The section of the Way of St. James begins in the Vienna Woods municipality of Purkersdorf west of Vienna. It first leads through the hilly landscape covered with deciduous forest of the Vienna Woods (Troppberg hiking region), passes the monastery ruins at Riederberg, and then reaches the outskirts of the Tullnerfeld in Sieghartskirchen. Further on via Siegersdorf, where, beside a St. James fountain, a self-catering pilgrim hut invites you to rest and relax. In Würmla, the path enters the tourism region "Wine Country Traisental" and continues westward, passing the Bildeiche and iron hand to the St. James fountain in Langmannersdorf. We reach the geographical center of Lower Austria and subsequently the Augustinian Canons' Monastery Herzogenburg. The Way of St. James continues northeast over Walpersdorf Castle, past vineyards to the Maria-Elend pilgrimage chapel, and Paudorf, where the Lower Austrian Mariazell Way crosses, into the picturesque foothills of the Dunkelsteiner Forest, to reach the Benedictine Abbey Göttweig, where it merges into the next section of the Austrian Way of St. James. From Göttweig Abbey, the pilgrim path leads about 24 km via Mautern to Maria Langegg. From Maria Langegg via Wolfstein Castle to Melk Abbey, a route through the Dunkelsteiner Forest of about 20 km has to be covered. The last stage of the Danube Way of St. James leads us from Melk Abbey along the Danube riverbank and through the idyllic villages of Leiben and Artstetten with their castles and churches to Maria Taferl.
