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Wachau World Heritage Trail 13: Unterbergern-Mautern

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  • auf dem Weg nach Furth bei Göttweig
    auf dem Weg nach Furth bei Göttweig
    Photo: Wachau-Nibelungengau-Kremstal

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    Over 13 km, we experience wonderful wine landscapes, small vintner villages, and the sacred Göttweigerberg on our route from Unterbergern to Mautern. The unmistakable Stift Göttweig, the plateau "Am Giritzer" and the loess gorge Zellergraben are special highlights on our route.


    easy
    Distance 13 km
    3:41 h
    324 m
    424 m
    419 m
    202 m

    Wachau World Heritage Trail: Oberbergern to Mautern

    The stage from Oberbergern to Mautern combines vineyard landscapes, cultural heritage and varied natural settings. From Unterbergern, the trail leads via the prominent Göttweig Abbey and continues for around 13 kilometres through the characteristic wine-growing areas of the Wachau and the Kremstal. Numerous "Heurigen" taverns along the route and broad views across the Danube Valley and surrounding hills accompany this walk.

    Through a rich mix of woodland and meadows, the route reaches the “Am Giritzer” plateau, then continues into the impressive loess gorge of the Zellergraben. The stage ends in Mautern, a historic Roman town whose long settlement history provides a fitting finale to this landscape- and culture-rich section of the Welterbesteig Wachau.

    Walking the Wachau World Heritage Trail reveals, step by step, why the Wachau is a UNESCO World Heritage region. Finely curated World Heritage Spots make the defining World Heritage Highlights visible—the interplay of cultural landscape, traditional viticulture, exceptional natural habitats and the Danube as a shaping force.

    Thanks to excellent rail connections, a relaxed and sustainable journey to the Wachau is straightforward. Within the region, a dense public transport network makes all stages easy to reach by bus, train, ferry and boat, allowing stages to be combined with great flexibility.

    The Wachau World Heritage Trail also holds the Austrian Hiking Quality Seal. This certification represents high standards in route design, waymarking, safety and infrastructure, confirming the trail as a reliable, high-quality walking experience at the heart of the UNESCO World Heritage site.

    Author’s recommendation

    To loess path „Zellergraben“ and Göttweigerberg there is an extremelysuccessful conservation brochure: “Natura Trail wine & nature”,www.nfi.at (section Natura Trails). The information folder is a good addition to the hiking tour.

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    Wachau Nibelungengau-Kremstal
    Logo Donau Niederösterreich Tourismus GmbH
    Responsible for this content
    Donau Niederösterreich Tourismus GmbH  Verified partner 
    Difficulty
    easy
    Overall difficulty
    easy

    Derived from the technical difficulty and the stamina requirements.

    Landscape
    Highest point
    419 m
    Lowest point
    202 m
    Best time of year
    Jan
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    Track types

    Show elevation profile

    Safety information

    Emergency call mountain rescue Wachau: 140

    Tips and suggestions

    For dining and overnight stay options, we recommend Best of Wachau businesses: www.bestof-wachau.at. Best of Wachau businesses are located in Mautern.

    Further dining options/opening hours:

    Restaurant Stift Göttweig (stamp station): Open daily from late April to mid-December, www.stift-goettweig.at; Phone: 02732/85581-328.

    Wine taverns are located in Unterbergern, Steinaweg, Furth and Mautern. Please check the current Heurigen calendar.

    For easy and convenient planning of routes, the Wachau-Nibelungengau-Kremstal app is recommended. Simply download for Android or iPhone.

    Roadbook

    Our stage starts in the town center of Unterbergern. Several Heurigens in the village invite you to a cozy stop. We follow the main street heading southwest and after about 300 m turn left and immediately right again. We go uphill and turn left at the next intersection. After a few minutes, we reach the plateau "Am Giritzer." Just before the model airfield, we keep right and reach a small forest and the Red Cross. From there, we follow the path straight ahead to the rest area at the linden tree in Baumgarten, which offers a wonderful view over Krems, Stein, Mautern, and Stift Göttweig.

    We walk a short distance on the country road to the right and turn left at the next junction into Zeiling country road. We follow it to the end and turn right onto the main road. We pass through the small Steinaweg wine cellar lane and after about 150 m go left downhill to Steinaweg. At the bottom, we go right and then left over a small bridge to reach the Steinaweg chapel. Over another small bridge crossing the Fladnitz brook, we begin our ascent to Göttweiger Berg and the abbey. After crossing the railway tracks, the path goes uphill. Through an untouched hornbeam, oak, and pine forest, our path leads up to Stift Göttweig (stamp station), where we can stop in the abbey restaurant.

    Then the path continuously goes downhill into the vintner village of Furth. At the train station, we keep left and go under the railway lines. At the second street after that, we turn left into Kargelmayer lane and walk parallel to the Fladnitz brook (on the right). We cross the next bridge and reach the Furth parish church of Saint Wolfgang. We go under the church and immediately left uphill (St. Wolfgang path). We reach the Furth Kellergraben with Heurigens and go right. At the next intersection, we go left and are now in the "loess gorge" Zellergraben. The loess walls are among the most impressive in the whole region and are a natural monument. At the end of the gorge, we reach the rest area Zellerkreuz and hike right through the cellar path through the Furth and Mautern vineyards (Ried Silberbichl). At the end of the cellar path, we go right and continue to the main road at the Mautern barracks. We turn left, cross the roundabout, and follow the street to Mautern town hall square, where our stage ends.

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    Bergauf Stift Göttweig
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    Stift Göttweig

    Public transport

    The villages are accessible seven days a week by public transport. Returning to the starting point of the hike is possible.

    On weekdays, the regional bus 489 runs between the villages. Arrival to Mautern is possible by bus line 720 (Krems-Rossatz-Melk or Melk-Rossatz-Krems) from the Krems and Melk train stations: www.vor.at

    A station of the Nextbike rental bikes is located in Mautern/Römerhalle, www.nextbike.at

    Directions

    A1 to exit Melk, continue on the B33 to Mautern and then via the country road to Unterbergern

    Parking

    In the center of Unterbergern or at the Römerhalle in Mautern.

    Coordinates

    DD
    48.375976, 15.548118
    DMS
    48°22'33.5"N 15°32'53.2"E
    UTM
    33U 540589 5358234
    w3w 
    ///dislodging.trading.deserved
    Get there by train, car, bike, or on foot!

    Equipment

    Sturdy hiking shoes, rain protection, sufficient drinks and food as well as the Wachau hiking map and a Heurigen calendar. An equipment list can be found at www.welterbesteig.at under the Service/Tips section.

    Similar routes nearby

    • Wachau World Heritage Trail 02: Dürnstein-Weißenkirchen
    • Long-distance trail Kremstal-Donau 02: Mautern - Furth near Göttweig
    • Wachau World Heritage Trail 14: Mautern-Krems
    • Wachau World Heritage Trail 12: Rossatz-Unterbergern
    • Welterbesteig Wachau Etappe 13, Zustieg vom Bhf. Furth-Palt
     These suggestions were generated by our system
    Difficulty
    easy
    Overall difficulty
    easy

    Derived from the technical difficulty and the stamina requirements.

    Distance
    13 km
    Duration
    3:41 h
    Ascent
    324 m
    Descent
    424 m
    Highest point
    419 m
    Lowest point
    202 m
    Linear route

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