Premuim Wachau Valley Full Day Private Tour

On the way to the Wachau valley, we first take the A22 Danube riverside motorway and then the S5 Stockerau motorway through the Tullnerfeld Danube wetlands, which stretch along the Danube from Vienna to Krems on the Danube. The town of Krems is the eastern gateway to the Wachau valley. The Tullnerfeld Danube wetlands are mainly located on the northern bank of the Danube, but also to a lesser extent on the southern bank. The Tullnerfeld Danube floodplains, one of the largest contiguous alluvial forest areas in Austria, are a European nature reserve, which was declared a bird sanctuary in 2004 and a fauna-flora habitat area in 2011. European protected areas are also called Natura 2000 areas after the European Union issued two directives for the protection of nature, which provide for the establishment of protected areas in which endangered species and habitats are to be preserved for the future. On the way back to Vienna we pass through the Tullnerfeld Danube wetlands again.

Kreuzenstein Castle is a museum castle, situated on a hilltop north of the Danube, not far from the Danube bend at the Korneuburger Gate. Opposite, on the south bank of the Danube, lies Greifenstein Castle. The origins of Kreuzenstein Castle date back to the 12th century. Kreuzenstein Castle came into the possession of the Habsburgs in 1278 after the death of Ottokar II of Bohemia. In 1645, towards the end of the Thirty Years' War, the Swedes blew up the castle. In the 18th century, Kreuzenstein Castle came into the possession of Count Wilczek, a Middle Ages collector, who in 1874 began to rebuild the castle in a way that did not resemble the former castle, but incorporated existing remains of the medieval castle. Today, Kreuzenstein Castle is a popular excursion destination and can be visited as a museum with a Middle Ages collection. When travelling from Vienna to the Wachau valley Kreuzenstein Castle can be seen from afar on the right-hand side on a hilltop.

Wachaubahn

On the Premium Wachau Valley Tour we drive by car from Vienna to Krems on the Danube. Krems is on the eastern end of the Wachau Valley. Here we change from car to railway. The Wachau railway runs for 34 km along the left bank of the Danube between Krems and Emmersdorf on the Danube. The Wachau railway was built in 1908. During the construction of the Wachau railway, the Venus of Willendorf, an eleven-centimetre-high, approximately 30,000-year-old figure carved from oolite, was discovered that is the most famous object in the collection of the Natural History Museum in Vienna. The Wachau railway route lies above the high water marks of 1889. This elevated route provides a good view of the landscape and the historic buildings of the Wachau. In 1998, the railway line between Krems and Emmersdorf was placed under protection as a cultural monument and in 2000, as part of the Wachau cultural landscape, it was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List.