Mozart's baroque city of a hilltop fortress, church domes and Alpine day trips.
Salzburg works best as a 2-day city break. Salzburg is Mozart's birthplace and a UNESCO baroque old town of domes, squares and marble churches crowded under the mighty Hohensalzburg, the hilltop fortress that its prince-archbishops never lost to a siege. The green Salzach river splits it in two, with the manicured Mirabell gardens made famous by the Sound of Music on the right bank and the guild-sign lane of Getreidegasse on the left. In high summer the Salzburg Festival fills the city with classical music and opera, and in December glowing Advent markets take over the squares. It is compact and walkable, and it makes a fine base for the Salzkammergut lakes, the postcard village of Hallstatt and the Eagle's Nest across the German border. This guide splits two or three days: the fortress and old town, the right bank and the Sound of Music sights, and a lakes or mountain day trip.
Ideal stay
2 days
Best months
May · Jun · Sep
Mid budget
110 EUR/day
Airport
Salzburg W. A. Mozart airport sits about 4km west of the centre
Four picks that cover the realistic range, from splurge to budget. Prices are low-season starting points; check live rates for your dates.
Special occasions€€€Riverfront grand hotel · Neustadt (Right Bank)
The legendary Sacher sits right on the Salzach with fortress views from the best rooms and its own Sachertorte served in the cafe. A footbridge takes you straight across to the old town.
from ~350 EUR/night
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Couples€€Old town design hotel · Altstadt (Old Town)
The Blue Goose is Salzburg's oldest inn turned contemporary art hotel, its rooms hung with modern works. It stands right on the Getreidegasse in the heart of the old town.
from ~160 EUR/night
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First visit€€Right-bank classic · Neustadt (Right Bank)
A comfortable classic hotel right by the Mirabell gardens on the right bank. It is an easy walk over the bridge into the old town, with the station close for day trips.
from ~130 EUR/night
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Budget€Sound-of-Music hostel · Around the Hauptbahnhof
The well-known backpacker hostel near the station that screens the Sound of Music every night. It offers both dorms and cheaper private rooms within walking distance of the centre.
from ~30 EUR/night
Check pricesReal hotel photos · prices are indicative from-rates, not live quotes · booking links support the site at no extra cost
A little history
Salzburg began as the Roman town of Juvavum and took its later name from the salt hauled down the Salzach river, as Salz means salt and the trade made the city rich. For centuries it was ruled as an independent state by powerful prince-archbishops, who grew wealthy on that salt, rebuilt the town in Italian Baroque with its cathedral and squares, and held the hilltop Hohensalzburg fortress through every siege. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was born here in 1756, and the city has traded on his name ever since. Salzburg lost its church rulers and was joined to Austria in 1816, the Salzburg Festival was founded in 1920, and the baroque old town was made a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1996.
Salzburg is known for
Pick the itinerary that matches your trip. Each one is a full day-by-day plan, not a list of 30 things to squeeze in.
2
days
Two full days is enough for the heart of Salzburg. The centre is compact and walkable, so the Hohensalzburg fortress, the cathedral and DomQuartier, the Residenzplatz squares, the Getreidegasse and Mozart's birthplace, the Mirabell gardens and the Sound of Music in-town spots all fit without a rush.
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3
days
Three days is the relaxed amount for Salzburg: the same walkable old town and right bank as the two-day trip, plus a full day out to the mountains or the lakes. The first two days take the Hohensalzburg fortress, the cathedral and DomQuartier, the baroque squares, the Getreidegasse and Mozart's birthplace, then the Mirabell gardens, the Sound of Music sights, the Kapuzinerberg view and the Nonnberg abbey, all on foot from an old-town base.
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Salzburg has a walkable center, so the neighborhood you pick sets the tone of the whole trip.
Altstadt (Old Town)
First visit
This is the baroque core on the left bank of the Salzach, packing the Hohensalzburg fortress, the cathedral, Residenzplatz and the Getreidegasse into a dense grid of squares and lanes.
Neustadt (Right Bank)
First visit
The right bank gathers around the Mirabell palace and gardens, the Mozart residence and the Linzergasse shopping street, a single bridge from the old town.
Steingasse and Kapuzinerberg
Romantic
This is the narrow medieval Steingasse lane running below the wooded Kapuzinerberg hill on the right bank, quiet, shadowy and atmospheric just steps from the centre.
Colored months are the sweet spot. Struck-through months come with a warning. Each page covers weather, crowds, prices and what to pack.
Tight budget?
Salzburg on a budget: same trip, around 60 EUR a day
Read the budget guide →
2 days is the sweet spot for Salzburg. The centre is compact and walkable, so the Hohensalzburg fortress, the cathedral and DomQuartier, the Residenzplatz squares, the Getreidegasse and Mozart's birthplace, the Mirabell gardens and the Sound of Music in-town spots all fit without a rush
The best months are May, June, September. Think twice about November: Cool, grey and often wet at around 8C, the dead shoulder of the year with the terrace season over and the fountains shut. Sightseeing lines vanish and prices bottom out, but daylight is short and many days are overcast, so it is the least rewarding month to come.
Salzburg sits around the European average. Plan roughly 60 EUR per day on a tight budget, 110 EUR for a comfortable mid-range trip, and 210 EUR and up if you want top hotels and restaurants.
Altstadt (Old Town) is the safest first-visit base. This is the baroque core on the left bank of the Salzach, packing the Hohensalzburg fortress, the cathedral, Residenzplatz and the Getreidegasse into a dense grid of squares and lanes. Everything you have come to see is on foot, and the setting under the fortress is as pretty as Salzburg gets. Base here on a first, short trip when you want the headline sights on your doorstep and do not mind paying and sharing the streets for it.
Yes. Salzburg has a walkable center, so most of a short trip is done on foot. Salzburg W. A. Mozart airport sits about 4km west of the centre, so transfers are short and cheap. City bus lines 2 and 10 run from outside the terminal to the Hauptbahnhof and on into the centre in about 20 minutes for around 2 to 3 EUR, with tickets bought from the machine or the driver. A taxi to the old town costs roughly 15 to 18 EUR and takes ten to fifteen minutes. Many visitors skip the airport altogether and arrive by train instead, as Salzburg Hbf sits on the main Munich to Vienna line, about 1.5 hours from Munich and around 2.5 hours from Vienna.
Salzburg W. A. Mozart airport sits about 4km west of the centre, so transfers are short and cheap. City bus lines 2 and 10 run from outside the terminal to the Hauptbahnhof and on into the centre in about 20 minutes for around 2 to 3 EUR, with tickets bought from the machine or the driver. A taxi to the old town costs roughly 15 to 18 EUR and takes ten to fifteen minutes. Many visitors skip the airport altogether and arrive by train instead, as Salzburg Hbf sits on the main Munich to Vienna line, about 1.5 hours from Munich and around 2.5 hours from Vienna. It is the cheapest and usually the fastest option.
Salzburg is best known for Hohensalzburg Fortress, Mozart, Baroque old town, Sound of Music, Salzburg Festival, Advent markets. Salzburg began as the Roman town of Juvavum and took its later name from the salt hauled down the Salzach river, as Salz means salt and the trade made the city rich.