Thinking about taking a Danube River Cruise? We recently went with Gate 1 Travel. Cruising through the Wachau Valley is one of the highlights of a Danube River Cruise. Here’s what you’ll see in the Wachau Valley:
On the third day of our Danube River Cruise, we woke up in the Bavarian village of Durnstein, one of the prettiest villages on the Danube River.
We spent the morning exploring this fairytale town, then spent the afternoon cruising through the scenic Wachau Valley. We had incredible views of vineyards, castles, hilltop ruins, and also monasteries. This was one of my favorite days on the cruise! Keep reading below for photos of everything we saw.
Durnstein
This is the picturesque village of Durnstein, one of my favorite villages we visited on our Danube River Cruise.
Read More: Taking A Danube River Cruise With Gate 1 Travel
This tiny Austrian village has less than 1,000 residents.
This is the small ferry to get to the other side of the river.
Durnstein is in the heart of Austria’s wine country, so we saw garden vineyards all over the village!
Medieval cobblestone streets lead the way into the tiny village.
This blue church in Durnstein was built between 1721-1725.
Photo via Stephanie
I loved exploring this beautiful village on our Danube River Cruise!
Read More: Nuremburg Germany — A Bavarian Village in Germany
Dürnstein Castle
At the top of the hill are the ruins of the 12th century Dürnstein Castle. After exploring the village, we went to see the ruins.
Richard the Lionheart was imprisoned here in 1193.
There’s a well-traveled path to the top of the ruins with stunning views all across the valley.
It’s about a 20 minute walk, and it’s pretty steep, but there are several places to stop and take a break on the way up. I totally did not wear the right kind of shoes (just ballet flats) but I was totally fine taking this walk. If it’s a nice, clear day, it’s totally worth it for the views alone!
One last look at Dürnstein Castle overlooking the village before we continued our Danube River Cruise in the Wachau Valley.
Read More: Regensburg Germany — An Ancient Medieval City
Wachau Valley
We spent a beautiful morning hiking and exploring Dürnstein, and after that we took a sunny afternoon cruise through the scenic Wachau Valley.
Wachau Valley is one of the most picturesque regions in all of Austria. We had incredible views of vineyards, castles, churches, and hilltop ruins the entire way.
Our Gate 1 Travel cruise director was extremely knowledgeable about the region, and told us all about the castles, legends, and sites we were seeing as we sunbathed on the sun deck.
Fairytale Bavarian villages lined the shores of the Danube River.
Photo via Stephanie
St. Michael’s Church
This is St. Michael’s Church in Spitz, Austria. Inside the church is an altar made of human bones!
Views of the Wachau Valley on our Danube River Cruise:
Vineyard Views in Austria on our Danube River Cruise
Hinterhaus Castle
Photo via Stephanie
I could not get over how gorgeous the weather was. Just look at those clouds!!
What is the difference between a castle and a palace?
Our guide also taught us the difference between a castle and a palace. Castles were built solely for protection of the city, and were cold, damp, and not very pleasant to live in. Palaces on the other hand were built solely for the comfort of the royal family, and were plush and extravagant.
This fortress high on a hill has one of the best preserved medieval kitchens in Austria.
Schloss Schönbühel
This is just a glimpse of what all you’ll see on a Danube River Cruise through the Wachau Valley! For more information on a Danube River cruise, see our posts below!
See more posts from our Gate 1 Travel cruise!
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How beautiful! You even got a great photo of the house I was born in, just below the Ruine Hinterhaus! Of course, they are not Bavarian villages; however, Spitz and Dürnstein have roots in Bavaria. Spitz in particular belonged to the abbey Niederalteich in Bavaria. The coat of arms of the town has the blue and white diamond pattern of Bavaria on it.
Austria photos so alluring,traveling there for my holidays.
Austria photos so alluring I’m traveling there this holiday season.
So so stunning! I always look forward to your travel posts! The color is out of this world! xo
All of it is beautiful, Amanda!!! So much history and beauty!!
Stunning shots, you are so lucky to get such amazing weather! Would love to do this cruise. I also wondered, what’s the average age of the passengers?
Everything looks like a total fairy tale, the colors of the houses and shops are adorable. Did you get to taste any of the wine from the region?
OH MY GAWD. This looks stunning and fairy tale-esque. I can’t be jealous though, because you’re just so sweet. Is this where the CANDY is from? :-)
Oh wow… what a beautiful place! And all the history that is steeped in those hillsides! I hope to travel to Europe with my family one day. It is definitely a dream of our’s! :) And Austria looks beautiful. Also, I did not know about the difference between a castle and a palace either! And I am a former history teacher, lol. ;)
Oh my word! It looks unreal. Going on the must-visit list!
Gosh I miss Austria! I spent my junior year in college there. Lived in Salzburg and traveled all over. I’ve always wanted to take my husband there…..although now that we own a farm and have animals I don’t think we will ever be able to go. Unless we find a “farm sitter”. Is there such a thing?
I soooo want to go there. I have been to Germany and Austria in the past, but did not spend near enough time. I think that next time I should take a river cruise. I like the idea of being able to visit multiple sites/locations and not have to unpack more than once.
These photos are so gorgeous they actually look like they’re not real! Never been to Austria but now I really need to get there! And bring my big camera!!
Wow, Amanda! I can’t get over what an amazing trip you took. These pictures of Austria are stunning. I can only imagine what it must be like to live there, so pretty!
OMG…almost looks fake. It’s amazing how OLD(in a good way) everything is. I sure do wish my husband would fly so I could experience these kind of historic destinations.
MAGICAL! Love all of your photos and what an amazing experience you obviously had with Gate 1 Travel!
Great photos of Duernstein on the Danube in the Wachau Valley! Really gives you the flavor of the beautiful villages in Austria. Just wanted to correct the introductory text which states “in the Bavarian village of Duernstein.”, which would put Duernstein in Germany. Bavaria is a state in Germany and Duernstein is in Austria.
Such a gorgeous location! It looks like something out of a fairytale, I’d love to go there next time I’m in Europe!
I am totally sitting here looking up Durstein on my maps to see how far it is from my house in Italy. I’ve never heard of this little village before, but it looks gorgeous and I want to go!
1,000 residents? oh wow!! Oh and I totally thought that a Palace and a Castle equaled the same thing! I had no idea that one was different from the other!
This summer is our fifteenth anniversary – wouldn’t this trip be perfect?! Austria looks so romantic and I love the idea of a river cruise.
That little village is adorable! What was your favorite stop on the cruise? I’m sure you’ve send this 100000 times, but what cruise is this? Looks absolutely incredible :)
Was wonderful what cruise it was as well. Read a lot about those Viking River Cruises but then again, people say bad things about them on line. Oh well. I think this blog is becoming the new Rick Steves for me, he’s like, meh man!!