Krems

Wachau’s wine capital

Krems an der Donau sits at the eastern end of the Wachau Valley, where the river breaks out of the narrow gorge and broadens into the flat Danube plain east of Vienna. It is the Wachau’s largest town — a working city of some 25,000 people rather than a picture-postcard village — and the place where the valley’s wine industry has its commercial centre, its schools, and its largest cooperative winery. For visitors doing the classic Wachau day trip, Krems is almost always the final destination: the eastern terminus of the Danube boat from Melk, the place where lunch happens, where a glass of Grüner Veltliner is drunk in a courtyard with the medieval gate in view, and where the train back to Vienna departs.

For visitors arriving by boat from Melk, the approach to Krems from the water is the best version of the town — the Danube widening, the rooflines of the Altstadt visible through the trees on the bank, the medieval tower of the Steiner Tor framing the skyline. Arriving by train is perfectly serviceable but misses this geography.

Getting there

By train: Wien Franz-Josefs-Bahnhof (note: not Hauptbahnhof — the relevant station is in the 9th district near the Ring) to Krems Bahnhof, approximately 1 hour, with hourly departures. The station is about 15 minutes’ walk from the old town, or a short local bus ride. The Franz-Josefs-Bahnhof itself is a fine piece of late 19th-century railway architecture, worth a moment’s attention before boarding.

As part of the Wachau circuit: Most visitors arrive in Krems by Danube boat from Melk — the downstream journey takes approximately 1h45 through the most scenic stretch of the entire valley. See Melk for the circuit logistics and boat booking details.

The Vienna day tour to Wachau Valley includes Krems as part of a broader valley circuit, covering the highlights without requiring self-organisation of train and boat connections.

The old town

The Altstadt of Krems is compact and walkable in 45 minutes at an easy pace. The main axis, Landstrasse, is lined with baroque facades from the 17th and 18th centuries — some restored, some pleasingly worn — and leads from the Steiner Tor (the medieval town gate, 1480, with its distinctive stepped gable) at the west end to the Piaristenkirche at the east. The Steiner Tor is Krems’s most-photographed landmark and looks best from a slight distance, framed by the townhouses on either side.

The Dominikanerkirche — a 13th-century Dominican church that was dissolved under Joseph II in 1785 and subsequently converted into Krems’s municipal art gallery (Kunstmeile Krems) — is one of the more unusual gallery spaces in Austria: a Gothic hall with the original stone vaulting intact, now hosting contemporary art exhibitions. The combination of medieval architecture and contemporary Austrian art is more successful than it sounds.

Stein an der Donau, technically a separate municipality but merged administratively with Krems in 1938, lies 1 km west along the Danube shore and has a quieter, more residential character. The walk along the waterfront between Krems and Stein takes 20 minutes and passes the best of the riverfront architecture — including the 15th-century Mauthaus (toll house) and the Pfarrkirche St. Nikolaus with its detached Romanesque charnel house. Stein feels like a smaller, less visited version of Krems, which makes it pleasant to walk if you have time after the main old town circuit.

Wine in Krems

Krems is the commercial heart of both Wachau and Kremstal wine production — two distinct DAC wine regions that share the Danube landscape but produce different wine styles from different soils. The Winzer Krems cooperative winery, established in 1938, is based just outside the old town and offers tastings, cellar tours, and a large wine shop that functions as the easiest entry point for visitors without a specific producer in mind. Their range spans the full spectrum from crisp Steinfeder to rich Smaragd, and the prices at the cooperative are typically more accessible than at the boutique estates.

The Nikolaihof winery — claimed to be the oldest winery in Austria, with origins going back to the Roman period on the same site — is in Mautern, directly across the Danube from Krems (accessible by the local ferry). It is a biodynamic estate of considerable reputation, and its wines are among the most philosophically serious in the Wachau — concentrated, mineral, age-worthy. Visits are possible by arrangement.

Lenz Moser — the family associated with the High Culture (Hochkultur) training system used in many Austrian vineyards — also has a presence in the Kremstal; the wider region includes producers whose names appear consistently in top Austrian wine lists.

The Wachau Valley day tour with wine tasting pairs the valley’s historic sites with organised winery visits — the practical choice if wine is the primary motivation for the day trip and you want to access producers that are otherwise difficult to visit without a car or appointment.

Where to eat and drink

Zum Wachauer on Untere Landstrasse is the obvious choice for traditional Wachau cooking — Marillenkuchen (apricot cake, the regional speciality), apricot dumplings, and Wachau fish dishes from the Danube, with a wine list focused on local producers. The atmosphere is straightforwardly Austrian; this is where boaters and cyclists end their day.

Restaurant Jell in Stein an der Donau is the most respected kitchen in the area — using Wachau produce with precision and pairing with local wines from a carefully curated list. Worth the 20-minute walk along the waterfront from Krems.

The Gozzoburg — a 13th-century merchant’s palace in the centre of the old town, now partly converted — has a wine bar in its courtyard that is one of the most atmospheric settings in the valley for an afternoon glass of Grüner Veltliner. The courtyard walls date from the medieval trading city at its peak; the wine in the glass comes from vines on the slopes visible above the rooftops. Few places in Austria make the connection between landscape and liquid as directly legible.