Option 1: Full day excursion to Salzburg with guided tour, lunch at leisure and free time. Option 2: Morning guided tour of Linz with the afternoon free to explore Linz. Reaching Linz, you will have the choice to stay in the city and take a guided walking tour, exploring its charming baroque old town. At its heart you’ll see one of the finest squares in Austria, lined by grand pastel-coloured facades with an impressive central Trinity Column of white marble, crowned by a gilded sunburst. There’s also the fortress-like castle, built above the city by Emperor Friedrich III, now a museum housing a fine collection of nineteenth and twentieth-century artworks. The afternoon is free for you to explore. Consider taking a ride on the Pöstlingbergbahn, a unique narrow-gauge electric railway known as the "mountain tramway." This train connects the main square in Linz with the district of Pöstlingberg. It is the steepest adhesion railway in Europe, and its route offers stunning views as it passes the Danube and the Ars Electronica Center, leading directly to a natural oasis on the outskirts of the city. Once you arrive, you can visit the pilgrimage basilica, enjoy the views of Linz from the viewing platform, explore a local zoo, and much more. Alternatively, you could explore one of the fascinating museums in Linz. The Ars Electronica Center (AEC) serves as the city’s museum of the future, showcasing innovative technology alongside visionary media arts. Additionally, the Lentos Kunstmuseum features exhibits of modern and contemporary art from the 19th century, including works from the classical modernity period (such as Klimt, Schiele, and Kokoschka) as well as pieces from the Expressionism movement. Salzburg: Alternatively, we drive to Salzburg, once an independent state whose archbishops turned it into one of the most sophisticated cities north of the Alps. Dominating the skyline is one of Europe’s largest stone fortresses, the Hohensalzburg, while beneath its walls church domes and spires rise from the delightful Altstadt, or Old Town. Then there’s the wonderful Hellbrunn Palace and the splendid formal gardens of the Mirabell Palace – a must for horticulture fans. This morning, discover some of the city’s main sights in the company of an expert local guide, then you’re free for lunch at leisure and to explore as you wish. Everywhere there are sights associated with the city’s most famous resident, Mozart, who played the harpsichord aged three, composed rudimentary music at five and wrote his first opera when he was 11! We return to the ship for another splendid dinner.