An hour from Vienna, the Danube swings through a gorge of terraced Grüner Veltliner vines, apricot orchards and villages that peaked aesthetically in the Baroque. Base yourselves in Dürnstein, beneath the ruined castle that once held Richard the Lionheart, and cycle the flat riverside path between heurigen — growers' taverns pouring their own wine under the vines. Come in April for apricot blossom, or October for harvest gold when the whole valley smells faintly of new wine.
Featured in Ten vineyard escapes for lovers of a long lunch · Romantic