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Dürnstein Travel Guide: 70 reviews and 325 photos

Wine fields and the castle ruins - Dürnstein

Dürnstein is in the Wachau valley, a region famous for its wine making and beauty. Hundreds of years ago pirates were common in this region, and they used various tricks to rob people. One group would lay a rope or chain across the Danube, and when a ship would pass, they would pull the rope, blocking the path. The ship would have to give up some of its cargo for further passage.

Dürnstein has a place in history because it was here that Richard the Lion Hearted was captured as he returned from the Crusades and held prisoner in their castle. He was freed once a large ransom of silver was paid, and this money was largely used to build the Vienna Neustadt.

The village has fewer than 2.000 residents, and the only real industry here is tourism. Many people have small plots to grow grapes and small winieries to go along with it. Each little winery will allow you to taste the wine in one of their wine cellers. You are not obligated to buy any, so technically you can drink wine the entire day for free!

Wine fields on the Danube

Intro Written Mar 23, 2009
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Reviews (3)

Wachau Cruises Transportation (1)

The DDSG Blue Danube Schifffahrt GmbH offers many different cruises along the Danube. The most common go between Melk... more travel advice

Dürnstein streets Things to Do (2)

The village of Dürnstein is very small, and you can walk from one side to the other in less than 15 minutes. The streets... more travel advice

Stift Dürnstein Things to Do (2)

The history of the Stift Dürnstein starts in 1372 with its initial construction. The Stift Dürnstein was then taken over... more travel advice

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Comments (2)

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globetrott Feb 13, 2010 at 11:44 AM

nice to see Wachau through your eyes, b.t.w. the castle in your transp.tip is Schloss Schoenbuehl !
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victorwkf Oct 5, 2009 at 7:59 AM

Good information & photos, bring back good memories!