Choose wisely. Connect locally.Add your business Salzburg is a city of domes, bells and music squeezed between two hills on the banks of the Salzach River.
It is also the birthplace of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, home of one of the world's great music festivals and the setting of The Sound of Music. This guide shows you the best places to visit, where to eat and stay, and how to time your trip.
Salzburg packs an extraordinary amount into a walkable center. Within a few minutes you can pass from a Romanesque abbey to a Baroque cathedral, through a cliffside cemetery, and up to a fortress with views across the Alps.
Music is everywhere. Mozart's homes are museums, concerts fill churches and palace halls through the year, and the Salzburg Festival, founded in 1920, draws performers and audiences from around the world each summer.
Begun in 1077 and expanded over the following centuries, Hohensalzburg is one of the largest medieval castles in Central Europe. Inside you can tour the princely state rooms, a fortress museum and a marionette exhibit, and walk the ramparts for views over the old town and toward the mountains.
Begun in 1077, Hohensalzburg is one of the largest medieval castles in Central Europe. Photo: Andreas Stiasny, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
The cathedral was rebuilt in the early Baroque style and consecrated in 1628, with a pale marble facade, three bronze doors and a bright interior under a soaring dome. Mozart was baptized here and later served as an organist.
Salzburg Cathedral, rebuilt in Baroque style in the 17th century, is where Mozart was baptized. Photo: P e z i, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 at
Residenzplatz, with its large Baroque fountain, is flanked by the Residenz, where the prince-archbishops lived and received guests. The DomQuartier route links the palace state rooms, the Residenzgalerie with European paintings, the cathedral organ gallery and the museum of St. Peter's Abbey in one continuous walk.
The Residenz Fountain stands at the center of Residenzplatz, beside the archbishops' palace. Photo: Ank Kumar, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Founded around 700 by Saint Rupert, St. Peter's is among the oldest monasteries in the German-speaking world.
St. Peter's Cemetery lies at the foot of the Monchsberg cliff, where catacombs are carved into the rock. Photo: Isiwal, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Also founded by Saint Rupert, Nonnberg is described as the oldest continuously operating women's convent in the German-speaking world. It sits on a terrace below the fortress, and its church holds Romanesque frescoes.
This narrow street is the old town's main shopping lane, lined with tall merchant houses, hidden passages and wrought iron guild signs, many now advertising modern brands in traditional style. Allow an hour to wander and explore the courtyards that link it with the riverfront.
Getreidegasse is known for its tall townhouses and wrought iron guild signs. Photo: © 1971markus, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Mozart was born on 27 January 1756 in the third-floor apartment at Getreidegasse 9, where the family lived until 1773. The museum displays his childhood violin, portraits, letters and family belongings.
Mozart was born in this house at Getreidegasse 9 on 27 January 1756. Photo: Hiroki Ogawa, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0
On Makartplatz, the Mozart family's larger later home was badly damaged in the Second World War and rebuilt as a museum. It focuses on Mozart's years as a young court musician, his family life and his travels across Europe, with original instruments, documents and portraits.
Prince-Archbishop Wolf Dietrich built the original palace in 1606 for Salome Alt, the mother of his children. Its Marble Hall is a popular wedding and concert venue, and the formal gardens, with fountains, hedges, mythological statues and a dwarf garden, frame a famous view of the cathedral and fortress.
The formal Mirabell Gardens frame a classic view of the old town and Hohensalzburg. Photo: Isiwal, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Two forested hills hem in the old town. From Linzergasse, steps climb the Kapuzinerberg past a Capuchin monastery to viewpoints over the rooftops.
South of the center, Hellbrunn was built from 1612 for Prince-Archbishop Markus Sittikus as a pleasure palace. Its famous trick fountains, hidden in grottoes, stone seats and a mechanical theater, still soak unsuspecting guests on guided tours.
The trick fountains of Hellbrunn Palace were created for Prince-Archbishop Markus Sittikus in the early 17th century. Photo: Zairon, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
The Untersberg cable car carries visitors from St. Leonhard to the Geiereck summit at 1,776 meters, with views over Salzburg, the Bavarian Alps and the lakes. Short trails and a hut await at the top.
The Untersberg cable car climbs to the Geiereck summit at 1,776 meters, south of the city. Photo: Arne Müseler, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 de
About half an hour south, the salt mine at Bad Dürrnberg above Hallein offers guided tours with a mine train, wooden miners' slides and a raft crossing of an underground salt lake, along with insights into the Celtic miners who worked here. Allow half a day including travel.
Salzburg's signature dessert is the Salzburger Nockerl, a golden baked souffle shaped into three peaks said to represent the city's hills, made to order and large enough to share.
For hearty food, try Wiener schnitzel, Kasnocken cheese dumplings, Tafelspitz boiled beef and Kaiserschmarrn.
Popular dishes to try in Salzburg
Altstadt (left bank). The old town puts the cathedral, fortress and Getreidegasse at your door.
Near the main station. The Hauptbahnhof area is practical for rail travelers and day trips, with frequent buses to the center about 15 minutes' walk away.
Nonntal and Parsch. These quieter residential districts below the fortress and toward the Gaisberg suit families and longer stays, with easy access by bus or bike.
Where to stay in Salzburg
Late spring and early autumn are ideal, with mild weather, blooming or golden gardens and moderate crowds.
Winter has its own appeal.
By air. Salzburg W. A. Mozart Airport lies about 20 minutes from the center by trolleybus.
By train. The Hauptbahnhof has frequent services to Vienna, Linz, Innsbruck and Munich, plus night trains from several European cities.
By car. The A1 and A8 motorways reach the city; Austrian motorways require a vignette.
Getting around. The old town is compact and best explored on foot.
Start early at Mirabell Gardens, cross the river to Mozart's Birthplace and Getreidegasse, then visit the cathedral and St. Peter's Cemetery.
Walk the DomQuartier, then take the Mönchsberg lift for the ridge walk and museum.
Ride the Untersberg cable car on a clear morning, or tour the Hallein salt mine.
WISERMAP PLACESalzburg: photos, reviews & things to doSee traveler photos and reviews, or share your own →
Hallstatt, Austria
Vienna, Austria
Arenal, Costa Rica
Petra, Jordan
Cairo and Giza, Egypt
Seychelles