Salzburg

Salzburg is a city in Austria, near the border with Germany's Bavaria state, with a population of 157,000 (2020). It was the setting for the 1965 movie The Sound of Music, so you may think you know all there is to see in Salzburg if you have seen the movie. Admittedly, it is difficult not to burst into song when you're walking along the Salzach River, or climbing up to the Hohensalzburg fortress, which looms over the city. But there is a lot more to this compact, courtly city than Julie Andrews and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, who was born here.

Understand
Salzburg, which has been inhabited since the Neolithic period, is the fourth-largest city in Austria (after Vienna, Graz and Linz) and the capital of the federal state of Salzburg. In 45 AD, it was a Roman establishment. The Bavarians took over in the 6th century. At the end of the 16th century, under Archbishop Wolf Dietrich von Raitenau, the transformation of the medieval town into the "Rome of the North" began, with new buildings following the Italian baroque style. The buildings from this era are mostly in the "Old Town", as it is known today. The old town is one of the best-preserved city centers in the German-speaking world and was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997. Salzburg became part of the Austrian Empire in 1816. It frequently ranks favorably in quality of life rankings.

Origins of name
The name Salzburg, literally "Salt Castle", is derived from the barges carrying salt on the Salzach river, which were subject to a toll in the 8th century.

Early history and medieval period
Traces of human settlements dating to the Neolithic Age and later a Celt camp have been found in the area. Starting from 15 BC, the small communities were grouped into a single town which was named by the Romans as Juvavum. Little remains of the city from this period.

The Hohensalzburg Fortress was built in 1077 and expanded in the following centuries. Independence from Bavaria was secured in the late 14th century.

Independent state
Salzburg was the capital of an independent state from the early 14th century until 1805. It was ruled by prince-archbishops, who became rich by the salt mines in the south of the city. This led to the architectural gem you see today, as materials and architects were imported from Italy and other European countries. This is also why, compared to other Austrian cities, sacral monuments surpass the few secular buildings in every respect. The prince-archbishops were forced to give up their political powers during the French occupation in 1805, when Napoleon Bonaparte introduced the concept of separation of Church and State in all the occupied territories.

Tourist information

 * Salzburg tourism website

By plane


Having arrived at the airport (Flughafen Salzburg), it is very easy to make your way into the town centre by electric trolleybus or other modes of transport. Tickets for these services can be bought easily from the bus driver and you can travel from here to the "Hauptbahnhof" main station where you can reach many destinations, predominantly in Austria, but also across the whole of Europe.

For more international connections, you may prefer flying to Munich and taking the train to Salzburg. Other airports in Austria like Graz or Innsbruck can be of interest if you like scenic journeys through the mountains.

By train
Salzburg's train station, the Hauptbahnhof, is north of the Salzach River within the New Town of Salzburg. The train ride from Munich to Salzburg takes about 1½ hours (Regional trains take about 2 hours), and international trains operate from Zurich, Zagreb, Ljubljana and Budapest and other destinations. Inter-city trains operate very frequently (especially to Vienna where services are almost hourly).

The ÖBB Nightjet runs to Salzburg from Germany, Italy and Switzerland.

The station is operated by the Austrian Federal Railway Company (ÖBB) and by the national German Railway company (DB). Both companies have ticket stalls and machines in the station. The popular train pass for Bavaria sold by DB (in German: Bayern Ticket) covers train rides between Bavaria and Salzburg, but it is only valid for Regional trains (code RE, RB, or M). The rail pass can be brought from DB ticket stalls and from DB ticket selling machines in the station.

Salzburg has direct train connections with Vienna, Linz, Feldkirch (at the Liechtenstein border), Zürich (in Switzerland), etc.

The station has a supermarket which is open 06:00-23:00, lockers (from €2 to €3.50, which are often full), and toilets (€0.50/entry).

To get to the city centre, walk (about 15 min), or use one of the trolley buses.

By bus

 * Budweis-shuttle "http://www.budweis-shuttle.cz" and Czechshuttle.com offers a door-to-door shuttle bus transfer from Česky Krumlov or Česke Budejovice to Salzburg and back for 1,100 Kč per person.
 * From Bosnia, (Banja Luka or Doboj), three times per week, with Boro Bus
 * Bus transfer from/to Budapest with a possible stop in Vienna, from door to door, English-speaking drivers with Eurobusways 
 * There are day-trip tour buses that leave from Munich (right outside the main station).
 * The Flixbus stop is in Salzburg Sud, not really near the main train station.

By car
Salzburg is well connected to Vienna (Wien) and Munich (München), Germany via the autobahns A8 (Munich - Salzburg) and A1 (Salzburg - Vienna). There is an Austrian Motorway "Vignette" you have to purchase. The price varies depending on whether you buy a yearly or 10-day vignette.

Driving around Salzburg can be a pain. The road names are small and written in a "traditional" German font which can be hard to read. The best bet is to get into the city, find a parking space, and travel by foot. Several garages are on the edge of the historic center have hourly rates as well as 24-hour rates that range from €14-20. Garage companies include Best in Parking, APCOA, Contipark. Nearby hotels often have arrangements for discounted rates with commercial garages. More budget options include using one of the park-and-ride lots that have promotions for a free transit pass or even free parking during summer months. Be sure that if you are driving in cold weather to be prepared for snow. Snow chains should be recommended, in extreme weather. All cars must have snow tires (Winterreifen) by law from October to April.

Get around
The best way to get around Salzburg is by foot.

There is a network of city buses, the StadtBus, with numbers from 1 to 10, 12 and 14 (O-Buses, electric, trolley-bus) and 20-27 (fuel-powered). From the bus driver, you only get a single A single ticket for €3. The other option is buying a 5-ticket-strip in advance (€10,50). A 24-hr ticket costs €4.50, when bought at the vending machine (all prices from 2023). There are also daily, weekly and monthly passes. The Salzburg Verkehr application allows you to buy these tickets from your mobile phone. Make sure that you do not catch one of the last buses. They will take you several kilometers out of town with your only way back being by walking or taxi. If you need to get somewhere late at night it may be best to take a taxi or walk. The "Lokalbahn" train has a separate train station under the main train station and travels in the direction of Oberndorf and Lamprechtshausen. Tickets can be bought on the train.

Another option for exploring areas around the main city (Bad Ischl, Fuschlsee, etc.) are the POST-BUSes. These also leave from the main train station; tickets can be bought from the driver.

An excellent option is renting a bike. Salzburg has over 100 km of bike paths, and using this mode of transportation is often faster than bus, car or foot. There are also excellent bike paths on either side of the river which you can follow to either Freilassing (35 min), Oberndorf or Hallein (each about an hour away).

Salzburg Card
Depending on how long you want to stay in Salzburg and how much you want to pack into one day, the Salzburg Card could be a good investment, it includes: Salzburg Card 24 hr/adult: €28.00, 48 hours: €37.00, 72 hours: €43.00
 * Free single admission to all the city's attractions.
 * Free use of public transport throughout the city, including fortress funicular, panorama boat & cable car Untersberg.
 * Attractive discounts for cultural events.
 * Discounts for various tours and excursions.

See




Do

 * Chess &mdash; Giant chess board painted onto the ground, past the cathedral (travelling away from the river). You'll have to wait your turn, but it's worth it.
 * Football: FC Red Bull Salzburg play soccer in the Austrian Bundesliga, the top tier. They play in Red Bull Arena (capacity 32,000) in Wals-Siezenheim 3 km northwest of city centre.
 * SV Austria Salzburg are a breakaway club formed in 2005 in protest at Red Bull's takeover of FC Salzburg. They play in the minor leagues at Max Aicher Stadium (capacity 1600) just east of the airport.
 * Chess &mdash; Giant chess board painted onto the ground, past the cathedral (travelling away from the river). You'll have to wait your turn, but it's worth it.
 * Football: FC Red Bull Salzburg play soccer in the Austrian Bundesliga, the top tier. They play in Red Bull Arena (capacity 32,000) in Wals-Siezenheim 3 km northwest of city centre.
 * SV Austria Salzburg are a breakaway club formed in 2005 in protest at Red Bull's takeover of FC Salzburg. They play in the minor leagues at Max Aicher Stadium (capacity 1600) just east of the airport.

Festivals
For almost a century, Salzburg has hosted the world-famous Salzburg Festival, with operas, concerts, and theater plays in different locations throughout the city. It was founded by Hugo von Hoffmansthal, Max Reinhardt and Richard Strauss in 1920. It takes place in July and August, the most famous piece is the "Jedermann" ("Everyman") by Hugo v. Hoffmansthal, being conducted in front of the Dom (Cathedral) every year.

Festivals also take place during Easter time (with mostly Baroque music), and in autumn.

Buy



 * Mozartkugeln (Mozart balls) are confections of chocolate, marzipan, pistachio and sometimes hazelnut inspired by the famous composer, Salzburg's most famous son, Mozart. Try the original version by Fürst, which are handmade and cannot be purchased outside Fürst's four shops in Salzburg. They're expensive, though, at €1.80 a pop (souvenir boxes cost even more), and comparatively simple with only two layers. The cheaper, more widespread and arguably tastier Mirabell brand is available throughout Austria; you'll get the best prices at regular grocery stores, not souvenir shops. The third big name is Reber, which has three chocolate shops in the Old Town with a wide range of chocolates, Kugeln and pastettes (Alter Markt 5; Griesgasse 3; Getreidegasse 26).  Souvenir shops sell other brands too, which tend to cheap out on their ingredients and are best avoided.
 * The annual Christmas Market (Christkindlmarkt), located at the three squares around the dome (Domplatz, Kapitelplatz, Residenzplatz) features traditional fast food, such as hot potatoes, doughnuts with kraut, and candies, as well as Christmas decorations, winter clothes, and craftmanship. It opens end of November and closes on Christmas.

Eat
A typical dessert from Salzburg is the Salzburg Nockerl, a tasty baked soufflé best served with ice cream, berries and whipped cream. Good places make it to order, which takes at least 30 minutes, and the serving size is huge: one Nockerl is easily enough for four!

Winter season




Mid-range
Many of the beer halls listed under Drink are also great mid-range options.



Beer




Budget




Connect
Salzburg has 4G from all Austrian carriers. As of Sept 2021, 5G has not reached the city.

Wifi is widely available in public places.

Consulates

 * 🇷🇴 Romania

Go next

 * Hallein (22 000 inhabitants) with the Hallein Salt Mine also known as Salzbergwerk Dürrnberg.
 * Bad Reichenhall (Germany) and Berchtesgaden (Germany)
 * If you get tired of the city you can visit the ice caves south of Salzburg
 * Oberndorf, a small city next to Salzburg where Silent Night, Holy Night, the famous Christmas song, was composed and premiered. You can see the Silent Night Chapel there.
 * For people who prefer nature to sights, hiking on the Untersberg , a trip to Salzkammergut or the Königssee (Germany), or a visit to Bad Ischl may be interesting.
 * Hallstatt, a UNESCO world heritage city, can be reached in about 2 hours by bus through Bad Ischl, or 3 hours by train through Attnang-Puchheim.
 * Freilassing (Germany) is a small German town just across the border, 10-15 minutes by train. Some locals prefer to shop here as goods are slightly cheaper than in Austria.
 * Salzburg is about 2 hours from Munich (Germany) and Passau (Germany), 2 hours from Vienna, and is only a stone's throw from the Alps.