Krems

Krems an der Donau is a riverside town in the Danube's Wachau Valley tourist region of Lower Austria.

Understand
Krems, along with neighboring cities Stein, Egelsee, Dürnstein and Spitz an der Donau are known for their world class wine production as well as their proximity to the Danube.



By train
From the west take the regional train (Regionalzug, denoted by big R) from St. Pölten (usually every 30-50 min. every hour) to Krems.

All other directions regional (express) (Regionalexpress, denoted by a big REX) train from Vienna's Franz-Josefs-Bahnhof, Spittalau (U4/U6) or Heiligenstadt (U4) station which takes about one hour and leaves every hour.



By car
From west: Highway A1 (Westautobahn) to Melk, B3 through Wachau. From South/East: Highway S33 from St. Pölten or A22/S5 from Vienna From North: B37 via Zwettl or through the Kamptal/Horn

By boat
From mid-April through October Dürnstein can be reached by river boats which ply the route between Krems/Stein, Dürnstein, Spitz, Emmersdorf, and Melk.



Get around
The city and its neighbours are all very accessible by foot and it's no more than a two hour walk from one extremity to the other.



See
The historic town centres of Krems and Stein are well-worth exploring.



Do
There are a number of bike trails along the Danube, as well as hiking paths through the mountains and vineyards – the tourist office can offer maps and advice. It is also possible to tour the many wineries in the area, as well as the nearby monastery.



Buy
The area is known for its wine which is available at reduced tariffs.

Eat
There are a number of restaurants in town serving the typical Austrian fare. Consider the local traditional eateries called Heuriger, which offer inexpensive dinner and nice wines in a relaxed atmosphere.



Drink
As with the entire region there are a number of wonderful Heurigen (wine bars) in the area.



Sleep
There's a number of guest houses in the area.

Go next

 * Visit the Wachau Valley, situated between Krems and Melk (40 km upstream), which is listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site.

Notable places include:
 * Göttweig and Melk monastery
 * Dürnstein, a medieval castle/ruins which served as a prison for Richard Lionheart (Richard I of England), city walls, monastery
 * Wine towns Spitz and Weissenkirchen and the nearby
 * Ruins of Hinterhaus, a 1000 year old ruins
 * Aggstein Castle

Most of the Wachau (except Aggstein) can be reached by the local train Krems-Spitz or by bike on the Danube cycle track (Donauradweg). Göttweig is at the train station Krems-St.Pölten line and Melk at the Westbahn.

In summer many tourist boats operate in the Wachau. The biggest and most visible boat companies are DDSG (Donaudampschifffahrtsgesellschaft) and Brandner, but they are not necessarily the cheapest. MS Stadt Wien is a popular alternative among locals (weekends only).


 * Visit the Kamp Valley
 * Visit Langenlois