Hike through the vineyards to Jauerling, the highest point in Wachau

Easy hike to the Jauerling mountain in Lower Austria

Starting point

The trip starts in the small village of Spitz an der Donau - parking is available along the road, I park next to the Shiffahrtmuseum.
 

Description of the hike

The Wachau is a wine region in Lower Austria, situated about 40 km along the banks of the Danube between the towns of Melk and Krems. The Danube winds its way under steep sunny slopes where vines have been cultivated for over a thousand years.

Along the Danube and in the adjacent valleys, vineyards rise in terraces, vineyard houses and small wineries are scattered on the slopes, and villages with old churches lie in the valleys.

The Danube Route is guarded by medieval castles, now mostly burgruins, and baroque monasteries shine on the hills in the distance. The Wachau has been declared a cultural heritage area and some of its monuments are listed by Unesco.

The highest point of the Wachau is the Jauerling at 961 metres. I have read that the name comes from the Slavic Javorník, although the slopes are mostly beech, pine and spruce.

I choose the village of Spitz an der Donau as my starting point. I leave the car in the parking lot near the Shiffahrtmuseum (Danube Navigation Museum) in a small castle. I follow the marked hiking trail up to the landmark of Spitz, the Hinterhaus Castle.

The castle is said to have stood above the Danube for almost a thousand years, and I climb its square tower and admire the views of the river and vineyards. I then follow the marked trail to Jauerling-Runde. The footpath climbs quickly through the forest between the rocks and offers switchbacks with views of the Danube.

In about an hour and a half I have climbed over 500 metres and am resting on a bench in front of the village of Benking. I can already see the transmitter on the next peak of Jauerling and the plantations of exemplary regular Christmas trees around the village.

In less than an hour I reach the transmitter and the lookout tower by a forest path. To my surprise, it's still open in February, so I go inside, pay the 2 Euro entrance fee and climb the wooden stairs up to the viewing platform.

And it's not boring - on the first floor there's a flohmarkt - flea market, and there's junk of all kinds stacked up - porcelain, pictures, gramophone records. On the second floor the flohmarkt continues with the library - detective books, paperbacks, red library - for 1,50 euros you can choose anything.

The third floor is taken up by a mineral collection and in the middle between the stairs are displays of stuffed animals. I was taken by the card-playing squirrels and the kibitzing grouse. The views from the lookout tower are unfortunately not great due to the weather, but if the weather is nice you should be able to see the Ybbstal Alps.

So at least I'm warming up in the snack bar downstairs and buying the addictive Mohnzelten - round cakes with poppy seed filling inside. There are more edible souvenirs on offer here - delicious marmalade made from local apricots, fruit brandies and herbal teas. Next to the lookout tower there are other attractions - a playground for children, a herb garden and even a short ski slope.

I head back to the nearby car park and go in search of the Jauerling peak. There's a cross on the edge of the forest, but it's a false summit. The highest point of Jauerling is in the woods about 150m from the road and is quite unusual - a circle of wooden prisms is suspended around an older monument. On the inside is a reflection on Jauerling.

If my German is good enough, it says that Jauerling is a strange hill, it doesn't have a proper summit, but it's still beautiful with meadows of blooming flowers and forests full of strawberries and blueberries. I continue on to the huts and the Naturparkhaus restaurant, which offers a spectacular view almost 700 metres down to the Danube.

From the cottages, the path descends through the forest and in about an hour I am in the valley in the village of Vieβling. I head back to the Danube between the vineyards. Along the road are rows of vines - Riesling, Vetlin green, yellow Muscat and more. The vineyards are interspersed with apricot orchards and Christmas fir trees again.

At Gut am Steg I cross the road and climb up the Panoramaweg between the vineyards. Between the vineyards and the colourful houses of the winery I return to Spitz. Most of the wineries offer wine tasting and sales from the yard, and accommodation is available in some places. I run up the small hill of Burgberg, take in the last views of the Danube and the ruins of Hinterhaus from above, and return to the car. 6 hours on the road, about 18 km and 900 vertical metres.
 

Difficulty

An easy trip that even older children or seniors can manage. A safe route similar to the landscape of the Elbe between Ústí and Litoměřice in Czech republic.
 

Water availability

Plenty of refreshment options are available in Spitz on the Danube, or about halfway through the hike directly at the Jauerling-Aussichtswarte (Jauerling Observation Tower).
 

Sleeping options

Spitz an der Donau, wineries offer tastings and accommodation, several inns.
 

Mountain peaks

The highest peak reached on this hike is Jauerling 961 m above sea level. From its lookout tower you can see the Ybbstal Alps, Ötcher and other nearby mountains with good visibility.
 

Danger

This is a perfectly safe trip with no apparent danger. The only places where you need to be more careful are the shorter stretches of road you need to take.
 

Food

In Spitz there are several inns and wineries, refreshments at the lookout tower. Wineries along the way offer wine tastings, ciders, seasonal fruit. In Benking there is a Bauernhof - selling marmalades and other homemade products in the courtyard.
 

Attractions

While you're in the area, the Schiffahrtmuseum in Spitz is worth a visit. Along the Danube, the beautiful monastery in Melk or the town of Krems are definitely worth a visit.