Vienna to Melk: Everything You Need to Know About a Day Trip!
What to know about taking a day trip from Vienna to Melk! But, what is Melk? It is definitely not on most of the “best day trips from Vienna” lists like Hallstatt, Salzburg, Bratslava, or even Budapest.
So does Melk deserve to be on your Vienna itinerary? And what should you know before going?
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Why Add Melk to your Vienna Itinerary?
Melk is a small, Austrian city located on the Danube River in the Wachau Valley, just west of Vienna. If Vienna has the classic, big European city vibes, Melk has the charm and small town feel you won’t find in Vienna.
I love a European city, but I also love to visit smaller towns in European countries because you get a whole different feel for the culture and day to day life.
So, why Melk? There are many small towns to visit in Austria. In conjunction with its cute cobblestone streets and charming architecture, Melk is home to an 11th century, golden Benedictine Abbey, perched high on a rocky outcropping that is STUNNING and absolutely worth visiting.
About the Melk Abbey (Stift Melk)
The Melk Abbey is a baroque abbey that has a long history including being the home of Babenberg rulers from 976 to 1101 before being given to the monks as an abbey by Leopold the II in 1089,
- The abbey is still home to monks and also has a wing that is one of Austria’s oldest Catholic private schools.
- Inside the abbey is a library full of manuscripts and books that are 1,000’s of years old, including the original rule book of the monks brought from the original monastery to Melk Abbey; this manuscript is now over 1000 years old! Many of the scripts you can see on display in the library.
Okay, enough history.
How to Get from Vienna to Melk
A perk of adding Melk to your Vienna itinerary is that it is rather easy to get to. Whether you drive or train, you can get there between 45 minutes to an hour and 15 minutes.
Getting from Vienna to Melk via Car
If you plan to do a Austria road trip, you can certainly rent a car and get to Melk in less than an hour and 15 minutes.
We have rented a car and did a road trip from Innsbruck to Zell am See and Salzburg this way around 2018 and it was so fun! Austria is also easy to navigate and drive around too!
Rent a car for an Austrian road trip!
Getting From Vienna to Melk Via Train
However, if you are NOT planning on doing a road trip through Austria and just want to take a day trip from Vienna, train is definitely your better option.
From Vienna, you will head to the Vienna Central Station, also known as Wien Hbf. There are multiple trains and train times that leave from Vienna to Melk, so the train numbers will vary.
- However, the easiest and fastest train routes go from Vienna to St. Pölten and then to Melk, which will get you to Melk in a little over an hour.
- Be sure to get on the RIGHT train. Some trains make FREQUENT stops between St. Pölten and Vienna; you will want to get on a train that is a direct shot to Vienna.
To book trains in Austria, you will want to download the Öbb app! Here you will book intercity train tickets as well as metro tickets while in Vienna (and they will scan the QR code for your intercity tickets)
Also, FYI, the ticket machines are on the upper level of the Vienna Central station, so if you come in on the bottom floor, head up the escalators!
What to Do in Melk
Once you get to Melk, how should you spend your time?
Take a Tour of the Melk Abbey
Monday through Friday, you HAVE to take a guided tour of the abbey due to school being in session. However, I really suggest the tour even if you visit on Saturday and Sunday. Our guide provided great information on the history of the abbey and the relics displayed inside the museum portion.
- Tours occur at 11am, 1:30 pm and 3pm from November to March, 10:55 am and 2:55 pm from April to October with an additional tour at 1:55 pm from May to September.
- The library in the Melk Abbey is worth the cost all on its own. It is truly incredible!
- It is two-level library full of nearly 100,000 books including 1,800 manuscripts and 750 incunabula, which are books, pamphlets, etc that were printed prior 1500!
Walk around the Abbey Gardens
If you visit Melk between April and October, you should make time to visit the abbey gardens! Not only is the abbey beautiful, but the grounds surrounding it are incredible also!
- The garden is included with your ticket is access to the garden surround the abbey.
- Here you can find a great map of the gardens that will give you an idea of how long you will need to allot to see different portions of the garden!
Visit the Old Bread Store (Alter Brotladen)
Yes, it is one of the cutest buildings in Melk, but it also has history! You will notice it when you walk down the main, cobblestone street. It is a small building with two small, castle-like towers on each corner (pictured in the photos above).
- This former bread store is a 17th century cottage with its original shingle roof. Here, three Melk bakers shared the cottage to make a distribute bread to the town
Walk Down Melks Oldest Street
Just behind the old bread store, you will find Melks oldest street, Sterngasse, which used to be its main street. You will find some of Melks oldest buildings, some of them medieval, making it a great historical addition to your day in Melk.
Walk to the Danube River and Get a View of the Abbey from Below
As the Melk Abbey is the gem of the city, it is only right to see it from all angles! If you continue down the main street in Melk, you will run into the Danube River.
You can cross the street and immediately get a decent view, but the best view will be a bit further away from the Melk Abbey (to get a more wide-angle view). You can also cross a bridge to the other side of the Danube here.
Find Food Around the Rathausplatz
You will quickly notice that once you get to the main road, you can continue down this road and find most of the shops and restaurants. In the main square (or Rathausplatz) you will find several places to eat.
- We opted to eat at the Madar Pub Rathaus and had a great experience there. Friendly people and enjoyed the food.
Christmast Market in Melk
If you visit Melk during the holiday season, you can find a cute, intimate Christmas market at the end of the main street, just in front of the Cafe Central. They offered food options, glühwein and even live music!
Guided Tours to Melk from Vienna
If you aren’t a fan of traveling on your own or just prefer guided tours, you can find several guided tours that leave from Vienna and visit Melk along with a couple other places in Austria.
Tour to Melk and Danube and Wachau Balleys
- This tour includes guided tours to Krems an der Donau and Dürnstein before making your way to Melk.
- In Melk you will have an hour of free time plus a 75 minute guided tour of the abbey
Tour to Melk and Hallstatt
Your other option is to combine a guided tour of Melk with a tour to Hallstatt and/or Salzburg.
- The guided tour below is the best option if you want to add Hallstatt to your itinerary. The other guided tours often include Salzburg with it, and in my humble opinion, one day is NOT enough to see Melk, Hallstatt AND Salzburg.
- HOWEVER, be aware, on the guided tours that include Hallstatt, you will not have a guided tour of the Melk Abbey. You will only have about 45 minutes free time in Melk before heading to Hallstatt.
Take a Guided tour of Melk + Hallstatt
How Much Time do You Need in Melk?
Don’t cut yourself short on time, especially if you are visiting during the winter. Sun sets by 4 or 4:30 pm in the winter, so I recommend catching an early train to Melk!
Now, its true that Melk is small and you can walk the town rather quickly. But we arrived in Melk around noon and did the 1:30 pm tour of the Melk Abbey. After the tour we had a SMALL amount of time to see the rest of Melk.
- During the winter, I would try to get to Melk by 10am and catch the 11am tour of the abbey to give yourself about 4 to 4.5 hours of daylight to see the rest of the town after your tour.
If you are visiting in the Spring, Summer or early Autumn when the days are longer, you obviously don’t have to rush as much. But, you have the perk of being able to see the garden at the abbey, and this could add up to an extra hour of your time to see the whole gardens.
Final Thoughts on Your Day Trip from Vienna to Melk
Melk is a small but worth visiting. The abbey alone is worth the trip, but it offers even more than that. It has beautiful architecture, deep history and gives you great feel of a traditional, Austrian town.
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