Salzburg: what to see, where to stay and how to get around
The first thing to understand about Salzburg is that it was not Austrian. For more than a thousand years, until 1803, it was a sovereign state ruled by prince-archbishops — men who were both bishops and monarchs, who minted their own coins and kept their own army. What paid for all of it was salt, mined at Hallein and shipped down the Salzach, and the name of the city says so. Two hours in the old town, all of it flat.
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A short history of Salzburg
The Roman town of Iuvavum stood on this site. Around the year 700 Bishop Rupert founded a monastery here, and until 1803 the city was ruled by prince-archbishops, who grew rich from the salt mines in the area, and the city's name, "salt fortress", also comes from them. In 1756 Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was born here. In 1816, after the Napoleonic Wars, the city became part of Austria for good. In 1920 the first Salzburg Festival was held here. In 1996 its Baroque centre was declared a World Heritage Site.
The ten best sights in Salzburg
1AltstadtA UNESCO site, and it was the capital of an independent church state until 1803
2Hohensalzburg Fortress15.50 euro with the funicular, 19.20 all-inclusive. Never taken by an enemy. Verified 10/2026
3Salzburg CathedralFree to enter. Mozart was baptised in the 1321 font, which survived the fire of 1598
4DomQuartier15 euro. The archbishop’s rooms, the cathedral terrace and three museums on one route. Verified 10/2026
5ResidenzplatzThe fountain of 1661 is the largest Baroque fountain north of the Alps
6ResidenzThe prince-archbishops’ palace; Mozart played in the Conference Room at six
7Mozart’s Birthplace15 euro, 23 for both Mozart museums. Third floor, and the family rented it
8Mozart ResidenceWhere the family moved in 1773; rebuilt after a wartime bomb destroyed most of it
9St Peter’s AbbeyFounded about 696 and never closed since — one of the oldest in the German-speaking world
10St Peter’s cemeteryCatacombs cut into the rock face above it, and the arcades are family crypts
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What is an audio walk?
Tours in Salzburg →A guide in your headphones: open the walk on our site, walk from stop to stop, and at each one your phone tells its story. No guide, no group, and free. This is the first walk in Salzburg:
Free walking tours in Salzburg
The city the salt built
The first thing to understand about Salzburg is that it was not Austrian. For more than a thousand years, until 1803, it was a sovereign state ruled by prince-archbishops — men who were both bishops and monarchs, who minted their own coins and kept their own army. What paid for all of it was salt, mined at Hallein and shipped down the Salzach, and the name of the city says so. Two hours in the old town, all of it flat.
- Residenzplatz · This square did not exist before 1600. Archbishop Wolf Dietrich demolished fifty-five houses and the medieval cemetery to clear it, because he had seen Rome and wanted the same effect — a straight line from his palace to his cathedral. The fountain in the middle, finished in 1661, is the largest Baroque fountain north of the Alps, and it is carved from Untersberg marble quarried fifteen kilometres away.
- Salzburg Cathedral · The Romanesque cathedral that stood here burned in 1598, and Wolf Dietrich had the ruins pulled down rather than repaired — one object was saved from the fire and it is the bronze font of 1321, standing just inside the door. Mozart was baptised in it in 1756, and so was every other child in the city for four centuries. Free to enter.
- St Peter’s Abbey · Founded around the year 696 by Saint Rupert, and it has never once closed since — which makes it one of the oldest continuously operating monasteries in the German-speaking world. The restaurant in its courtyard, the Stiftskeller, appears in a document from the year 803 and claims on that basis to be the oldest restaurant in Europe. Mozart’s Mass in C minor was first performed in the abbey church.
- St Peter’s cemetery · The chambers cut into the cliff above the graves are catacombs, and they were in use long before the church below them — early Christians used them, and some of the excavation is older still. The arcades at ground level are family crypts rented in perpetuity, and the iron crosses are still maintained by descendants. The famous film scene set here was shot on a studio set in California.
- Getreidegasse · The wrought-iron signs hanging over the street are not decoration: they are trade signs from a time when most customers could not read, and each one shows what the shop sold. The houses are narrow and deep for a tax reason, and many of them are Durchhäuser — you can walk through the building, across a courtyard and out onto the next street, which is how the city handled crowds before pedestrian zones.
- Mozart’s Birthplace · Number nine Getreidegasse, third floor, and the family were tenants — Leopold Mozart rented four rooms from a grocer called Hagenauer for twenty-six years. Wolfgang left Salzburg for good in 1781 after a furious row with Archbishop Colloredo, and by one account was thrown out of the room by the archbishop’s steward with a kick. He never lived here again. Fifteen euro, twenty-three for both museums. Verified 10/2026.
Up the rock
Salzburg sits between two cliffs and a river, and that geography is the whole city: there was nowhere to expand, so the archbishops dug into the rock instead — a riding school carved into a cliff face, a tunnel through the Mönchsberg, a lift inside the stone, catacombs in the wall above a cemetery. This walk goes up. About two hours, with a funicular one way and a lift the other, and it is the one route where the view does the work.
- Kapitelplatz · The large square under the fortress, with a giant golden sphere in the middle carrying a man in a suit — a 2007 work by Stephan Balkenhol, and locals were divided about it for years. The horse trough on the far side is older and more useful: it is a 1732 watering basin, and the fortress funicular station is the arch behind it.
- Hohensalzburg Fortress · Begun in 1077 and extended for six hundred years, and in all that time no enemy ever took it — it was surrendered once without a shot, to Napoleon’s troops in 1800, by an archbishop who had already left. Inside it is the Salzburg Bull, a barrel organ of 1502 that still plays, and it is one of the largest fully preserved castles in Europe. Fifteen fifty with the funicular, verified 10/2026.
- Nonnberg Abbey · Founded about the year 714 and the oldest continuously existing convent in the German-speaking world — over thirteen hundred years in the same place. Maria Kutschera, later Maria von Trapp, really was a novice here, and her actual wedding in 1927 took place in this church and not in the one the film used at Mondsee. The nuns are enclosed; only the church is open.
- Festspielhaus and the riding school · The festival halls were built into the archbishops’ court stables, and the Felsenreitschule next door is a summer riding school cut straight into the Mönchsberg cliff in 1693 — ninety-six arcades hacked out of the rock, as a grandstand. It has been an opera stage since 1926. The festival itself was founded in 1920, two years after the empire collapsed, specifically as an act of cultural rebuilding.
- Pferdeschwemme · A horse bath, built in 1693 for the court stables, and the painted wall behind it is the detail worth noticing: the archbishop had a fresco of horses put up as a backdrop, so that the animals being washed would have something to look at. Three hundred and thirty years later it is still a public monument to an idea nobody has repeated.
- Mönchsberg · A lift inside the rock takes you to the top in about thirty seconds, and the walk along the ridge from there is free and almost empty. The cliff has a history of killing people: a rockfall in 1669 buried over two hundred, and ever since the city has employed men called Bergputzer who climb the face every spring and prise loose stones off by hand. They still do.
The right bank
Everything tourists come for is on the left bank, and everything the city actually is sits on the right one. This is where the archbishop built a palace for the woman he was not allowed to marry, where the man who wrote Silent Night was born, where the oldest street in Salzburg runs one house deep under a cliff, and where Stefan Zweig lived until 1934. An hour and a half, mostly quiet, with one steep stair.
- Mirabell Gardens · The palace behind them was built in 1606 by Archbishop Wolf Dietrich for Salome Alt, with whom he had fifteen children while holding an office that required celibacy. He named it Altenau, after her. His successor renamed it Mirabell and removed her from the record. The gardens are free and open from six in the morning. Verified 10/2026.
- The Dwarf Garden · Twenty-eight marble figures, carved in the 1690s and modelled on real people — the court dwarves of the archbishop, each one a portrait. In the nineteenth century Ludwig I of Bavaria, who was then living in Salzburg, found them grotesque and had them sold off; most were tracked down over the following decades and brought back. They are the oldest dwarf garden in Europe.
- Mozart Residence · The family moved here in 1773 because the Getreidegasse flat had become too small, and this is the house Mozart actually worked in as an adult in Salzburg. Most of it was destroyed by a bomb in 1944 and rebuilt in the 1990s from the original plans, which is why the building looks newer than it is — one wing is original and the rest is reconstruction.
- St Sebastian’s cemetery · Wolf Dietrich built his own mausoleum in the middle of it and is buried there, in a town that had exiled him. So is Paracelsus, the physician who first used the word zinc and who died in Salzburg in 1541. And so are Mozart’s father Leopold and his widow Constanze — but not Mozart, who is in an unmarked common grave in Vienna.
- Steingasse · The oldest street in the city and one house deep — the Kapuzinerberg cliff rises straight behind the back walls, which is why the houses have no gardens and almost no windows on that side. It was the Roman road, and then the salt road. At number nine a plaque marks the birthplace of Joseph Mohr, the priest who wrote the words to Silent Night in 1816.
- Kapuzinerberg · A steep stair from Steingasse leads up to a Capuchin monastery and a terrace that gives the same view as the fortress for nothing. Halfway up stands the Paschinger Schlössl, where Stefan Zweig lived from 1919 to 1934 and wrote most of his best-known work. He left when the police searched the house, moved to England, and never returned to Austria.
Getting to Salzburg and getting around
- Salzburg Airport · 4 kilometres from the old town — among the closest city airports in Europe
- Hauptbahnhof · Two and a half hours to Vienna, under two to Munich, and trolleybuses from the door
- Festungsbahn · The funicular up to the fortress, running since 1892 and included in the ticket
- Untersbergbahn · 34 euro return for adults, 13 for children 6–14. Verified 10/2026
Cheap eats in Salzburg
Salzburg food is Austrian mountain food with a monastery habit: beer brewed by monks since 1621, pretzels sold from baskets, and sausage stands that have been in the same spot for a century. Two things are local and nowhere else: the Salzburger Nockerl, a baked soufflé built as three peaks for the city’s three hills, and the Mozartkugel, invented here in 1890 and still hand-made in one shop. Three to fourteen euro.
- Augustiner Bräustübl · Rinse your own mug; pay by size; closes at 23:00
- Grünmarkt · Closed Sunday; mornings are best
- Stiftskeller St Peter · The midday menu, not the baroque hall
- Salzburger Nockerl · For two at least; order it first, not last
- Café Tomaselli · Point at the tray; there is no cake menu
- Original Mozartkugel · Only at the Fürst shops; not the airport boxes
- Balkan Grill · Standing only; under 6 euro
- Müllner Kirche terrace · A bench and a half litre; no booking
Museums in Salzburg
There are two museum decisions to make in Salzburg and the rest follows from them. First: the Salzburg Card at 38 euro for 24 hours, 45 for 48 and 49 for 72 covers the fortress, both Mozart museums, the DomQuartier, Hellbrunn and the buses — and the fortress plus one Mozart house plus Hellbrunn already exceeds 44 euro on separate tickets. Second: the DomQuartier is one route through the archbishops’ palace, the cathedral terrace and three collections, which is the single best use of 15 euro in the city. Verified 10/2026.
- DomQuartier · 15 euro, and about two hours. Verified 10/2026
- Hohensalzburg Fortress · 15.50 with funicular, 19.20 all-inclusive. Verified 10/2026
- Mozart’s Birthplace · 15 euro, 23 for both Mozart museums. Verified 10/2026
- Salzburg Museum · In the Salzburg Card; two hours
- Museum der Moderne · The lift up is separate from the museum ticket
- Panorama Museum · Small, and twenty minutes is enough
- Haus der Natur · Half a day with children
- Marionette Theatre · Book ahead; the hall is small
Nature and day trips near Salzburg
Salzburg has one hundred and fifty-five thousand residents and an alpine range starting at the edge of the suburbs. Within forty minutes of the old town there are seven lakes, the largest ice cave in the world, a salt mine you slide down inside, and a mountain with a legend about an emperor asleep in it. The city buses reach several of them, which is unusual.
- Hellbrunn water games · About 14 euro; you will get wet. Verified 10/2026
- Untersberg · 34 euro return; a bus from the city. Verified 10/2026
- Gaisberg · A city bus in summer; a road to the top
- Hallein salt mine · 20 minutes by train from the city; overalls issued
- Eisriesenwelt · 35 kilometres south; a steep walk plus 700 steps
- Königssee · Electric boats only; a bus from Salzburg
- Wolfgangsee · A bus or train east; the steamer is seasonal
- Hallstatt · Go before nine or after five; the day is long
Things to do in Salzburg with kids
- Hellbrunn water games · Children get soaked and love it; bring a change of clothes
- Salzburg Zoo · Built into a quarry, so the cliffs themselves are the enclosures
- Haus der Natur · Aquarium, reptiles and a science floor built to be touched
- Toy Museum · Four floors, and some rooms are for playing in rather than looking at
- Festungsbahn · A funicular since 1892, and the ride is part of the fortress ticket
- Mirabell Gardens · Free, a playground at the far end, and the dwarves to count
- Marionette Theatre · There are shorter shows for children as well as the full operas
- Hallein salt mine · A mine train, two wooden slides and an underground lake
Live music in Salzburg
Salzburg is a music city in a very specific sense: the Festival, founded in 1920, is one of the most important classical events in the world and runs for six weeks in July and August, during which the city is unrecognisable and prices double. Outside those weeks there is still something on almost every night, usually in a palace room rather than a concert hall.
- Salzburg Festival · July and August; book months ahead
- Felsenreitschule · Tours when there is no rehearsal
- Mirabell Marble Hall · Chamber concerts most evenings; small hall
- Fortress concerts · All year; the funicular is in the ticket
- Rockhouse · In a railway tunnel; the non-classical side
- Augustiner at night · Closes at 23:00; no music, no screens
Holy places in Salzburg
Salzburg was ruled by bishops for a thousand years, and the buildings are not simply churches — they are the architecture of a government. A monastery founded in 696, a convent founded in 714, a cathedral built to make a political point, and a cemetery where the ruler who rebuilt the city is buried in the town that deposed him.
- Salzburg Cathedral · Free; the font is just inside the door
- St Peter’s Abbey · The church and courtyard are free
- Nonnberg Abbey · A steep walk up from Kaigasse; church only
- Kollegienkirche · Free; the whitest interior in Salzburg
- St Sebastian’s cemetery · Free, quiet, and ten minutes from Mirabell
- Dreifaltigkeitskirche · Free; across from the Mozart Residence
Frequently asked questions about Salzburg
What is there to see in Salzburg?
The top sights in Salzburg are Altstadt, Hohensalzburg Fortress and Salzburg Cathedral. The full list on this page has 10 sights, each with a photo and a short note.
How many days do you need in Salzburg?
Three to four days are enough to see the best of Salzburg without rushing, including at least one walking tour.
Is there a free walking tour in Salzburg?
Yes. sleepntrip has 3 free audio walks in Salzburg, with no guide and no group: your phone tells the story at every stop. The first one: The city the salt built.
How do you get to Salzburg and get around?
The main ways are Salzburg Airport, Hauptbahnhof and Festungsbahn. Full details are in the transport section on this page.
Where to stay in Salzburg, and for how much?
sleepntrip shows only rooms in Salzburg that meet nine conditions: a good location, high guest scores, cleanliness, and a price of up to $80 a night for two. Pick your dates and see what is free.
Looking for a hotel in Salzburg for your dates?
Only rooms that meet nine conditions, up to $80 a night.