The Best 2 Excursions Worth the Coach Ride on the Upper Danube Route
Hank Schrader, USMA '71, Europe Destination & Europe River Cruise Expert
Anne Schrader, Certified Travel Counselor & Certified Luxury Cruise Specialist
One of the true joys of river cruising is sailing on the ship and then taking a very short coach (bus) rides to see some amazing sights, or just to be able to walk off the ship to see your destination stop. However, some destinations require a longer coach ride, and we are often asked is it worth the extra time to spend on the bus to see these sights.
There are 2 towns, in my opinion, that are well worth a longer bus ride since they are gems that will delight you.
So, let’s explore together the 2 best long coach rides of sights near the Danube-- Český Krumlov and Salzburg on an Upper Danube Cruise.
Český Krumlov, Czech Republic
Český Krumlov, roughly translated means “Czech Bend in the River”.
From Passau, or Linz, you will journey via coach to the Czech town of Cesky Krumlov. This delightful World Heritage-listed town is brimming with charm.
Located on the banks of the Vltava River which form a loop around the town, Cesky Krumlov is considered one of the best-preserved medieval towns in Europe with its vast array of well-preserved Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque architecture.
Map of the town
The dominant feature of the town is the castle. The 16th century moated castle is huge—it has over 40 buildings. The large castle complex requires a tour to see the interior, which usually is not available on the river cruise company’s tours. It features the living and dining spaces of the royals who resided in the palace. You can visit the bear pits and outside courtyards for free and these are often included in the guided tours offered by the river cruise companies.
Perhaps the most unique tour is the Baroque Theater tour—only 2 remain that can be seen in Europe that are in reasonably good shape (most of the others burned down from the extensive use of candles and fireworks for special effects).
There is a strict limit of 25 per tour and it is often sold out in advance and of limited value if you can’t get one of the tours in English but still it is a rare chance to see a historical entertainment venue and learn about their use of their use of special effects during the plays.
The Castle
Another Castle picture
The ornate Round Tower
Some detail of the round tower
One of the castle courtyards
The best thing to do here is wander—the castle, the old town area, and cobblestone streets are just fun to view. It really looks like the town is in a time warp.
It also has a pretty good puppet museum that allows children to try and pull the attached strings on puppets.
The puppet museum
Here are some pictures of my visit of the rest of this town:
The narrow, cobblestone streets of the town
Christmas markets in the main square
Here on the town hall are the coat of arms of the Eggenberg and Schwarzenberg royals who lived in the castle
The main square—Concorde Square
The main square Trinity Fountain
An old water wheel mill
A festive shop during the Christmas Markets season
Salzburg, Austria
To reach Salzburg, guests will disembark from either Passau, Germany or Linz, Austria depending on which river cruise line visits this city. Salzburg is 100 km (62 miles). south of Linz
Surrounded by alpine peaks and on the banks of the Salzach River, Salzburg is best known as the home of Mozart and The Sound of Music movie.
The Baroque architecture lends itself to comparisons of Venice or Florence. It has narrow streets that open up to large squares, and the buildings are often 4 or 5 stories high in the old town area.
This storybook city has a thriving art scene, music and concert halls filled with classical music. It is quite common to find recitals and concerts during a visit.
Perhaps in the Baroque old town, the most famous building is Mozart’s birthplace. Looming over the whole old town area is Hohensalzburg, Central Europe’s largest intact fortress, which sits high above the rooftops with panoramic views of the city.
Here are some pictures from our visits:
The Altstadt (Old City) is a compact area between the jutting outcrop of the Mönchsberg and the Salzach River. The cathedral and interconnecting squares surrounding it form what used to be the religious center, around which the major churches and the old archbishops' residence are arranged (note that entrance into all Salzburg churches is free).
Let’s start with Alter Markt or the Old Marketplace. In the center of the square is St. Florian Fountain. Here are some photos:
St Florian Fountain in the Old Marketplace Square
The St. Florian Fountain has the Salzburg Coat of Arms proudly displayed on the intricate wrought iron grill surrounding the fountain
The Mozartplaz and Mozart Monument that was erected in 1841 to honor its most famous citizen
This is the new Residenz Palace and Glockenspiel in Mozart Square
Residenzplatz Square and the Residence Fountain
Hohensalzburg Fortress, built in 1077 by Archbishop Gebhard, considerably enlarged by Archbishop Leonhard von Keutschach (1495-1519), is the largest, fully-preserved fortress in central Europe. The medieval princes' apartments and the Fortress Museum are of particular interest. The fortress can easily be reached by funicular railway departing from the Festungsgasse. You probably won’t get to see the fortress on a river cruise tour unless you try during your free time.
The Mozart family lived on the third floor of the "Hagenauer House" at Getreidegasse 9 for twenty-six years, from 1747 to 1773. The celebrated composer, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, was born here on January 27, 1756.
It is now a museum devoted to Mozart. Visitors can see the original Mozart rooms at Mozart's Birthplace containing historic instruments, documents, memorabilia and most of the portraits painted during his lifetime, including the unfinished oil painting "Mozart at the Piano" painted by Mozart's brother-in-law, Joseph Lange, in 1789.
The famous exhibits include Mozart's child violin, his concert violin, his clavichord, the harpsichord, portraits and letters from the Mozart family.
The Mozart Museum Entrance
One of the most interesting streets to visit is Getreidegasse, which has great shops and traditional inns. The doors of the buildings often have the names and dates of the former owners displayed on plaques. The homes were often “through houses” were the front and back led to different streets.
An example of the former owner plaques displayed on a building
The best part of this street for me are the elaborate and ornamental guild signs. Here are some good pictures:
A lion guards the building and wards off evil spirits.
Even the weather station clock is ornate.
A place we missed was the Mirabell Palace and its gardens and these are included on almost every river cruise tour of Salzburg.
There are at least 4 entrances to the Mirabell Gardens—from the Makartplatz (framed by the statues of Roman gods), the Schwarzstrasse, Mirabell Square and Rainerstrasse.
Most guides will have you to enter from the Rainerstrasse and head for the Rosenhügel (Rosebush Hill) so you can see where Julie Andrews and the 7 children sang during The Sound of Music film. The hill allows you to admire the formal gardens and is one of the best views of Salzburg, as it shows how harmoniously architects of the Baroque period laid out the city.
The center of the garden is dominated by four large groups of statues representing the elements water, fire, air, and earth. A bronze version of the horse Pegasus stands in front of the south facade of the palace in the center of a circular water basin.
The most famous part of the Mirabell Gardens is the Zwerglgarten (Dwarfs' Garden), which can be found opposite the Pegasus fountain. Here you'll find 12 statues of "Danubian" dwarves sculpted in marble.
We will be sure to get some pictures on our next visit.
River Cruise Companies that visit these 2 Gems
As always, this list may not be complete but is accurate to my knowledge at present.
AmaWaterways has the most routes that include the option to see these 2 great places. You can have the option to see both on these 5 cruises: Grand Danube Cruise, Celebration of Classical Music: the Danube, The Melodies of the Danube, Romantic Danube, Magna on the Danube and Salzburg only on the Blue Danube Discovery.
Emerald offers the chance for an extra expense to choose one of these visits on its 15 Day Splendors of Europe route.
Scenic has these 2 included in their Jewels of Europe and Gems of the Danube routes
Tauck offers this option on its Blue Danube route for both and Salzburg only on its 15 day Amsterdam to Budapest by Riverboat and Musical Magic Along the Blue Danube routes. It also offers only Cesky Krumlov on its Heart of the Danube route
Viking has this option on its European Sojourn and Grand Europe Tour for Salzburg only at an extra cost.
Our Final Thoughts
Wow—what a report! Both are worth the long ride but also may warrant a visit after your cruise or during a different visit to Europe, as you can’t see it all on a river cruise tour.
We hope you enjoyed this report and perhaps it will help you chose which town to visit on your river cruise..
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ANNE has earned a degree from the University of Houston in Hotel and Restaurant Management. Serving as the President of Visit Dream Destinations, LLC, since 2016, she is uniquely experienced professional travel advisor with over 26 years’ experience in the travel industry. Among her numerous certifications, she is a Certified Travel Counselor (CTC) by the Travel Institute, considered the gold standard in travel agent certification and she is also an Accredited Cruise Counselor (ACC) by the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), as well Luxury Cruise Specialist also from CLIA. Having traveled often to Europe since 1989, she has expanded on her certification as a Destination Specialist in Western Europe (DS) with extensive first-hand experience in luxury vacations. She holds numerous other specialty designations from individual vendors. An expert photographer, she delights in capturing the true essence of destinations to share with all.
HANK is a certified Western European Destination Specialist (DS) who has been traveling to Europe for 52 years. He is also an Accredited Cruise Counselor (ACC), conferred by the Cruise Line International Association (CLIA). This recognized expert in cruise and leisure travel is a retired Army Officer, and taught World Geography for 8 years. He is a `71 graduate of West Point and has earned 2 master’s degrees. His other Certifications:
AmaWaterways River Cruise Specialist
Viking River Cruise Specialist
Scenic River Cruise Specialist
Emerald Waterways Specialist
Avalon Waterways Specialist
Brit Agent
