-Europe.Austria.Salzburg-
Salzburg is a well-known city in Austria. To the rest of the world , it is known for the filming location of the Hollywood production of The Sound of Music starring Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer. I was surprised to learn that the majority of Austrians are not aware of this movie and Salzburg is rather famous as the birthplace of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Therefore the sound of music refers to the magic and wizardry of the talented musical wiz kid hailing from this city.
Getting To Salzburg
By Plane
Arrival at the Salzburg airport – you can catch a bus line no. 10 from the airport to the city center. The journey takes around 15 minutes. Tickets can be purchased from the bus driver or at ticket machines.
*Money $aving Tip: Get a 24-hour or weekly ticket if you plan to use the public transportation more in Salzburg. Here is the link to the ticket prices. Consider to get the Salzburg Card if you plan a lot of sightseeing with entrance fees. The card can be purchased at “Reisewelt” Travel Agency at the airport. Their hours are from 10:00 – 13:00 on weekdays.
By Train
The main train station in Salzburg is a 30 – minute walk from the city’s old center. Buses can be taken right in front of the train station at Sudtiroler Platz. The Salzburg card can be purchased at the main train station or the Tourist information center near the Mozart statue in the center.
By Car
If you choose to stay close to the action ; at Salzburg center, which is always a good choice – you will most likely have a hotel which does not have a parking space. It is difficult to find a free roadside park as most are governed by park machines or restricted hourly parking. I am always there with the car and there are 2 options.
- Park and Ride – There are currently 4 Park & Rides outside of the Center of Salzburg and there is a fee that includes parking as well as public transport for the Zone “S” for up to 5 people travelling together. Here is a helpful link for the listed Park + Ride facilities.
- Parking Garages – There are a number of garages at the city center. This is normally the option we take as it is the most convenient way of reaching the car. The closer to garage is to the center the more expensive it is. The garage at Mirabell-platz costs 30 Euros a day for example. All the garages have hourly rates as well. I found Hypo Garage about 15 minutes walk from the Hotel we stayed in which costed only 9 Euros for 24-hours- I was at first skeptical if there was a catch but it all worked out very well.
Where to Stay in Salzburg
There are no shortages of Hotels in Salzburg. Anywhere in the center or a little bit further is good – as Salzburg tends to get rainy and its really comforting to be able to run to the shelter of a dry hotel room when it starts to pour. This time I got us a pretty cool Hotel which was just across the Bridge from the city center.
Seeing Salzburg
I have visited Salzburg about 5 times but never spent the night. This time I wanted to see it at a more leisurely pace and this was our first mini trip since the Corona social distancing. We took advantage that we had to clear some holidays at work as well as it was Rainer’s birthday and we wanted to visit a friend we have not seen for a long while. Since country borders are not yet really open, I thought it was a great time to visit as it should not be as crowded as it always is.
The city center is quite compact and walkable with just a few attractions needing public transport or the car. I list them down starting from the center to those farther away. Attractions from 1 – 11 are walkable while 12 and 13 is needing a bus or car.
Hohensalzburg
You can’t go to center of Salzburg and say that you have no idea where Hohensalzburg is. It can be seen from far away and from any viewpoint because it is simply huge and sitting on top of the mountain overlooking the whole center of Mozart’s city of Salzburg.
You have the option of either hiking up which takes around 20 minutes or taking the funìcular which runs every 10 minutes. The funicular is signposted with “Festungsbahn” and you reach it from Kapitelplatz which has the large sculpture of a man standing on a golden globe. At the far end of the square , follow the Kapitelplatz and you will pass St. Peter’s abbey on the way to the station.
There are many choices of tickets to combine with the entrance to the Hohensalzburg – you save just a few euros if you walk instead. Check out opening times and ticket options here. Free with the Salzburg Card – Funicular as well as the entrance to Hohensalzburg, Fortress Museum, Armory and the Marionette Museum.
My favourite is the wondrous view of Salzburg from above.
St. Peter's Abbey
In close proximity to the funicular , is St. Peter’s Abbey. Known as the oldest monastery in the German-speaking regions, the abbey also houses the oldest library in Austria. I have tried unsuccessfully to visit the Library which is not open to the Public and is by special permission only. If one of you get there first, do send me a note as to how you managed it. The other interesting attractions here is the church, the cemetery, the catacombs as well as the Bakery!
Here is the link for the opening times and ticket prices. Admission is free with the Salzburg Card.
Kapitelplatz
Salzburg has a number of squares and places in the compact city. One of the more instantly recognizable on is Kapitelplatz due to the art work in the form of a sculpture of a man standing on top of a golden sphere. It is known as Balkenhol-Mozartkugel. On another corner of the square is the old fountain that has Roman influences.
Domplatz
Domplatz is a square which links Kapitelplatz and Residenplatz. The Salzburg Cathedral is located here and was where Mozart was baptized. Outside of the Cathedral is a column of the Immaculate Mary and depicts the reactions to the Immaculate Conception.
Residenzplatz
An impressive square with a fountain centerpiece, the Residenzbrunnen. It seems to be inspired by the Roman fountains Fontana dei Quattro and Fontana del Tritone. It is carved from marble from the nearby mountains. The square itself is host to many cultural events as well as the Christmas market.
Mozartplatz
The square with the statue of the famous Salzburg son , Mozart. The surrounding building was once the address of his surviving wife. Presently there are pleasant cafes around.
Alter Markt
As the name suggests , the Old Market was a busy market place. The location is off the famous Getriedegasse. At the central point of the square is the Floriani Fountain with the coat of arms of Salzburg. The square is home to the oldest still operating coffee house in Austria – Café Tomaselli.
Getriedegasse
The Getriedegasse is the most packed street in Salzburg town and for good reason too. The street is narrow but have character buildings on both sides of it. The old buildings which now houses shops and small businesses have a distinctive flair and what catches the eye are the iron wrought signs above that line the buildings on the street.
There are “through houses” which leads from the street onto squares or other streets though the houses and is accessible by the public. Its really fun to find where it leads – these days there are small restaurants in these areas.
Last but not least , on this street is the house where Mozart was born marked with “Geburtshaus Mozart”
Karajan Platz
The Karajan Platz can be reached with a 3-minute walk from the end of Getriedegasse towards Siegmundstor. The Horse Pond is where the prince-archbishops horses used to be wash. The wall murals behind the Horse Tamer and the Horse statues are something to feast your eyes on.
Makart Platz
Now its time to explore the other side of the River – after the Karajan platz take a walk across the bridge with the love locks also known as the Makartsteg. At the Makart platz there is a contemporary art sculpture with the backdrop of the Trinity Church – I don’t have a good picture of it unfortunately. Other notable things on the square is the house where Mozart lived in – “Mozart Wohnhaus” which is now a museum. On the opposite of the museum is the entrance to the Mirabell gardens, our next destination.
Mirabell Palace and Gardens
This is a major attraction in Salzburg, especially during summer – the flowers are extremely beautiful showcased in the gardens. The best news of all the Palace and Gardens have no admission fees. If you are a fan of roses like I am, then you will appreciate the beautiful rose gardens.
Hellbrun Palace
Quite frankly if you have seen other palaces in Europe, Hellbrun isn’t very impressive. However I liked the sprawling grounds which you can walk through to get to the Salzburg zoo very close by. Ticket to the Palace is inclusive of the trick fountains. The trick fountains was more of a draw for me. Its fun – and be prepared to leave wet. Here is the link to opening times and ticket prices. Admission is free with the Salzburg Card.
From the Salzburg town or train station you can catch the Bus no 840 or 25 to Hellbrun.
Zoo Salzburg
We visited the Salzburg zoo on our recent visit. Animals have a calming effect but I did not expect to see so many exotic animals in what I perceived as a small zoo. It had many different animals divided into sections of the continent they come from. Wolves, Brown Bears, Capuchin monkeys, capybaras, mountain goats and many more as well as petting zoo were included. I encourage you to visit as they depend on the donations and entrance fees to keep the zoo in running order. As well is seen that the habitat of the animals are set up accordingly so that they feel well albeit in enclosures.
Here is the link for the opening times and ticket fees. Admission fee is included in the Salzburg card.
If you want to see everything on the list, it is more comfortable with a 2 day visit. It is quite rushed to cram everything in a day especially with visits to places with entrance fee will take a bit more time. Finally , a good take away as souvenirs are boxes of Mozart Kugeln, a chocolate ball made of pistachio marizpan and nougat.
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Day Trip Ideas
This brings back good memories of visiting Salzburg. We travelled there by train and that worked well for us. But it did mean we needed to book tours rather than drive for day trips. It was great to head high to start with a panoramic view over the city. We missed the zoo and will have to visit on a return trip. And we were very sorry we did not get to attend a concert in the birthplace of Mozart!
I love the color of the stone used in most of the houses in Salzburg, it really gives the town a warm and inviting ambiance. I see there’s no chance of missing the Mozart house .. what with it being bright yellow, it must stick out loud and proud.
Salzburg looks lovely! I find it very fascinating that the Sound of Music was filmed there, but most Austrians don’t know of its existence. The Hellbrun Palace would be a must for me, the Roman Theater station at the Hellbrunn Trick fountains is beautiful! The Mirabell Gardens are beautiful as well, visiting flower fields and gardens are one of my favorite things to do! And visiting the birthplace of Mozart would be awesome, I grew up listening to his music.
Salzburg is equal to Sound of music for me. And though I did know a but about its history, what I did not know was how much of it still exists. Mirabell Gardens seem so picturesque and the Hellbrun Palace would be a delight to explore. I sure would love to discover more of Mozart too.
I was there so long ago, and I remember visiting some of the Sound of Music places. I’m surprised that they aren’t as familiar with the movie, but I guess that’s because it was geared towards an American audience. I loved my time in Austria!
I have always missed to visit Salzburg on my trips to Austria. The Gothic architect is splendid in every manner. I personally liked the richness of St Peter’s Abbey. I have right away saved the guide to refer whenever I visit Austria next. Thankyou
I visited Vienna last summers but couldn’t make it to Salzburg and I know missed it. Though I can see there is so much in common as the capital, the city definitely has it own flair. I am aware that its all about Mozart. I would love to check out the Marionette Museum. St. Peter’s Abbey looks lovely and of course the palaces and gardens are USP of Vienna. The chocolate boxes remind me of some of the souvenirs that I brought back home.
I can’t believe you visited Salzburg five times before this trip but never spent the night! I absolutely loved the city, I was there was 3 days and it was a little before Christmas, with the beautiful markets and lively streets. The view of the city from Hohensalzburg really are gorgeous!