting trips and boat trips, and we are always very happy here.

A nice hotel that however has some outdated parts that need renovation. The personnel is nice,…read morebreakfast ok and the spa is really great with the rooftop swimming pool and great relaxation areas.

Hidden gem in Lower Austria, is a calm and peaceful village (or small town?) called Geras. The…read morecenterpiece of the place is a large and once powerful Geras Abbey (Stift Geras). There is no doubt that the current hotel premises were also part of the monastic property, namely it served as a granary. The building is beautifuly restored with heavy wooden ceilings, small windows (good in summer heat) and modern touches like a in-build en-suite bathrooms. Hotel makes himself proud to be a part of Geras Academy hence serving like a reatreat for many artistic courses and "pow-wows". As a result all the rooms and corridors are decorated with original art pieces (also for sale if you have a fat wallet :-)). The hotel sports a nice restaurant, lobby bar and outside garden. All that and spa facilities (yes, they also do Ayurveda here) makes it ideal for romantic getaways or relax stays, We must come back!

Great location and history. The rooms are comfortable, large and many look out over the Danube…read more The property sits in front of a small village and the historic castle that a one time held Richard the Lionhearted, hence the name. Excellent service and outstanding Terrace restaurant to enjoy the setting, excellent food and great service.

Wow. First of all, Durnstein is an amazing town. Small medieval looking spot sitting right on the…read moreDanube. It was an interesting drive to get to the hotel... Let's just say I'm glad I had a tiny Volkswagen Polo, because an American sized car wouldn't have fit through the tiny streets. The hotel is in a old Abbey- has a very old feel to it, but it's still very modern and nice. Just walking around the gardens and looking at the place brings you back a few hundred years. Our room looked out on the Danube, and was very comfortable and nice. Great place, helpful staff, and a really neat town. I was glad we stayed at a such a nice place here because there's not to to much to do in the town except for walk around and drink wine (and we did plenty of both). --side note: walk up to the old caste which looms over the town. Can't miss it. or ask anybody in town --- They have a nice restaurant which was a little out of our price range so we just picked up some bread and olives at the store and had dinner with some wine in the gardens overlooking the river. Bread: €2. olives: €3. wine: €10. Danube river at sundown after 4 glasses: priceless.