Input wanted!! We are trying to pick between excursion options for one day of our river cruise coming up. Option 1) Driving over to, and spending the day in, Salzburg — OR — Option 2) Spending the morning in Linz, then going over and spending the afternoon in Cesky Krumlov.
Which direction would you head?
UPDATED TO ADD: We will be on a Danube river cruise that will be docked in Linz for the day. The cruise company is handling the excursions and the associated transportation for each option.
If you haven’t been to Salzburg, I would pick that direction. The town is lovely with a castle, quaint downtown center, Mozart House, Sound of Music sites, museum options, depending on how long you’re there - some music options, etc.
I vote for Salzburg, but one question- what is your starting point?
Indeed -- from where ?
Definitely option 1 as Salzburg is iconic. But I strongly suggest that you take the train which will be faster, less stressful and no traffic jams (that highway is bad for traffic jams). Plus driving anywhere in Salzburg is a nightmare.
There are several trains each hour and the journey takes 2.5 hours. Cost is about 20-30 Euro each way per person. Use the Westbahn website (https://westbahn.at/en/) or the OeBB website to book tickets (https://www.oebb.at/en/). Assuming that your boat will dock at Reichsbrücke, it is easy to take the subway from there to either the main train station (Hauptbahnhof) or the West train station (Westbahnhof).
Sounds as if they're stopping in Linz. C/K is 55 miles north of Linz, and Salzburg by train is 80 miles to the west. Both would be reachable. C/K has a number of vans picking up tourists and transporting them throughout the region.
We will be on a Danube river cruise that will be docked in Linz for that day. The cruise company is handling the transportation for both the excursion options. :-)
Take an express train from Linz to Salzburg and back. One-way travel time is about 1:15 hours. No bus service can compete with that. There are about 4 trains per hour in either direction.
Although Cesky Krumlov is closer to Linz than Salzburg you will need 1:30 hours (under best circumstances) up to 2 hours (morning traffic jam in Linz) going by car one-way.
If you aren't seeing anywhere else in the Czech Republic I would go to Cesky Krumlov. It's a really lovely town with a great castle and bears living in the old moat. Salzburg is a bit cookie cutter for my taste.
For a day excursion that is a toss up. Both (imo) are magical in their own way. But, Cesky Krumlov is a bit more unique, off the beaten path -- sits on the Vltava river, a medieval town. It is a UNESCO site noted for its architecture heritage preservation (especially noteworthy are the Renaissance paintings on the walls that surround the castle courtyard). Salzburg, no doubt, is iconic, but Cesky Krumlov would be my pick.
