Salzburg Day Trip From Linz: Was It Worth It?
When our AMA Waterways Romantic Danube cruise stopped in Linz, Austria, we decided to spend the day on one of the cruise line’s most popular excursions: a full-day trip to Salzburg.
Known as the birthplace of Mozart and the setting for many scenes from The Sound of Music, Salzburg is one of Austria’s most visited destinations.
If you’re considering AMA Waterways’ Salzburg excursion from Linz, here’s what the experience was like, what we saw, and whether we think it’s worth your time.
This excursion was included as part of our AMA Waterways Romantic Danube cruise. For many passengers sailing the Romantic Danube itinerary, the Salzburg excursion is one of the most anticipated included tours of the trip.
If you’re interested in our overall experience aboard AmaReina, including the ship, dining, excursions, entertainment, and service, be sure to read our full AMA Waterways Romantic Danube Review.
What to Expect on the Salzburg Excursion From Linz
Salzburg isn’t located directly on the Danube, so visiting requires a full-day excursion from Linz.
The journey from Linz to Salzburg takes about 1 hour and 45 minutes by bus. Along the way, we made a brief stop to use the restrooms, stretch our legs, and grab a snack before continuing to Salzburg.
Once we arrived, our guide took us through Mirabell Gardens and Salzburg’s historic Old Town before giving us time to explore on our own.
After the guided portion of the tour, we had approximately two hours of free time before returning to the bus.
While it makes for a long day away from the ship, Salzburg ended up being one of the highlights of our cruise.
In fact, it was Julia’s favorite excursion of the entire trip.
Following in the Footsteps of The Sound of Music
One of the biggest reasons many travelers visit Salzburg is its connection to The Sound of Music.
Even if you’re only a casual fan of the movie, it’s hard not to get excited when you start recognizing filming locations throughout the city.
Mirabell Gardens
One of the most recognizable stops was Mirabell Gardens.
The gardens served as the backdrop for several scenes in The Sound of Music, including portions of the famous “Do-Re-Mi” sequence.
Of course, we couldn’t pass up the opportunity to try recreating some of the movie scenes ourselves.
Whether we succeeded is debatable, but it definitely made for some fun photos.
St. Peter’s Cemetery
Another stop that fans of the movie will recognize is St. Peter’s Cemetery.
The cemetery is one of the most beautiful and unique places we visited in Salzburg.
Its historic tombstones, pathways, and surrounding architecture make it worth visiting even if you’ve never seen the movie.
For fans of The Sound of Music, however, it’s an especially memorable stop.
Once again, we found ourselves trying to recreate scenes from the film while exploring the area.
Exploring Salzburg’s Old Town
Beyond its movie connections, Salzburg is simply a beautiful city.
We spent time walking through the historic Old Town, which is filled with narrow streets, shops, churches, restaurants, and stunning architecture.
Every turn seemed to reveal another picturesque square or historic building.
It’s the kind of city where wandering without a plan is part of the experience.
Free Time in Salzburg
After our guided tour of Mirabell Gardens and the Old Town, we were given about two hours to explore Salzburg on our own.
We used that time to wander through the city, revisit some of the Sound of Music filming locations, browse local shops, and grab some food.
One of the things we enjoyed most was simply wandering through the historic streets and taking in the atmosphere. Having free time built into the excursion gave us the opportunity to explore Salzburg at our own pace rather than rushing from one attraction to the next.
Lunch in Salzburg
Because we’d be away from the ship for most of the day, Julia requested a gluten-free packed lunch from AMA Waterways before leaving for the excursion.
While the lunch was fairly simple, we appreciated that AMA made the effort to provide one so she didn’t have to worry about finding something safe to eat while we were away from the ship.
We cover Julia’s gluten-free experience on AMA Waterways in much more detail in our article about traveling gluten free on AMA Waterways, but this excursion was a good example of the cruise line making an effort to accommodate dietary restrictions even while we were away from the ship for the day.
For my lunch, I decided to take advantage of being in Austria and grabbed a bratwurst on pretzel bread.
I also picked up some salami from a local food truck while exploring the city.
Trying local food is always one of our favorite parts of travel, and Salzburg gave us a chance to enjoy a few Austrian specialties along the way.
Was the Salzburg Excursion Worth It?
Absolutely.
Between the beautiful Old Town, the Sound of Music filming locations, St. Peter’s Cemetery, and Mirabell Gardens, Salzburg offered a completely different experience from many of the other stops on our Danube cruise.
It’s also one of the excursions we still talk about most when looking back on the cruise.
The combination of history, scenery, and movie nostalgia made it one of the most memorable days of the trip.
Final Thoughts
Our day in Salzburg ended up being one of the highlights of our Romantic Danube cruise.
Whether you’re a lifelong Sound of Music fan or simply want to explore one of Austria’s most beautiful cities, this excursion is easy to recommend.
For Julia, it was her favorite excursion of the entire cruise.
And after spending a day wandering Salzburg’s historic streets, enjoying local food, and revisiting iconic movie locations, it’s not hard to understand why.
If you’re debating whether the Salzburg excursion from Linz is worth it, our answer is an easy yes. Whether you’re traveling independently or visiting as part of a Danube river cruise, Salzburg is a destination that’s well worth experiencing.
