Wachau Valley Wine Tours
Hours, prices and access verified by the Wachau Valley Tours team — last checked 2026-09-16.
Wachau Valley wine tours put tastings of the valley's dry whites in the fare and move you between wineries by van, train, bike or kayak, so nobody in your party has to drive.
Wine tours in the Wachau Valley
★★★★★ 4.8 (641 reviews · 8 hours 30 minutes)
Melk Abbey entry off-seasonDanube boat in seasonWine tastings includedMax 8 guests
Eight seats from Franz-Josefs-Kai at 9:00 with a driver-guide all day. Wine tastings and local specialities are in the fare, lunch at a wine tavern is yours, and a 70-minute cruise runs May to September.
From $232 per person
Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.
★★★★★ 4.7 (435 reviews · 9 hours)
Melk Abbey entry off-seasonDanube boat in seasonWine tastings includedStarts in central Vienna
Tastings in Dürnstein and in Spitz, an hour of free time and a one-hour cruise from Spitz in summer. In spring and late autumn a guided Melk Abbey tour takes its place. Lunch in Weißenkirchen is at your own cost.
From $228 per person
Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.
★★★★★ 4.8 (509 reviews · 11 hours)
Danube ferry crossingWine tastings includedStarts in central Vienna
The train to Krems, then about 25 km by bike through Dürnstein and across the river by ferry to Rossatz-Arnsdorf. Tasting fees at both wineries, the bike, helmet and poncho are in the fare; lunch is €17 in cash.
From $159 per person
Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.
★★★★★ 5.0 (24 reviews · 8 to 9 hours)
Melk Abbey ticket extraWine tastings includedYour group onlyHotel pickup
Your own guide and driver, an hour's tasting at a family winery, two hours in Dürnstein and an hour at Melk. Collected from your hotel at 9:30, priced per person with two travellers at least.
From $490 per person
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 private Mercedes van, lunch and a ferry ride in Spitz, then a tasting with cheese at a boutique winery. Melk Abbey admission is in the fare, and the van seats up to seven.
From $484 per person
Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.
★★★★★ 5.0 (6 reviews · 10 hours 30 minutes)
Wine tastings includedYour group onlyHotel or Westbahnhof
Paddle a double kayak downstream from near Melk, stop in Spitz for a tasting of Wachau specialities, then carry on towards Dürnstein. For paddlers with some experience, 20 April to 30 September; the price covers a kayak for two.
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
The deepest tasting day: three or four estates and at least eight wines with a sommelier, plus a gourmet lunch at Josef Jamek. From your hotel at 9:00, adults only, and non-refundable once booked.
From $1,154 per person
Non-refundable: no refund if you cancel.
The wine day most travellers book
Eight seats, a driver-guide and tastings in the fare, with a Danube cruise from May to September and Melk Abbey in winter.
Check availability
What a wine tour of the Wachau Valley is
It is a valley day built around the glass. The fare includes wine tastings at wineries or wine
taverns, and the sights fit around them. You taste the dry whites the Wachau is known for in the villages
where the grapes grow, including Grüner Veltliner and Riesling, the only grapes a single-vineyard
Wachau DAC label may carry.
The valley's winemakers sort their dry whites into three styles by strength: Steinfeder up to
11.5%, Federspiel up to 12.5% and Smaragd from 12.5%. A wine tour is the easiest way to taste
across them without anyone in your party driving. Fares run from $159 to $1,154, per person on
most days and per kayak for two on the paddling day.
Why choose a wine tour
Nobody has to drive
The Wachau's estates sit in different villages on both banks, linked by a handful of river ferries. On a wine tour a van, a train, a bike or a kayak moves you, and every adult in your party
can taste. On a sightseeing coach, wine is something you buy on your own time.
The tastings are in the fare
The bike tour pays the tasting fees at its wineries. Wolfy's day pours at least eight to ten
wines at three or four vineyards. The shared days taste at wineries in Dürnstein and Spitz. On a
coach day you pay each tasting yourself, where there is time for one.
Groups are small
The small-group day seats eight. The private wine days carry only your party, and the kayak day
paddles in pairs. You get to talk to the person pouring.
You can move under your own power
Some wine days are active. The bike tour rides about 25 km with a ferry crossing,
and the kayak day paddles downstream from near Melk. Both stop to taste on the way.
Wine tours vs sightseeing day tours
Here is what the fare puts in your glass and your day, set against the sightseeing days that
leave the wine out. Fares are per person unless the row says otherwise.
| Tour | Tastings | Lunch | Melk Abbey | Boat | Fare |
|---|
| Small-group wine tasting tour | In the fare | Own cost | Entry and tour in winter | 70 min, May-Sep | $232 |
| Day tour with wine tasting | Dürnstein and Spitz | Own cost | Guided tour in spring and late autumn | 1 hour in summer | $228 |
| Winery bike tour | Fees in the fare | €17, cash | Not visited | Ferry crossing | $159 |
| Sommelier day with gourmet lunch | 3-4 estates, 8-10 wines | In the fare | Not visited | No | $1,154 |
| Kayak and wine | In Spitz | Own cost | Not visited | You paddle | $991 per kayak |
| Sightseeing: Melk Abbey and boat | No | Own cost | Tour; entry by option in summer | 30 Mar-3 Nov | $136 |
| Sightseeing: Melk, Dürnstein, Krems | Schnapps optional | Own cost | Ticket extra | No | $79 |
Check availability from $232
If the abbey and the river matter more than the glass, a sightseeing day costs less. If you
want to taste, a wine day costs more because the tastings are paid for.
What you get, and what you don't
- Tastings: in the fare on every wine day. The bike tour lists tasting fees at
all wineries, Wolfy's lists 8-10 wines, and Austria Limo adds cheese.
- A guide: a driver-guide on the small-group day, a guide on the bike tour, a
sommelier on Wolfy's, and a kayak guide who is also a wine expert.
- Lunch: in the fare only on Wolfy's day. On the others you buy it on the day;
the bike tour's is €17 in cash.
- Melk Abbey: admission on Austria Limo's day, and in the cooler months on the
Vienna Explorer days, when the abbey replaces the cruise.
- Not included: drinks at lunch, electric bikes on the bike tour, and tips.
Rather ride between the tastings?
The train to Krems, about 25 km by bike through Dürnstein, a ferry across the Danube and tasting fees in the fare.
Check availability
Planning a wine tour
- Price. $159 to $232 per person on the shared wine days,
$484 to $1,154 per person on the private ones, and $991 for a kayak of two.
- Length. Eight to eleven hours. The bike tour is the longest, because the
train takes you out and back.
- Start. The small-group day leaves Franz-Josefs-Kai 45 at 9:00. The private days
collect you between 8:00 and 9:30. Getting here from Vienna has every
meeting point.
- Know the wine. The Wachau vineyards page explains
Steinfeder, Federspiel and Smaragd, and the named estates tours visit.
- Season. The shared days switch from the boat to Melk Abbey in the cooler
months. The kayak day runs 20 April to 30 September.
- Cancel. Every wine day here refunds in full up to 24 hours before the start,
except Wolfy's, which is non-refundable.
Who should choose something else
- If you do not drink, or you travel with under-18s. The Melk Abbey tour with the Danube boat costs $136 and has no tastings to sit out.
- If Melk Abbey is the reason you are going. Most wine days give Melk a photo stop
or visit it only in winter. Melk Abbey prices and hours shows which days
put entry in the fare.
- If you are on a tight budget. The coach day to Melk, Dürnstein and Krems costs $79, and a Dürnstein distillery offers an optional schnapps tasting.
- If you want to visit wineries on your own. Vinea Wachau counts over 200 member
estates and there is no valley ticket. Take the train to Krems and walk, but plan your way back.
- If you need to cancel late. Book any wine day except Wolfy's.
Frequently asked questions
Which Wachau Valley wine tour is best?
It depends on the day you want. For a small group, the Vienna Explorer tour capped at 8; for lunch and a sommelier in the fare, Wolfy's private day; for cycling between tastings, the Grape Grazing bike tour.
How much wine do you taste on a Wachau wine tour?
It depends on the tour. Wolfy's sommelier day pours at least eight to ten wines at three or four estates. The bike tour pays the tasting fees at its wineries, and the shared days taste at several wineries between the sights.
Do I need to drive between wineries?
No. Every wine tour here moves you by van, coach, train, bike or kayak, so nobody in your party has to stay sober for the wheel. On the bike and kayak days you are the engine, so pace your glass.
Will I taste Smaragd on a wine tour?
It is likely but not promised: no shared tour names the wines it pours. Smaragd is the strongest of the valley's three dry white styles, at least 12.5%, and a sommelier-led day is where you can ask for one.
Is lunch included?
Only Wolfy's private wine tour lists a gourmet lunch in the fare. On the other days you buy lunch on the day, and the bike tour's listing puts it at €17 in cash.
Are children welcome on the wine tours?
It depends on the listing. The Vienna Explorer small-group wine day prices children aged 5 to 12 separately, while Wolfy's private wine tour is for adults 18 and over. Read the age line on your listing before you book a family.
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.