Frequently Asked Questions
General info for our small-group public tours
Absolutely not! We do expect a basic level of fitness to complete the tour without causing significant delays, but each activity is designed to be accessible for most people. If you have any further questions or concerns then please get in touch and we’d be happy to advise you.Our Vienna Woods Wine Tour is a gentle 9km walk, with just a couple of short uphill sections.Our Vienna Kayak Tour involves kayaking for about 2.5 of the allotted 3 hours. We paddle at a slow & relaxed pace and we usually take a break for a swim if the weather is good. We’ve had people of all ages and fitness levels join us, with no problems whatsoever! Our private kayaking tours are, of course, taken completely at your group’s pace.Our Wachau Valley Kayak & Wine Tour is only suitable for people with experience of paddling in rivers with strong currents. Over the course of the day, we’ll be kayaking for around 3.5 hours.
You don’t have to be Michael Phelps to kayak with us – but if you’re really uncomfortable in aquatic environments (or you cannot swim) then this is not the tour for you. Imagine capsizing for a moment…what do you do?a) stay cool, calm & collected, and climb back into your kayak immediately…b) stay cool, calm & collected, keep hold of your kayak, and alert your guide or the nearest person that you need some help to get back into your kayak…c) totally freak out because you don’t really like water or getting wet, let go of your kayak, burn all your energy, and sink…If your answer was ‘c’ then maybe come taste some wine with us instead 😉
Kayaking is a gentle and relaxing pursuit. It does not require great coordination, balance nor effort, but rather, a steady and consistent forwards rhythm. It is actually a pretty subtle upper body workout, engaging your shoulders, core, arms and back.Before we get on the water, we’ll go over some kayaking basics, and your guide will be on hand throughout to offer paddling tips & advice if you need any. So, in answer to the question, being a complete kayaking novice is not a problem at all!
The tour will go ahead in all weather conditions other than persistent heavy rain or thunderstorms. The vineyard hike may also be cancelled in these conditions. If this happens, we will offer you an alternative time and date or a full refund.
All tours apart from the Vienna Kayak experience are full day tours, so you’ll definitely need to eat at some point! Lunch or dinner stops are therefore built into these itineraries. However, eating out isn’t compulsory, so feel free to bring your own food on any tour, as you wish.Be advised that some establishments in the more remote parts of Austria often do not accept cards, so it’s always a good idea to bring cash with you.
Just use your common sense on this one by looking at the weather forecast on the day.Vienna Kayak Tour & Wachau Valley Kayak & Wine Tour
We recommend kayaking in your swimming gear, a t-shirt, shorts and a sun hat. Definitely bring an extra layer or two though and perhaps also a small towel, in case it gets windy and you’ve been swimming. Bring a light rain jacket in case there are a few spots of rain forecast on the day of your tour. If you have flip flops or water shoes it would also be a good idea to wear them.Vienna Woods Wine Tour – (summer)
If the weather is sunny, we suggest walking the vineyards in shorts, t-shirt and a hat. On chillier days light trousers and an extra layer are recommended too. We’ll be outside for most of the day, so layering up makes sense.
Kayaking tours – water, hat & sun cream, small towel, swimming gear, flip flops/water shoes, cash.Wine tours – rucksack, water, hat & sun cream, warmer layer, comfortable footwear, cash.Railway hike – rucksack, drinking water, warm but breathable clothes, wet weather jacket, comfortable footwear, cash.All tours – a charged up phone/camera for photos.
Yes! We provide everyone with a dry bag to keep your things dry (10 liters should be enough to fit a small towel, water, sun cream, and wallet). You can store the rest of your belongings at our lakeside facility. We also offer you a waterproof phone case to keep that dry while out on the water.
Recommendations & Policies
Because our small-group tours are limited to just 12 people, it’s a good idea to reserve in advance. You can try your luck the day before, of course, but if you’re coming in a group then it’s better to be safe than sorry!
The same goes for our private tours too, perhaps more so in fact, as availability is limited to just one group per allotted time.
Unless by prior agreement, we won’t exceed the maximum number of 12 participants on our small-group tours. Private tour numbers are limited to 5 pax, so please get in touch if you want to organise something for a larger group.
As long as you can complete the tour at a reasonable pace, there are no upper age limits on any of our tours. All wine tour and railway hike participants must be at least 12 years old, and kayakers must be at least 6 years old on the day of the tour, with anyone under the age of 16 being accompanied by a responsible adult.
For our small-group Vienna Kayak Tour and our small-group Vienna Woods Wine Tour there are minimum numbers of participants required for us to operate (see the next question below). So, if you’ve tried to make a booking and haven’t been allowed, it’s probably because you’re the first person to try on that particular day. You can either wait a bit for more bookings to come in, or just get in touch with us.
The Vienna Kayak Tour requires a minimum of just 3 people to operate. If booked privately, this will go ahead with just one person, of course.Our small-group Vienna Woods Wine Tour has a minimum of 4 people to operate. If booked privately, this will also go ahead with just one person.Our Wachau Valley Kayak & Wine Tour and our Semmering Railway Hike are only operated as private tours, so these go ahead with just one person booked.
In very rare cases, we may have to cancel a tour due to extreme, and potentially dangerous, weather events (i.e. extended bouts of heavy rain, thunderstorms, heavy snow), severe injury or last-minute serious illness to your guide, or a lack of sufficient participants booked onto a tour. If this happens, we’ll let you know as soon as we can, and offer you another time slot or a full refund.If you cancel your spot on one of our small-group public tours:100% refund if cancelled more than 24 hours before the scheduled start of your tour. No refund is given for cancellations made less than 24 hours before your activity or for no-shows on the day of your tour.If you decide to cancel a private booking you have made with us, you will receive:100% refund if you cancel at least 14 days before the Scheduled Tour Date; 50% refund if you cancel between 14-7 days before the Scheduled Tour Date; a 30% refund if you cancel between 7 days and 48 hours before the Scheduled Tour Date; no refund if you cancel within 48 hours before the Scheduled Tour Date. Cancellations must be received by us via email in order to qualify for a refund.
Our online store uses one of the world’s leading e-commerce payment platforms by Stripe. As such, we accept secure and encrypted card payment, including Visa, Mastercard, and American Express. Additionally, we accept direct bank transfers, Google and Apple Pay, Klarna, SOFORT, Paypal and SWIFT payments.