Wachau World Heritage Trail 13: Unterbergern-Mautern

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.

Starting point of the tour

Unterbergern, town center

Destination point of the tour

Mautern, town hall square

Route description Wachau World Heritage Trail 13: Unterbergern-Mautern

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.