Salzburg Holidays

Salzburg - where Mozart wrote the tunes, Julie Andrews sang in the fields, and every cobbled street looks like it was designed for an album cover. Whether you’re a history lover, an outdoor adventurer, or a foodie, this enchanting city has a mix of old-world charm and modern elegance that’s impossible to resist.

☀️ Highlights of Your Holidays to Salzburg

• 🎵 The birthplace of Mozart, with his childhood home, concert halls and chocolate truffles named after him on every corner

• 🏰 Hohensalzburg Fortress towering over the Old Town, with views that'll have your camera working overtime

• 🎬 Sound of Music filming locations dotted around the city and surrounding countryside (yes, you will end up singing)

• 🏔️ The Alps start right on the doorstep, with lakes, cable cars and mountain scenery within easy day-trip distance

• 🍺 Augustiner Braustübl, a 400-year-old monastery brewery where you pour your own beer from wooden barrels

🤓 Good to Know

• ☀️ Salzburg summers are warm and sunny at 23-25°C, with long evenings perfect for wandering the Old Town. Spring and autumn sit around 10-16°C with fewer crowds and golden light. Winters drop to 0-4°C with snow on the surrounding mountains and some of the best Christmas markets in Austria.

• 💷 A half-litre of beer costs around €4-5 in a bar (roughly £3.50-4.30). A casual meal at a traditional restaurant runs about €15-20 per person, while a proper sit-down dinner for two is closer to €50-70. Salzburg uses the euro, and cards are widely accepted.

• 🎶 Salzburg has more festivals per capita than almost any city in Europe. The Salzburg Festival (July-August) is one of the world's most prestigious classical music and opera events, running since 1920. Tickets for the big shows sell out months in advance, but there are free outdoor screenings and smaller performances throughout the festival period.

🏨 Top Hotels for Your Salzburg Holidays 2026/2027

Whether you're after old-world luxury in a baroque building or a modern base near the train station, the city has a solid range of places to stay. Browse all our Salzburg hotels here or see our top picks below...

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Families

• 🏨 Hotel Mercure Salzburg City A playground for kids, multilingual staff and a restaurant doing local and international food. Mirabell Palace is a 4-minute walk, the Old Town is 15 minutes on foot, and the Hohensalzburg Fortress is reachable in about half an hour. Good central base with family-friendly extras.

• 🚂 Austria Trend Hotel Europa Salzburg Right opposite the main train station, which is handy for day trips to Hallstatt, the lake district or even a quick hop to Munich. Elegant rooms, a restaurant with panoramic views and a summer garden cafe. Mirabell Palace is a 5-minute stroll.

💑 Couples

• 🌿 Auersperg Salzburg Hotel & Villa A family-run boutique with 55 individually styled rooms, a garden terrace, a spa with sauna and rooftop terrace, and an organic breakfast spread that's a cut above. Five minutes from Mirabell Palace, with the kind of personal touch that bigger hotels can't match.

• 🏛️ Sheraton Grand Salzburg Five-star next to Mirabell Palace with a spa, health club and the Restaurant Mirabell serving local cuisine. Two minutes from the Congress Centre and a 10-minute walk to the Marionette Theatre and Mozarteum. A polished couples' holiday base.

✨ Luxury

• 🍫 Hotel Sacher Salzburg The Sacher name is Austrian hotel royalty. Right on the banks of the Salzach River with views of the Old Town and the fortress, a spa, and the kind of old-world elegance that makes you feel like you've stepped into a different era. The cafe downstairs serves the original Sachertorte. Properly grand.

• 💎 Small Luxury Hotel Goldgasse A 16-room boutique tucked into a side street in the Old Town. Traditional Austrian decor, a vaulted restaurant serving proper Salzburger Nockerl, and the kind of intimate atmosphere that big chain hotels can't touch. Walking distance to everything that matters.

🎉 Groups

• 🍺 Holiday Inn Salzburg City in the centre with a fitness centre, bar and easy access to the Old Town and the ruin bar scene. A reliable, no-fuss base that leaves more budget for nights out at the Augustiner Braustübl and day trips into the mountains.

• 🎸 Hotel Max 70 near Hangar-7 and the Stiegl Brewery, with bike hire, a terrace garden and a bar. Close to the airport (2.4km) and just a short ride from the Old Town. Good for groups who want something a bit different from the city-centre hotels.

💰 Value

• 🏔️ Best Western Hotel am Walserberg Five minutes from the airport with free parking, a wellness area with Finnish sauna, a Feng Shui roof garden and a restaurant. The Old Town is 10km away but well connected. A solid budget option if you've got a hire car or don't mind a short bus ride.

👉 See all Salzburg hotels

🏛️ Must See in Salzburg

Sure, we'll miss the beaches, but Salzburg has a UNESCO-listed Old Town, a fortress on a hill and the Alps as a backdrop. Here's what to prioritise on your city break.

• 🏰 Hohensalzburg Fortress One of the largest medieval castles in Europe, sitting on a hill above the Old Town with panoramic views of the city and surrounding mountains. Take the funicular up or walk the steep cobbled path (about 20 minutes). Inside there are state rooms, a museum and a terrace cafe. Entry is around €13.50 including the funicular. Go early to beat the tour groups.

• 🎵 Mozart's Birthplace (Getreidegasse 9) The yellow townhouse where Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was born in 1756. Three floors of original instruments, letters and family portraits, plus recreations of the rooms where he grew up. The street itself, Getreidegasse, is Salzburg's most famous shopping lane with wrought-iron guild signs hanging over every doorway.

• ⛪ Salzburg Cathedral & Domplatz A massive Baroque cathedral in the heart of the Old Town where Mozart was baptised. The interior is all marble, frescoes and a 71-metre dome. Free entry. The square outside (Domplatz) is where the Salzburg Festival stages its famous outdoor production of Jedermann every summer.

• 🌸 Mirabell Palace & Gardens Baroque gardens with fountain sculptures, manicured hedges and mountain views. Sound of Music fans will recognise the steps and the Pegasus fountain from the "Do-Re-Mi" scene. Free to visit and a brilliant spot for photos, especially in spring when the gardens are in bloom.

• ⛲ Hellbrunn Palace & Trick Fountains A 17th-century pleasure palace on the southern edge of the city, famous for its hidden water jets designed to surprise (and soak) unsuspecting guests. The trick fountains are genuinely funny and kids love them. The palace grounds also house the Salzburg Zoo. Allow at least half a day.

• 🍺 Augustiner Braustübl A working monastery brewery that's been pouring beer since 1621. You grab a ceramic mug, fill it from the barrel, then pick up food from the stalls lining the courtyard. It's huge, it's loud, it's authentic and a half-litre costs about €4. Not a tourist trap. Locals drink here too.

• 🎬 Sound of Music Locations Love it or roll your eyes at it, the Sound of Music trail is a Salzburg institution. Mirabell Gardens, Leopoldskron Palace (the lake house), Nonnberg Abbey and the gazebo at Hellbrunn are all real locations. Organised tours run daily and cover the lot in about four hours, with plenty of singalong opportunities if you're that way inclined.

📍 Where to Stay in Salzburg

Salzburg is small enough that you can walk across the entire Old Town in about 20 minutes, so location is less critical here than in a big city. That said, different areas suit different travellers.

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Families

🌳 Near Mirabell / Train Station - The Mirabell side of the river (Neustadt) has wider streets, more green space, the palace gardens and easy train connections for day trips. Hotels like Mercure Salzburg City and Sheraton Grand are here. Pushchair-friendly and well connected.

💑 Couples

🏛️ Old Town (Altstadt) - The UNESCO-listed side of the river with cobbled lanes, the cathedral, the fortress and most of Salzburg's atmosphere. Stay at Small Luxury Hotel Goldgasse and you're in the thick of it. Romantic walks along the Salzach River included.

👯 Groups

🎸 Central Salzburg / Linzer Gasse - The stretch between the train station and the Old Town has the best concentration of bars, restaurants and late-night spots. Walking distance to everything during the day, surrounded by nightlife options in the evening.

🗣️ Local Lingo

German is the official language, and Austrians speak a dialect that's softer and more melodic than standard German. English is widely spoken in Salzburg's tourist areas, but a few Austrian phrases will earn you points.

• 👋 Grüss Gott! (Grüss Got) - The standard Austrian greeting. Literally "God greets you" but just means hello.

• 🙏 Danke (Dan-keh) - Thank you

• 🍺 Ein Bier, bitte (Ine Beer, Bit-uh) - One beer, please

• 😊 Servus (Zair-voos) - A casual hello or goodbye, used with people you know (or want to befriend)

• 🎵 Oida (Oy-dah) - Austrian slang for "mate" or "dude". Use this and locals will assume you've been here before.

• 🥧 Nockerl (Nok-erl) - The famous Salzburg souffle dessert. Order "Salzburger Nockerl" at any traditional restaurant and watch them bring out something the size of a small mountain.

🧳 Salzburg Holidays 2026/2027 - Travel Guide

👩‍❤️‍👨 Things to do in Salzburg for couples

Start with a morning at Mirabell Gardens when the light is soft and the tour groups haven't arrived yet. Walk through the Old Town, cross the Staatsbrucke bridge and climb up to the fortress for views that are worth every step. Book a candlelit dinner at St. Peter Stiftskeller, which has been serving food since 803 AD and claims to be Europe's oldest restaurant.

• 🎭 On a summer evening, catch an outdoor screening at the Salzburg Festival or book tickets for a Mozart concert inside the fortress. The combination of live classical music and floodlit medieval walls is properly special. Couples' holidays don't get much more atmospheric than this.

• 🚤 Take a day trip to Hallstatt, a lakeside village about 75 minutes south by train and ferry. It's absurdly photogenic, with pastel-coloured houses reflected in an Alpine lake surrounded by mountains. Go midweek to avoid the worst of the crowds.

• 🍷 The Austrian wine scene is underrated. Book a wine tasting at a Salzburg Heuriger (wine tavern) or take a day trip to the Wachau Valley further east. Gruner Veltliner and Riesling are the stars.

• ⛰️ For something active, hike up the Untersberg mountain via the cable car. The views from the top (1,853m) stretch across the Salzburg basin and into Bavaria. Pack layers - it's significantly cooler up top.

👪 Things to do in Salzburg for families

Hellbrunn Palace is the standout family day out. The trick fountains are designed to spray unsuspecting visitors and kids find it absolutely hilarious. The palace grounds also include the Salzburg Zoo, so you can easily make a full day of it. Pack spare clothes.

• 🏔️ The Untersberg Cable Car takes you up to 1,853 metres in about eight minutes. At the top there are easy walking trails with panoramic views, and a restaurant where you can refuel. Suitable for older kids who are confident on uneven ground.

• 🏛️ Haus der Natur (House of Nature) is a brilliant interactive science museum with a space hall, dinosaur exhibits, an aquarium and a reptile zoo. It keeps kids busy for hours and adults will enjoy it too. Right in the centre of the Old Town.

• 🎬 The Sound of Music tour is surprisingly fun for families with older kids, even if they've never seen the film. The scenery is stunning and the guides keep it entertaining. Most tours run about four hours by minibus and cover all the major filming locations.

• 🚂 Take the train to St Wolfgang or Mondsee (about an hour each) for lake swimming, paddle boats and ice cream with a mountain backdrop. Both are brilliant summer day trips from Salzburg.

👯 Things to do in Salzburg for groups

The Augustiner Braustübl is the perfect group venue. A 400-year-old monastery brewery where you pour your own beer from barrels, grab food from courtyard stalls and sit at long communal tables in a tree-shaded beer garden. It's sociable, it's authentic and it's cheap. No reservations needed.

• 🏎️ Hangar-7 at the airport is Red Bull's aviation and motorsport museum. A collection of historic aircraft, Formula 1 cars and a bar with a view. Free entry, and the Ikarus restaurant inside has a rotating roster of international guest chefs if you want to push the boat out.

• 🧗 For an active day out, the Salzburg area has canyoning, white-water rafting on the Salzach River and paragliding from the surrounding mountains. Several operators run group packages that include transport, equipment and guides.

• 🎵 Book a group walking tour of the Old Town. The guides cover everything from Mozart to the medieval salt trade (Salzburg literally means "salt castle") and most tours take about two hours. Follow it up with drinks on Linzer Gasse for the full evening.

• 🍺 For a brewery experience with more structure than the Augustiner, the Stiegl Brauwelt is Salzburg's other famous brewery. It has a museum, tasting rooms and a rooftop terrace. Stiegl has been brewing here since 1492 and the tour is a proper afternoon out.

🌍 More Destinations

Austria

• 🇦🇹 Austria - Vienna, the Lake District and Alpine adventures across the country

Central Europe

• 🇭🇺 Hungary / Budapest - Thermal baths, ruin bars and one of Europe's best-value city breaks

• 🇨🇿 Prague - Gothic spires, cheap beer and Charles Bridge at sunrise

• 🇭🇷 Croatia - Dubrovnik walls, Adriatic coastline and island-hopping

City Breaks

• 🇮🇹 Rome - Ancient ruins, pizza by the slice and the Colosseum at sunset

• 🇪🇸 Barcelona - Gaudi architecture, beach culture and La Rambla

• 🇳🇱 Amsterdam - Canals, culture and a nightlife scene that goes late