Krems is where the Wachau starts, if you come from the east. The Danube turns from a wide, brown, businesslike river into something more intimate here, squeezed between terraced vineyards and forested hills, and the town sits right at the gate. Krems an der Donau has about fourteen thousand people and its twin Stein is a few minutes along the bank, with a medieval gate and a narrow main street that feels more like a film set than a place to buy groceries. You can find fuel, food and a bike-friendly hotel without effort.
The Wachau is a UNESCO World Heritage landscape, and it earns it. The vineyards climb in dry-stone terraces up to the rocky ridges, and the wines here, especially Grüner Veltliner and Riesling, have a mineral snap that comes from the granite and loess soils. The valley is also famous for its apricots, the Wachauer Marille, which have protected origin status; in spring the orchards bloom white, and in July the roadside stalls sell jam, schnapps and fresh fruit. If you are here on a warm afternoon, order a glass of Grüner at a Heuriger, the traditional wine tavern, and don't plan anything strenuous afterwards.
Across the river stands Göttweig Abbey, a Benedictine monastery on a hill, which you can see from the road for miles and which is worth a short detour if you like baroque stairs. Further along, the Danube road passes the village of Dürnstein, with its blue baroque tower and the ruined castle above, where legend says Richard the Lionheart was held captive in 1192 on his way home from the Crusades. The story is half history, half romantic legend, but the castle ruin is real enough.
For riding, the Wachau is more about the pleasures of a steady pace than about corners. The road follows the north bank in gentle bends, with the river on one side and the vineyards on the other, and it is rarely steep. On sunny weekends it fills with cyclists, tour buses and other riders, so go early or on a weekday if you can. Spring and autumn are the best seasons, with blossom in April and golden vineyards in October, and the light along the river in the late afternoon is as good as any in Austria.