Wachau Trail 2026: preparation, logistics and gear guide

The organisers announce the event for Saturday 2026-10-03, but it starts the day before. The WACHAU160, 161 km with 5,873 m of climbing, leaves Krems on Friday 2026-10-02 at 15:00 and returns there: it is a loop, the only one of the event. The WACHAU101 starts from Aggsbach Dorf, the WACHAU77 from Emmersdorf, the WACHAU56 and 35 from Spitz, the WACHAU24 from Weißenkirchen and the WACHAU10 from Dürnstein — all heading for Krems.

The published numbers, race by race: WACHAU160 161 km and +5,873 m; WACHAU101 100.4 km and +3,886 m for −3,921; WACHAU77 76.3 km and +3,191 for −3,208; WACHAU56 56.7 km and +2,526 for −2,541; WACHAU35 34.8 km and +1,397 for −1,421; WACHAU24 24.2 km and +1,007 for −1,000; WACHAU10 10.2 km and +355 for −344. The lowest point of the whole set is Krems at 197 m, the highest the Jauerling at 921 m.

Each distance has two starts, sometimes three: one for hikers, one for runners, and the "Wanderläufer" who alternate may take either. On the WACHAU101, hikers start on Friday 2026-10-02 at a time of their choosing between 19:00 and 20:00, and runners on Saturday 2026-10-03 at 02:00. The time limits follow: 27 hours for hikers, 21 for runners. It is the same course, under two different time contracts.

The WACHAU160 works differently, and that is worth knowing before entering: its first 72 kilometres, as far as the Pielachberg aid station, are run without course marking and without aid, in full self-sufficiency or with a declared personal crew. A GPS tracker issued by the organisers is mandatory for every runner on that distance. Beyond Pielachberg the race rejoins the common set-up.

The climb-to-distance ratio is consistent across the races, around 38 to 42 m per kilometre: sustained rolling trail, not high mountains. On the WACHAU101, 3,886 m spread over 100 km means short repeated climbs, never a single pass. Quads on the descents and steadiness decide the day, not the ability to hike uphill for hours.

Prepare the start of the night rather than the end of it. WACHAU101 runners start at 02:00, WACHAU77 runners at 04:00: the first hours are run in the dark, on vineyard and forest paths, before daylight arrives around halfway. Two long runs begun before dawn, with the required headlamp and high-visibility vest, are worth more than one late night run.

The WACHAU56 deserves a separate mention: its page warns that the first eight kilometres out of Spitz concentrate a lot of the climbing, with the Jauerling aid station at kilometre 8. Going out hard on that first hill costs the rest of the race.

The finish is shared by every distance: Krems an der Donau, Stadtpark, Josef-Wichner-Straße 1. Closing time is 23:00, and the finish aid station is open from 12:00 to 23:00. It is also the WACHAU160 start and the place where bibs are handed out the day before: everything converges on one spot, which makes accommodation much simpler.

Bib pickup on Friday 2026-10-02 from 10:00 to 18:00 at the Birds & Bites in the Krems Stadtpark, or directly at the start in Aggsbach Dorf, Emmersdorf, Spitz, Weißenkirchen and Dürnstein, on Friday or Saturday. Distribution stops ten minutes before each start. A QR code arrives by email a few days beforehand and must be shown.

Nine aid stations cover the whole event, shared between the distances: Pielachberg, Emmersdorf, Aggsbach Markt, Maria Laach, the Jauerling Naturparkgasthaus, Spitz castle, the Weißenkirchen market square, the Fesslhütte at Dürnstein, then the finish in Krems. On the WACHAU101 they fall at kilometres 12, 24, 37, 44, 52, 65, 76 and 89; on the WACHAU160 at kilometres 72, 86, 101, 108, 116, 129, 140 and 153.

Shuttles leave from the line 715 stop at the Krems Stadtpark for the starts, booked at registration, for 4 €: 00:45 for WACHAU101 runners, 02:45 for WACHAU77 runners, 04:50 and 06:50 for the two WACHAU56 starts, 08:50 for the WACHAU35 and 10:00 for the WACHAU24. There is no shuttle for supporters.

Krems an der Donau sits about 80 km west of Vienna and is reached by train from the Vienna station. Vienna-Schwechat airport is the natural entry point from abroad; once in Krems a car becomes unnecessary, since every start is served either by the organisers' shuttles or by public buses.

Two public bus lines serve the valley between Krems and Melk, hourly: the 715 on the north bank of the Danube and the 720 on the south bank. The organisers explicitly recommend them to WACHAU101 and WACHAU77 hikers and to WACHAU10 participants, for whom no shuttle is scheduled. Allow three to five minutes on foot between the stop and the start.

Krems is the right choice by construction: the finish of every distance, Friday's bib pickup, the shuttle departures and the WACHAU160 start are all there, in the same corner of the Stadtpark. A runner sleeping in Krems has no transfer to arrange on the Friday evening, and walks home after the race.

Sleeping in the valley — Dürnstein, Weißenkirchen, Spitz, Emmersdorf — has charm but complicates the night: on the long distances the start falls between 19:00 on Friday and 04:00 on Saturday, and the shuttles leave from Krems, not from the villages. Early October is still peak harvest season in the Wachau: booking early is not a theoretical precaution.

The Wachau Trail is prepared through two decisions more than through training: the distance, and the category you run it in — they set the start time, the length of the night and the time limit. Everything else converges on Krems, where it all begins the day before and all ends before 23:00. Open a TrailCompanion Prep from this guide to date those choices and follow the nine aid stations on your own course.