We are going to Vienna in late August and then onto Lenz and then to Salzberg. We had thought to rent a car, but we see that there are ferry's that travel the between these two cities. Is this nice way to see the Countryside, at least along the river. We did a Rhine River cruise a few years ago and it was really lame, especially considering the price. The ferry is cheap, and they leave Vienna every hour or so. What are the thoughts on this trip? We will rent a car in Salzberg and continue our tour of Austria and Bavaria.
Posted by
Vienna, Austria
5372 posts
Do you mean Linz? What ferry are you talking about between Vienna and Linz?
There is also no river that connects Linz to Salzburg, so I’m not clear about how a ferry would work on that route.
Posted by
Munich
556 posts
The ferry travels between Linz and Krems. From Krems they are using a bus to Vienna. Yes might be nice as long as the bus is ok for you.
Posted by
OP
Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
66 posts
Thanks for the input.
Posted by
1895 posts
There is no regular ferry service along the Danube river, but there are a lot of vessel operators offering a variety of tours and routes.
See here for an overview: https://www.donau.com/en/wachau-nibelungengau-kremstal/outings-activities/excursion-destinations/ships-ferries/
I would never go from Vienna to Linz by ship. It is the upstream direction, i.e. very slow, and most of the route is boring.
The only scenic part worth visiting is the Wachau Valley, that is a stretch of about 20 miles between Krems and Melk.
My advice is to go from Vienna to Krems by train (not by bus), take the boat from Krems to Melk, visit the famous monastery there, and finally take the train to Linz.
In Linz have a look at this extraordinary place:
https://ars.electronica.art/center/en/