Question 1

Getting Around

Accepted Answer

Seven city bus lines serve Krems, and the Obere Landstraße is closed to traffic. Bus line 1 runs every 30 minutes, Monday to Saturday, on a loop that links the railway station, Stein and the Kunstmeile, and the old town of Krems. A single bus ticket was €2.30 and a day ticket €4.50 in October 2026. Check the fare before you travel. Tickets are sold in advance at marked tobacconists, called Trafiken, at the citizens' service desk in the town hall and in the VOR online shop. If you buy on the bus, have the exact fare ready. Behind the Steiner Tor, the Obere Landstraße is a pedestrian zone. Together with the Untere Landstraße it forms the old town's main street, about 700 meters long. Excursion boats sail daily between Krems and Melk from April to October. Check the time of the last boat back before you board.

Question 2

What to Eat and Drink

Accepted Answer

The Wachau is white wine country, known above all for Riesling and Grüner Veltliner. Steinfeder, Federspiel and Smaragd are three registered brand names used by Wachau winemakers, and you will see them on labels and wine lists. The vines grow on steep terraces held in place by dry stone walls, which are still built by hand. The Wachau apricot is protected as a brand of its own. It goes into jam, liqueur and apricot dumplings, and summer, when the fruit is in season, is the time to order the dumplings. Traditional wine taverns, called Heurige, pour local wine and serve homemade food.

Question 3

Tipping and Money

Accepted Answer

In Austrian restaurants and taxis a tip of 5 to 10 percent is normal. Tipping is not an obligation, and the amount depends on how good the service was. A tip can be left in cash or added when you pay by card. Look at the bill first, and if a tip is already included, do not pay it twice. Austria uses the euro. Carry some cash for small purchases.

Question 4

The Kunstmeile, the Steiner Tor and Stein

Accepted Answer

The Kunstmeile is a row of museums and galleries that runs from Stein toward the old town of Krems. The Landesgalerie Niederösterreich, the state gallery of Lower Austria, is the center of the Kunstmeile. The Kunsthalle Krems, the Karikaturmuseum and the Forum Frohner are its other exhibition houses. Opening days differ from house to house, so check each museum before you walk over. The Steiner Tor is the landmark of Krems and the only one left of its four town gates. Three coats of arms from 1756 decorate it. The Gozzoburg is counted among the most important medieval town buildings in Austria. Stein was once a prosperous river port, which still shows in the carved doorways of its old houses and in its churches, the Minorite Church and the parish church.

Question 5

History

Accepted Answer

Krems looks back on more than 1,000 years of history and is one of Austria's oldest towns. The main tower of the Steiner Tor dates from the late 15th century. It carries the motto AEIOU in memory of Emperor Frederick III, who granted the town the coat of arms it still uses. A memorial stone on the inner side of the gate recalls 1573, when a surge of ice flooded the road. The town walls doubled as flood protection, and they could be taken down only after the Danube was regulated in the 19th century. A dam south of the old town followed in the early 20th century, when the Wachau Railway was built. After 1938 the Jewish citizens of Krems were persecuted and murdered. An installation of metal cubes at the foot of the Steiner Tor commemorates them. On November 30, 2000, the World Heritage Committee, meeting in Cairns, Australia, added the Wachau to the World Heritage List. The region owes the listing to local people who fought plans for a power plant on the Danube.

Question 6

Traveling with Family

Accepted Answer

Krems has a street closed to traffic, a museum of caricature and a seasonal railway, the Wachaubahn. The Wachaubahn runs between Krems and Emmersdorf from April to October. The Karikaturmuseum, on the Kunstmeile, is devoted to caricature. A single city bus ticket for a child aged 6 to 15 was €1.20 in October 2026. Check the fare before you travel.

Question 7

Accessibility

Accepted Answer

Ask your cruise line which berth your ship will use in Krems and whether the gangway there is step-free. The city bus is a barrier-free, low-floor vehicle. Coaches can pull up at the landing stage at Welterbe-Platz. The Obere Landstraße is a paved pedestrian zone.

Krems

Good to know

What to Expect