Krems is exactly the right size for a full, unhurried day. In the morning you dive into the medieval and baroque centre; after lunch you walk along the Danube to the art quarter and the neighbouring town of Stein. This one-day plan follows the natural walking route, so you never double back.
Morning: old Krems
Begin at the Steinertor, the only surviving city gate, and head into town past the Mariensäule. Take your time at the Dominican Church — now a museum — then climb the Piarists' Steps to the Piarist Church, with its frescoes and the view over the rooftops. Along the way you pass the medieval Gozzoburg and the comical Simandlbrunnen. This is the most tightly packed part of the day: a great deal to see within a short distance.
Lunch and afternoon: art and Stein
Around midday you are in the historic centre, an easy place to stop for lunch. In the afternoon you walk to the Caricature Museum Krems and the Kunsthalle Krems, housed in a former tobacco factory — together a surprisingly contemporary contrast to the morning. Continue along the Danube to Stein an der Donau, where narrow lanes and the Johannes-Nepomuk-Denkmal on Rathausplatz let the day wind down gently.
Evening: the Wachau by the water
Krems sits at the edge of the Wachau, one of Austria's best-known wine regions. A glass of local wine at sunset by the Danube is a natural way to close your day — the wine tradition is everywhere here, right down to the museum inside the old Dominican Church.
The whole route is about 3.5 kilometres, so you keep plenty of time to pause and look around. Krems is free to play: no account, no download, straight in your browser. Start the day route in the CityWalkGems app and make a full day of it.
