Crowned by Europe's largest fully preserved medieval fortress and split by the emerald Salzach River, Salzburg pairs Italianate Baroque squares and Mozart concert halls with immediate cable-car access to the 1,853m Untersberg summit.
Getting There & Around: 2h 25m from Wien Hauptbahnhof or Wien Westbahnhof via ÖBB Railjet (Sparschiene from €19.90) or Westbahn (from €18.90), and 1h 30m from Munich Hbf. Salzburg Airport (SZG) is 15 minutes from Salzburg Hbf by Obus trolleybus #2 or #10 (€2.40).
Top neighborhoods & bases
Altstadt (Left Bank) (€185–€390 / night)
Pedestrian Baroque core between Mönchsberg cliff and Salzach River; steps from Domplatz and Getreidegasse.
Neustadt & Andräviertel (Right Bank) (€135–€245 / night)
Elegant 19th-century streets around Mirabell Gardens, Linzer Gasse, and easy walking distance to Salzburg Hbf.
Mülln & Maxglan (€115–€195 / night)
Authentic monastery brewery quarter west of Mönchsberg with quieter boutique guesthouses.
Top sights & experiences
- <strong>Hohensalzburg Fortress (Festung Hohensalzburg)</strong> — Ride the 1892 Festungsbahn funicular up to the prince-archbishops' Gothic state rooms and 360° Alpine panorama (€14.50–€18.00, or free with Salzburg Card).
- <strong>UNESCO Altstadt, Getreidegasse & Mozart's Birthplace</strong> — Walk through wrought-iron guild signs and arcade passages (Durchhäuser) to Hagenauerplatz 9.
- <strong>Salzburg Cathedral (Dom) & DomQuartier</strong> — Admire the monumental early Baroque dome where Mozart was baptized and tour the Prince-Archbishops' Residenz.
- <strong>Mirabell Palace & Pegasus Gardens</strong> — Stroll the geometric Baroque parterres framing Hohensalzburg Fortress (free entry).
- <strong>Untersberg Cable Car & Hellbrunn Trick Fountains</strong> — Use the Salzburg Card for both the Renaissance water-powered automata at Hellbrunn and the 8-minute ascent to the Untersberg massif.
- <strong>Augustiner Bräu Kloster Mülln</strong> — Pour your own stone mug (Steinkrug) of traditional Märzen beer from wooden barrels (from €4.20 for 0.5L) beneath chestnut trees.
What to eat in Salzburg
<strong>Salzburger Nockerln, Kasnocken & Bosna</strong> — Three golden baked sweet soufflé peaksdusted with powdered sugar representing Salzburg's three city hills, iron-skillet Pinzgauer cheese dumplings with crispy onions, and spiced Balkan-Salzburg bratwurst rolls from Getreidegasse. · <strong>Typical Price Range (€ EUR)</strong> — €14–€26 at traditional Salzburg Wirtshäuser; €5.20 for an original Balkan Grill Bosna · <strong>Where Locals Eat</strong> — St. Peter Stiftskulinarium (since 803 AD), Bärenwirt or Zwettler's Stiftskeller, Café Tomaselli, and Augustiner Bräustübl Mülln
Best day trips from Salzburg
- <strong>St. Gilgen & St. Wolfgang (Wolfgangsee)</strong> — 48 min on Postbus #150 (€6.90) for lake ferries and the Schafbergbahn cog railway.
- <strong>Hallstatt & Bad Ischl</strong> — Bus #150 to Bad Ischl + ÖBB train/ferry to Hallstatt (approx. 2h 15m each way).
- <strong>Werfen Ice Caves (Eisriesenwelt) & Hohenwerfen Castle</strong> — 40 min south by ÖBB S3/REX train through the Salzach gorge.
Getting there & local transit
2h 25m from Wien Hauptbahnhof or Wien Westbahnhof via ÖBB Railjet (Sparschiene from €19.90) or Westbahn (from €18.90), and 1h 30m from Munich Hbf. Salzburg Airport (SZG) is 15 minutes from Salzburg Hbf by Obus trolleybus #2 or #10 (€2.40).
Local tips & mistakes to avoid
undefined
Pair Salzburg with
Vienna
Imperial Habsburg palaces, Ringstraße coffee houses, world-class opera, and hillside Heuriger vineyards on the Danube
Hallstatt
16th-century alpine houses clinging between the fjord-like Hallstätter See and the 2,995m Dachstein massif
Innsbruck
Capital of the Alps where medieval arcades and the Golden Roof meet a 2,256m cable car in 20 minutes