Beautiful Melk Abbey Review – A River Cruise Tour You Should Not Miss. Sailing down the Danube River through Austria’s Wachau Valley, a sight came into view that seemed…
Beautiful Melk Abbey Review – A River Cruise Tour You Should Not Miss.
Sailing down the Danube River through Austria’s Wachau Valley, a sight came into view that seemed straight out of a storybook – Melk Abbey, perched high on a rocky outcrop overlooking the water. With its golden-yellow Baroque façade gleaming in the sunlight, this magnificent Benedictine monastery promised grandeur, history, and breathtaking views.
As part of a river cruise through central Europe, visiting Melk Abbey was a cultural and architectural highlight I won’t forget. From ornate ceilings and staircases to a library that feels like something out of a fantasy novel, the abbey offered a fascinating glimpse into Austria’s monastic past and Baroque artistry. Whether you’re a history lover, an architecture enthusiast, or someone seeking a unique stop along the Danube, Melk Abbey provides a memorable experience.
In this post, I share what makes Melk Abbey a standout destination, how I experienced it, and why it deserves a place on your Austrian travel itinerary.
About Melk Abbey
Melk Abbey is a magnificent Benedictine monastery in Lower Austria and a masterpiece of Baroque architecture. It is Austria’s largest Baroque structure and one of Europe’s biggest and most beautiful.
The abbey is perched high on a cliff overlooking the Old Town of Melk and the Danube River. It lies at the confluence of the Danube and Melk rivers within the Wachau UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The abbey you see today was built between 1702 and 1736. But Melk Abbey has more than 930 years of history, told in the abbey’s museum. Originally a palace, Melk Abbey was gifted to the Benedictine monks in 1089 and has remained an active abbey ever since. Today, Melk Abbey has 22 monks, a co-educational secondary school with 900 pupils, an extremely well-presented, minimalist museum, and a magnificent church.
My first glimpse of Melk Abbey from the cruise ship on the Danube River was absolutely breathtaking. From every angle, it was impressive – a fairytale vision brought to life. With its ochre-coloured façade and imposing Baroque architecture, Melk Abbey is among the most beautiful buildings. You might have gathered by now that I was truly awestruck by it, and the approach to the abbey’s entrance and guided tour only cemented my delight.
Touring Melk Abbey: Highlights and Impressions
The 50-minute guided tour of Melk Abbey (arranged by Viking Cruises) includes the museum rooms, the Marble Hall, the Balcony, and the library. It began with a meet and greet in the expansive outer courtyard, the Gatekeeper’s Courtyard. In this courtyard, there is an oak wood statue of Saint Coloman. The sculpture, crafted by Franz Gundacker using only a chainsaw, is 150 years old, and the oak was sourced from the abbey’s forests.
Saint Coloman was Austria’s first patron saint until 1663. He remains the patron saint of Melk Abbey and the town of Melk and is buried in the abbey church.
From the Gatekeeper’s Courtyard, we passed through the Benedict Hall and into the Prelate’s Courtyard.
The Prelate’s Courtyard features four vivid, contemporary frescoes, replacing the Baroque frescoes that could not be restored. These frescoes represent the four cardinal virtues: Prudence, Temperance, Justice, and Fortitude. The modernist style of the frescoes caused some controversy as people tried to adjust to the move away from the original and expected Baroque style.
Leaving the Prelate’s Courtyard through a narrow passageway, the grand Imperial Staircase leads to the Imperial Wing, the abbey’s museum and library. Known for its impressive scale and Baroque design, it is a significant feature of the abbey’s architecture.
The abbey museum and imperial rooms
The Imperial Wing was originally designed for the imperial court. It consists of the Imperial Corridor and the Imperial Rooms, which now house the Melk Abbey Museum.
The Imperial Corridor, measuring 196 metres in length, is impressive. Portraits of Austria’s rulers adorn its walls – from the first Babenberg Emperor, Leopold I, to the last Habsburg Emperor, Karl I. There are more portraits of the Habsburgs since they ruled longer.
The Melk Abbey Museum, located in the imperial rooms to the left of the Imperial Staircase, is exceptionally well-organised and informative and adopts a minimalist approach. You gain a solid overview of the abbey’s history, both past and present, as well as its cultural, political, and economic functions, without feeling overwhelmed or as though there is too much to absorb, ultimately leaving you none the wiser. There is no information overload here.
The museum consists of 11 small rooms. Its overriding theme is “The Path from Yesterday to Today: Melk Abbey in its Past and Present,” and each room features a specific theme. What follows are snippets of interesting information taken from the guide’s explanations throughout the museum tour and my impressions.
Room 3 (“The Ups and Downs of History”) features a wavy floor, symbolising life’s ups and downs. The flooring is not the original Baroque, as Napoleon was an unfortunate guest who burned documents on it.
Rooms 5 and 6 pay tribute to Melk Abbey’s contribution to the Baroque period. The Baroque period was a historical era marked by excess and all that glitters (gold and more gold). “Heaven on Earth” seems to be an appropriate theme for this period. However, Room 7’s “In the Name of Reason” theme represents new times and a sensible, frugal monarch. Joseph II said the Baroque style was too expensive, but perhaps he was too frugal. Taking the Baroque style to the opposite extreme, he allowed only one coffin per church. The coffin designed to meet this requirement had a bottom that would open, allowing the corpse to drop through. Thus, the church could use the coffin again and again.
Room 10 (“To Glorify God in Everything”) contains a 17th-century iron chest for secure storage and transporting the abbey’s most important documents and treasures. The chest features a convoluted locking mechanism comprising 14 still operational locks.
The detailed model of Melk Abbey housed in Room 11 (“Motion is a Sign of Life”) rotates, allowing you to see all sides unobstructed. A mirror on the ceiling provides a view into the model’s courtyards.
The Marble Hall served as a reception area for guests and a dining hall for the imperial family. The name ‘Marble’ Hall is somewhat misleading, as only the door frames are genuine marble. The ‘marble’ on the walls is faux marble. However, I could overlook this due to the magnificent ceiling fresco, which is complemented and framed by stunning architectural paintings.
The abbey library
The library is the second most important room in any Benedictine monastery, second only to the church.
My favourite library to date has been the Coimbra University Library in Portugal. However, the competition between that library and Melk Abbey’s Library would be close; both are stunningly beautiful, and there is something uniquely special about the mix of dark wood and old books.
The Melk Abbey library, completed in 1735, houses approximately 100,000 books and 1800 manuscripts, some dating back to the 9th century. The uniformity of the books on the inlaid bookshelves results from them being bound to match. With internal balconies, wooden sculptures, a massive free-standing world globe, figurines, and frescoed ceilings, the library offers an entrancing vision. It also exudes peace and tranquillity; it is a place where I could easily spend hours just sitting and soaking in the atmosphere. I am waxing lyrical here, but I can’t help it. The Melk Abbey Library does that to me. It’s no wonder Umberto Eco conducted his research for his book, The Name of the Rose, in Melk Abbey’s library. But more on that later.
The library’s upper floor, added in 1768 and accessed via a Rococo-style spiral staircase, is not open to the public.
Melk Abbey’s literary connection extends beyond the books in its historical library.
The Name of the Rose, written by Umberto Eco (1980), is a historical murder mystery (a medieval whodunit) set in an Italian Cistercian monastery in 1327.
But what does a story about murders in a Cistercian monastery in Italy have to do with a Benedictine monastery in Austria? The connection is Melk Abbey’s magnificent library. The focal point in The Name of the Rose is the library where all the murders take place. Melk Abbey’s library is said to be Eco’s inspiration for the library in The Name of the Rose.
But the connection goes deeper than that. One of Eco’s main characters in The Name of the Rose is Adso of Melk, a Benedictine novice from Melk Abbey. The Name of the Rose is Adso of Melk’s story, as he is the narrator. As a way of introduction, Adso of Melk informs us that he is writing his narrative, now an old man, at Melk Abbey. On the last page of The Name of the Rose, Adso of Melk tells the reader he is leaving his manuscript in the library of Melk Abbey.
The guided tour concluded in the library. I stayed behind to soak in the library’s ambience before visiting the church at the guide’s recommendation.
The abbey church
My visit to Melk Abbey’s church was not part of the guided tour, but it is a must-see due to its Baroque architecture and ornate interior of gold leaf, stucco, and marble.
The Altar of Coloman is noteworthy because it contains a sarcophagus with the remains of Saint Coloman, the patron saint of Melk Abbey. Some of the Babenbergs, Austria’s first rulers, are also buried in the church.

The Balcony connecting Marble Hall with the library offers magnificent views of Melk’s Old Town and the Melk and Danube rivers.
Helpful Information
Photography is prohibited inside Melk Abbey’s museum, Marble Hall, the library, and the church.
You don’t have to take the 50-minute guided tour of Melk Abbey (except in the winter months). However, in my opinion, this would be a false economy, as the explanations provided by the guide throughout the tour were invaluable. The guide’s storytelling brought Melk Abbey to life, revealing all its traits.
Melk Abbey’s brochure for individual guests provides detailed information on prices, guided tour times, and a tourist map of the abbey.
I visited Melk Abbey on a shore excursion during a river cruise along the Danube River. However, you can reach Melk by train from Vienna if you’re not on a river cruise. I recommend leaving enough time to explore the old town of Melk.
Melk Abbey isn’t just a beautiful building perched above the Danube; it’s a living piece of Austrian history, rich in art, culture, and spiritual significance. Touring its imperial rooms, ornate church, and the awe-inspiring library was unforgettable. It’s no surprise that Melk Abbey is one of the most photographed stops on Danube River cruises.
Whether cruising through the Wachau Valley or planning a land-based visit, Melk Abbey is absolutely worth your time. It’s a place where history breathes through frescoed ceilings, golden altars, and ancient manuscripts. It was a highlight of the cruise and one of the most memorable experiences of my trip through Austria.
If you’re looking for a cultural gem that combines architecture, history, and fabulous scenery, include Melk Abbey in your itinerary. You won’t be disappointed; I guarantee it is something special.
Editor’s Note: I first published this blog post in November 2019 and have since revised it for accuracy, thoroughness, and relevance.
Disclaimer: This post contains no affiliate links. All views and opinions are my own and non-sponsored. All photos are my own and remain the copyright of Joanna Rath/Just Me Travel.
© Just Me Travel 2018-2025. All rights reserved.
Have you visited Melk Abbey or taken a Danube River cruise? I’d love to hear about your experience – drop a comment below!
I love hearing from you and look forward to reading and responding to your comments. Join the conversation.
Like this post? Save it for later!
If you’re dreaming of river cruising through Austria or planning your next cultural escape, don’t forget to save this post to Pinterest for easy access later.
Author’s Note: Please check the latest travel restrictions before planning any trip and follow government advice.
© Just Me Travel 2018-2025. All rights reserved.