How to Get from Vienna to Cesky Krumlov the Easy and Cheap Way

To get to our next destination, Cesky Krumlov in the Bohemia region of Czech Republic from Vienna, we consider a number of routes (see map below):

• Private shuttle from Vienna direct to Cesky Krumlov
  • Cost: 950 CZK (about 75 SGD)
  • Irregular timing (e.g. 12 noon pick-up;  reach Cesky Krumlov at about 4+pm)
• Train from Vienna to České Budějovice and then transfer to Cesky Krumlov by bus (red line on map)
  • Cost: 40 EUR (about 80 SGD)
• Train from Vienna to Linz (using Einfach-Raus Ticket) and Private shuttle from Linz to Cesky Krumlov (black line on map)
  • Cost: 399 CZK (shuttle) + 7 Euros (train) = about 46 SGD in total
  • Arrival at Cesky Krumlov just before noon.

Routes from Vienna to Cesky Krumlov

We chose the black route since its cheaper with the Einfach-Raus-Ticket (ERT).  The ERT allows a group of 2 to 5 people for only 28,- EUR with the following conditions:

• ERT is valid from Monday to Friday between 9 am and 3 am (next day) and all day on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays 0 – 3am (next day).
• ERT is valid on the following regional passenger trains of ÖBB: Regionalzug (R), RegionalExpress (REX), S-Bahn, Regio S-Bahn (RSB), EURegio (ER), Erlebniszug (EZ).

Einfach-Raus-Ticket

Since there are 4 of us, it will cost us only 7 Euros to travel from Vienna to Linz by train on a Sunday morning.  As this ticket is not valid on express train which goes straight from Vienna to Linz; we had to take an earlier train and change trains at St Valentin to proceed to Linz.

OBB Train from Vienna (Wien) to Linz (via St. Valentin)

The train departs from Vienna at 6:30 and arrives at St Valentin at 8:40 and the train leaves for Linz at 8:43 so you have only 3 minutes to change the train but don’t worry, the trains are separated by one platform and you should be able to reach in less than 1 minute (with luggage).  If you miss this train, the next one comes at 9:55.

To find a suitable schedule for an Einfach-Raus-Ticket, you can go to OBB’s Routeplanner site and select destination and Product (Einfach-Raus Ticket).

The train ride to Linz was much more comfortable compared to the Krakow to Budapest train we experienced earlier in the trip.

Don’t be confused if the train stops at some stations that is also called Linz e.g. Linz Sudbahnhof.  You should get down at Linz Hauptbahnhof (Main Station) for the shuttle to Cesky Krumlov – the train from St Valentin terminates here.  This completes the first part of the journey from Vienna to Cesky Krumlov.

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Shuttle from Linz to Cesky Krumlov

I had earlier arranged with Sebastian Tours and Transport via email for a shuttle transfer from Linz to Cesky Krumlov at a cost of 399 CZK per person and the agreement was to meet at Linz train station for the pick-up.  Theoretically it sounded fine but in practice, potentially there are a number of issues:

1. Which Linz station (Hauptbahnhof or Sudbahnhof or some other Linz station?)
2. Where to meet at Linz Hauptbahnhof?  The station is rather big and has many different exits.

We arrived at Linz Hauptbahnhof at 9:08 and we had 1.5 hours before the shuttle arrives.  I assumed that the shuttle will pick us up at the only carpark in the station.  To reach this carpark, just take the escalator near the ticket office up to the Ground Floor.

Thankfully, Sebastian (our shuttle driver and owner of the company) arrived with its prominently marked white van on time at 10:30 to pick us up to Cesky Krumlov.  Sebastian is a friendly guy and kept us informed of the best places to eat and see in Cesky Krumlov during the 1.5 hours drive.

If you are exploring transport options from/to Linz/Vienna/Salzburg to/from Cesky Krumlov, his company takes care of it all at reasonable prices – he also owns an accommodation (Pension Sebastian) in Cesky Krumlov.  Check out all Cesky Krumlov tour options available at his Sebastian Tour and Transport website.

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