Melk Abbey
Stift Melk
A Baroque Benedictine abbey on a cliff above the Danube, with a marble hall, library and golden church of extraordinary splendour. It is the starting point of the Wachau Valley.
Melk Abbey stands on a rocky cliff on the south bank of the Danube. Benedictine monks have lived here since 1089. The present buildings were rebuilt as a Baroque masterpiece between 1702 and 1736, and their yellow and white façades stretch for hundreds of metres. The visiting route includes the Imperial Corridor, the Marble Hall, a library holding 100,000 old books and the gilded abbey church. The terrace overlooks the Danube. Admission is about 16 euros. From Vienna Westbahnhof, a train takes about 1 hour to Melk. From there you can connect with a Wachau river cruise to Dürnstein.
Opening hours
Apr–Oct 09:00–17:30; tours only in winter
Nearby sights
- Wachau Valley & Dürnstein
- Baden bei Wien
- Kirche am Steinhof
- Schönbrunn Zoo
- Technisches Museum Wien
- Schönbrunn Palace
- Kahlenberg
- Grinzing