Melk Abbey, Austria

Melk Abbey is a large Benedictine monastery located in the town of Melk, in Lower Austria, overlooking the Danube River. Benedictine monks have lived here since 1089, and the present Baroque abbey was built between 1702 and 1736 to designs by the architect Jakob Prandtauer. It is one of the finest examples of Baroque architecture in Europe and a key landmark of the Wachau Valley, and it is still an active monastery and school today.

What is interesting to see
Melk Abbey is famous for its richly decorated Baroque interiors, including the abbey church with ceiling frescoes by Johann Michael Rottmayr and gilded details, the Imperial Rooms with the abbey museum, the Marble Hall, and the historic library with thousands of medieval manuscripts and books. The abbey terrace offers wide panoramic views over the Danube and the Wachau landscape. Visitors also appreciate the Baroque abbey park with its garden pavilion and the contrast between the monumental architecture and the surrounding river valley.

Entrance tickets
Adult tickets cost €16, pupils and students up to 27 pay €8, and a family ticket costs €32; a guided tour costs €4 extra, and a ticket for the abbey park alone is €5.50. A combined ticket with Göttweig Abbey costs €27. From April to October the abbey is open daily from 9:00 to 17:30; from November to early January it opens from 10:00 to 16:30, and from early January to mid-March visits are only possible with a guided tour.

UNESCO World Heritage status
Since 2000, Melk Abbey has been part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site “Wachau Cultural Landscape.” This status recognizes the combined value of historic towns, religious monuments, vineyards, and the natural setting along the Danube, with Melk Abbey as one of the most important highlights of the region.

How to get there
Melk has regular train connections from Vienna and St. Pölten, taking about an hour and a quarter from Vienna; from Melk station, the abbey is a short uphill walk of about 10 minutes. From spring to autumn, Danube boats sail through the Wachau between Krems and Melk.