Do you love beer or old monasteries? How about old monasteries that have been making beer for over 1000 years? Take a boat down to the Weltenburg Abbey, and enjoy one of these centuries-old brews. You’ll love it!
Don’t you just love a good boat ride? One with spectacular scenery and great snacks on board? We do, and we’ve taken many, like when we sailed out of Stockhom, took a tall ship vacation, boated into Taman Negara in Malaysia.
We’ve taken boats and ferries all over the world from Istanbul to Russia. We’ve enjoyed short cruises from the Galapagos to the Baltics.
Boat travel is just one perfect way to relax while you are sightseeing or just to get from one point to another without having the stress of driving, or figuring out which stop to get off at since there are usually not that many.
However the Weltenburg boat ride, a must-see in Germany, was a bit shorter; but it did take us to lunch at the renowned Weltenburg Abbey (Kloster Weltenburg) where they have been brewing their own beer for 1,000 years, so it’s got a pretty good hold on its claim of being the oldest monastic brewery in the world.
In this article, we’ll tell you all about a fantastic way to spend a day a little north of Munich in Kelheim, Germany. You’ll find out:
- Where Weltenburg Abbey is
- The boat ride through the Danube Gorge
- The incredible beer that’s brewed there
- How to get to Kelheim
Danube Gorge Boat Ride
On a whim and a crisp, fall day, we headed down to Kelheim, where you catch the 45 minute boat ride to the abbey. We hadn’t really done much research, but we figured it would all work out.
Travel is like that. If you are calm and patient, and maybe not expecting too much, it will all work out. At least that’s what we hoped as we pulled up to a rather full parking lot. It seems we weren’t the only ones that wanted to take advantage of this gorgeous day, especially since we knew that winter was sure to come in the not-too-distant future.
However, the boat launches are frequent, and even though we had a tough time finding a parking space, tickets were not a problem. We were on the next boat, leaving in only ten minutes. It was almost too quick. We boarded and headed straight to the top where we would have the best view of the ride.
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The ride. The ride is one reason you go to the Weltenburg Abbey. On the way, you go through one of the Danube’s most beautiful gorges. Limestone pillars, very similar to the ones we saw at Bastei Bridge in the Saxon Switzerland, come all the way to the water. It seemed to be over before we knew it, though. It was quick.
When we arrived at the dock, we took our time disembarking unlike the rest of the passengers. They wanted off, but we know that sometimes when you hang back, you can get the best photos so we took our time.
Weltenburg Brewery
The abbey and brewery sits on a tight bend in the river, rather like a horseshoe shape and the monastery and grounds take up most of the available space. There are a few things to do, take a brewery tour if they are being offered, visit the cathedral or the museum, and do a little shopping. But one of the best reasons to go is that Weltenburg has a huge beer garden where you can drink the beer that’s been made there for centuries.
Looking for a space to sit down, we now knew where all those folks in those parked cars were…enjoying the autumn sunshine with a liter of beer. We intended to do the very same thing. We found a table, and since we’d eaten at the restaurant before, we decided to just have a pretzel and a beer, sit and chat, and enjoy the afternoon warmth in that golden light of fall.
Afterwards, we made our way down to the boat dock and headed back to our car. We then wanted to go to Kuchlbauer Tower since it was right up the road and another fun and quirky brewery tour.
How to Get to Weltenburg
Weltenburg is nestled in between two major cities, Regensburg and Munich. It’s only an hour drive from either of them, so if you have your own car or are renting one it’s super easy to get there. However, you cannot drive directly to Weltenburg Abbey, but you can drive to the town and take a one kilometer (about 15 minutes) walk along the river after leaving your car in the nearest parking lot.
We did this the first time we visited in November, because the boat ride doesn’t run during the winter months. If the weather is nice, and the boats are running, we definitely recommend the river route. You can book tickets at the departure point in Kelheim, just look for the Kasse kiosk.
Schiffart-Kelheim operates several ships making the round trip several times per day between March and November. You can get more information and latest prices at their website, however, they do not currently offer online bookings.
From Regensburg to Weltenburg
Driving
- Take the A93 until you come to exit 45, Regensburg-Sud.
- Follow the B16 to Kelheim and take the Riedenburg/Kelheim exit
- Turn right at the end of the offramp
- Cross the bridge over the Donau and stay on Riedenburgstr.
- Take the third exit at the first traffic circle
- Follow the signs to the Schiffsanlagestelle and the parking lots (Schiffsanlegestelle Kelheim, Stadtknechtstraße, 93309 Kelheim, Germany)
- Park in the ample parking lots, buy your tickets, and climb aboard one of the ships of the “White Fleet.”
If the ships aren’t running or you’d rather drive as far as possible, head to the parking lot in Weltenburg village. It is across the street from the firestation at Asamstraße 8, 93309 Kelheim, Germany.
Follow the trail on foot (or bike) around the river to the kloister. By train, hop on at Regensburg Hauptbahnhof and journey on to Saal/Donau, from there it is a short taxi ride to Kelheim (about 15 euro) or a bit further to Weltenburg (about 20 euro).
From Munich to Weltenburg
Driving – take the towards Nuremberg and then switch to the A93 in the direction of Regensburg. Take exit 49 and follow the road signs on into Kelheim as above.
By train, the nearest station is Abensberg, and then you would either have to take the bus that has few departures or hire a taxi.
Other Boat Trips You Might Enjoy around the World:
France: The Scandola Nature Reserve
Sweden: Tall Ship Sailing
Croatia: Rowing on Lake Bled
Turkey: Lake Van
Botswana: Chobe National Park
Uganda: The Kazinga Channel
USA: San Juan Island, Washington
Where to Stay
Weltenburg is a great day trip, so I would suggest staying in Regensburg or Munich where you have lots of choices for restaurants and other sights to see. However, you can stay right there at Weltenburg Abbey or nearby in Kelheim right in the old town, and then you can enjoy this amazing beer without worries.
Conclusion
If you’re looking for a fun day out, one that keeps both kids and adults happy. Take the boat from Kelheim to the Weltenburg Abbey and have a terrific lunch after exploring the small monastery. Like us, you’ll go back again and again.
Author Bio: Corinne Vail is a travel photographer, food lover, and a perpetual traveler who has been travel writing for over 14 years. For many years she lived overseas in Germany, Japan, Turkey, South Korea, and the Netherlands teaching the children of the US. military. She’s visited over 90 countries, and she’s not stopping anytime soon.
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Frank
Thursday 29th of November 2018
I think I unconsciously clicked on this post when I saw the word "abbey"because I knew beer would be involved. I'm in Morocco right now, have been for 4 days during which time I've had no alcohol. I don't know the last time I went 4 days with no alcohol. But I knew that going in and actually vowed not to drink for the 5 weeks that I'm here (Lissette always said if I stayed away from the alcohol for a month I would lose the beer belly. So that's the mission). Weltenburg Abbey looks very nice and since we'll be in Germany for a month next year (including nearby Regensburg) we'll make sure to visit. Can wait to drink some beer again and I'm sure I'll have the belly back :)
Corinne Vail
Thursday 29th of November 2018
Hi Frank, You crack me up. You are almost 1/5 of the way there. Unfortunately we won't be there. We've moved to Japan, so if you happen to come this way, let us know. We now live near Kamakura, Japan.