Durnstein: what to see, where to stay and how to get around
In December 1192 Richard the Lionheart, sailing home from the Crusade, was shipwrecked and tried to cross Austria in disguise. Duke Leopold V, whom he had insulted at Acre, caught him near Vienna and locked him in the castle above this village. Dürnstein is tiny, one main street between the river and the cliff, and everything here is on foot. About two hours including the climb to the ruin; go early or late, as tour boats fill the street at midday.
A short history of Durnstein
Dürnstein is a small town on the Danube, in the Wachau. In the castle on the hill above it, then held by the Kuenring family, Richard the Lionheart, King of England, was held captive from 1192 to 1193 on the orders of Leopold V, Duke of Austria, on his way back from the Crusade. He was released only in return for a huge ransom. The castle was destroyed by the Swedes in 1645 during the Thirty Years' War, leaving ruins. In the 18th century the abbey church received its blue-and-white tower, which became the symbol of the town. In 1805 a battle was fought near Dürnstein between Napoleon's army and the Russians and Austrians. In 2000 the Wachau was declared a World Heritage Site.
The ten best sights in Durnstein
1Boat landingDanube boats stop here between Krems and Melk in season
2Dürnstein AbbeyThe blue-and-white baroque tower over the river is the symbol of the Wachau; church and cloister open
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3Dürnstein castle ruin
Where Richard the Lionheart was held; a steep 20-minute climb, big view
4Former Poor Clares conventRoofless Gothic church of a medieval convent in the middle of town
5KellerschlösselBaroque wine-cellar pavilion of the old abbey, now the Domäne Wachau's; visits by tour
6Wachau Museum, WeißenkirchenLocal museum in a fortified farm courtyard, 4 km upriver
7Melk AbbeyThe great yellow baroque abbey on its rock, 30 minutes upriver
8Göttweig AbbeyAbbey on a hill south of the river, with a terrace over the whole valley
9Landesgalerie NiederösterreichArt museum in a twisted modern building on the Krems art mile
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10French monument
Memorial to the battle of 1805 on a vineyard hill east of town; short walk
Scan with your phone camera to open the map there
What is an audio walk?
Tours in Durnstein →A guide in your headphones: open the walk on our site, walk from stop to stop, and at each one your phone tells its story. No guide, no group, and free. This is the first walk in Durnstein:
Free walking tours in Durnstein
The captive king
In December 1192 Richard the Lionheart, sailing home from the Crusade, was shipwrecked and tried to cross Austria in disguise. Duke Leopold V, whom he had insulted at Acre, caught him near Vienna and locked him in the castle above this village. Dürnstein is tiny, one main street between the river and the cliff, and everything here is on foot. About two hours including the climb to the ruin; go early or late, as tour boats fill the street at midday.
- Boat landing · Passenger steamers have worked this stretch since the 19th century; the Erste Donau-Dampfschiffahrts-Gesellschaft, the first Danube steamship company, was founded in Vienna in 1829 and grew into one of the largest river fleets in the world.
- Dürnstein Abbey · Augustinian canons came here in 1410, and in the 1700s their provost rebuilt the house in baroque, finishing the famous tower in 1733. Emperor Joseph II dissolved the canonry in 1788, and it has belonged to Herzogenburg Abbey ever since.
- Poor Clares convent · The Kuenringer, the lords of Dürnstein, founded a convent of Poor Clares here at the end of the 13th century. It was dissolved in 1571, and its church was left to stand without a roof in the middle of the village.
- Castle ruin · Richard was held here by Hadmar of Kuenring over the winter of 1192, then handed to Emperor Henry VI. England paid a ransom of 150,000 marks of silver, and part of it paid for the walls of Vienna and the founding of Wiener Neustadt. Swedish troops wrecked the castle in 1645.
- Kellerschlössel · The little palace was built in the early 18th century over the abbey's wine cellars, so the canons could receive guests above the barrels.
- French monument · On 11 November 1805, a month before Austerlitz, French troops under Marshal Mortier were trapped in this narrow valley by Russian and Austrian forces under Kutuzov. The battle of Dürnstein left thousands killed and wounded on both sides among these vineyards.
Wine and apricots
The Wachau is a 30 km stretch of the Danube between Melk and Krems, a UNESCO World Heritage landscape since 2000, where vines climb stone terraces above the river and apricot orchards fill the flat land. This route goes upriver along the north bank, through the wine villages, crosses on a little ferry and climbs to the highest point of the valley. About 60 km by car; in late March or early April the apricot blossom turns the valley white, and in autumn the wine taverns open.
- Wachauer Safran Manufaktur · Saffron was grown in Lower Austria in the Middle Ages and was traded across Europe as "Crocus austriacus". The crop died out, and a few growers in the Wachau have brought it back.
- Domäne Wachau · The vineyards once belonged to Dürnstein Abbey. In 1938 the growers of the valley formed a cooperative and bought the estate, and today hundreds of families bring their grapes here.
- Weißenkirchen · The Wachau growers sort their dry white wines into three grades named after local nature: Steinfeder, a feather grass, for the lightest; Federspiel, a falconry term, for the middle; and Smaragd, after the emerald-green lizard that basks on the terrace walls, for the richest.
- Tausendeimerberg · The hill above Spitz is called the "Thousand-Bucket Hill" because, the story goes, in a good year its vines yield a thousand buckets of wine.
- Spitz–Arnsdorf ferry · The ferry has no engine for the crossing: it hangs from a cable stretched high across the river, and the boat is angled so the current itself pushes it to the other bank.
- Jauerling · At 960 m the Jauerling is the highest point of the Wachau, and from its lookout tower you see the river bend through the whole valley, with the Alps on the southern horizon on a clear day.
Abbeys and a stone-age goddess
The two ends of the Wachau are held by two great abbeys on hills, Göttweig in the east and Melk in the west, with Krems, an old trading town, at the door. Between them lie a robber castle and the place where the most famous figure of the Stone Age came out of the ground. This is a loop of about 90 km on both banks; Melk takes two hours on its own, so start there or end there.
- Steiner Tor, Krems · The town gate dates from 1480, and the baroque cap on its tower was added in the 18th century. It is the emblem of Krems, which with neighbouring Stein was one of the great river trading towns of Austria.
- Landesgalerie Niederösterreich · The gallery opened in 2019 in a building that seems to twist as it rises, clad in metal shingles. It shows the art collections of the state of Lower Austria.
- Göttweig Abbey · Bishop Altmann of Passau founded Göttweig in 1083 on a hill that looks down on the whole Danube plain. After a fire in 1718 the abbey was rebuilt on a vast baroque plan that was never completed, and it is still called the Austrian Monte Cassino.
- Willendorf · In 1908, during digging for the railway, workers found here a limestone figure of a woman 11 cm tall, about 30,000 years old. The Venus of Willendorf is now in the Natural History Museum in Vienna; this is a large copy.
- Aggstein · Legend tells of the robber knight Schreckenwald, who left his prisoners on a narrow rock ledge above the cliff, his "little rose garden", to choose between starving and jumping. The ledge is still shown at the ruin.
- Melk Abbey · Jakob Prandtauer rebuilt the abbey from 1702 as a baroque palace of faith on the rock. Umberto Eco made its library famous in "The Name of the Rose", whose narrator is Adso of Melk, a novice from this house.
Getting to Durnstein and getting around
- Dürnstein-Oberloiben station · Stop on the Wachau railway along the Danube; trains run mainly in the warm season
- Krems station · The nearest main-line station, 7 km east, with trains to Vienna
- Dürnstein Nord bus stop · Buses along the north bank to Krems, Spitz and Melk
Cheap eats in Durnstein
The Wachau eats around its wine and its apricots. The Heuriger, a wine tavern run by the grower, serves his own wine with cold plates of ham, cheese and spreads on dark bread; the apricot turns up as Marillenknödel, sweet dumplings rolled in buttered crumbs, as jam and as schnapps. Dürnstein itself is touristy and a little dearer than the villages around it. A quick lunch is a roll from the bakery and a glass of Grüner Veltliner.
- Kaffee Konditorei Schmidl · Bakery café on the main street; a Wachauer Laberl about €1-2, coffee and cake €6-9
- Zur Emma · Snack bar by the station; a sandwich or soup about €5-9
- Rad'l Treff · Cyclists' stop on the Danube path; a quick plate about €8-12
- Domäne Wachau shop · Wine by the glass in the tasting room, about €3-6
- Schloss Greisslerei · Small deli-restaurant on the main street; snacks about €6-12
- Wachauer Safran Manufaktur · Apricot jam, apricot brandy and saffron goods, from about €5
Museums in Durnstein
- Wachau Museum · Local history and painters of the valley, in Weißenkirchen
- Landesgalerie Niederösterreich · Austrian art from the 19th century to now
- Karikaturmuseum Krems · Cartoon and caricature museum on the art mile
- Melk Abbey · Imperial rooms, library and the gold-and-marble church
Holy places in Durnstein
- Dürnstein Abbey church · Baroque church and a cloister terrace over the Danube
- Poor Clares church ruin · Roofless Gothic walls in the village
- St. Kunigunde · The small old church of the village
- Göttweig Abbey · Imperial staircase with a ceiling fresco by Paul Troger
- Melk Abbey church · Baroque church, open with the abbey visit
Nature and day trips near Durnstein
- Vogelbergsteig · Steep rocky path with cables and steps; views over the river
- Starhembergwarte · Lookout tower in the woods above the castle
- Fesslhütte · Forest inn on the hill path above town
- Jauerling · Nature park and tower on the Wachau's highest hill
- Tausendeimerberg · Vineyard hill above Spitz; walk the terraces
Where to eat in Durnstein
- Weinschenke Altes Presshaus · Wine tavern in an old press house on the main street
- Alter Klosterkeller · Regional food under old vaults
- Heuriger Schweighofer · Grower's tavern in Unterloiben, a short walk east; check opening weeks
- Küffer Keller · Grill and wine in a cellar at the top of the village
- Heuriger Branigan · Wine tavern at the west end of Dürnstein
- Sänger Blondel · Hotel restaurant named after the minstrel of the legend
Frequently asked questions about Durnstein
What is there to see in Durnstein?
The top sights in Durnstein are Boat landing, Dürnstein Abbey and Dürnstein castle ruin. The full list on this page has 10 sights, each with a photo and a short note.
How many days do you need in Durnstein?
Three to four days are enough to see the best of Durnstein without rushing, including at least one walking tour.
Is there a free walking tour in Durnstein?
Yes. sleepntrip has 3 free audio walks in Durnstein, with no guide and no group: your phone tells the story at every stop. The first one: The captive king.
How do you get to Durnstein and get around?
The main ways are Dürnstein-Oberloiben station, Krems station and Dürnstein Nord bus stop. Full details are in the transport section on this page.
Where to stay in Durnstein, and for how much?
sleepntrip shows only rooms in Durnstein that meet nine conditions: a good location, high guest scores, cleanliness, and a price of up to $80 a night for two. Pick your dates and see what is free.
Looking for a hotel in Durnstein for your dates?
Only rooms that meet nine conditions, up to $80 a night.