Both Prague and Salzburg are among the most beautiful cities in Europe. And both places are strongly connected to the world-famous composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. But these are not the only reason to include these two cities in your European itinerary. If you are wondering how to get from Prague to Salzburg or from Salzburg to Prague, we’ve prepared this small guide for you to make your trip smoother.
1.Prague to Salzburg by train
Time – around 7 hours
Cost – at least €40
Ease – 3
Fun – 4
Sightseeing – 4
Unfortunately, there are no direct trains from Prague to Salzburg. Your best options are going with only one change via Vienna, Linz, or Munich, although it’s all a bit pricey, and you can expect a long journey of at least 6-7 hours. At least the views along the way are beautiful!
In Prague, trains depart from the main train station – Praha hlavni nadrazi. It’s located in the center of the city, and it’s easy to reach by public transport, especially red metro line C.
In Salzburg, the central train station is located not far from the Mirabell Palace and some 2 kilometers away from the Old Town. You can quickly get to the center by bus, routes number 3, 5 or 6 can take you from outside the train station to the old town in just under 10 minutes.
You can check the schedule of trains and buy the ticket on the website of the Czech Railways here.
2.Prague to Salzburg by bus
Time – around 6 hours
Cost – around €15
Ease – 4
Fun – 3
Sightseeing – 3
There are very few direct bus connections between Prague and Salzburg, operated by Leo Express and Flixbus. The journey time is between 6 and 7 hours, depending of the connection.
The tickets are affordable, at around €15/one way but if you buy them well in advance, you can get even a lower price. The buses are modern and comfortable, with enough leg space, wifi and power sockets next to the seat.
In Prague Leo Express buses depart and arrive from the main train station – the bus stop is located at the upper level, at Wilsonova street. Flixbus buses leave from Florenc bus station, on the yellow B and red C metro lines.
In Salzburg, the bus stop – P+R Salzburg Süd – is located in the southern part of the city, a bit away from the center and the old town. Local buses numbers 3 and 8 can take you to the central areas of Salzburg in some 20 minutes.
Alternatively, you can take the bus to Linz in Austria where you can change for the train to Salzburg. Those connections are operated by Flixbus too.
3.Prague to Salzburg private transfer
Time – between 4 hours and the whole day
Cost – prices are starting at €249 per car
Ease – 5
Fun – 4
Sightseeing –5
If you value comfort and flexibility but don’t want to drive yourself, you can go from Prague to Salzburg with the private transfer. The trip should take just a bit over 4 hours, but you can add some extra stops along the way and make it an eventful day of traveling.
While there are many places along the way worth seeing, the most interesting ones are Cesky Krumlov (the UNESCO listed gem of Central Europe), Hluboká nad Vltavou (probably the most beautiful castle in the Czech Republic), Mauthausen (the secret Nazi concentration camp in Austria), Hallstatt (another UNESCO listed masterpiece, a picture-perfect Alpine village) or Sankt Gilgen (well known from the famous movie “The Sound of Music”).
4.Prague to Salzburg by car sharing
Time – around 5 hours
Cost – approximately €15
Ease – 2
Fun – 4
Sightseeing –3
Car sharing is a popular and affordable way of getting around Central Europe, and if you are lucky, you can find a ride that suits your needs and itinerary.
The most popular website for finding the rides is BlaBlaCar. You just need to register, enter your starting and final destinations, and see what’s available.
Sometimes you need to go beyond the center, even to the outskirts of the city, to meet your driver so it can be a bit of a challenge in the new places, especially if you travel with a bigger suitcase.
But at the same time car sharing can be a great way to meet new people and talk about travel, life and everything else.
5.Prague to Salzburg by hitchhiking
Time – at least 5 hours
Cost – 0
Ease – 2
Fun – 4
Sightseeing – 3
If you travel on a budget, hitchhiking might be an excellent option for you to go from Prague to Salzburg. If you are lucky, you can get from one city to another in around 5 hours, but you never know what kind of adventures wait for you along the way.
From Prague, you might not get lucky with finding a ride all the way to Salzburg, so try aiming for Linz first. The best place to hitch the car heading south is the service station Újezd u Průhonic. To get there, take the red metro line C to Opatov. From the metro station, go by bus no X122 to the final stop K Sukovu and walk a bit on Formanska street above D1 motorway to the McDonald’s and the service station.
This is a popular hitchhiking spot also for travelers heading to Vienna so that it might get busy, but you have the most chances of finding the ride here.
In Linz, you need to take A7 road to get to the southern part of the city to find the ride all the way to Salzburg. It shouldn’t be too difficult. The best spot in Linz is the rest area Ansfelden.
In the opposite direction, you should start your hitchhiking from Salzburg to Prague at Münchner Bundesstraße near the Salzburg-Mitte junction or Salzburger Straße near Salzburg-Nord junction, close to the entrance to the motorway A1. Again, you need to aim for Linz first and then look for another ride up north to Prague.
6.Road trip from Prague to Salzburg
Time – from 4 hours to as long as you like
Cost – around €450
Ease – 4
Fun – 4
Sightseeing – 5
A road trip from Prague to Salzburg can be a fun way to see those beautiful corners of Central Europe. Although it can be a bit expensive to rent a car, it’s still worth considering if you want to do some sightseeing along the way freely.
And there are many places worth visiting! Your first stop after leaving Prague should be in Tabor – underrated town with the charming old town and a unique maze of streets.
From there it’s a short ride to Ceske Budejovice, known as the birthplace of Budweiser beer. But that’s not the only reason why you should stop here – Ceske Budejovice is a great example of Central European town with beautiful architecture, winding lanes and lots to see and do.
Before crossing the border to Austria make sure to visit Cesky Krumlov – one of the most stunning towns in the Czech Republic (or maybe even Central Europe!).
In Austria, it’s worth to do a little detour and visit Hallstatt – a picture-perfect old mining town, located on the lakeshore and surrounded by stunning mountains.
Before reaching Salzburg you can als stop in one of picturesque Alpine villages, such as Mondsee, St. Wolfgang im Salzkammergut or Sankt Gilgen. No matter which one you choose you can expect some stunning views.
7.Walking from Prague to Salzburg
Time – around two weeks
Cost – 0
Ease – 1
Fun – 4
Sightseeing – 5
If you feel like going for a long walk, you can use your foot to get from Prague to Salzburg. The distance between the cities is around 320 kilometers so you would need about 2 weeks for this trip.
It’s also a bit challenging as you will pass some mountainous areas along the way, and you can expect the ascent of around 3000 meters during this trip. But we are sure this will be an enriching experience.
You can also stop wherever you want to between Prague and Salzburg, and you can visit an additional country too as the shortest way goes via Germany.
8.Prague to Salzburg by bike
Time – at least one week
Cost – 0
Ease – 3
Fun – 4
Sightseeing – 5
Cycling from Prague to Salzburg is recommended for intermediate and advanced bikers as, due to the elevation changes, it can get difficult at times. But there are so many beautiful places you can see along the way: stunning landscapes, charming villages and beautiful towns.
If you are an avid cyclist, this can definitely be a fascinating journey!
9.Day trip from Prague to Salzburg
Time – 9 hours
Cost – €65
Ease – 5
Fun – 5
Sightseeing – 5
While getting from Prague to Salzburg can be a bit challenging and complicated, the organized day trip is probably the best way to travel between these two cities. Not only it’s affordable and accessible, but you can also visit the incredible town of Cesky Krumlov along the way – one of the most beautiful cities in Central Europe.
You will be accompanied by the local guide who will tell you all about the place as well as answer your questions about both the Czech Republic and Austria. On the tour bus, you can also meet fellow travelers who can become your new friends.
You can find more details about the tour and book your spot here.
Have a great trip to Prague and Salzburg!
