The Wachau is one of the great river landscapes of Europe — a 36-kilometre stretch of the Danube between Melk and Krems, where vineyard terraces rise from the river bank and medieval castles and abbeys crown every promontory.

Melk Abbey is the defining image of the Wachau — a Benedictine monastery of extraordinary baroque grandeur, perched on a rocky outcrop above the Danube, with a library of 100,000 volumes and a church that is one of the masterpieces of Austrian baroque architecture. The view from the abbey terrace, with the river below and the vineyards stretching to the horizon, is one of the finest in Austria.

The wine of the Wachau is among the finest in Austria: Gruner Veltliner and Riesling from the steep terraced vineyards above the river, classified by the local wine producers into three quality levels — Steinfeder, Federspiel and Smaragd. The village of Durnstein, with its ruined castle where Richard the Lionheart was imprisoned in 1192, is the most beautiful in the valley.

The Wachau is best experienced by bicycle — the Donauradweg runs along both banks of the river, passing through the vineyards and the villages, with the abbeys and the castles visible above. Bella Via designs Wachau itineraries that combine the cycling with the wine culture and the extraordinary architecture of the valley.

The Wachau rewards those who arrive by bicycle or boat and stay long enough to understand the landscape and the wine that grows from it.