As its Baroque architecture attests, Salzburg was Austria’s ecclesiastical center in the 17th and 18th centuries. This golden age fostered a rich musical culture that lives on today in elaborate concert halls and impromptu folk performances. The city’s love for its native genius, Mozart, climaxes in summer during the Salzburg Festival, when fans the world over come to pay their respects.
Trains leave from Hauptbahnhof, in Südtirolerpl. (☎05 17 17) for: Graz (4hr., every hr. 8am-6:30pm, €40); Innsbruck (2hr., 11 per day, €34); Munich, GER (2-3hr., 30 per day, €27); Vienna (3hr., 26 per day, €44); Zürich, SWI (6hr., 7 per day, €73). Buses depart from the depot in front of the train station. Single tickets (€1.80) available at automatic machines or from the drivers. Books of 5 tickets (€8), day passes (€4.20), and week passes (€11) are available at machines. Punch your ticket when you board or risk a €36 fine.
Three hills and the Salzach River delineate Salzburg, located just a few kilometers from the German border. The Neustadt is north of the river, and the beautiful Altstadt squeezes between the southern bank and the Mönchsberg hill. The Hauptbahnhof is on the northern side of town beyond the Neustadt; bus #1 connects it to Hanuschplatz, the Altstadt’s main public transportation hub, by the river near Griesg. and the Staatsbrücke. Buses #3, 5, and 6 run from the Hauptbahnof to Rathaus and Mozartsteg, also in the Altstadt. Neustadt hubs include Mirabellplatz, Makartplatz, and Mozartsteg, the pedestrian bridge leading across the Salzach to Mozartpl. To reach the Altstadt on foot, turn left from the station onto Rainerstr. and follow it straight under the tunnel and on to Mirabellpl.; continue to Makartplatz and turn right to cross the Makartsteg bridge.
Within the city itself, budget hotels and hostels are few and far between. Instead, try looking for accommodations outside Salzburg that are still accessible by public transportation. For the best deal, check out Privatzimmer (rooms in a family home), usually located on the city’s outskirts, with welcoming hosts and bargain prices. Reservations are recommended, especially in summer. For a complete list of Privatzimmer and booking help, see the tourist office.
Countless beer gardens and pastry-shop patios make Salzburg a great place for outdoor dining. Local specialties include Salzburger nockerl (egg whites, sugar, and raspberry filling baked into three mounds that represent the hills of Salzburg) and the world-famous Mozartkugel (hazelnuts coated in pistachio marzipan, nougat, and chocolate). Supermarkets cluster on the Mirabellpl. side of the river. Open-air markets in Universitätspl. sell fresh fruits and veggies, giant pretzels, meats, and cheeses. (Open M-F 6am-7pm, Sa 6am-1pm.)
Festung Hohensalzburg. Built between 1077 and 1681 by the ruling archbishops, the imposing Hohensalzburg Fortress, which looms over Salzburg from atop Mönchsberg, is the largest completely preserved castle in all of Europe—partly because it was never successfully attacked. The Festungsmuseum inside the fortress has side-by-side histories of Salzburg, the fortress, and the world. An audio tour (30min., 4 per hr.) leads visitors up the watch-tower for an unmatched panorama of the city, to an organ nicknamed the “Bull of Salzburg” for its off-key snorting. (☎0662 8424 3011. Take the trail or the Festungsbahn funicular up to the fortress from Festungsg. Funicular May-Aug. 9am-10pm; Sept. 9am-9pm; Oct-Apr. 9am-5pm. Open daily July-Aug. 9am-7pm; Sept. and May-June 9am-6pm; Oct.-Apr. 9am-5pm. Last museum entry 30min. before closing. €10; includes round-trip funicular ride.)
Mozarts Geburtshaus. Mozart’s birthplace and childhood home holds a collection of the child genius’ belongings, including his first violin and keyboard instruments. Make sure to arrive before 11am to avoid the large crowds. (☎0662 084 4313. Getreideg. 9. Open daily July-Aug. 9am-7pm; Sept.-June 9am-6pm. Last entry 30min. before closing. €6.50, students €5.50. Cash only.)
Stiftskirche, Catacombs, And The Dom. The Monastery of St. Peter rests against the Mönchsberg cliffs. Stiftskirche St. Peter, a church within the monastery, features a marble portal from 1244. In the 18th century, the building was remodeled in Rococo style. (☎0662 844 5760. Open daily 9am-12:15pm and 2:30-6:30pm.) To the right of the church’s entrance is the monastery’s Friedhof (cemetery). Tiger lilies, roses, and ivy embellish the fanciful curls of the wrought-iron crosses. The entrance to the catacombs is on the far right, against the Mönchsberg. (Monastery open May-Sept. Tu-Su 10:30am-5pm; Oct.-Apr. W-Th 10:30am-3:30pm, F-Su 10:30am-4pm. €1, students €0.60. Cemetery open Apr.-Sept. 6:30am-7pm; Oct.-Mar. 6:30am-6pm. Free.) The exit at the other end of the cemetery leads to the immense Baroque Dom (cathedral), where Mozart was christened in 1756 and later worked as concertmaster and court organist. The square in front of the cathedral, Domplatz, features a statue of the Virgin Mary and figures representing Wisdom, Faith, the Church, and the Devil.
Residenz. Home of the later Salzburg princes, this palace once boasted 180 rooms of Renaissance, Baroque, and Classical art. Most of the building is now used by the University of Salzburg, but the second floor staterooms—the Prunkräume —still contain their original ornate furnishing. (☎0662 804 226 90; www.salzburg-burgen.at. Residenzpl. 1. Open daily 9am-5pm. Last entry 4:30pm. €8.20, students €6.20; includes audio tour. Free with Salzburg Card.)
Kollegienkirche. In Mozart’s backyard stands one of the largest Baroque chapels on the continent. Sculpted clouds coat the nave, while pudgy cherubim frolic over the church’s immense apse. (Open daily 9am-5pm. Free.)
Mirabell Palace And Gardens. Mirabellpl. holds the marvelous Schloß Mirabell, which the supposedly celibate Archbishop Wolf Dietrich built for his mistress and their 15 children in 1606. (Open daily 7am-9pm. Free.) However, the main attraction is the ornate maze of flowers beds and fountains behind the palace. The Mirabellgarten contains the moss-covered Zauberflötenhäuschen (“Magic Flute Little House”) where Mozart purportedly composed The Magic Flute.
The Sound Of Music. The hills may not really be alive with the sound of music, but tour companies bid eager visitors to relive all the famous scenes of the 1965 movie. Stops along the 4hr. tour include: Leopoldskron Palace; the Von Trapp home where the children fall into the lake; Lustschloß Hellbrunn, home of the glass gazebo; and the Mirabell Gardens, where the children sing “Do re mi.” (Salzburg Panorama Tours. ☎0662 88 32 11. Mirabellpl. 2. Tours 9:30am and 2pm. Free pickup from hotel or hostel. €37, children €18.)
During the Salzburger Festspiele (July-Aug.), operas, plays, films, concerts, and tourists overrun every available public space; expect room prices to rise accordingly and plan ahead. Info and tickets for Festspiele events are available through the Festspiele Kartenbüro (ticket office) and Direkt Verkauf (daily box office) at Karajanpl. 11, against the mountain and next to the tunnel. (☎0662 804 5500; www.salzburgfestival.at. Open mid-Mar. to June M-F 9:30am-3pm, through the end of Festspiele daily 9:30am-6pm. Tickets €15-360.) In other months, head to a concert organized by the Mozarteum. Their Mozartwoche, a week-long celebration of Mozart, during which his sacred works are performed, occurs at the end of January. (Jan. 25-Feb. 5. ☎0662 87 31 54; www.mozarteum.at.) The Dom has a concert program in July, August, and early October. (☎0662 88 46 23 45. €20, students €7.) From May to September, the Mirabell Gardens hosts outdoor performances including concerts, folk singing, and dancing. The tourist office has leaflets on scheduled events, but an evening stroll through the park might answer your questions equally as well. Mozartplatz and Kapitelplatz are popular stops for street musicians and school bands. For more information, visit www.salzburg-festivals.com.
Munich may be the world’s beer capital, but much of its liquid gold flows south to Austria’s pubs and Biergärten (beer gardens). These lager oases cluster in the city center along the Salzach River. The more boisterous revelers stick to Rudolfskai, between the Staatsbrücke and Mozartsteg. Elsewhere, especially along Chiemseegasse and around Anton-Neumayr-Platz, you can throw back a few drinks in a reserved Beisl (pub). Refined bars with middle-aged patrons can be found along Steingasse and Giselakai on the other side of the river.
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For 52 years, we have published the world’s favorite budget travel guides, written entirely by students and updated every year. With pen and notebook in hand and a few changes of underwear stuffed in our backpacks, we spend months roaming the globe in search of travel bargains.
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