Pretty little church in Melk you'll most likely pass by from the train station on you way to…read moreRathausplatz. It's not that large but it's worth a quick stop over on your way to the main square. Or, it's another one oft good for a photo opp and move on kind of places.

Our first stop on the Wachau Valley was Krems. This is part of the romantic side of the Valley…read more This is a college town with universities that are a huge part of the town. In addition, since Krems is located near the Danube, the city is protecting itself from potential flooding by building flood gates. We walked through cobblestones streets with fish markets, clothing stores, souvenirs shops. What I love about Europe is how quaint and charming the buildings are: beautiful flowers gracing iron window planters, menus written on restaurant windows in chalk. Also, all through the town and in Vienna now, is the Christmas markets and shops that are beginning to pop up. It was nice to see chocolate shoppes that had chocolates dressed in red and gold boxes. We also marveled at the huge Church that anchors this beautiful city.

A beautiful Abbey high on the hill that has been around since 1100. Located in Krem with at present…read more42 Monks. When started there were as few as three and at one point they had 65 Monks. Monasterys I'm finding out may have a brewery or a winery. Here they have a winery. Interestingly they have three wines to taste at the bar. A white similar to a Pinot grigo, a dry resiling and a Pinot Noir. Grown on location these are estate wines. We purchased a bottle of the Pinot grigio tasting and the Pinot Noir. This monastery also grows a fruit similar to an apricot. From this fruit they make jelly, sparkling wine, liquor and a juice. The grounds has two redwood trees on property (80 feet at present). One of the Monks visited northern California and saw the redwoods and brought back seeds ...the trees are a little over 100 years. The grounds are magnificent and the baroque style of architecture is master piece to view. They have a good size pipe organ in the cathedral. Unfortunately they did play it when we were there. Definitely a great tour and there is a restaurant where we asked for a couple of glasses and enjoyed our wine that we purchased. Restaurant has a nice patio for views of the Wachu Valley.

Abbey with working monks who serve parishes among the many acres owned by the Abbey. Active winery,…read moremakes apricot like fruit jam and beverages. (Written by husband)

This was the final stop of our Austria drive before we hit Vienna for our flight home. I made sure…read moreour travels included a stop at the abbey since it was a large UNESCO site, high above the Danube River and had some impressive rooms inside. The signage throughout the city of Melk was plenty and clearly directed us to the parking lot above the abbey. Remember to take your parking ticket for free validation at the ticket office. It was around a 10 minute walk from the parking lot to the main ticketing desk. Don't go to the garden ticket booth unless you have a ticket or only want to pay for the garden visit. Admission included access to the church (amazing detail), museum, library (open but under renovation), gardens (with a must see interior of the Pavilion main hall), bastion (panoramic views above Melk and Danube) and the Marble Room (beautiful ceiling paintings). We joined the English guided tour for 4 Euros per person (Skippable IMO) and ended in the library as the guides were not allowed into the final stop, the church. From the guided tour one of the most important highlight was the famous Melk Cross, with a splinter of the true cross, had been stolen twice and fought over (Vienna and Melk) but now was no longer on display due to its condition. Since this was an active abbey photos were not allowed once inside by policy. Sometime the docents would stop you but other times not (ie. adult chaperones overseeing a school field trip). Guided tour took almost one hour but by the time we wrapped up our visit a storm moved in. We missed taking photos from the city of Melk to show just how large this complex was. If you're visiting Vienna then take a side trip out here. It will be worth it.

Melk Abbey Visited…read morethe abbey on an all-day tour starting in Vienna, then heading to Hallstatt and Salzburg. We were only there for 45 minutes, so I just had time to run in and admire the beautiful church. That was more than enough to know I have to return to Austria to properly explore the abbey and the entire Wachau Valley. What a place!!!

Awesome if you like ancient churches and monks. Pretty good if you're just coming for the wine. I…read morewas roped into a tour off of the Viking cruise - a lot of old people moving really slowly.

From the outside, it was just a simple, boring looking abbey, if you can even say that. Once you…read moreenter the gate/door, it's totally a different story, it's like walking in a different era, there's medieval, there's Baroque, there's Romanesque, there's Early Gothic cloisters. Where can you find all that under one sky or should ROOF! It's an easy drive e from Vienna to the woods. You can take the train, if you want. This is Austria's second oldest Cistercian monastery. It's not a waste of time, it's a perfect drive out of Vienna, for some relaxed drive through the wineries.

From the owner: The abbey Stift Heiligenkreuz in the Vienna Woods is known far beyond our local borders…read more Heiligenkreuz was founded in 1133 by Leopold III, a member of the Babenberg dynasty and a saint. It has been a living monastery ever since. Stift Heiligenkreuz is only 15 kilometres from the edge of Vienna and easily reachable via highway A21. Despite the proximity to cosmopolitan Vienna, the monastery lies in a peaceful and secluded valley in the Vienna Woods, surrounded by gently rolling hills and forests of beech and fir. The monks welcome visitors and guests, and the more than 100,000 tourists who visit the abbey every year! Here you can see all the major architectural styles and artistic movements of the last 900 years. You can visit the grave of the man who kidnapped Richard the Lionheart. And you can breathe in the incense-scented air in the light-drenched abbey church and marvel at the dancing skeletons in the Chapel of the Dead. But most of all, Heiligenkreuz is no dusty museum: it is a living and vibrant monastery. Monks live and work here, and we pray the Divine Office every day for the people of the 21st Century. That means that you can hear the monks singing Gregorian chant here, you can attend Mass, you can pray and you can make confession.

Stetteldorf has an attractive parish church set in a pedestrianised square in the heart of the…read morevillage. Of mediaeval origin, the church possesses an astonishingly rich baroque interior from the early 18th century. The church is one of many in the area dating from the mediaeval period, but rebuilt extensively in the 18th century, after damage from the various wars in the region (most notably the 30 Years' War). The tower is the most prominent survivor of the original mediaeval church, with cusped gothic windows visible outside. The church was largely rebuilt in 1723, paid for by the local nobility, and gained its lavish baroque interior: the cream walls and ceilings have extensive stucco decoration, picked out in white, with a series of elaborate marble side altars. Most notable is the pulpit, a riot of marble and gold, with figures of saints, angels and cherubs. Indeed, there are cherubs everywhere. Notable fittings include the rather crude tub font, dated 1585, decorated with a simple arcade pattern of rounded arches; the baroque organ case from the 1723 rebuilding; and the carved wooden pews in the sanctuary, originally intended for the local nobility. There is a gallery on the north side of the sanctuary, so that the local lord could worship separately from the congregation, prior to the castle being povided with its own chapel. The church is the centre of a busy parish life; the adjacent parish centre has excellent facilities for hosting events.