Wachau World Heritage Trail 13: Unterbergern-Mautern

Difficulty: Moderate
Distance: 13,04 km
Duration: 5:00 h
Ascent: 323 m elevation gain
Descent: 424 m elevation gain

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.

Starting point of the tour: Unterbergern, town center
Tour destination: Mautern, town hall square

Difficulty: Moderate
Distance: 13,04 km
Duration: 5:00 h
Ascent: 323 m elevation gain
Descent: 424 m elevation gain

Fitness level required:
3/6
Overall experience:
5/6
Scenery:
6/6

Lowest point202 m
Highest point419 m

Stage tour
Nice views
With refreshment stops
Accessibility by train and bus

Downloads

Description

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.

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.
Route description 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.
Parking In the center of Unterbergern or at the Römerhalle in Mautern.
Getting there A1 to exit Melk, continue on the B33 to Mautern and then via the country road to Unterbergern
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.atA station of the Nextbike rental bikes is located in Mautern/Römerhalle, www.nextbike.at
Editor’s tip 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.

Recommended period

Current weather in Unterbergern

6° to 9°

Today, 11.02.2026

Cloudy

Wind speed2,5 km/h

3° to 8°

Tomorrow, 12.02.2026

Light rain

Wind speed1,6 km/h

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.