Salzburg

Introduction

Salzburg sits on the Salzach River, close to the German border and at the foot of the Alps. It is one of Austria's larger cities, and its position between river, border and mountains shapes the setting you'll find as you arrive.

Before you go

Salzburg is the capital of its federal state and one of Austria's larger cities, with a history reaching back to the Neolithic period, a Roman settlement, and centuries as the seat of prince-archbishops. Their wealth, drawn from the salt mines to the south, paid for the Italian baroque buildings that still define the city, and the name itself — "Salt Castle" — comes from the salt barges that paid a toll on the Salzach river. The historic centre is among the best-preserved in the German-speaking world and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, so expect the sacral monuments to outnumber the secular ones.

Plan your visit around the Old Town, where the buildings of the archbishopric era are concentrated, and allow time for the Hohensalzburg Fortress above the city. The city is compact and walkable, but the weather is worth checking before you pack: summers are warm and can be humid, while winters are cold enough for snow. Salzburg's tourism website is the place to confirm what's open and how to get around once you've settled your dates.

Getting there

Salzburg has its own international airport, W.A. Mozart International Airport, about twenty minutes from the centre. A trolleybus connects the airport to the town centre, and you can buy tickets from the driver; from there you can continue to the Hauptbahnhof main station, which links to destinations across Austria and the rest of Europe. The airport has direct connections from a range of European cities including Amsterdam Schiphol, Rotterdam, Brussels, London, Paris, Vienna, Zurich, Istanbul, Moscow and Saint Petersburg, as well as all the big German cities. For more international connections, you might prefer to fly to Munich and take the train to Salzburg, or consider airports such as Graz or Innsbruck if you enjoy scenic journeys through the mountains.

By train, Salzburg's Hauptbahnhof sits north of the Salzach River in the New Town. The ride from Munich takes about an hour and a half on fast trains, or around two hours on regional services, and international trains run from Zurich, Zagreb, Ljubljana and Budapest, among other places. Inter-city trains are frequent, especially to Vienna, where services run almost hourly, and the ÖBB Nightjet connects Salzburg with Belgium, Germany, Italy and Switzerland. The station is served by both the Austrian Federal Railway Company (ÖBB) and the German national railway (DB), and both have ticket stalls and machines there. The Bayern Ticket sold by DB covers train rides between Bavaria and Salzburg, but only on regional trains. From the station you can walk to the city centre in about fifteen minutes or take one of the trolleybuses. Long-distance buses also serve the city, including door-to-door shuttles from Český Krumlov and České Budějovice, services from Bosnia, and transfers from Budapest with a possible stop in Vienna; note that the Flixbus stop is in Salzburg Süd, not near the main train station. If you drive, Salzburg is connected to Vienna and Munich via the A8 and A1 autobahns, and you must purchase an Austrian motorway vignette. Driving around the city can be a pain, since road names are small and written in a traditional German font that can be hard to read, so it is best to find a parking space and explore on foot. Several garages on the edge of the historic centre offer hourly and 24-hour rates, and nearby hotels often have discounted arrangements with commercial garages; more budget options include park-and-ride lots, some with promotions for a free transit pass or free parking during summer months. In cold weather, be prepared for snow: snow chains are recommended in extreme conditions, and all cars must have snow tires by law from October to April.

Getting around

For most visits, the best way to get around Salzburg is on foot: the historic centre is compact and many of the main sights sit close together within the Altstadt. If you arrive at the Hauptbahnhof, you can reach the centre in about 15 minutes on foot, or take a trolleybus if you have luggage. Driving within the city is generally a pain, with small street names written in a traditional German font that can be hard to read; the recommended approach for drivers is to park on the edge of the city and continue on foot. Several garages on the edge of the historic centre offer hourly and 24-hour rates, and park-and-ride lots are a more budget-friendly option. In cold weather, be prepared for snow: snow chains are recommended in extreme conditions, and snow tires are required by law from October to April.

The StadtBus network covers the city with electric trolleybuses (O-Buses) and fuel-powered buses. You can buy a single ticket from the driver, or a multi-trip strip in advance; day, weekly and monthly passes are also available, and the Salzburg Verkehr app lets you buy tickets from your phone. A 24-hour ticket is cheaper at a vending machine than from the driver. Be careful about catching one of the last buses of the night, as they can take you several kilometres out of town, leaving you to walk back or take a taxi; late at night, a taxi or walking may be the better choice. The Lokalbahn train has its own station under the main train station and travels toward Oberndorf and Lamprechtshausen, with tickets bought on the train. For areas around the city such as Bad Ischl or Fuschlsee, POST-BUSes leave from the main train station and tickets can be bought from the driver. Renting a bike is an excellent option: Salzburg has an extensive network of bike paths, and cycling is often faster than the bus, car or walking. Good paths run on either side of the river, following them to Freilassing, Oberndorf or Hallein.

From May 2025, overnight guests pay a daily mobility contribution and can then use all public transport in the state of Salzburg free of charge. The Salzburg Card is another option, bundling free single admission to the city's attractions, free use of public transport including the fortress funicular, the panorama boat and the cable car to Untersberg, and discounts for cultural events and tours; it comes in 24-hour, 48-hour and 72-hour versions, so whether it pays off depends on how long you stay and how much you pack in.

Where to stay

Food & drink

For a classic Salzburg dessert, try the Salzburg Nockerl, a baked soufflé best served with ice cream, berries and whipped cream. Good places make it to order, which takes at least 30 minutes, and one Nockerl is easily enough for four people. You can also find it at Goldener Stern on Getreidegasse, alongside Topfenstrudel, in a garden with an old Austrian stagecoach where children can play.

Street food in Salzburg centres on the Würstelstand. Salzburger Würstelkönigin sits by the river and serves hotdogs and a grilled meat sandwich with Jahrhundertsoße. Heisse Kiste is an institution for Leberkäs and Käsekrainer, popular with nightlife crowds for a sausage with bread at midnight. Lechners Würstelstand! offers traditional Austrian street food with fast service, while Würstelstand Alter Markt serves Käsekrainer, warm sauerkraut, fries and Bosna, though you may have to queue. In winter, Maroni-Salzburg near the Christmas Market serves roasted chestnuts and glühwein. For budget meals, Wilder Mann on Getreidegasse offers traditional Austrian cuisine in large portions, and Schmankerl is an affordable option supporting a social project. Paninoteca Piccolo Mondo serves paninis, wines and pasta, Burrito Factory feels like dinner in a Mexican home, and Pommes Boutique covers burgers and fries with vegetarian options. Uncle Van lets you choose wok ingredients, and Reyna Kebap serves kebab, pizza and Bosna late into the night. Mid-range choices include Bärenwirt for traditional food and Augustiner Bräu beer, Gabler Bräu for quality traditional fare and a self-service salad menu, and Zirkel Wirt for vegetarian-friendly food and great beer. For sweets, Café Sacher serves the original Sacher-Torte plus hot food, and Fürst is the place to buy the original Mozartkugel.

What to see and do

The Altstadt, a UNESCO World Heritage Site on the banks of the Salzach, is where you'll spend most of your time. Its Baroque architecture, narrow winding streets and squares reward wandering: Mozartplatz holds a monument to Mozart, while Residenzplatz is known for its fountain. Getreidegasse is the busy shopping street of tall townhouses and old trade signs, and it's also the birthplace of Mozart. Above it all sits the Hohensalzburg Fortress, one of Europe's largest medieval castles, reached on foot or by the oldest funicular in Austria; from the top you get sweeping views of the city and the Alps, and inside there's a museum of medieval weapons, fortress life and torture instruments, with concerts often held in the evenings. Other landmarks include Salzburg Cathedral, whose excavations museum displays objects from a Roman villa and the foundations of the Romanesque cathedral's west towers, and Nonnberg Abbey, the world's oldest continuously operating Christian convent, with Romanesque and Gothic elements in its church. For quieter stops, look into the interior of the old pharmacy at Alter Markt, the graves and mausoleum at St. Sebastian Cemetery, and the small catacombs carved into the cliff at St Peter's, where a climb brings you to chapels and an overlook.

Mozart is unavoidable: his birth house on Getreidegasse and his residence on Makartplatz are both museums of memorabilia and letters. The Salzburg Museum tells the city's history, the Toy Museum holds the largest collection of European toys in Austria and puts on a puppet show, and the Haus der Natur covers natural history, geology, physics and astronomy with a planetarium. The Museum der Moderne shows 20th- and 21st-century art on the cliff above the old town. Across the river, Schloss Mirabell has gardens, a Garden of Dwarfs and a Garden of Roses, and a Marble Hall used for weddings. Further out, Schloss Hellbrunn, once the archbishops' summer palace, is known for its trick fountains and gardens, with a children's playground, a wading pool, a zoo and a stone theater where the first opera in Middle Europe was conducted.

When to go

Salzburg has a borderline continental climate: winters are cold and summers warm, with rain spread across the year and more of it falling in summer. The city's Alpine setting keeps precipitation comparatively high, so pack for wet weather whenever you visit.

• Winter: The coldest stretch of the year, with January temperatures averaging around freezing. Snowfall is common and can occasionally be heavy, though southerly winds and foehn effects can bring rapid thaws. Expect a cold, sometimes snowy visit.
• Spring: Conditions are transitional, with the cold of winter easing. Pronounced foehn winds can quickly melt any remaining snow cover, and precipitation is present but lighter than in summer.
• Summer: July is the warmest month. Rainfall totals tick upward, and the Alpine location brings comparatively high precipitation, including the local drizzle known as Schnürlregen. Expect warm, wetter weather.
• Autumn: Temperatures cool from summer levels toward winter, and precipitation remains regular though the summer uptick fades. Foehn winds can occur as winter approaches, bringing mild-to-cool, changeable conditions.

Festivals & events

The city's cultural calendar is anchored by the Salzburg Festival, which takes place in July. If your visit coincides with it, expect the city to be busy and focused on performance.

Three days in Salzburg

Day one: Base yourself in the Old Town, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and get your bearings on foot. Cross the Salzach River to the New Town for a different perspective on the city, then climb to Hohensalzburg Fortress for views over Salzburg and toward the Alps. In the evening, eat German and Austrian cooking in the Old Town.

• Old Town
• Salzach River
• New Town
• Hohensalzburg Fortress

Day two: Travel further out. Salzburg's history runs from Neolithic and Roman times through to its days as a salt-trading centre, and you can follow that thread across the region. If you have time, take a day trip by train toward Munich, Graz or Innsbruck, or head for the Alps.

• Neolithic and Roman history
• Munich
• Graz
• Innsbruck
• Alps

Day three: Plan your departure. Mozart International Airport and Hauptbahnhof connect Salzburg to the rest of Europe, with routes on to Amsterdam Schiphol, Rotterdam, Brussels, London, Paris, Vienna, Zurich, Istanbul, Moscow, Saint Petersburg, Zagreb, Ljubljana and Budapest. Use any spare hours for a last walk along the Salzach before you leave.

• Mozart International Airport
• Hauptbahnhof
• Salzach