The Wachau Valley — the 30-kilometre stretch of the Danube between Melk and Krems — is one of Austria's most celebrated landscapes and one of its best cycle routes. The EuroVelo 6 long-distance cycle path follows the Danube along both banks; the route from Melk to Krems passes terraced vineyards, ruined castles, apricot orchards, and wine villages with few climbs and a surface that is mostly paved or well-maintained gravel.
Melk is the natural starting point if you are doing the Wachau section eastbound. The ride to Krems takes around two to three hours at a comfortable pace; stopping at Dürnstein, where Richard the Lionheart was famously imprisoned in 1192, adds welcome texture. Bikes can be rented in Melk and returned in Krems, or you can take the boat one way and cycle the other. The route is best in April when the apricot trees are in blossom, or in September during the wine harvest.