Hi all,

We are looking into doing a short day trip to Melk Abbey from Vienna. However, the trains we see on OBB are very expensive for such a short distance (19 Euro each way). Is there a cheaper way to ge t to Melk? We saw the Wachau Combination ticket which includes the boat to Krems for ~59 Euro but we I don't think we are interested in going to Krems.

Is there a way to get to Melk that we are not considering? We were hoping it would be a short and cheap day trip from Vienna.

Thank you!

Have you check Willkommen - the cheap competitor to Austrian Railways? also check www.seat61.com for insights. Not sure Westbahn serves Melk but see. The boat ride IMO is awesome - no need to stay in Krems but get off at Durnstein, lovely wine town and take bus/train from there back to Vienna. More on this: www.ricksteves.com and BETS-European Rail Experts.

https://www.trainline.eu/train-times/wien-hbf-to-melk

advertises Vienna-Melk from 8.90 euros.

Hi Palen,

Thank you so much for the advice! You've got me a little curious now on the combi ticket as the boat ride does sound nice. I'm trying to better understand the boat schedules in the summer (this would be early June).

To all,

My understanding is both Brandner and DDSG cruises are included in the pass. The Brandner cruise looks like it's at 1:45pm (https://www.brandner.at/en/liner-cru...metable-fares/) and with the DDSG cruises (https://www.ddsg-blue-danube.at/wach...uises/?lang=en) it looks like there cruises at 11:00am and 1:50pm. The 11:00am cruise looks like it would reach Durnstein at 12:30pm. Am I reading that correctly? The earlier boat time would work a lot better for me so if true, that would be fantastic!

Additionally, my understanding is that with the combi ticket, no reservations need to be made in advance. I can just get on whatever train/ boat suits my needs best. Can I buy the ticket for a future date once I arrive in Vienna? I'm not sure when the ticket offices open and I may need to take an earlier train.

Thank you!

I don't remember the details exactly, but we used the family combi-pass for our party of four. It includes entrance to the Melk Abbey, as well. Just be sure to time it so there's a train back to Vienna at the end of the day. We were strapped for time when we arrived at Krems, and had to walk directly from the boat to the train, in order to catch the last ride back.

sorry i just know generalities of Wachau Valley triip I did several years ago - assume answer to all your questions is yes but not sure.

Yeh about 1.5 hrs Melk-Durnstein. then catch bus to nearby Krems - regular bus just hop on - boats too I believe but ask when buying ticket in Vienna - trains are regional trains just hop on.

You could take boat to Krems but it's a long walk from dock to train station and best scenery is about done by Durnstein.

The “combiticket” includes the train ride to Melk, the entry fee to Melk Abbey, the boat ride to Krems and the train ride back to Vienna. If you take an early train to Melk you can get there right as the Abbey opens at 9:00am then take a walk through the gardens and go up to the pavilion, visit the gift shop etc.
The combiticket does not, however, include a guided tour of the abbey at Melk. The English tour is at 11am and costs about €2. The monks usually have a service in the church attached to the abbey at around 12/12:30 right when the guided English tour ends so if you wanted to catch that then it might be better to catch the 1:45/1:50 boat.
Lots of places to eat in Melk as well. After leaving the abbey you can wander through the town towards the “ship station”. Once there you exchange the combiticket boat ride slip for the actual boat ticket-either BRANDNER or DDSG. There is food and drink available on the boat as well.

You can can get off at any of the boat stops,by the way, and make your way onward to Vienna, but most people get off at Durnstein, the second to last boat stop and walk through the small town before taking the **WL1 Bus** to Krems. The bus stop in Durnstein is very inconspicuously located. It is east of the town I believe, down the hill from Backerei Schmidl and across from a supermarket and the tourist info place and almost in front of a parking area with a red awning with “ESKIMO” signs. It’s a little brown or green bench. Make sure you stand on the right side of the road (Check the schedule attached to the bus stop post) and catch the WL1 bus going to Krems/Donau Bahnhoff. It costs €2.20 and the bus comes by about every hour at about 20 past the hour. The bus ride back is lovely as well.
You can check the OBB website for times of the bus and also the train times back to Vienna. You will need to catch the train going to Franz Joseph Bahnhoff. But, depending on where you are going in Vienna, it might be easier to get off at the Spittelau stop and take the U wherever you need to go.

If you take boat to Krems the boat dock is a long way from train station for trains back to Vienna so getting off at beautiful Durnstein and taking bus to Krems town center and train station is recommended.