My wife and I are considering a splurge on a shuttle-plus-tour between the two places, but don't know what there is to see other than the Abbey at Melk, which would be a must-see. Can anyone recommend picturesque small towns, mountainous areas, or beautiful natural areas more or less on the way? Thanks
Also, how about a reputable shuttle operation? I've been looking at CK; it seems pretty good, but what do I know.
You've also got the Mauthausen Concentration Camp just east of Linz, Austria.
Another very popular stop is at Hallstadt where you could tour the old salt mines that made the region so wealthy. And the city is incredibly beautiful on the lake.
There are a number of great shuttle operations out of Cesky Krumlov that you can Google. They're reasonably priced, and cover the region from Budapest to Vienna to Prague to Salzburg--and everything in between.
I would also recommend Hallstatt even it is a little detour.
I'm confused. Isn't Hallstatt up by Salzberg? And quite detour from a trip from Vienna to Cesky Krumlov.
Yes, it is a detour. But worth it.
My wife and I found Duernstein to be a very nice stop on our 2014 river cruise. We also stopped at Melk Abbey and that was great too
Thanks everyone! Hallstatt is now on the radar for sure, both for its beauty and the archaeological connection; but we will save that for another trip, focusing (in part) on Salzburg and Munich. Duernstein is a very live option, as is (possibly) a cruise, even if it's only for a half day or so. What a beautiful region of Europe this is.
I don't know what a shuttle-plus-tour entails, but let me give you some ideas. Personally, I'd rent a car.
(It always puzzles me why folks recommend making the detour to Hallstadt when advising on sights from Vienna to the Czech Republic. Hallstadt is close to Salzburg, but is most easily reached by car. And going there takes you at least 80 mi. out of the way, so the region of Salzkammergut that Hallstadt is in is best visited on the way to Salzburg).
There are lots of picturesque towns and natural areas on the route. Other than Melk, there is Dürnstein with its wine tradition and the fortress on the hill overlooking the Danube. If you are headed directly to Cesky Krumlov/Krumau, then there is the Waldviertel region to savor on the way to Zwettl with its lovely monastery. Several castles to view, incl. the Renaissance Rosenau Castle on the way west. Mauthausen is a favorite stop for Steves' travelers, but you have to get off the train in Enns and then across the Danube. Car and bus are the only way to the former concentration camp. Austria's third-largest city, Linz, is often overlooked but the city square, the Roman castel overlooking it, and the ride with an old cog railroad to the pilgrimage church on the Pöstlingberg just across the river are all commendable.
Virtually a must-see for tourists is the walled city of Freistadt, which is on the way to Cesky Krumlov/Krumau. Its medieval and baroque town center, fortifications, the interesting museum in the fortress tower, and - highly recommended - one of the finest pastry shops in Austria (Lubinger's) is right next door.
As a native of the region, I can recommend that the entire Mühlviertel (the Austrian quarter north of the Danube) is worth exploring. There is a tourist website (www.sterngartl.at) that can give travelers a good insight in this hillcountry full of picturesque towns. Feel comfortable in taking the side roads - you'll meet the rest of the Rick Steves throng 40 mi. north in Bohemia anyway!
Martin,
Thank you! That is exactly the kind of feedback I was hoping for. The "shuttle-plus-tour" I am referring to is a service offered by the CK Shuttle, where for an extra fee the driver will take you to locations of your choice on the way to your destination. But as soon as you mentioned renting a car, a lightbulb went on, and that is probably what we will do; I can't imagine it would cost any more than the shuttle plan, and we would obviously have greater freedom.
Freistadt is now on the agenda (with Dürnstein), as is a hillcountry drive based on the website you provided.
Thanks again,
Joel
Joel,
Although there are several recommended car rental agencies, I have been renting from an American agent who specializes in the Central European area. It's a family-owned business in Oregon called Gemut.com; my rentals all were arranged ahead of time, were inexpensive, and were without any local difficulties. They also offer a very extensive guide to car travel and rental in Europe. Since I can rely on family for most transportation, I tend to rent only when necessary.
One thing I wished I had done last time (2 years ago) was to get a GPS or a smartphone to guide us through strange cities. The maps and online sketches I had were unable to prevent me from stumbling through larger cities for an hour every time. Signage in Europe can be odd or misleading - the best one that led me astray in Würzburg was a sign that had a "P" together with a freeway on-ramp sign. Not knowing whether to park or hit the highway, we got lost - once again. Plus the freeways may end abruptly once you drive into the center of large towns.
Martin, thanks, I'll look into the agency in OR. We've used Auto Europe the last couple of years, which has been fine except I was not happy with some kind of surcharge that was added to last year's trip--got the notice after we had been home a week or more.
We will definitely be using a smartphone (data costs permitting) or a GPS on the next trip. We drove all over France last summer and, while signage on the highways made it easy to get from town to town, it was a real circus trying to find our way in the towns. My worst experience was driving the car into a dead end before I had any idea of the rather strange procedure necessary to put it in reverse. Now, it's funny; not so much then.
