Schönbühel an der Donau combines a striking location above the river with a castle history stretching far back in time and a monastery complex built later. Cycling and hiking routes also pass through or lead to Schönbühel. This makes it possible to focus your stay on different things: cultural history, a stage of the Danube Cycle Path or a hiking route.

Castle and monastery: different timelines

Schönbühel Castle stands on steep cliffs directly above the Danube. It was built around the turn of the 11th to the 12th century and did not take on its present form until the 19th century. The former Servite monastery stands on a cliff on the right bank of the Danube, 500 m downstream from the castle, at the entrance to the Wachau, high above the Danube. Konrad Balthasar von Starhemberg had the monastery built between 1666 and 1674. The castle’s history thus began earlier than the founding of the monastery, while the castle’s present form dates from a later period.

The Servite monastery contains the Bethlehem Grotto, Austria’s only replica of the Grotto of the Nativity in Bethlehem. The Peregrinus Chapel, added in 1737, received Rococo frescoes by Johann Wenzel Bergl 30 years later. The monastery complex therefore brings together the distinctive grotto and the later decoration of the chapel as two different features.

Cycling and hiking routes for different travel plans

The fifth stage of the Danube Cycle Path from Melk to Mautern passes through Schönbühel an der Donau. Its route runs through Melk, Schönbühel an der Donau, Aggsbach, Aggstein, Rührsdorf, Rossatz-Arnsdorf and Mautern. This places Schönbühel within the stage, whose course can be followed through the stops listed.

Two different routes are relevant for hikers. The Welterbesteig stage from Melk to Aggsbach Dorf is about 16 km long; a historic farm track on the Welterbesteig then leads to Schönbühel. The Wachau Way of St. James is a 49 km spiritual pilgrimage route on foot between Göttweig and Melk abbeys. Via Hohenwarth, it continues to Schönbühel along routes No. 653 and 05. When comparing them, it is important to consider the route context: the approximately 16 km refers to one stage, while the 49 km is the length of the pilgrimage route between the abbeys. This way, you compare not just the numbers but also different types of route.

Plan your journey and accommodation

The municipality of Schönbühel-Aggsbach is connected to Melk an der Donau by bus route 720, which runs every two hours. Check the current departure times for the route before travelling. If this connection suits your travel plans, factor the service frequency into your journey planning.

The routes listed differ in their starting points, destinations and lengths. So first decide which section you plan to travel; then you can arrange your accommodation search and journey to suit your plans.

Discover more destinations: Braunegg, Artstetten, Melk, Bergland, Persenbeug, Ybbs an der Donau, Laimbach am Ostrong, Aggsbach Dorf

Return to the main travel overview: Melk.