I visited this WHS in August 2015. I spent 2 days in the Wachau valley. Unlike many tourists, I decided not to visit this great Austrian WHS as a day trip (train-abbey-cruise-train) from Vienna but to base myself in the quaint village of Melk. It turned out to be a wise option as early morning and late afternoon were quieter and cooler to visit too in the Summer. During the first day I visited the massive Melk abbey. While driving to Melk, the abbey is almost hidden in the Wachau valley but once I approached the corn fields just a few kilometers away, I could admire the sheer size of this recently restored abbey. The best light for photography of the Melk Abbey Church is sunset although the morning light is perfect to take pictures from the abbey terrace or inside the abbey courtyards. The highlight of my visit was definitely the spiral painted staircases. Most tourists stop to take pictures of the first staircase they descend to reach the church, however I recommend heading directly opposite this staircase towards the exit as there is an identical one that leads to the library (closed to the public) which is perfect to take pictures of without having to "photo-chop" a couple of curious tourist heads. The library is worth viewing too although it doesn't compare to the one in St. Gallen or others I visited. Another abbey worth visiting is the Gottweig Benedictine Abbey, which is part of the Austrian Route to Santiago de Compostela. The best views of the Wachau valley are to be had from the ring road or from one of the castle ruins that dot the surrounding hills above the vineyards. On the second day I took a Danube cruise (24 euros) from Melk to Krems (downstream) and I stopped in Krems and in Durnstein. The bus ride back to Melk (7 euros) is very expensive and is only available once every hour. All in all the Wachau valley is an interesting WHS even though very touristy and definitely one of Austria's best WHS.