Salzburg, Austria

About Salzburg

Salzburg's baroque old town has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1996. Mozart was born at Getreidegasse 9 on 27 January 1756; the house is now a museum. Hohensalzburg Fortress, begun in 1077, stands above the old town. A funicular has run up to it since 1892. The Grünmarkt on Universitätsplatz is held daily except on Sundays and public holidays. On the right bank of the Salzach, the Linzer Gasse is a pedestrian shopping street. Every summer since 1920, the Salzburg Festival has brought opera, theatre and concerts to the city. Its play Jedermann is staged on Cathedral Square. From Salzburg main station, bus 150 runs to St. Gilgen on the Wolfgangsee and on to Bad Ischl.

Highlights

Mozart's Birthplace — the house at Getreidegasse 9 where Mozart was born in 1756, now a museum

Hohensalzburg Fortress — begun in 1077, with a 360-degree view of the city; on foot or by funicular from Festungsgasse

Mirabell Palace and Gardens — palace built in 1606, garden laid out around 1690 by Fischer von Erlach; a Sound of Music filming location

Salzburg Festival — opera, theatre and concerts every summer since 1920; Jedermann on Cathedral Square

Hellbrunn Palace — Archbishop Markus Sittikus's trick fountains, built 1612–1615, seen on a tour. In 2026, the palace and trick fountains are open daily from 28 March to 1 November.

Untersberg — cable car from Grödig/St. Leonhard, about 10 km south of the city, to the Geiereck (1,776 m) in eight and a half minutes; buses 25 and 28 go to the valley station. Closed for maintenance from 2 November to 13 December 2026. Closed again for maintenance from 30 March to 16 April 2027.

Neighbourhoods

Altstadt

Left bank: the Getreidegasse with Mozart's Birthplace, Cathedral Square and the Grünmarkt on Universitätsplatz

Best for sightseeing, markets, shopping

Linzer Gasse/Steingasse

Right bank: the Linzer Gasse, a pedestrian shopping street from the Platzl by the Staatsbrücke; the Steingasse, one of the oldest streets, where Joseph Mohr, poet of "Silent Night", once lived

Best for shopping, strolling

Kapuzinerberg

A 640-metre hill on the right bank: a footpath past the Stations of the Cross to the Capuchin monastery, forest and chamois

Best for walks, views

Mönchsberg

Ridge on the left bank from the Festungsberg to Mülln: lookout points, the Museum der Moderne and the Mönchsberg lift

Best for views, modern art, walks

Mülln

The Augustiner Bräustübl, Austria's largest beer inn, with a garden and beer from wooden barrels in stone mugs; Mülln Church

Best for beer garden, inns

Nonnberg

Benedictine Nonnberg Abbey at the foot of the Festungsberg, a Sound of Music filming location

Best for history, quiet walks

Practical Info

Entry

Entry rules depend on your nationality. Check before you travel: European Commission (Migration and Home Affairs)

Currency

Euro (EUR).

Safety

Emergency numbers: police 133, ambulance 144, fire 122; the European emergency number 112 also works.

SIM / Data

Austria has three mobile networks: A1, Magenta (T-Mobile Austria) and Drei (Hutchison Drei Austria). Since 1 January 2019, no SIM card can be activated anonymously. You identify yourself with an ID document in a shop, or online.

Language

German is the state language of Austria.

Salzburg

About Salzburg

Highlights

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Neighbourhoods

Practical Info

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