Melk is a small riverside town (pop. ~5,000) on south bank of the Danube River in the Wachau Valley of Lower Austria. Melk marks the western terminus of the Wachau (86km west of Vienna) and lies upstream (40km west) from Krems.

Understand

• 1 Stadtgemeinde Melk Tourismusbüro, Linzer Straße 5 (temporary location; original site damaged during flooding), ☏ +43 2752-511 60, [email protected]. Apr-Oct. Free town map with a self-guided walking tour, a list of Melk hotels and rooms, latest info on nearby castles, bike rentals, and bike rides along the river. 

Get in

By rail

• 1 Bahnhof Melk, Bahnhofplatz 1, ☏ +43 2752 52321. Ticket office: M-F 05:50-11:40, 12:10-16:05, Sa 06:40-12:25; Su and holidays 08:20-11:40, 12:10-18:35; automats: 24hrs. Trains leave frequently from Vienna's Westbahnhof to Melk, with two brief stops en route (about 1 hr. trip time). Use ÖBB's SCOTTY to look up train information online. 

By car

Use the A1 Westautobahn motorway and take the exit Melk. Melk-Wien: 85 km.

By boat

From mid-April through October Dürnstein can be reached by river boats which ply the route between Melk, Emmersdorf, Spitz, Dürnstein, and Krems/Stein.

• 2 DDSG Blue Danube Schiffahrt GmbH, ☏ +43 1 588 80, fax: +43 1 588 80 440, [email protected]. Operates several times daily; timetables and fares (listed at the bottom of the page) can be found here. Tickets can be purchased at any of the docking points, in Vienna, or online . Bicycles (€2) and dogs (free) permitted on board. (updated Oct 2016)
• 3 Brandner, Pionierstrasse, ☏ +43 7433 2590 21, [email protected]. Operates twice daily, also making a stop in Weißenkirchen. Timetables and fares can bee seen here. Tickets can be purchased online. Bicycles (€2) and dogs (free, muzzle and leash required) permitted on board. (updated Oct 2016)

Get around

Walking the small historic town center (of mainly 16th-17th century buildings) is easy; takes about 10 minutes to traverse it. The famous and huge 18th century Benetictine Abbey on top of a bluff forms a northern Baroque backdrop for the older town center and is accessed on its eastern side.

• Nextbike (bicycle rental), ☏ +43 2742 22 99 01 (hotline). After registration (online or by mobile), pick up a bicycle at any Nextbike location, and drop the bicycle off at the same or any other Nextbike spot. A map of pickup and drop-off points can be found here (click 'Wachau' for Melk); a brochure with map is available for download. €1/hr, €10/day. (updated Jan 2017)

Taxi

• Taxi Gugler, ☏ +43 2752-52358. 
• Taxifunk Stumpfer, ☏ +43 2752-22022. 
• Taxi-Funk-Türke, ☏ +43 2752-52316. 

See

Melk Benedectine Abbey

Melk Abbey Library (Bibliothek)

Stadtmuseum Melk, in the former post office

Courtyard of Schallaburg Castle

• 1 Melk Benedictine Abbey  
  • 2 Abbey Park and Baroque Garden Pavilion (Stiftspark). May-Oct daily 09:00-18:00. Originally designed as a Baroque park in 1750, and replanted in 1822 as an English garden. €4 (adults), €3 (students), €1 (children 6-16); free with abbey admission. 
• 3 Stadtmuseum Melk  
• 4 Town Hall (Rathaus), Rathaus Platz 11 (in the center of town). Built in 1575. 
• 5 Haus am Stein, Kremser Straße 2. Built in the 15th century, this is the oldest building in Melk. The building is a private residence but can be appreciated from the outside. 
• 6 Accordion Museum (Akkordeon Museum), Sterngasse 19, ☏ +43 2752 514 89, +43 664 431 70 25, [email protected]. Summer: T-Su 10:00-18:00. The accordion was invented in Vienna in 1829, and since then became popular around the world. This private museum has 250 accordions, including some very rare and eccentric pieces, with the oldest dating from 1860. Free, but donations appreciated. 
• 7 KZ-Gedenkstätte Melk  
• 8 Schallaburg Castle  
• 9 Gugler Forum Melk, gugler print & media, Auf der Schön 2, Pielach, ☏ +43 2752 50050 0, [email protected]. M-Th 07:30-17:30, F 07:30-15:00. This graphic design agency hosts special solo artist exhibits three times a year from the contemporary Austrian art world. Artists are selected by an independent jury. A restaurant and café are onsite. Free. 

Do

• 1 Wachberg. This 285m hill is on the eastern outskirts of Melk, and has great views of the Abbey and the river. 

Eat

• 1 Hotel Restaurant zur Post, Linzer Straße 1, ☏ +43 2752 523 45, fax: +43 2752 523 45 - 50, [email protected]. Daily 11:30-14:30, 18:00-21:30. 
• 2 Hotel Restaurant Stadt Melk, Hauptplatz 1, ☏ +43 2752 52475, [email protected]. W-Su 11:30-14:30 18:00-20:30. A well-established restaurant. Reservations can be made online . (updated May 2016)
• 3 Stiftrestaurant Melk, Abt-Berthold-Dietmayrstrasse 3 (near the entrance to the Abbey), ☏ +43 2752 52 555, fax: +43 2752 54 444, [email protected]. Apr-Oct daily 09:00-18:00, Nov-Mar daily 10:00-15:30; closed 23-25 Dec. Operated by the Melk Abbey. Main courses €8-€13. 

Sleep

• 1 Hotel zur Post, Linzer Straße 1, ☏ +43 2752 523 45, [email protected]. Check-in: 15:00-22:00, check-out: 07:30-11:00. Nonsmoking throughout the hotel, free Wi-Fi, pets accepted. A bar-restaurant is onsite. €65+ (singles), €114 (doubles); prices include breakfast. 
• 2 Hotel Stadt Melk, Hauptplatz 1, ☏ +43 2752 52475, [email protected]. Check-in: 13:00-23:30, check-out: 07:00-11:30. Nonsmoking throughout the hotel, free Wi-Fi, pets accepted. A bar-restaurant is onsite. €45+ (singles), €74+ (doubles). (updated May 2016)
• 3 Gasthof Goldener Stern, Sterngasse 17, ☏ +43 2752 52214, [email protected]. A family-run hotel, in a 15th-century house. Has an onsite restaurant. 

Go next

Wallfahrtskirche Maria Taferl

Artstetten Castle

The following sights are all within a 20km radius of Melk.

• 10 Maria Taferl Sanctuary  
  • Treasury of the Maria Taferl Sanctuary (Schatzkammer der Wallfahrtsbasilika Maria Taferl), ☏ +43 7413 278-27, [email protected]. Apr-Oct T-Su 10:30-16:30; by appt. Votive offerings, paintings, and liturgical vestments are on display, as well as the cope worn by the Empress Elisabeth with her wedding dress. €3 (adults), €1.50 (children). 
• 11 Artstetten Castle  
• 12 Oskar Kokoschka Haus  
• 13 Pilgrimage Church of Maria Langegg (updated Sep 2015)
• Explore the Wachau Valley between Melk and Krems (40 km downstream) by bike or river cruise. The valley is listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site.

Routes through Melk

Salzburg ← Amstetten ←	W  E	→ St. Pölten → Vienna
Linz ← Amstetten ←	W  E	→ Vienna → END
Linz ← Ybbs ←	W  N	→ Krems → becomes