You must have heard of Salzburg, if not otherwise, at least as much as Mozart's hometown. But the city is so much more than that! The baroque city centre is also an excellent destination for a romantic weekend, an active or a family holiday. In the city, you can constantly drop into cultural or traditional attractions, while the surroundings are one of the best in Austria.
Where is Salzburg located?
Salzburg is located in Austria, in the eastern part of the country, close to the German border. The city and the surrounding can be found in the province of Salzburg. Vienna is approx 3 hours away by car.
- Distance from Vienna: 300 km / 3 hours
- Distance from Linz: 130 km / 1.5 hours
- Distance from Munich: 160 km / 2 hours
How many days is it worth going to?
Stepping through the streets of Salzburg, you can find fabulous buildings, magical little rose gardens and other hidden wonders. It wasn’t even an easy thing for us to pick out the 11 most beautiful and essential sights.
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Many people only plan a trip to Salzburg for a weekend or even 48 hours. However, if you want to tune in to the area and explore other beautiful points in the province, you can spend up to a week, and you won’t regret it!
- City of Salzburg: 2 - 3 days
- Province of Salzburg: 7 days
#1 Hohensalzburg Castle (Festung Hohensalzburg)
Salzburg’s most impressive building stands on Festungber hill next to the city. The castle is also unique in terms of size and history, as it is the largest and best-preserved castle in Central Europe.
The foundations of the building were laid back in 1077 by Archbishop Gebhard to protect the ruling class and the archbishops against enemies. Over the centuries, the wooden parts were further expanded and replaced with stone bricks.
The most popular attraction is the castle museum, which consists of several different parts. The armoury, the military history museum and the puppet figure museum fly back even further in time.
- Website
- Address: Mönchsberg 34, 5020 Salzburg, Austria
- The castle can be visited every day of the year
- Prices: 15.70 - 8.90 euros
#2 Schloss Mirabell Palace and Gardens
The downtown Baroque wonder was built in 1606 by Archbishop Wolf Dietrich. The place is cozy, but the most popular attractions are the marble hall and the puttered staircase by Georg Raphael Donner - located on the east side of the building.
The Mirabell Garden is in front of the building. The garden is not only a favourite place for tourists, but locals also visit to admire it.
- Address: Mirabellplatz, 5020 Salzburg, Austria
- Website
- The castle and the garden are open to the public. However, it is advisable to find the opening hours in advance (usually every day from 08:00 to 18:00).
#3 Schloss Hellbrunn Castle and Gardens
Hellbrunn Castle was built between 1612 and 1615 by Archduke Markus Sittikus to provide a place for the ruling class to have fun and relax.
The castle is located in the southern part of the city, on the water-rich Hellbrun hill. Thanks to this, the garden is full of hidden bottlenecks and outcrops of water, mysterious caves and figures moved by water passing through the garden. It’s no coincidence that the park has become famous for its water games.
- Website
- Address: Fürstenweg 37, 5020 Salzburg, Austria
- Tickets: € 13.50 - € 6
#4 Dom zu Salzburg Cathedral
Salzburg Cathedral is one of the most prominent buildings in the Old Town area. The huge baroque building is one of the largest churches in the world. Still, in addition to the size, the sculpture complex in front of the building and the interior decoration contribute to the imposing look!
The cathedral's building, visible today, was completed in 1628, but by then, it was already the third cathedral on this site. The towers were built relatively later, only between 1652-55.
The church is a two-tower, domed building that is the cathedral of the Archdiocese of Salzburg. The massive building and the church can accommodate more than 10,000 people.
- Website
- Address: Domplatz 1a, 5020 Salzburg, Austria
- The cathedral can be visited free of charge every day.
#5 Mozart's birthplace (Mozart Geburtshaus)
Mozart was born in 1756 in the Hagenauer House in Salzburg, which has since been converted into a museum. Inside the building, a Mozart-era civic apartment was faithfully reconstructed (in which the composer lived).
In addition, you can see many relics, letters, and diplomas written by Mozart in the museum. Music fans see the building as more than a museum. Known as a place of pilgrimage in classical music circles, thousands come here every year to pay tribute and be inspired by the artist’s memories.
- Address: Getreidegasse 9, 5020 Salzburg, Austria
- Website
- The tour of the building takes approximately 1 hour
- The museum is open daily from 09:00 to 17:30
- Tickets: 12 -4 euros
#6 Mozart Square and Monument
Mozart Square and the monument are not far from his birthplace. It is located in the middle of the Old Town. The bronze statue was erected in 1842. The square was named after the fact that Mozart's wife lived here.
#7 House of Nature (Haus der Natur Salzburg)
In the House of Nature, the past, the present and the future meet. There are 5 different exhibitions in the building.
- During the tour, they are first transferred from prehistory to the future. You can first get to know the dinosaurs on Earth millions of years ago. And then with the history and most important stations of space exploration.
- The second part is the Science Center, where physical experiments can be performed, and the development of the scientific world can be felt in everyone’s own hands.
- The next part is the Living Museum, where you can ponder the water and foreground of a massive aquarium for a few minutes before you look at wolves with snakes and lizards in the reptile zoo.
- The fourth part takes you to the magical world of the human body, where you can participate in an exhibition with interactive elements, interesting for young and old alike. And the last space houses various exhibitions.
- Prices and opening hours
- Adult: EUR 8.50 - 6
#8 Salzburg Open Air Museum (Freilichtmuseum)
The open-air museum is located in the middle of the Untersberg Nature Park, about half an hour’s drive southwest of the city.
The museum aims to show how rural people lived in Salzburg from the 16th to the 20th century. The museum park consists of peasant farms, various craftsman houses, and various buildings showing all the critical details of the farms. The 50-hectare area is a great leisure program for the whole family. The museum hosts many events and fairs.
- Address: Hasenweg 1, 5084 Großgmain, Austria
- Website
- The museum is open daily.
- Tickets: 11 - 5.50 Euros
#9 Casino Salzburg, Klessheim Schloss Castle
The Salzburg Casino became one of the city's attractions in 1935 when it was still in the Mirabell Palace. The nightclub was established in the castle Klessheim, which belongs to the town of Wals-Siezenheim on the western border of Salzburg.
The building was built in the 17th century by Dukes Johann Bernhard Fischer von Erlach. And since 1993, the castle has housed the Salzburg Casino.
- Address: Kleßheim 1c Schloss Klessheim, 5071 Wals, Austria
- Website
- The casino and the castle are open daily.
- The entrance is free.
#10 Plötz waterfall
Plötz Waterfall is located west of Salzburg, not far from Ebenau. The waterfall belongs to the Fuschlsee in the Salzkammergut countryside in Salzburg.
There are many attractions around the huge lake, including the Rettenbach stream and the associated Plötz waterfall. Due to the rapid flow of the stream, grain has been milled here since the 13th century; however, only 5 of the mills remain.
- The Mill Tour is 5.29 km and takes about 2-3 hours to complete.
- The park is free to visit, and you can enjoy a pleasant, sometimes rocky, sweaty hike if you visit. In addition, you are free to dip in the river in summer.
#11 Salzburg Zoo (Hellbrunn Zoo)
The Salzburg Zoo is also known as the Hellbrunn Zoo. The zoo's history dates back to the 15th century, which functioned as the archbishop's game park. The park is home to 150 species and 1,500 creatures.
- Address: Anifer Landesstraße 1, 5081 Salzburg, Austria
- Website
- Prices: EUR 12 - 5.50