Krems an der Donau AustriaCruise Port Guide

Krems an der Donau sits at the eastern gateway of the Wachau Valley — the UNESCO World Heritage river landscape that traces the Danube's most scenic arc between Melk and Krems — and combines a richly layered medieval townscape with an unexpectedly vibrant contemporary arts scene. As the region's commercial and cultural capital, Krems brings together the ancient and the new with unusual grace: 11th-century monastery churches and Renaissance burghers' houses line the same pedestrian precinct as the Kunsthalle Krems and Karikaturmuseum, two of Austria's most distinguished contemporary galleries. The old town and its extension Stein — once technically a separate municipality, now joined to Krems — offer a UNESCO-listed ensemble of cobblestone lanes, baroque church towers, and vine-covered hillsides that constitutes one of the most complete late-medieval streetscapes in the region.

The Wachau Valley wine world is the defining context for a Krems visit. The valley's vineyards — growing principally Grüner Veltliner and Riesling on steep schist and loess terraces exposed to the warm Pannonian air from the east and tempered by cool Alpine nights — produce wines of astonishing elegance and longevity, classified under the unique Wachau quality pyramid (Steinfeder, Federspiel, Smaragd). Krems and its satellite wine town of Langenlois to the north are at the center of this tradition; the Loisium Wine World in Langenlois (10 km from Krems) combines a striking contemporary pavilion designed by Steven Holl with underground tunnels beneath centuries-old wine cellars for one of Austria's most architecturally distinctive wine experiences. Numerous Weingüter (wine estates) in and around Krems welcome visitors for tastings.

Five kilometres downstream from Krems, the village of Dürnstein is one of the most romantic and historically resonant stops on the entire Danube. Its blue-and-white Augustinian abbey church tower, visible from the river as a navigational landmark for centuries, is matched in drama by the ruined castle on the hill directly above the village — the Dürnstein Castle, where King Richard I of England (the Lionheart) was held captive by Duke Leopold V of Austria from 1192 to 1193, following the Third Crusade. The 30-minute hike up to the castle ruins delivers outstanding Wachau panoramas. Weissenkirchen, another wine village upstream, is the hub of the Wachau wine cooperative and an appealing stop on the cycle path.