Hotel Richard Löwenherz Dürnstein

Richard the Lionheart is said to have been the first true guest of note in Dürnstein. What this illustrious English King enjoyed eight centuries ago – albeit, in his case, somewhat involuntarily – awaits you in an almost unchanged state: namely, one of the most beautiful, pristine river landscapes in Europe, tucked into the green hills of the Waldviertel (“forest district”) and the Dunkelsteinerwald (“dark stone forest”).

Here, in the soul of the Wachau, where the mild and sunny climate bestows its blessings not just on the vineyard grapes, the Thiery family extends a royal welcome to their guests.

The hotel radiates the unique atmosphere of a former convent of the Clares, right on the banks of the Danube. In the Restaurant Löwenherz you will be pampered with culinary delights and a fine selection of wines.

The hotel has done justice to its royal name ever since – as Hotel Richard the Lionheart, where each and every guest is treated royally.

The history of our house
In 1289, the powerful Leuthold I of Kuenring donated the Hager house and the Schenking farmstead to the Convent of the Clares, which he himself had founded. In 1340, the Gothic church with its two naves had been finished.

Donations by the princes, the Kuenringers, and the families of the nuns further strengthened the foundation, however, the Reformation and war taxes bore so heavily that the convent had to be dissolved in 1571.

The entire property went to the monastery of the Order of St. Augustine, which was completely reconstructed by Provost Hieronymus Übelbacher. He wanted to adapt it to the architectural standards of his period and thus, much of the original construction was lost.

The spacious cellar in front of the “Kremser Tor” gate was enlarged, the sacred adornments of the Church of the Clares were removed, the ridge turret and the high church roof were torn down, and the Gothic windows were walled up.

Thus, the originally Gothic structure with its two naves was turned into a silo. Provost Hieronymus financed all of these reconstructions by means of trading with wine and crops. The Clares’ cloister was also torn down and the rooms of the convent started to be used for economic purposes.

The Augustinian monastery was dissolved in 1798 and the buildings went to the monastery of Herzogenburg. In 1820, the Convent of the Clares fell into private hands.

Since 1880, the Thiery family has owned its spacious rooms and turned the former mariners’ tavern into an exquisite hotel of international reputation, named after the English King Richard the Lionheart, who had been imprisoned in Dürnstein from 1192 to 1193.

In 1938, the Starhembergsche Schloß in the west was added to the main building, which, like the rooms of the old house, combines state-of-the-art amenities and wonderful views with restful tranquility.

Rooms & suites in Dürnstein
With its unique location on the very banks of the Danube river, our charming hotel is the perfect venue choice for those who appreciate individual and special service. No matter which room you choose, it will invite you to relax and enjoy the quiet atmosphere.

Convent garden with pool
Protected between ivy-covered city walls and a former Gothic church, the paradise-like monastery garden allows complete relaxation. In a picturesque location, it invites our hotel guests to relax and enjoy the swimming pool. Leave the hustle and bustle of everyday life behind to recharge your batteries!

UNWIND AND RELAX

The large convent garden is the heart of the hotel. Well-manicured sunbathing areas and luscious greenery as well as a remarkable variety of flowers and plants invite you, our guest, to linger and daydream.

The outdoor pool, beautifully nestled against the edge of the convent walls, provides a refreshing way to cool off on warm summer days. Or you can take a break in the shade of a giant linden tree with an unobstructed view of the Danube.

Peace & quiet
Those seeking relaxation will find a one-of-a-kind retreat here as well as peace and quiet away from the noise and hectic pace of everyday life. Unwind with a glass of local wine, take a stroll through the convent garden, or enjoy the fairy-tale atmosphere and historic ambiance while reading a book.

Our restaurant
Enjoy memorable gustatory experiences in our cozy rooms and on the terrace! Our award-winning catering team will spoil you with both traditional and innovative delicacies. You can enjoy these special treats either in our elegant dining rooms or, if the weather permits it, on our terrace with breathtaking view over the Danube.

Sitting under chestnut trees, you will dine overlooking passing boats, the baroque tower of the monastery, and the ruins of the castle in Dürnstein. We will spoil you with culinary delicacies and a selection of excellent wines from the Wachau and other Austrian vineyards.

Group offers
Delicious, creative cuisine …
The unique flair of our terrace overlooking the Danube and the romantic atmosphere of our historic banquet rooms make our restaurant in the Wachau something special and invite you to stay.

If you appreciate excellent cuisine and friendly service, you should not miss the opportunity to enjoy your well-deserved lunch break or top off a day trip through the region of the Wachau at our hotel. We want our guests to feel completely at home…

For a group of 12 persons, we offer a smaller menu and for a group of at least 20 persons, please choose a menu from our group menu suggestions. Changed opening hours for groups on request. We are happy to reserve a place in the sun or in our historical restaurant.

CELEBRATE IN DÜRNSTEIN

Celebrate weddings and anniversaries in the Wachau. Choose the romantic environment and a stylish atmosphere for your festivities.

Celebrate your very special event – be it weddings or any other festive occasions – in our historic banquet rooms or on our atmospheric terrace overlooking the Danube and the entire panorama of the Dunkelsteinerwald.

Enjoy an aperitif in our idyllic convent garden or by the open fire in our hotel lobby before indulging in the culinary delights of our renowned catering team. The Hotel Richard Löwenherz is the perfect location for your event! In the Wachau we will make your event a unique experience!

Our cuisine
The most popular dishes among our guests are the classics of traditional Austrian cuisine including both beef tenderloin and fried trout. The best ingredients and exceptional cooking skills guarantee the finest culinary enjoyment.

FRIED TROUT

Our trout, which our head chef prepares into a mouth-watering dish, come from Austria’s oldest fishery in Traismauer.

Simple is better: according to this motto, our head chef prepares the fried trout, which is seasoned with salt, dredged in flour, fried à la meunière, and kept warm in the oven to seal in the juices. This is all it takes for pure culinary bliss.

Cakes and pies
For all those with a sweet tooth, our pastry chef prepares treats such as apple strudel, apricot cake, and almond torte according to traditional Austrian recipes. As a special treat, the small cookies that you can enjoy with coffee are homemade!

Our breakfast
Awaiting you for an enjoyable start to the day is our lavish breakfast offer with regional delicacies such as our homemade apricot jam and the “Wachauer Laberl” from Bäckerei Schmidl in Dürnstein.

Look forward to a new day in Dürnstein while enjoying the aroma of fresh coffee and the lavish breakfast offer as you gaze out on the Danube as it flows past. Everything your heart desires and a little extra are awaiting you on our mouth-watering breakfast offer.

No matter whether you prefer a sweet breakfast with homemade pastries or a savory breakfast with freshly prepared eggs, salmon, and ham, let yourself be inspired by our delicious breakfast offer and start your day in a good mood with plenty of energy.

Seminars & meetings
Looking for a quiet environment in the countryside, a stylish ambiance, and an uncomplicated setting for your conference? With a quiet and central location, our hotel – not far from Vienna – provides the best conditions for the organization of meetings and seminars in the Wachau.

At Hotel Richard Löwenherz, where comfort and well-being are associated with tradition, every meeting will be a success! Enjoy the unique atmosphere of a former convent in the heart of the Cultural World Heritage Site of Wachau.

At the open fire place, in the rose garden with a view overlooking the Danube, or in the historic dining rooms – unique moments on special days! We would be glad to make you a personal offer for your event!

Wachau experience
The most famous part of the Danube Valley between Melk and Krems offers a wide range of leisure and sports facilities. In summer, the Danube with its cozy beaches and a very good water quality invites you to cool off.

Excursions in the Wachau
The Wachau presents itself as a UNESCO World Heritage Site with its imposing monasteries, castles, and ruins and is a paradise on the river. The prestigious travel magazine “National Geographic Traveller” ranked Wachau first in its last rating of 110 historic places worldwide!

DÜRNSTEIN MONASTERY

The former monastery of the order of St. Augustine “Augustiner Chorherrenstift” perches on a picturesque rock overlooking the Danube. The monastery owes its Baroque structures and elements to Provost Hieronymus Übelbacher.

The reconstruction work he initiated resulted in the beautifully ornamented church, which will also delight its visitors with its famous blue tower. A Baroque cloister is annexed to the church with art-historical treasures and a crypt.

THE BENEDICTINE ABBEY OF MELK

The Melk Abbey is one of the most important baroque buildings in Austria. Must-sees include the imperial staircase, the modern monastery museum in the former imperial rooms, the marble hall, and the abbey library with frescoes by Paul Troger.

The altars with views of the Danube, the world-famous collegiate church, and the Abbey Park with the baroque garden pavilion are particularly noteworthy and true gems in the Melk Abbey.

Göttweig Abbey
The Baroque Abbey of Goettweig is situated on a mountain in the far east of the Wachau, south of Krems. Goettweig offers many interesting sights to see: the museum in the emperor’s apartments with annual exhibitions of the monastery’s art collections, the emperor’s staircase with the stunning ceiling frescos by local painter Paul Troger, the opulently ornamented apartments of the emperor and the princes, and the church with its crypt and its cloister.

Castle ruins of Aggstein
Aggstein certainly deserves its reputation as one of the most famous castles in Austria. Perched high above the Danube with a breathtaking view of the World Cultural Heritage region of Wachau, this legendary castle is certainly worth a visit – not only for children.

There are several viewing points that help your eyes transcend almost all the castle’s walls. Another attraction that visitors should certainly not miss is the Exhibition on the Nibelungen, which is set in the vaults of the castle’s cellar and offers, among others, lovely hand-carved figurines and pictures depicting fairy tale scenes.

Herzogenburg Monastery
This monastery, which is close to Krems, hosts one of the most significant art collections in Lower Austria. The emphasis of this collection lies mainly on the Gothic works of the School of the Danube, the panel paintings, sculptures, and stained glass windows.

Wandering through the banquet room, the treasury, the library, the coin collection, and the Baroque paintings hall, the visitor will get a good impression of the artistic and cultural significance of this convent.

Castle of Schallaburg
The Castle of Schallaburg, which lies 5 kilometres north of Melk, is probably the most beautiful Renaissance castle north of the Alps.

Visitors will be impressed by the two-story arcades ornamented with terra-cotta, the Romanesque part of the castle, the Gothic chapel, and the stunning gardens. The annually varying art-historical and archaeological exhibitions in a historic setting also attract plenty of visitors.

Museums & exhibitions
Kunstmeile & Landesgalerie, Krems
Not far from Dürnstein, only 7 kilometers away in Krems, the Kunstmeile Krems and the Niederösterreichische Landesgalerie (state gallery) promise a variety of art enjoyment.

The Kunstmeile Krems offers a wide and sophisticated cultural program with a multitude of museums, galleries, as well as art and music festivals. On a stretch of only one mile (1.6 km), you have the opportunity to experience a variety of contemporary art forms in a historic setting at the gateway to the Wachau.

Kittenberger Discovery Gardens, Schiltern
The initial idea of these gardens was to visualize different concepts of landscaping; the result was an amazing blend of special theme gardens.

Set among the rolling hills south of the Waldviertel region and only few kilometres from Krems and Langenlois, the Discovery Gardens are the perfect venue for garden and nature lovers, who will find plenty of ideas and concepts for their own gardens. Additionally, the children will have fun in the children’s nature world.

Here children and adolescents can be themselves again and at the same time learn to be creative and live in close touch with nature, especially by building castles in a “SANDGATSCHMULDE”, climbing in our rock garden, playing in our bush and field house, balancing on a tree trunk, observing the “insect hotel”, and much more.

Cruise ship museum, Spitz
Spitz used to play an important role in navigation on the Danube, which is shown impressively in the Navigation Museum. The museum, set in the baroque Erlahof, displays a comprehensive collection on the navigation on the Danube both by rowing boats and by rafts.

Ship cruises
Discover one of the most beautiful stretches of the Danube – the Wachau – aboard a cruise ship. Take your time and enjoy the sights that are slowly passing by on the banks of the Danube. Cruise ships start in Dürnstein at the stop “Donaustation” no. 20 directly beneath the monastery – just a few-minutes-walk away from the hotel.

The Wachau and wine
The Wachau looks back on a long history of wine-growing. The steeply terraced vineyards, where world-renowned vintage wines grow, dominate the impression of the visitor in the Danube valley.

Wachaua wines benefit from ideal natural conditions such as the moderate climate and the temperature-regulating effects of the Danube.

“VINEA WACHAU”

The “Vinea Wachau” – an association of vineyards in the Wachau created three categories of white wine in order to emphasize the unique quality of these wines:

• Steinfeder – light, aromatic
• Federspiel – elegant, full
• Smaragd – mature, rich
• Weingärten in Dürnstein

The most widely grown wine grapes are the Green Veltliner and the Riesling. The Wachau, however, has many more excellent white and red grapes to offer. Wines can be tasted in restaurants and traditional inns, during special wine festivals, or directly at the winegrower’s estates.

Therefore, we additionally recommend the wine growers of the “Vinea Wachau”, the organic vineyard of Nikolaihof Saahs in Mautern. This wine tavern in the Wachau is the perfect place to try wines.

The Vinea Wachau offers the app myWachau, which informes you about the opening hours of the wineries, restaurants, and wine taverns. If offers additional information about the vinyards and the soil profile.

Wine tasting
Domäne Wachau
In the winery “Domäne Wachau”, guided tours of the cellar including a guided wine tasting takes place on Saturdays at 2 p.m. Visitors will be guided through the baroque vault and the renowned “wine cellar castle”.

In addition to information on the history of the Wachau and of winegrowing, the tour includes tastes of six classic wines.

Loisium
In the “Cellar World“ at Langenlois, visitors will be drawn into a mystical world of sensual experience as they can taste, smell, feel, see, and even hear wine.

Sandgrube 13 Wein.Sinn
Experience wine and all its different facets and find out more about its production, its history, its culture – and especially its taste! “SANDGRUBE 13 Wein.Sinn” – a sensual journey through the world of wine.

Cycling in the Wachau
This is an excursion in a phenomenal world that almost seems surreal. There are the shores of the majestic Danube, gentle mountains, forests, old castle ruins, and Baroque fairy-tale palaces. Here at Hotel Richard Löwenherz, we are the perfect starting point for unforgettable moments on 2 wheels!

Bike tours in the Wachau
Orchard bike tour (ca. 2 hrs.)
You will cross the Danube on a ferry. From Rossatz, you will reach Arnsdorf by heading upstream through orchards and vineyards. Here, the ferry will take you back to Spitz. The path leads back along quiet village roads and towpaths to Dürnstein.

Weinstein tour – the MTB route in the Wachau
“Stone and wine”: this one-of-a-kind mountain bike tour leads among the Wachau vineyards, over the peaks of the surroundings mountains, and through the forests of the southern Waldviertel. On this tour, you can enjoy the diversity of the unique landscape of the Wachau and Waldviertel.

Hiking in the Wachau
Look forward to an active holiday in the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Wachau! Here you can expect adventurous hiking tours to old castles and ruins, gourmet trails to the vineyards, and fine rest stops in beautiful nature between the Dunkelsteinerwald and the picturesque banks of the Danube!

A river valley right out of a storybook, vines that sway in the wind, the magic of the blossoming apricot trees, romantic forests, and ancient treasures that make the history of the Wachau come alive. All these facets create a hiking paradise that offers the perfect hiking route for every age and to suit every taste.

Hotel Richard Löwenherz is located in the middle of a UNESCO world heritage site and offers ideal access to the large network of hiking trails in the Wachau. Would you like to head out towards the towns of Melk or Krems?

No problem: boat and train transportation are wonderfully connected so that you can easily reach many sites and attractions and the start of your hiking trail!

Wachau World Heritage Trail
Hiking in the Wachau: experience the Wachau World Heritage Trail with a length of 180 km and hike past 14 stations on the trail of the rich history and exciting present of the Wachau.

On the most beautiful hiking trails and historic paths, the long-distance trail connects the 13 communities of the UNESCO world heritage site of the Wachau.

The high-altitude trail leads to unforgettable viewing points and will take you to 20 fortresses, ruins, and castles, the Wachau wine region with its stone terraces and spectacular vineyards and the Kremstal, 3 monasteries, as well as the Jauerling (a nature park with the highest mountain on the Danube – 960 m).

The long-distance trail is divided into 14 stages and can be hiked in both directions. The Jauerling Loop with 3 ferry connections lends itself to variation and can be tailored to individual tastes for a special hiking experience. A Wachau hiking map is available at the reception desk.

Viewing points in the Wachau
Excursion destinations in the Wachau with a panoramic view: enjoy breathtaking views of the Danube Valley and far-reaching views of the region! The numerous observation towers on hills in the Wachau and hiking paths in the surroundings are the perfect opportunity to discover the landscape during your holiday in the Wachau.

Tour tips
Vogelberg-Trail (approx. 2,5 hours)
The Vogelberg-Trail is one of the most beautiful uphill trails in the Wachau and offers amazing views over Dürnstein and the Danube. It leads through the Talgraben valley and passes by the mountain hut “Fesslhütte” and the ruins of the castle before taking you back to Dürnstein.

Panorama-Trail Achleiten (approx. 3 hours)
The Panorama-Trail will take you from Weißenkirchen through the well-known marshland of Achleiten-Klaus, the hamlet of Schildhütten, and back to Weißenkirchen. Winegrowers’ huts and the typically Austrian religious niches called ‘Marterl’ are representatives of local folklore. The Panorama Trail offers an impressive view of the Danube valley.

Seekopf-Hirschwand (approx. 4 hours)
This path starts out in St. Lorenz and leads uphill unto the ‘Hirschwand’ in several winding loops. Walking on, you will reach the ‘Seekopf’, which offers a breathtaking view over the entire region. Follow the path towards the Danube and you will return to St. Lorenz.

Panorama Trail Rossatz (ca. 3 hrs.)
This easy, leisurely hike begins in the parking area of the Rossatzbach landing stage on the B33. From here, it leads along the edge of the forest to Rührsdorf, where the Winzerstüberl invites you to enjoy refreshments. You can then follow the trail through Rührsdorf and the Danube wetlands back to the parking area.

Golf holidays in the Wachau
Located in the scenic surroundings of the forest and wine district or in front of the impressive backdrop of Lower Austrian castles, the golf courses in the near and far surroundings invite you to spend a day on the green.