A Roman gate still stands in Traismauer, a small town on the Traisen just before the river reaches the Danube, and cars and bicycles pass through it every day. The Römertor, as it is called, is one of the best preserved Roman gates in Austria, part of the fort of Augustianis, which guarded the Danube frontier, the Limes, here. The fort was modified and reused in later centuries, and towers and walls survive in the town's fabric. Since 2021, the Danube Limes has been a piece of the World Heritage property for the frontiers of the Roman Empire.
Traismauer has another claim to fame: it appears in the Nibelungenlied, the medieval German epic, as a stop on Kriemhild's journey to the court of Etzel, king of the Huns. The town is small, with a few thousand inhabitants, a castle and a pleasant square. It lies at the eastern end of the Wachau, the Danube's famous valley of vineyards, apricot orchards and medieval towns, and the Traisental around it is a wine region in its own right, known for its crisp Grüner Veltliner.
The riding is easy and enjoyable. The roads along the Danube are flat and smooth, with views of the river and the vineyards, and the Wachau to the west offers some of the most beautiful riverside riding in Europe, between Krems and Melk, with terraced vineyards climbing steep slopes and castles on the crags. On weekends, the Wachau roads are busy with motorcyclists, cyclists and tourists, so weekdays are better. Speed limits are strictly enforced, and some roads have seasonal restrictions for motorcycles. The hills of the Dunkelsteiner Wald to the south offer quieter roads with curves.
Traismauer has fuel and shops, and Krems, twelve kilometres away, has everything, including a lovely old town. Food in the region is Austrian at its best: Wiener schnitzel, apricot dumplings in season, and heurigen, wine taverns where winemakers serve their own wine with cold cuts and spreads. The heurigen are open only at certain times of the year, marked by a bundle of pine branches over the door. Ride through the Roman gate, park the bike and have a look at the stones; legionaries marched through this same arch, though without the scooters.