Melk Abbey - St. Wolfgang - Wolfgangsee Boat trip - St. Gilgen - Salzburg

Route: Vienna - Melk Abbey - St. Wolfgang - Wolfgangsee Boat trip - St. Gilgen - Salzburg - Vienna
Duration: 11 h
Firstly we will visit town Melk, which has been a spiritual and cultural center of the country for more than 1000 years, first as a castle for the Babenbergs, then from 1089 as a Benedictine monastery, founded by Margrave Leopold II. Melk Abbey is one of the biggest and most beautiful European Baroque ensembles. Melk has played an important role in the Danube region since Roman times when a fortress was built there. The cliff where the abbey now stands was the seat of the Babenberg’s dynasty that ruled Austria from the 10th century to the late 13th century. In the 11th century, Leopold II of Babenberg presented the palace at Melk to Benedictine monks, who turned it into a fortified abbey. Its influence and reputation as a centre of learning and culture was spreading throughout Austria. In the early 18th century Abbot Berthold Dietmayr and his architects Jakob Prandtauer and Joseph Munggenast built a sacred palace upon the foundations of the medieval monastery. Melk Abbey is a place where Monks live in accordance with the rules of Saint Benedict. Even though it is visited by more than half a million people every year, it is a place of spirituality and a Christian centre. It also has a prestigious secondary monastery school with about 900 students. Our next stop in this tour will be at St Wolfgang which is a charming town situated on the steep banks of the Wolfgangsee. The village’s main fame arose as a place of pilgrimage, and today’s visitors still come to see the same 14th-century church, packed with art treasures.  This church is built on a rocky outcrop, which explains its irregular floorplan. Inside, there are two superb altarpieces: one, by Michael Pacher (1481), shows a rare unity in its composition, blending painting and wooden sculptures, and is a masterpiece of Gothic art. The other, a double altarpiece by Thomas Schwanthaler (1674-1675), is a Baroque masterpiece. After visit to the church we will take a boat trip throuth the lake.  Where you will see the beautiful views of mounts and small villages . Our boat reach the village St. Gilgen where we will continue our tour to Salzburg. The pretty Alpine style houses a of St Gilgen add a lot of color to the village.  Also the St Gilgen is the place where  Mozart’s mother was born. Her father’s erstwhile residence has now been converted into a museum, a stone’s throw away from the lake and is open to the public. Our next stop will be at Salzburg - town of Mozart  where we will take walking tour takes you past the Mirabell Gardens, Mozarteum (music academy) - Marionette Theatre, Landestheatre (Regional Theatre) - Markart Square then over the river Salzach passing Mozarts Birthplace, Getreidegasse, Blasius Church, Horse pond and Festival Halls - Then via the Sigmundsgate into the Riedenburg area passing by the Hohensalzburg Fortress to the Nonntal area with the famous Nonnberg Abbey. After excursion you will take a free time.After we will return to Vienna.
Price: Per person