Due to the fantastic rail transport in Europe, most travelers don’t spend all of their time in the same city, or country. They usually want to combine several highlights in Europe in as little time as possible. In Central Europe, popular destinations for a combination with Salzburg are Munich, Prague, and Innsbruck.  In my case, I chose Prague, so I’m about to give you a few options on how to arrive there.

There are many possibilities, but you must keep in mind that the distance between Salzburg and Prague is about 380 kilometres. Even something more crucial to keep in mind is that due to the communist past of the Czech Republic, the traffic routes between Salzburg and Prague are underdeveloped. Nonetheless, traveling from one to the other is really not that difficult.

From Salzburg to Prague by Train

Generally speaking the most popular means of transportation in Europe are trains. These tend to run often between Salzburg and Prague, but not all are direct links, in fact, most will require changes in Linz or Munich.

In my case I opted for Linz as my layover city instead of Munich because this route was a great deal shorter and cheaper. Tickets start at around 40 € one way but you can also look for discounts at the website of the Austrian National Railway.

From Salzburg to Prague by Bus

Unfortunately for me, I did not find any decent bus links between Salzburg and Prague, only organized trips in both directions with some bus companies. My guess is that in both cities, a trip to each other will be presented as a packaged group tour; arranged bus links, however, I found via Vienna and Munich – you might find this economic and favourable if either Vienna or Munich are on your list of places you wanted to visit anyway.

From Salzburg to Prague by Train

If you can justify a flight for 380 kilometers then this is another option. At different times during the year Austrian Airlines may promote special offers so it’s a good thing to check with a travel agent or speak directly with the airline.

From Salzburg to Prague by Car

If your budget is not an issue you could also rent a car to move between Salzburg and Prague. You will be able to find all the major car rental companies in Salzburg and most of them will make you an offer. Traveling by car is also an ideal option if you are thinking of stopping on various points between the two cities, or if you’re traveling in a group.

The route would be: Salzburg – Linz – Cesky Krumlov – Prague and the entire trip should last just over four hours. You may also find taxi companies in Salzburg that offer packages for this route starting at 350 € for groups of up to four people. This would be about 90 € per person, roughly the same as a regular train ticket with no rebates or special deals.

Regardless of whether you book yourself a taxi, look into train links or rent a car, keep in mind that there are tons of great things to see between Prague and Salzburg. There is no reason you shouldn’t plan to stop somewhere in-between.  I traveled by train from Salzburg to Prague and spent a night in Linz.  Not a bad experience for a layover.

Here are some interesting facts about Linz:

• It’s the biggest industrial metropolis of Austria with much of the charm of the old days.

• The city was founded by the Romans who called it Lentia and it was a provincial and local government city of the Roman Empire.

• The emperor Friedrich III –  whose heart and bowels are buried there – used it from 1489-1493 as an official residence.

• In Linz is where Johannes Kepler calculated the planetary orbits and where Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart composed his The Symphony No. 36 (known as the Linz Symphony).

• Adalbert Stifter wrote his great novel “Witiko” and “Late Summer”.