The Salzburg question
A river cruise day fromLinz
Linz is the call most guests spend somewhere else. Salzburg is about two hours away by coach, and the lines sell the day accordingly — decide which city you want before you board.
- 10 minBerth to the Hauptplatz, on foot
- ~2 hrEach way to Salzburg by coach
- $190Uniworld's optional 'Taste of Salzburg', as published
- 21 Nov 2026Hauptplatz Christmas market opens
The call
Two very different days
Uniworld's Grand Highlights lists the stop as 'Linz (Salzburg)', which tells you how the lines see it. You choose a full day in Salzburg with a Sound of Music theme, or a Linz town walk with a cider-farm lunch. Its Delightful Danube adds Mauthausen as an included choice and sells 'The Taste of Salzburg' as a $190 optional. AmaWaterways simply calls the day 'Excursions from Linz'.
Cruise Critic puts Salzburg at about two hours each way by coach. That is why it swallows the whole day. The museums in Linz are off the table if you go.
Viking is the exception. Its included walk stays in town — the Hauptplatz, the market hall and the Mozarthaus. Český Krumlov turns up as an alternative on some lines at about 1–1.5 hours one way. Riverside runs its Salzburg and Krumlov day trips from Passau, not Linz.
Ships tie up on the south bank at the Donaulände, beside the Lentos art museum. Cruise Critic describes no terminal and a gentle ten-minute walk into the Hauptplatz; CroisiEurope says its boat moors near the Lentos. None of the lines says whether the ship stays the night.
From the ship: Yes — a flat ten-minute walk from the Donaulände berth to the Hauptplatz, with the Lentos beside the ship and Ars Electronica across the bridge; only the Pöstlingberg needs the tram.
In town
If you stay
Hauptplatz
Avalon calls it Austria's largest medieval square — an arcaded market square in the Altstadt, with the tourist office and the banks on it, about ten minutes from the ship.
SourceArs Electronica Center
The interactive science-and-media museum on the north bank, where one exhibit has you steer a computer with your thoughts. From 9 to 10 pm visitors control the building's coloured lights. Its restaurant, Cubus, looks over the river.
SourceLentos Kunstmuseum
The modern-art museum right beside the berth. After dark it glows in coloured light, answering Ars Electronica across the water. You will see both from the ship.
SourcePöstlingberg
The hill above the city, by tram. Food and Travel recommends it for sunset and names the Pöstlingberg-Schlössl for a terrace meal; Jindrak keeps a branch at Am Pöstlingberg 12.
SourceMozarthaus and the market hall
Viking's included walk takes in the Old Quarter's Hauptplatz, the Market Hall and the Mozarthaus. The in-town day, done for you.
SourceChristkindlmarkt am Hauptplatz
The main-square Christmas market is listed from 21 November 2026, 10:00–21:00, with crafts, glass art and sausage-and-doughnut stalls around the big tree.
SourceLinz on the Danube. Open its card on the river map for lines, season and nearby calls.
Beyond the town
If you go
Salzburg
About two hours by coach each way per Cruise Critic, so it is the full day. Uniworld's version is 'Full-Day in Salzburg with Sound of Music' at no extra cost on Grand Highlights, or the $190 'Taste of Salzburg' via Oberndorf and Mondsee, lunch on your own, on Delightful Danube. AmaWaterways and Tauck's Christmas cruise also run it from here.
SourceČeský Krumlov
The UNESCO-listed Czech town and castle on the Vltava, about 1–1.5 hours one way. A private guided day trip from Linz runs 7 hours, and Cruise Critic reviewers rate the line excursion highly. Riverside sells it from Passau instead.
SourceMauthausen
Uniworld's Delightful Danube offers a guided visit to the Mauthausen concentration camp memorial as an included Jewish Heritage choice from Linz, with lunch at a local restaurant. A serious day, chosen deliberately.
SourceExtra days, booked ahead
Things to do in Linz
Viator's Linz listings matter most when your line's coach is full, costs extra, or doesn't go where you want.
- Private Český Krumlov day trip from LinzThe excursion the lines don't always run — a 7-hour private return trip that fits a long port day.
- Linz old-town walking tourFor anyone who skipped Salzburg and wants the Hauptplatz, the Mozarthaus and a torte stop with a guide.
- Salzburg day trip from LinzOnly if your line's Salzburg coach is sold out or priced as an extra. It is the same two-hour run each way.
Viator is an affiliate link: we may earn a commission at no cost to you. Your line’s included excursions stay with the line. Disclosure.
Eat and drink
The torte, and a cider farm
Linzer Torte at Jindrak
The lattice cake of nuts and redcurrant jam, made to a recipe Food and Travel dates at 315 years. Jindrak on Herrenstrasse has been open since 1929. The magazine gives it the Torte crown.
SourceCider-farm lunch
Uniworld's 'Linz Town and Country' choice pairs a town walk with lunch at a Most (cider) farm in the countryside — the quiet alternative to a Salzburg coach.
SourcePromenadenhof and Verdi
Promenadenhof is named for local cooking in the Altstadt. Restaurant Verdi, up on its hilltop, is the one Food and Travel calls the city's best.
SourceThe lines
Who calls at Linz
From the lines’ published itineraries, October 2026. Each name opens our review of the line.
When
Ships call roughly March to December. The Hauptplatz Christkindlmarkt opens 21 November 2026, 10:00–21:00, with an optional 9:00–16:00 on 24 December, and Tauck's Christmas cruise lists the Linz and Salzburg markets together. A Salzburg day is exposed to the weather either way — the summer coach runs can be hot, and in Advent the Salzburg crowds are the price of the markets.
Have us plan it
Want Linz on your itinerary?
Tell us the month and what you want from the day — the town, the excursion, or both — and we’ll find the sailing that calls here at the right pace.
- Usually the same fare as booking direct, and our advice costs you nothing.
- We compare the lines sailing from Linz for your dates, not one brochure.
- Hotel nights, flights and transfers can go into the same plan.
Your river brief
Tell us the trip. We’ll find the sailing.
Your brief is in.
Seabound Journeys will come back within one business day with sailings and cabins that fit.
Want to talk sooner? Book a free 30-minute call.
Journey further.
Prefer to browse fares yourself? Compare river cruise fares Via CruiseDirect · Affiliate link
Quick answers
Linz on a river cruise: questions
Should I go to Salzburg or stay in Linz?
Decide before you sail, because Salzburg takes the whole day — about two hours each way by coach. Stay if you want the museums and a slow torte; go if Salzburg is the reason you booked a Danube cruise.
Is Salzburg included or extra?
It depends on the itinerary, not the line. Uniworld's Grand Highlights includes a full Salzburg day; its Delightful Danube charges $190 (€165 onboard) for 'The Taste of Salzburg'. Price it on your specific sailing.
How far is the ship from the centre?
About ten minutes on foot. Ships moor on the Donaulände beside the Lentos museum, and the Hauptplatz is a flat walk south. There is no cruise terminal — you step straight onto the promenade.
Can I do Český Krumlov from Linz?
Yes, at roughly 1–1.5 hours each way. Some lines offer it as the alternative to Salzburg; otherwise a private 7-hour day trip is listed on Viator and Expedia. Carry your passport, because you are crossing into the Czech Republic.
How we checked this page 14 sources
Every fact above comes from a source listed here, checked on October 21, 2026: port and city authorities, the lines’ own pages, the hotels and the rating guides. Where nothing official is published, the page says so rather than filling the gap.
- CroisiEurope — Danube boarding points
- Cruise Critic — Linz (Salzburg) port
- Food and Travel — 48 hours in Linz
- Upper Austria tourism — Jindrak Konditorei
- Donauregion — Christkindlmarkt am Hauptplatz
- Expedia — private Linz to Český Krumlov day trip
- Uniworld — Grand Highlights of the Danube 2027
- Uniworld — Delightful Danube 2026
- AmaWaterways — Romantic Danube
- Viking — Danube Waltz
- Avalon — Danube Dreams eastbound
- Tauck — Danube Christmas markets cruise
- Riverside — BN7 brochure 2026
- Viator — Linz
Keep planning