Hikers pausing at the stone circle Geyersberg for a concert during an event.

Hike the Wachau World Heritage Trail

The Wachau's walking trails take you through the riverside, the vineyard, and apricot orchards, and reveal the castles, myths, and legends of this epic landscape.

A long hike or just a short walk after a delicious meal—it is just a few steps from the charming villages into the nature. – © Steve Haider / Donau NÖ

The diversity of the World Heritage Trail means there's something on offer for any type of hiker. – © Gerald Lechner / Donau NÖ

Along the hiking trails there are resting spots that invite you to take a break and enjoy the unique landscape surrounding you. – © Ingrid Bauer

Vineyards, forests and grasslands promise not just a great diversity in landscapes, but also in flora and fauna. – © Robert Herbst / NÖ Werbung

A long hike or just a short walk after a delicious meal—it is just a few steps from the charming villages into the nature. – © Steve Haider / Donau NÖ

The most famous hike in the region is the Wachau World Heritage Trail, a 180 kilometre long-distance hiking trail through the Danube Valley and Wachau wine country. This high-altitude trail follows historical paths to link together the 15 municipalities of the Wachau Valley, providing you with a unique multitude of scenic viewpoints, enchanting places to take a rest, and remote paths through the forest.

The Wachau World Heritage Trail takes you to 20 fortresses, ruins and castles, through the Wachau wine region with its stone terraces and steep hillside vineyards, to three monasteries and the peak of the Jauerling, the highest mountain along the entire course of the Danube, which lies more than 750 metres (2,460 feet) above the river.

Stunning viewpoints along the way will let you forget the exertion of hiking up the sometimes steep slopes. – © Robert Herbst / NÖ Werbung

This long-distance trail is divided into 14 legs and can be hiked in both directions. The World Heritage Trail connects to the 90 kilometre Jauerling Loop and the 160 kilometre Dunkelsteinerwald Trail, plus the local section of the Way of St. James. All of the legs of the trails reference the many fairy tales and legends of this mystic landscape.

Learn more about the Wachau World Heritage Trail

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