Eight seats, one driver-guide, and your tastings paid before you leave Vienna. You meet at 9:00 at Franz-Josefs-Kai 45 and taste Wachau wines at several wineries. Between them you have free time in Dürnstein and lunch at a wine tavern. From May to September you cruise the Danube for 70 minutes; in winter you tour Melk Abbey instead.
A luxury 8-seat vehicle, so your guide can talk to everyone.
Wine tastings and local specialities at several wineries.
The person who drives also explains the wines and the valley.
From May to September, on the river between the villages.
Entry and a one-hour guided tour replace the cruise out of season.
88% of them gave five stars.
The day is built for wine, and the fare shows it. Your tastings and the local specialities served with them are paid before you board, so nobody drives and nobody counts glasses. Your guide knows the winemakers who pour for you. Travellers describe being welcomed at the cellar door rather than processed through it.
In the Wachau you will meet three words on every list: Steinfeder, Federspiel and Smaragd. They are three dry white styles, ranked by strength. Learn them before you go with the Wachau wine styles explained, and you will taste with more confidence. The estates and their terraces are on Wachau vineyards.
Lunch is the one meal you pay for. You eat at a family-run wine tavern, a heuriger, and order what you like. Drinks beyond the tastings are yours too. For other days with tastings in the fare, including by bike, see the Wachau Valley wine tours.
In summer, part of your day is on the water. The cruise lasts 70 minutes, and your guide meets you with the vehicle when you step off. Some travellers love it. One wine-first couple said they would have swapped it for a third winery, so decide which kind of traveller you are.
The river decides too. Low water in September 2026 put the Wachau boats on a substitute timetable, so a dry late summer can change the plan.
Outside the cruise season, the boat gives way to Melk Abbey. Your fare then covers entry, which is €16 at the door in 2026, and a one-hour guided tour. You see the Marble Hall, the balcony over the Danube and the library. Several winter travellers preferred it to the cruise, and a December date left time for a Christmas market as well. The abbey itself is on Melk Abbey prices and hours.
Wine is why you are going, and you want a small group and a guide who knows the winemakers. It suits couples and friends, and anyone who would rather taste than drive. You are happy to buy your own lunch, and a day in all weathers does not worry you.
You want to ride between the wineries: the winery bike tour takes the train out and cycles 25 km. If you want a sommelier and lunch in the fare, the private wine tour with a gourmet lunch includes both. If you need Melk Abbey on a summer date, the Melk Abbey and Danube boat tour has an all-inclusive option.
You meet at the Vienna Explorer tour office, Franz-Josefs-Kai 45, 1010 Vienna, at 9:00. Take the U2 or U4 to Schottenring and leave by the Schottenring or Salztorbrücke exit. The day ends back at the same office.
Hotel pickup is not in the fare, but you can arrange it on request with the operator. Every Vienna start point is on the Wachau Valley map, and the train alternative is on getting to the Wachau from Vienna.
★★★★☆
Wachau Valley wine tour · small group, eight seats
About 80 minutes on the road, an hour on the boat, a winery, lunch at your own cost and a second winery. Given the choice, a third winery would have beaten the cruise.
Lorelie B. · Traveller · May 2026
★★★★★
Wachau Valley wine tour · small group, eight seats
History, culture and wine tasting, and in winter a tour of Melk Abbey in place of the river, which suited better. There was time for a Christmas market too.
Cathy S. · Traveller · December 2025
★★★★★
Wachau Valley wine tour · small group, eight seats
A small group of eight, a guide with real charm and knowledge, and the wine and the scenery both worth the day.
Nora M. · Traveller · May 2026
Check dates for the 9:00 start, with free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.
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