Places to Explore

• Bad Hall

  Bad Hall is a relic from earlier days, when "taking the cure" was in vogue in Europe. It's still a spa, and its saline-iodine waters are prescribed for both internal and external complaints.... The town makes... (more)

• Baumgartenberg

• Dürnstein

  If a beauty contest were held among the towns along the Wachau Danube, chances are Dürnstein would be the winner—as you'll see when you arrive along with droves of tourists. The town is small... (more)

• Enns

  Enns has been continuously settled since at least AD 50; the Romans set up a major encampment shortly after that date. Contemporary Enns is dominated by the 184-foot-high city tower (1565-68) that stands... (more)

• Göttweig

• Greifenstein

  Greifenstein is east of Tulln along Route 14; turn left at St. Andrä-Wördern and stay on the bank of the Danube.... (more)

• Grein

  Set above the Danube, Grein is a picture-book town complete with castle. The river bend below, known for years as the "place where death resides," was one of the river's most hazardous stretches until... (more)

• Haitzendorf

  The tiny farming community of Haitzendorf (to reach it from Korneuburg, take Route 3, 33 km [21 mi] past Stockerau, then turn right at Graftenwörth) is landmarked by a church dating from the 14th... (more)

• Klosterneuburg

• Korneuburg

• Krems

  Krems marks the beginning (when traveling upstream) of the Wachau section of the Danube. The town is closely tied to Austrian history; here the ruling Babenbergs set up a dukedom in 1120, and the earliest... (more)

• Kremsmünster

• Linz

  Linz, the capital of Upper Austria—set where the Traun River flows into the Danube—has a fascinating Old City core and an active cultural life, which will be even more dynamic throughout 2009... (more)

• Maria Taferl

• Mautern

  Mautern, opposite Krems, was a Roman encampment mentioned in the tales of the Nibelungs. The old houses and the castle are attractive, but contemporary Mautern is known for one of Austria's top restaurants... (more)

• Mauthausen

• Melk

  One of the most impressive sights in all Austria, the abbey of Melk is best approached in mid- to late afternoon, when the setting sun ignites the abbey's ornate Baroque yellow facade. As one heads eastward... (more)

• Schallaburg

• Spitz

  Picturesque Spitz is off the main road and set back from the Danube, sitting like a jewel in the surrounding vineyards and hills. One vineyard,"Thousand Bucket Hill," is so called for the amount of wine... (more)

• St. Florian

  St. Florian is best known for the great Augustinian abbey, considered among the finest Baroque buildings in Austria. Composer Anton Bruckner (1824-96) was organist here for 10 years and is buried in the... (more)

• Stein

  A frozen-in-time hamlet that has, over the years, become virtually a suburb of the adjacent city of Krems, Stein is dotted with lovely 16th-century houses, many on the town's main street, Steinlanderstrasse... (more)

• Steyr

  Steyr is one of Austria's best-kept secrets, a stunning Gothic market town that watches over the confluence of the Steyr and Enns rivers. Today the main square is lined with Baroque facades, many with... (more)

• Tulln

• Weissenkirchen

  Tucked among vineyards, just around a bend in the Danube, is Weissenkirchen, a picturesque town that was fortified against the Turks in 1531.... (more)

• Ybbs an der Donau

  Floods and fires have left their mark on Ybbs an der Donau, but many 16th-century houses remain, their courtyards vine-covered and shaded.... To get to Ybbs an der Donau from Waidhofen an der Ybbs, make your... (more)