Description
Krems is a center of wine, commerce, shopping, culture and education and has an enchanting location: The historical center (also part of the Wachau, a UNESCO World Heritage landscape) extends between the Danube and the vineyards of the Krems Valley. Steiner Tor, a town gate and landmark of Krems since 1480, attests to the eventful history here, as do the many burgher houses from the 16th c, when Protestant merchants brought the city great wealth. Stroll along Obere and Untere Landstrasse, pay a visit to the Early Gothic Gozzoburg, the Kunsthalle, or the caricature museum. An absolute highlight is the State Gallery of Lower Austria, inaugurated in 2019, which is located on the Kunstmeile Krems (a mile-long stretch of cultural attractions).
Soon after Krems you see another landscape on the horizon: a plateau known as Wagram. It is dominated by a patchwork of vineyards that give way to wavy fields and shady ravines carved out of the loess soil over millions of years by water. The deep loess creates perfect conditions for fine full-flavored, full-bodied wines, including the famed Grüner Veltliner but also the lesser known Roter Veltliner.
Vinothek Weritas is a wine shop in Kirchberg am Wagram that carries 250 wines by 50 top winemakers. Kirchberg also has an Alchemist Museum and Alchemist Park with permacultural plantings. Close by is the Pleyel Museum and Pleyel Culture Centre not far away in Ruppersthal. Ignaz Joseph Pleyel was the most famous favorite son of Wagram. He left this romantic wine village for Paris around 1800 to create a furor as a composer and piano builder. Visitors can explore Wagram on discovery tours that follow five themed cycling routes.
Finally, you arrive in Tulln. Right at the outskirts of the city you pass the premises of GARTEN TULLN, an ecological world of gardens unlike any other in Europe with over 70 show gardens plus a host of other attractions. At the Egon Schiele Museum, the Egon Schiele birthplace and the Egon Schiele Special Theme Trail, you can gain fascinating insights into the life of this internationally renowned painter. Tulln’s Donaulände is an attractively landscaped promenade along the Danube and takes you in a matter of minutes from one sight to the next, including the Stadtmuseum Tulln, which houses the Tulln Roman Museum, documents pertaining to the imperial convent as well as the Virtulleum interactive history museum.
Starting point of the tour
Krems
Destination point of the tour
Tulln
Route description Danube Cycle Path, stage 6, north bank: Krems – Tulln
Krems an der Donau - Altenwörth - Zwentendorf an der Donau - Kleinschönbichl - Pischelsdorf - Langenschönbichl - Tulln an der Donau
Route description:
Your tour begins along the Danube in the town of Krems. The impressive historical center is listed as part of the UNESCO World Heritage. A major feature worth mentioning is Steiner Tor, an ancient town gate and landmark. Krems is a genuine center of culture and has countless churches, gates, houses and museums to explore. Friends of fine wines will also feel at home. Viniculture is economically significant with the many local vineyard estates and a vital part of Krems.
The Krems Valley wine region (Kremstal in German) extends on either side of the Danube around the venerable old wine town of Krems. Wine has been grown here for centuries and is still all-present in Krems. This valley is at the eastern gateway to the Wachau and is one of Austria’s oldest wine regions. Vineyards have flourished for centuries here in fertile soils of primary rock and especially loess.
Then you cross the Krems River and follow it to its confluence with the Danube. You proceed on the Danube Bike Path that runs right along the river and delight in the scenic landscapes found there. The picture is similar to the one in the Wachau, hillsides verdant with lush vineyards. You ride quite a ways along the Danube till you reach the Danube power station in Altenwörth, where you have to change to the opposite bank and resume your tour on the south bank.
On arrival there, you cross the Traisen and ride back to the Danube bank. There you pick up the Wagram Wine Road. The Wagram is an imposing plateau extending north of the Danube. South of the Danube are the small wine and heuriger tavern towns of the Tulln Basin. The Wagram wine region boasts 2,400 ha of vineyards.
You arrive in the small Danube community of Zwentendorf, which has a special sight, namely Austria’s first and only nuclear power station, but it was never put into operation. You continue along the bike path but get off it again near Kleinschönbichl and ride a short distance away from the Danube. You pedal on the country road through the two towns of Pischelsdorf and Langenschönbichl and then on to L 2148 to the Grosse Tulln. After crossing this river you return to the Danube bank on the other side.
Here you cover the remaining meters on the bike path before arriving at your destination: Tulln an der Donau. This Lower Austrian community makes for a wonderful conclusion to your tour. Along with its many sights, Tulln is full of green space and gardens. GARTEN TULLN is also located here. The city stands on the site of the former Roman cavalry fort Comagenis and is known today for its variety of enjoyable art and culture and its bubbling fountain.
