Salzburg

Introduction

Salzburg city

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Salzburg is perhaps the most touristy of Austria's cities, and not without reason. The old inner city is beautiful, the views from the fortress overlooking the old city are stunning. Music lovers come to see the birthplace of Mozart, and other come to see the set of the Sound of Music.

Neighbourhoods

Aigen, Altstadt. Andrä Viertel, Elisabeth Vorstadt, Gneis, Gnigl, Herrnau, Itzling, Langwied, Lehen, Leopoldskron-Moos, Liefering, Maxglan, Morzg, Neustadt, Nonntal, Parsch, Riedenburg, Sam, Schallmoos, Taxham

Sights and Activities

Mozarts Geburtshaus

Mozart balls

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In the Getreidegasse on number 9, you will find the birthplace of W.A. Mozart. The yellow house which now is a museum was the place where he lived until he was 17. The house is opened every day from 9.00 until 18.00 (and in July and August until 19.00).

Mozarts Wohnhaus

From his birthplace Mozart moved to another house in Salzburg, On a square that was then called Hannibalplatz, but now has the name Makartplatz. This house was opened to the public in 1996 and also is a museum nowadays. The house/museum is opened every day from 9.00 until 18.00 (and in July and August until 19.00)

Hohensalzburg Fortress

Salzburg

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If you go to visit one castle in Austria and Southern Germany, make it this one. Hohensalzburg is the largest completely intact medevial fortress in Central Europe. Thousand years (almost) of massive stone work sit on a hill and loom over the Salzach River with the city clustering around its ancient protection. Inside the fortress there is an extensive museum about the history of the castle and the region. Don't miss one of the guided tours that take you to the parts of the fortress that are not open to visitors otherwise.

Sound of Music Tour

Who doesn´t know the film the Sound of Music, about the family von Trapp? The film was shot in Salzburg and in the region surrounding the city. There are a couple of tours that can bring you to the original places where the film was shot. Most of the tours depart daily and take around 4 hours.

Other sights and activities

• Old town of Salzburg - a Unesco World Heritage Site
• Salzburg Cathedral
• Palace of Mirabell
• Anif Castle
• Eisriesenwelt in Werfen, just south of Salzburg

Events and Festivals

Weather

Salzburg has average maximum temperatures of around 20 to 24 °C from June to early September and winter temperatures slightly above zero during the day and a few degrees below at night (December-February). Rainfall (or some snow in winter) is quite evenly throughout the year but June to September is much wetter with a maximum of 200 mm of rain in July, when heavy showers occur.

Getting There

By Plane

Salzburg Airport (SZG) named W.A. Mozart Airport is situated at the west of the city, only 2.5 kilometres away from the city centre. Austrian Airlines, British Airways, Flybe, Transavia and Thomson Airways, are amongst the airlines that have regular flights to this airport. There are several dozens of airlines more though, some of them being charter airlines.
Some main destinations include Brussels, Copenhagen, London, Dublin, Berlin, Zürich, Bucharest, Corfu, Gran Canaria, Santorini, Zakynthos, Oslo, Warsaw, Stockholm, Moscow, Crete, Tenerife, Rhodes, Saint Petersburg, Rotterdam, Kiev and Tallinn.

Another option to reach Salzburg by air is to fly to the nearby airport in Munich and travel the last bit by train. There are many intercontinental flights to Munich.

By Train

ÖBB (Österreiche Bundesbahn) has train to/from Salzburg. Fast trains leave from the Hauptbahnhof hourly for Vienna’s Westbahnhof (3½ hours), travelling via Linz (1½ hours). The two-hourly express service to Klagenfurt (3¼ hours) runs via Villach.

Trains depart at least every two hours for Innsbruck (two hours) and stop at Kufstein. Trains to Munich take about two hours and run every 30 to 60 minutes, some of the trains continuing to Karlsruhe via Stuttgart.

There are also train connections to Berlin (eight hours), Budapest (seven hours), Prague (seven hours), Rome (10½ hours) and Venice (6½ hours), among other places en route.

By Car

Th A1 from Linz, Vienna and the east, the A8/E52 from Munich and the west and the A10/E55 from Villach and the south come together in Salzburg, ending at the loop road around the city.

By Bus

Check the Postbus website for information about buses in the region and further beyond to other places in Austria.

Getting Around

By Car

By Public Transport

By Foot

By Bike

Eat

Drink

Sleep

Budget

Mid-Range

Upscale

Work

Learn

• University of Salzburg

Keep Connected

Internet

Phone

See also: International Telephone Calls

Post

For more information, it is best to check the Austrian Postal Service. They have more information about posting letters, postcards and packages to places both in Austria and to other countries in Europe and intercontinental destinations. The standard price for sending domestic letters/postcards is €0.55. Within Europe the price is €0.65, other places in the world are €0.90 to €1.40 for standard letters and postcards. Post offices typically are open between 8:00am and 6:00pm Monday to Friday, though the main ones are sometimes open a few hours longer and on Saturdays (sometimes only mornings) as well.