Danube Valley Day Trip from Vienna

Very well organized tour of the Wachau valley with a Danube cruise and a guided tour of Melk abbey with very professional guide.

We did this tour on the last day of our two week European tour and were really looking forward to it. Unfortunately, we were disappointed, especially with the lack of communication from our tour guide. The tour started in Vienna with a bus ride to the Wachau Valley, where we stopped to get onto the river cruise portion of the day. We were the last group to board the boat and there were no outside seating left. The boat when down (up?) the Danube then turned around and doubled back to Durnstein. So almost half the cruise repeated itself. We then got off at Durnstein and were told we'd do a brief talking tour and then have about 20 minutes to explore on our own. That never happened. We walked through the town with the guide in ten minutes, ending up at the bus parking lot at the far edge of town, and then told we had ten minutes free, with half of the time spent waiting in line to use the restroom. Back to the bus to drive to Melk. Parked at the edge of the town and figured we would have some time to check it out. Nope. Had to walk up a steep hill to get the top, where we had to wait for the guide to obtain and pass out to us the tickets to the Abbey tour. The guide said we then had about an hour until the tour started. It was then about 2:00 and no one had eaten lunch yet. We could walk back down the hill to the town and try find a place to eat (with no guidance from the guide), and then walk back up the hill, all in about an hour. Which was probably not possible. Instead, our only alternative was to eat at the overpriced restaurant next to the Abbey. The Abbey tour was alright, but that's mostly because it was run by a guide from the Abbey. But note that no pictures were allowed inside the Abbey. The guide who accompanied us throughout the day was poor; she would start talking before the group could coalesce around her, and would act perturbed if anyone had any questions. Lastly, the tour turned out to be mixed English/Spanish, which meant that 50% of the guide's time was spent repeating herself in the second language.

The villages visited are worth the detour. Melk Abbey is magnificent and its history is fascinating, but the tour is much too fast. Given that the boat trip could not take place, we would have liked to extend the visit, return to Vienna at 6:00 PM instead of 8:00 PM as announced on the reservation....very high price for a bus trip, no discount for the cancellation of the boat...which is only announced at the time of departure...it's a bit of a rip-off...too bad..thanks to the very interesting guides...Eliane

We had a wonderful time on this excursion. Herman, the guide did a great job. Just enough time in each location. Enjoyed the boat trip and Abbey visit. Pick up was very easy at the Opera House. Hint: When you get to the Abbey eat at the restaurant the guide tells about. The food was good and service quick so as not to interfere with the start of Abbey Tour.

The boat ride and walking tour was great. Combing a bus ride there, Melk, boat ride back is very peaceful.