Wachau Valley Private Tours
Hours, prices and access verified by the Wachau Valley Tours team — last checked 2026-09-16.
Wachau Valley private tours put your party alone in a car, van, kayak or boat, with your own guide or driver. Most collect you from your Vienna hotel, and you decide how long to stay at each stop.
Private tours in the Wachau Valley
★★★★★ 5.0 (24 reviews · 8 to 9 hours)
Melk Abbey ticket extraWine tastings includedYour group onlyHotel pickup
Your own guide and a separate driver collect you at 9:30. You get two hours in Dürnstein, an hour's tasting at a family winery and an hour in Melk's courtyards, after the Treasury at Klosterneuburg. Priced per person, two at least.
From $490 per person
Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.
TOP RATED
★★★★★ 5.0 (48 reviews · 12 to 13 hours)
Your group onlyVienna or Bratislava pickup
A long private day from 7:00, from Vienna or Bratislava. The Wachau is a drive and 40 minutes in Dürnstein; the rest goes to Salzburg and Hallstatt, two hours each. Your driver-guide sets the pace for up to six.
From $338 per person
Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.
★★★★★ 5.0 (1 reviews · 8 hours)
Melk Abbey entry includedDanube boat includedYour group onlyHotel pickup
A chauffeured car for two, a certified guide, Melk Abbey admission and a 75-minute Danube boat trip, all in one fare. You also stop at Dürnstein, St. Michael and Krems, and can end at a heuriger at your own cost.
From $3,117 per group, up to 2
Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.
★★★★★ 5.0 (1 reviews · 9 to 10 hours)
Melk Abbey entry includedDanube ferry crossingWine tastings includedYour group only
A Mercedes van from Vienna at 9:00 for up to seven. Lunch and a ferry ride fill ninety minutes in Spitz, then a boutique winery tasting with cheese and an hour at Melk Abbey, admission in the fare.
From $484 per person
Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.
★★★★★ 5.0 (3 reviews · 6 to 7 hours)
Melk Abbey ticket extraYour group onlyPickup at your address
One price buys the van for up to six, collected from your Vienna address at a time you choose between 9:00 and 18:00. Melk Abbey, a valley drive, Dürnstein and Krems; entry, tastings and the boat are paid on the day.
From $992 per group, up to 6
Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.
★★★★★ 5.0 (6 reviews · 10 hours 30 minutes)
Wine tastings includedYour group onlyHotel or Westbahnhof
A full day in a double kayak, launching near Melk and paddling downstream with the current. A wine tasting in Spitz is in the fare, lunch is not. You need some kayaking experience, and it runs 20 April to 30 September.
From $991 per group, up to 2
Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.
★★★★★ 5.0 (6 reviews · 8 hours)
Wine tastings includedLunch includedYour group onlyHotel pickup
A Viennese sommelier, tastings at Donabaum and Hirtzberger, and a gourmet lunch at Josef Jamek, from your hotel at 9:00. Adults 18 and over, two at least. This fare is non-refundable, so fix your date before you book.
From $1,154 per person
Non-refundable: no refund if you cancel.
★★★★★ 5.0 (4 reviews · 2 hours)
Two hours on the riverYour group onlyStarts in Spitz
Two hours on a traditional wooden boat with your own skipper, from the pontoon in Spitz down past Arnsdorf and Weißenkirchen to below Dürnstein and back. The price covers a boat for four; drinks are extra.
From $642 per group, up to 4
Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.
The private day most travellers book
Your own guide and driver from your hotel: Dürnstein, a family winery and Melk, with two hours in the valley's best-known village.
Check availability
What a private tour of the Wachau Valley is
It is a day in the valley that belongs to your party alone. A driver collects you at your
hotel or your address in Vienna, and nobody else boards. You decide how long lunch runs and when
to leave Dürnstein. On most private days a guide travels with you as well, or the driver guides.
The fares run from $338 to $3,117, and the spread is mostly about what the price buys. Some show a
price per person with a minimum of two. Others price a car, a van, a kayak or a boat for your
whole group. Read the line under each price before you compare, because $992 for a van of
six and $490 per person are not the same kind of number.
Why choose a private tour
It starts at your door
The shared days leave from a kerb in central Vienna: Operngasse 8 or Franz-Josefs-Kai 45. A
private day comes to you. Metatours arranges your start time within a 9:00 to 18:00 window,
and Private Trips Vienna collects in Bratislava too. Most private operators here list infant
seats, so a family with a baby is not stuck at a coach door.
You set the pace
A coach keeps to a timetable, so you get 45 minutes in Dürnstein whether you want ten or a
hundred. With your own driver you can stay for another glass or skip a stop. Cozy Travel's day
gives you two full hours in Dürnstein.
Your guide answers your questions
Wolfy's day brings a Viennese sommelier for the whole day. RSL sends a certified guide. On a
shared coach the guide speaks to everyone; on a private day you can ask about the Smaragd in your
glass or the abbey library and get a full answer.
It can go where coaches do not
The wooden boat from Spitz drifts downstream with a skipper, and the
kayak day paddles the river itself. Neither fits a coach timetable. On land,
RSL's day adds the fortified church at St. Michael.
Private tours vs shared day tours
This is the choice most couples and families are weighing. Here is how the two compare, from
the tours' own itineraries and fares.
| Private tour | Shared day tour |
|---|
| Where it starts | Your hotel or address in Vienna; Spitz for the wooden boat | Operngasse 8 or Franz-Josefs-Kai 45 |
| Start time | 8:00 to 9:30 on most; 7:00 on the Salzburg day | Fixed by the tour, 8:00 or 9:00 |
| Who is on board | Your party only | Up to 8 on the small-group day; larger groups on a coach |
| Price basis | Per person with a minimum, or per vehicle, kayak or boat | Per person |
| Melk Abbey entry | In the fare on RSL and Austria Limo; paid on the day on others | In the fare on some days and seasons |
| Fare | $338 to $3,117 | $79 to $232 |
Check availability from $490
If you are one or two travellers on a budget, a shared day is the better buy. The
coach day to Melk, Dürnstein and Krems costs $79 and gives you six hours in the
valley. If you are four to six, or you want to leave from your door, price a private van first.
What you get, and what you don't
- Transport: a private car, van or minivan, with hotel or address pickup and
drop-off. The wooden boat starts at the pontoon in Spitz, so you get there yourself.
- A guide: a guide and a separate driver on Cozy Travel's day, a driver-guide on
Private Trips Vienna, a certified guide on RSL and a sommelier on Wolfy's. Austria Limo lists a
chauffeur.
- Melk Abbey: admission in the fare on RSL's and Austria Limo's days. Metatours
excludes it, and Cozy Travel visits the courtyards and grounds.
- Wine: tastings in the fare on Cozy Travel, Austria Limo, Wolfy's and the kayak
day. Metatours' tasting is paid on the day, and drinks on the wooden boat are extra.
- Not included: lunch on most private days, and tips. Wolfy's gourmet lunch is
the exception, and Austria Limo stops in Spitz for a lunch break.
Four to six of you?
One price buys the van for your group, from your Vienna address at the time you choose. Melk Abbey, Dürnstein and Krems, with a local guide.
Check availability
Planning a private tour
- Price. $338 to $1,154 per person on the days priced that way. The van for six
costs $992, about $165 each when full. RSL's car for two is $3,117 in total.
- Length. Six to ten hours on most private days, 12 to 13 with Salzburg and
Hallstatt, and two hours on the wooden boat.
- Group size. Private vehicles here seat six, seven or ten. Check the maximum on
your card before you book a large family.
- Cancelling. Most private days refund in full up to 24 hours before the start.
Wolfy's wine tour is non-refundable.
- Melk Abbey. If your fare leaves it out, an adult ticket is €16 in 2026 and a
guided tour adds €4. Melk Abbey prices and hours has the winter rules.
- Season. The kayak day runs 20 April to 30 September, and a boat leg depends
on the river. When to visit, month by month sets out the year.
Who should choose something else
- If you travel alone on a budget. A private day for one still charges a
two-person minimum on most per-person fares. The shared coach day costs $79.
- If wine is the point and you like company. The small-group wine tasting tour caps at eight and costs $232, with tastings in the fare.
- If you want Salzburg more than the Wachau. The private Salzburg day gives the
valley 40 minutes in Dürnstein. Book it for Salzburg and Hallstatt, not for the wine villages.
- If you may need to cancel late. Avoid Wolfy's day, which is non-refundable,
and book a day with a 24-hour refund.
- If you use a wheelchair. Metatours lists wheelchair-accessible transport; the
other private days are listed as not accessible. Ask before you book.
Frequently asked questions
Is a private Wachau tour priced per person or per group?
Both, depending on the tour. Cozy Travel, Private Trips Vienna, Austria Limo and Wolfy's show a price per person, with a minimum of one or two. Metatours prices a van for up to six, RSL a car for two, and the kayak and wooden-boat trips price a unit for two or four.
When is a private tour cheaper per head than a shared one?
When you fill the vehicle. Metatours' van costs $992 for up to six, about $165 each when full, less than the shared wine days at $228 to $232. Entry and tastings are extra on that van, so add them before you compare.
Can I book a private tour with hotel pickup?
Yes. Most private tours collect you at your hotel or address in Vienna, and Private Trips Vienna also collects in Bratislava. The wooden-boat trip is the exception: it starts at the pontoon in Spitz.
Which private tours include Melk Abbey entry?
RSL's grand day and Austria Limo's wine day put admission in the fare. Cozy Travel spends its hour in the courtyards and grounds, and on Metatours' day you pay the €16 adult ticket at the door.
Can a private tour collect me outside Vienna?
Private Trips Vienna collects in Vienna or Bratislava, and the kayak tour can pick you up in the Wachau itself. The wooden boat starts at its pontoon in Spitz, and the other private days start at a Vienna address.
Are the tours wheelchair accessible?
Metatours' private tour lists wheelchair-accessible transport; the other listings either say they are not accessible or do not say. Melk Abbey itself is mostly accessible, with two loan wheelchairs by reservation.
Can I cancel and get my money back?
Almost always: the listings refund in full if you cancel at least 24 hours before the start. The exception is Wolfy's private wine tour with gourmet lunch, which is non-refundable, so be sure of your date before you book it.
Still weighing a private day against a shared one? Compare every fare and start on Wachau Valley Tours.