Boat

For leisurely travel between Vienna and Linz, or eastward across the border into Slovakia or Hungary, consider taking a Danube boat. DDSG Blue Danube Schifffahrt offers a diverse selection of pleasant cruises, including trips to Melk Abbey and Dürnstein in the Wachau, a grand tour of Vienna's architectural sights from the river, and a dinner cruise, with Johann Strauss waltzes as background music. Brandner Schifffart offers the same kind of cruises between Krems and Melk, in the heart of the Danube Valley.

As soon as you get on board, give the steward a tip for a deck chair and ask them to place it where you will get the best views. Be sure to book cabins in advance.

For cruises up and down the Danube, the DDSG Blue Danube Steamship Company departs and arrives at Reichsbrücke near Vienna's Mexikoplatz. The DDSG has a port on the right side of the Reichsbrücke bridge. There is no pier number, but you board at Handelskai 265. Boat trips from Vienna to the Wachau run daily from May to September. The price is €26.50 one way and €31 round-trip. There are other daily cruises within the Wachau, such as from Melk to Krems. Other cruises–-to Budapest, for instance–-operate from April to early November. The website has dozens of options and timetables in English. For cruises from Krems to Melk, contact Brandner Schifffahrt.