Krems
The Wachau's eastern gateway, and one of Austria's oldest cities.
Where the Wachau ends and a real city starts
Krems an der Donau marks the eastern edge of the Wachau valley proper, at the point where the terraced vineyards give way to broader agricultural country. It's genuinely one of Austria's oldest cities, with a history and an old town that go well beyond what most riders have energy left to explore after 36 km — which is exactly why it's worth treating as more than just the place the ride happens to stop.
An old town worth the extra hour
Krems's historic centre has a different character from the wine-village lanes further up the valley — denser, more urban, with the layered feel of a place that's been a functioning town for far longer than the cycling route through it has existed. If you've got the legs and the daylight left, it rewards locking the bike and walking rather than riding straight through to the train station.
Closing the loop
Krems is a direct rail stop back to Vienna and connects onward via the Franz-Josefs-Bahn to the rest of the valley — see getting there for the practical details of getting yourself, and your bike, back to where you started.