Flight time
2h 10m
Best season
May–September & December
Budget
Mid-range to splurge
Best for
Mozart, baroque architecture, Sound of Music, Alps
Overview
Why Salzburg for a city break?
Salzburg is one of the most beautiful small cities in the world — a baroque city of extraordinary completeness, set dramatically between the Hohensalzburg fortress on its rock and the Alps rising immediately behind, with the Salzach river dividing the old city from its newer residential quarters. Mozart was born here in 1756 and the city wears his legacy with an intensity that verges on the religious. The Salzburg Festival, held each July and August in the fortress and the surrounding theatres, is the finest music festival in the world. The Sound of Music was filmed here, and the associated tourism is unavoidable.
From most UK airports it's around two hours ten minutes — direct flights from London and connections from regional airports. Salzburg Airport is 4km from the centre (bus €2.60, 20 minutes). The city is compact and entirely walkable. Go in summer for the festival and the Alpine walking; in December for the Christmas markets (Salzburg has the most atmospheric Christmas market in Austria, in the cathedral square and around the old town). January and February are quiet and very cold but the surrounding ski resorts are at their best.
Where to stay & explore
Salzburg's best neighbourhoods
Old Town (Altstadt)
The UNESCO baroque old town — the Cathedral, Residenz Palace, the Getreidegasse shopping lane, the Franciscan Church and the most complete baroque urban ensemble in the German-speaking world.
Hohensalzburg & Nonnberg
The fortress hill above the old town — the Hohensalzburg Castle, the Nonnberg Convent (the oldest convent in the German-speaking world, where The Sound of Music opens) and the finest views over Salzburg.
Mirabell & the New Town
The right bank of the Salzach — the Mirabell Palace and its gardens (the dancing scene from The Sound of Music), the Mozart Residence and the finest café culture in Salzburg.
Things to do
What to see in Salzburg
1
Hohensalzburg Fortress
The largest fully preserved medieval castle in Central Europe — built in 1077 and expanded over centuries, the fortress dominates the Salzburg skyline from its 120-metre rock. The interior includes the State Rooms (the Golden Chamber and the Golden Hall are extraordinary), the Marionette Museum and the Rainer Regiment Museum. The funicular (included in the fortress ticket) runs from the Festungsgasse; the walk up takes 15 minutes. The panoramic views over the old town and the Alps are the finest available of Salzburg.
2
Salzburg Cathedral & Residenz
The Salzburg Cathedral (1628), the finest baroque church in the German-speaking world, dominates the Domplatz square — the three bronze doors (representing Faith, Hope and Charity), the extraordinary frescoed interior and the organ on which Mozart played as cathedral organist are all remarkable. The adjacent Residenz Palace (the Archbishop's residence for 700 years) has a remarkable state room suite and an outstanding gallery of Flemish and Dutch old master paintings.
3
Mirabell Palace & Gardens
The baroque palace built by Archbishop Wolf Dietrich for his mistress Salome Alt in 1606 — the Marble Hall is the finest ceremonial room in Salzburg, still used for concerts, and the formal gardens with their fountains and the view of the fortress behind are one of the most beautiful garden compositions in Austria. The gardens are free; the dancing scene from The Sound of Music was filmed on the steps between the garden sections.
4
Getreidegasse & Mozart's Birthplace
The Getreidegasse — Salzburg's medieval main shopping street of narrow arcaded lanes and wrought-iron guild signs — is one of the most beautiful commercial streets in Central Europe. Number 9 is Mozart's Birthplace (Mozarts Geburtshaus), where the composer was born in 1756 — the museum covers his early life and contains original instruments including his violin and clavichord. Book online; always busy.
Food & drink
Where to eat in Salzburg
Ikarus at Hangar-7
Multiple Michelin stars / aviation museum restaurant
One of the most extraordinary restaurant concepts in the world — a different guest chef from a global Michelin-starred restaurant cooks for a month at a time in the Hangar-7 aviation museum at Salzburg Airport, surrounded by historic aircraft. Check who's cooking during your visit at hangar-7.com. The regular Ikarus menu is itself Michelin-starred. Book months ahead.
Café Tomaselli
Historic coffee house / Alter Markt
The oldest coffee house in Austria (established 1700) — Mozart's father Leopold was a regular, the current building dates from 1764, and the Viennese coffee house culture (Melange, Einspänner, Kleiner Brauner) is dispensed with practised elegance. The Salzburger Nockerl (a soufflé of beaten egg whites, the city's signature dessert) here is the finest in Salzburg.
Zum Fidelen Affen
Austrian bistro / riverside
The most reliable traditional Austrian restaurant in Salzburg — the Wiener Schnitzel (veal, not pork, pounded thin), the Tafelspitz (boiled beef with horseradish and Rösti) and the Austrian wine list are all excellent. On the right bank of the Salzach, away from the old town tourist prices. Book ahead.
Itinerary
3 days in Salzburg — a suggested itinerary
Day 1
Cathedral, Residenz, Hohensalzburg at sunset
Bus from Salzburg Airport to the Mirabellplatz (€2.60, 20 minutes). Walk across the Salzach into the old town — the Domplatz and the Cathedral first (the interior at 10am before the tours arrive is magnificent). Residenz Palace state rooms and gallery. Getreidegasse for the medieval streetscape and Mozart's Birthplace (timed entry booked online). Lunch at one of the old town cafés — a Leberkässemmel (warm meat loaf roll) from the butcher at the Grünmarkt is the finest cheap lunch in Salzburg. Hohensalzburg Fortress by funicular in the afternoon — the Golden Chamber, the panoramic views. Descend on foot through the fortress gardens at dusk. Zum Fidelen Affen for dinner.
Day 2
Mirabell Gardens, Mozart concerts, Sound of Music optional
Mirabell Palace gardens at 8am — the fountain, the fortress view, the baroque garden geometry in morning light before the tourists arrive. The Mozart Residence on the Makartplatz (where the family lived after moving from the Getreidegasse birthplace) has excellent audio guides covering the composer's Salzburg years. Café Tomaselli for a Melange and Nockerl. The Sound of Music tour, if it appeals — the Mirabell steps, the Nonnberg Convent, the gazebo at Hellbrunn Palace — runs as organised tours from the old town. The Salzburg Festival (July–August) sells tickets at salzburgfestival.at; even if the main events are sold out, late-release tickets and standing places sometimes appear. Evening concerts in the Marble Hall or the Mozarteum are excellent all year.
Day 3
Hellbrunn Palace, the Alpine Zoo, Berchtesgaden option
Hellbrunn Palace (5km south of Salzburg, bus 25) — the 17th-century summer palace of the Archbishops, famous for its trick fountains (hidden jets that soak visitors without warning, in operation since 1619), the extraordinary stone theatre, and the gardens where The Sound of Music gazebo stands. Allow two hours. The Salzburg Alpine Zoo on the Hellbrunn hill is Europe's highest-altitude zoo and has the finest collection of Alpine fauna — ibex, chamois, lynx, brown bears. Alternatively: Berchtesgaden (30 minutes by bus to Germany) for the Eagle's Nest (Hitler's mountain retreat, extraordinary views), the Königssee (a glacial lake of astonishing beauty, boat trip to the St Bartholomä chapel) and the salt mine tours. Back to Salzburg for a final Salzburger Nockerl at Tomaselli before the airport bus.
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