47.80° N · 13.05° E
A Baroque old town beside the Salzach, Hohensalzburg Fortress above it, Mozart's birthplace and the Hellbrunn trick fountains.
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Coming up
What to do
Each plan says how long it takes, who it's for and whether you can book.
The fortress above the Mönchsberg, with a funicular from the old town, museums and views of the city · 2–3 h · from €15.50 with the funicular.
The flat where Mozart was born in 1756, now a museum on three floors · 1 h · €18 or €25 with the Mozart Residence.
A Baroque garden with the fortress in the background, the Angel Staircase and the Marble Hall, on the new bank of the Salzach · 45 min · free.
Itineraries
Days and weekends already planned out, with how to get between each stop and who to book with.
Plan the trip
Each choice narrows the next: the season shapes how best to travel, and how you travel decides where you stay and where you eat.
When to go
From May to September, with the Hellbrunn trick fountains open and long days; in July and August, the festival raises prices and fills the centre. December brings the Christmas market. November is the quiet month, with the Untersberg and Hellbrunn closed.
How you travel
Choose how you're travelling and we'll tell you where to stay, how to get around, where to eat and which services you'll need. We only show the ways of travelling that make sense here.
Salzburg is done without a car, and better so: the old town is pedestrianised, hotel garages cost between €24 and €55 a day and everything you will see is on foot or a bus ride away. You arrive by plane or train at the central station, buy the Salzburg Card and forget about it.
Salzburg has historic hotels opposite the old town, restaurants with Gault&Millau toques and, in summer, the festival. Luxury here is a room with the fortress in the window, crossing the river on foot to dinner and having tickets for a concert.
Salzburg is not cheap, but it can be managed: a hostel next to the station or a campsite with a bus to the door, dinner at the Augustiner brewery stalls and plenty of things you see for free from outside, from the Mirabell garden to St Peter's Cemetery. If you are going to go into three or four places, the Salzburg Card is worth it.
Salzburg has its own airport, W. A. Mozart, about 6 km from the centre: a taxi takes about 15 minutes and the city bus a little over 20. From Spain direct flights depend on the season, so many people fly to Munich or Vienna and continue by train. For the city you do not need a car; hire one only if you are continuing to the Salzkammergut or the Alps.
Who you're with
A trip with a toddler is not the same as one with a teenager. Pick yours to see what works and what to bear in mind.
Salzburg is manageable with children: the centre is small and pedestrianised, distances are covered on foot and what they like best, the fortress with its funicular and the Hellbrunn trick fountains, is a walk or a bus ride away. Two or three days is enough for everything without rushing.
With children up to six, Salzburg works in mornings: one big visit, a park or a boat, and the afternoon free. The children's rate starts at age 4 at Hellbrunn and on the boat, and at 6 at the fortress and Mozart's house.
Teenagers get into Salzburg through the fortress, the mountain and the Hellbrunn pranks more than through the museums. Give them a map and some leeway: the centre is small and safe for them to move around on their own.
Salzburg accepts dogs in more places than usual: they ride the fortress funicular muzzled, the Untersberg cable car with their own ticket and the Salzach boat free. Museums and interiors, no.
Where to stay
We show you what suits the way you travel.Change how you travel
Why we like it: Salzburg's grand historic hotel, from 1866, on the bank of the Salzach opposite the old town and the fortress, with 110 rooms and the Café Sacher.
Why we like it: An adults-only four-star design hotel beside the Salzach, with Murano glass and a seventh-floor terrace facing the fortress.
Why we like it: A hostel near the central station, with 24-hour reception, dorms with lockers, private rooms, a bar and bike hire.
Why we like it: A pitch campsite with a pool in north Salzburg, next to the motorway exit, with bus 23 to the station and a cycle path to the centre.
Services for this trip
Areas, for any way of travelling
| Area | Who it's for | Average night |
|---|---|---|
| Old town | Everything on foot, but pricier and noisier | |
| Right bank of the Salzach | Hotels opposite the old town, Mirabell and the Linzergasse | |
| Next to the station | Hostels and cheaper hotels, bus to the airport | |
| North Salzburg | Campsite, motorway exit, bus 23 |
Where to eat
From set lunch menus to Michelin stars. We mark the price level and what to order at each place.
What to order: a mug of Augustiner and whatever you fancy from the stalls in the corridor: roasts, bread, cheese and radish.
What to order: the Backhendl, the house's breaded chicken, and for dessert the Salzburger Nockerl if they have them that day.
What to order: an Austrian breakfast with bread rolls and the house brioche, or a coffee with cream and a cake from its bakery.
What to order: the surprise menu at the Peter restaurant, or the Mozart Dinner with a concert if you want music.
Map
The places to stay and services on the map are the ones for the way you travel. Turn on the layers you want and tap a point to see its details.
Nearby
The closest places, whichever country they are in.
47.63° N · 13.00° E
By planeBy carCar-free
47.56° N · 13.65° E
By carCar-freeBy bikeOn footCampingBy campervan
47.04° N · 12.84° E
By carBy motorbikeBy campervanCampingOn footBy bike
48.14° N · 11.58° E
By planeCar-free
Tips
In summer it is open until 20:00: afternoon light over the city and fewer groups.
Bus 25 passes both; start with the cable car if the day is clear.
The Augustiner brewery and the Bärenwirt are a walk from the centre and the most Salzburg thing to do in the evening.
From 16 July to 29 August 2027, hotels go up in price and fill months ahead.
The Getreidegasse in mid-morning in summer. It is narrow and turns into a slow queue; come back first thing or in the early evening.
Two days are enough for the essentials. The first, the old town: the cathedral, St Peter's Cemetery, the Getreidegasse with Mozart's birthplace and, in the afternoon, the fortress, which is open until eight from May to September. The second, the other bank and the outskirts: the Mirabell Gardens first thing, and bus 25 to the Hellbrunn trick fountains and the Untersberg cable car, which are on the same line. With a third night you have time for the Salzach boat cruise, a concert or a trip to the Salzkammergut.
W. A. Mozart airport is about 6 km away: bus 10 takes you to the centre in a quarter of an hour (Monday to Saturday) and bus 2 gets you to the central station in about 23 minutes. Direct flights from Spain depend on the season; if you cannot find one, fly to Munich or Vienna and continue by train to Salzburg's central station. You do not need a car for the city: the old town is pedestrianised and hotels charge between €24 and €55 a day for parking.
If you are going to visit three or more places, yes. It costs €35 for 24 hours from November to March and €38 from April to October (there are 48- and 72-hour versions), half price for children aged 6 to 15, and it includes one admission to each attraction and museum in the city plus the city bus. Mozart's birthplace alone costs €18 and Hellbrunn €16.50. You can buy it online, at tourist offices, at the airport and at many hotels.
Questions
Hohensalzburg Fortress, the old town with the cathedral and the Getreidegasse, Mozart's birthplace, the Mirabell Gardens and, from April to October, the Hellbrunn trick fountains.
By funicular, €15.50 for the basic ticket and €19.20 for the full one; on foot, €12 and €14.50. Children aged 6 to 14 pay from €4.90.
To quite a few places: the fortress courtyards, the Untersberg cable car and the Salzach boat admit dogs under their rules, and the Sacher and Stein hotels accept them for a supplement.
In 2027, from 16 July to 29 August, with a Whitsun edition from 14 to 17 May.
You can see the old town and the fortress, but Hellbrunn and the Untersberg need a second day.
At Mozartplatz 5, next to the cathedral, and at the central station.
Geocaliahttps://www.geocalia.com/en/austria/salzburg
