Café Tomaselli
What to order: an Austrian breakfast with bread rolls and the house brioche, or a coffee with cream and a cake from its bakery.
geocalia
Day itinerary · 47.80° N · 13.05° E
A day of water in Salzburg, the river by boat and Hellbrunn's hidden jets.
Train from Vienna, coffee at the Tomaselli, a 40-minute boat trip on the Salzach, fried chicken at the Bärenwirt, the afternoon at the Hellbrunn water games and a mug at the Augustiner.
Leaving from
Direct flight to Salzburgo fromAlicante 2 h 45Gran Canaria 5 hTenerife Sur 5 h 15
Part of SalzburgChristmas markets of EuropeClassical music and opera in EuropeClassic film locations
Add to my trip
Total time15 h
By car2 h 30 each way
From ViennaTrain, about 2 h 30 each way
SeasonLate March – 1 November
BusLine 25 to Hellbrunn, 25–30 min
DifficultyEasy
Cost€140–190 pp with the train
The plan
The day at a glance
Any part can be swapped for another without spoiling the day.
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Leave Vienna 2 h 30 by train
Railjet from Wien Hauptbahnhof · Sparschiene fare in advance
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1
Café Tomaselli
coffee with cream and a cake from the bakery · Old Market square
Alter Markt 9, 5020 Salzburg · +43 662 84 44 880
Café €€Book - 5 min on foot
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2
40-minute Salzach cruise on the Amadeus
Salzburg Stadt Schiff-Fahrt · €19, children €10 · 40-minute round trip
+43 662 825858
- 15 min on foot
- 3
- 30 min by bus
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4
Hellbrunn Palace and its trick fountains
bus 25 · €16.50, ages 4 to 18 €6.50 · guided tour of the water games
- 30 min by bus
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5
Augustiner Bräu Kloster Mülln
bus 25 back to the centre · garden with 1,400 seats
Lindhofstraße, 5020 Salzburg · +43 662 431246
Bar €Book -
Back home 2 h 30 by train
Railjet from Salzburg Hauptbahnhof, a quarter of an hour on foot
Approximate cost
About €70–110 per person
Adds up the activities and meals in the plan at their published prices; travel and accommodation not included.
The route
40-minute Salzach cruise on the Amadeus
If you already know Salzburg's old town, or you are going with children, this is the other day worth the excursion from Vienna: the one about water. In the morning, a boat trip on the Salzach towards the mountains; at midday, the fried chicken of Mülln's best-known tavern; in the afternoon, the archbishops' summer palace, where a 17th-century prince hid jets in the benches, the grottoes and the automata to soak his guests. It only runs from spring to autumn.
The day, hour by hour
7:30 · Railjet from Vienna. From Wien Hauptbahnhof, stopping at Meidling; two trains an hour and about two and a half hours' travel. Buy the Sparschiene fare in advance.
10:15 · Café Tomaselli. Twenty minutes on foot from the station, crossing the river. The café on the Old Market square, of walnut wood and mirrors, has its own bakery: order a Häferl mit Schlag, coffee with cream, and a pastry.
11:15 · Boat on the Salzach. The landing stage is five minutes away, beside the Makartsteg. The city trip goes upriver to the south and returns in 40 minutes: €19 for adults and €10 for ages 4 to 14. It sails from 30 March to 3 November in 2026.
12:30 · Lunch at the Bärenwirt. Fifteen minutes' walk along the bank to Mülln. Its dish is the Backhendl, the Salzburg fried chicken, and the beer comes from the Augustiner next door. The midday kitchen closes at 14:00; book on their website.
14:30 · Hellbrunn Palace. Bus 25 leaves the centre, from the Rathaus stop, and takes 25 or 30 minutes. The water games tour is guided, lasts about 50 minutes and comes with an audio guide on your phone, also in Spanish; afterwards you see the palace and the park. €16.50 for adults, €6.50 for ages 4 to 18 and €36.50 for the family of two adults and one child. The last tour leaves an hour before closing.
17:45 · Augustiner Bräu Mülln. Back on bus 25 to the centre and on foot to Mülln. The Augustinian brewery has served beer from a wooden barrel in a stone mug since 1621, and in the corridor there are stalls for dinner of roast meat, bread and cheese.
19:30 · Return. A quarter of an hour's walk from the main station. In Vienna around ten.
With children or in the rain
It is a plan designed for them: boat, jets and a park. Bring a spare T-shirt. If it rains, the water games go ahead all the same, but the boat loses its charm: swap it for the Mirabell garden or the fortress, which has museums under cover. On a clear day, the same bus 25 carries on to the Untersberg cable car, at 1,776 metres, although then the day goes without the Augustiner.
Time40 min
Change the route
If the day is clear: the same bus 25 carries on to the cable car, €34 return:
Untersberg Cable Car, to 1,776 m
If it rains on the boat: the garden, free, on the way from the station:
Mirabell Palace and Gardens
Out of season, when Hellbrunn is closed:
Hohensalzburg Fortress and the FestungsBahn funicular
Where to eat
Where to eat?
Lunch is half the plan: book before you set off.
Augustiner Bräu Kloster Mülln
What to order: a mug of Augustiner and whatever you fancy from the stalls in the corridor: roasts, bread, cheese and radish.
Bärenwirt
What to order: the Backhendl, the house's breaded chicken, and for dessert the Salzburger Nockerl if they have them that day.
St. Peter Stiftskulinarium
What to order: the surprise menu at the Peter restaurant, or the Mozart Dinner with a concert if you want music.
Map
The stops, in order
With where to park at each one.
What to do
Eat
88 €Stay
Services
Getting there
By car or without one?
When to go
When to go to Salzburg
April to October, when the Salzach boats sail and the Hellbrunn water games run (in 2026, from 28 March to 1 November; they reopen on 25 March 2027). In high summer bring spare clothes for the children: the jets soak.
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Best timeGood timeLow season
Tips
Worth knowing first
- 1Go to Hellbrunn in any weather
The tour goes ahead even if it rains.
- 2Work out the sums with the Salzburg Card
It includes Hellbrunn, the city bus and the boat, which is redeemed at the ticket office subject to availability.
- 3Check the closing calendar
Hellbrunn and the boat stop in winter.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
How much does the day cost?
Between €140 and €190 per person with the return train, boat, Hellbrunn, two meals and the bus.
Can it be done in November?
No: the boat stops sailing in early November and the water games close on 1 November. That month, the old town and fortress plan is better.
Do you really get wet?
A little, especially on the benches and at the prince's table. Nothing the sun won't dry.
Is there time for the Untersberg?
Only if you drop the brewery or stay a night in Salzburg.
More plans like this
Other days of walking and good food
geocalia.com/en/austria/salzburg/itineraries/summer-with-boat-and-hellbrunn
Prices, opening hours and times are approximate: check them before you go. Each place has its own page on Geocalia.