Austria / Salzburg & the Salzkammergut / SalzburgSalzburg
Mozart, the Fortress and The Sound of Music
A baroque city on the Salzach under the Hohensalzburg fortress, Mozart's birthplace and the setting of The Sound of Music: the cathedral and the Residenz squares, Getreidegasse, the Mirabell Gardens and the view from the Mönchsberg. The Salzburg Festival fills it in July and August, and the Christmas market from late November. Railjets reach Vienna in about 2.5 hours and Innsbruck in under 2; buses run to the Salzkammergut lakes and trains south to Werfen, Bad Gastein and Zell am See. Its airport has flights from Europe but none from India.
Highlights
- Hohensalzburg Fortress and its view over the city
- Mozart's Birthplace on Getreidegasse
- Mirabell Gardens (The Sound of Music's "Do-Re-Mi")
- Cathedral and Residenz squares
- Mönchsberg walk
- Hellbrunn's trick fountains (April – October)
- Salzburg Festival (July – August)
- Advent market on the Domplatz
Things to do
- Hohensalzburg Fortress by funicularMorning · 2h 30m
- Old town walk: Getreidegasse, Mozart's Birthplace and the CathedralMorning · 3h
- Mirabell Gardens and The Sound of Music sitesAfternoon · 2h
- Mönchsberg ridge walk at sunsetEvening · 1h 30m
- Hellbrunn Palace and the trick fountainsApr–OctAfternoon · 2h 30m
- Salt mine tour at Hallein (Salzwelten)Morning · 3h 30m
Tours & tickets
Tourisma may earn a small commission if you book — it never changes your price.
When to go
Best time: May – September; late November – December for Advent
Worth knowing
Salzburg Festival
From late July to the end of August the Salzburg Festival fills the city's hotels at their highest prices. Book months ahead, or stay in a nearby town on the railway and come in by train.
Heads up
Works on the Salzburg–Innsbruck Railway
The fast Railjets between Salzburg and Innsbruck run through a corner of Germany, where the line is being rebuilt: reports in 2026 said it closes for the first half of 2027, with trains sent round by Zell am See (about 1.5 hours longer) or replaced by buses, and longer journeys before that. The dates have changed more than once: check the ÖBB timetable and its works page for your dates before booking.
- Mozart Week (Mozartwoche) — Ten days of Mozart concerts around his birthday (27 January) in the Mozarteum and the Festival halls; a quieter, cheaper alternative to the summer festival.
- Salzburg Festival — Opera, concerts and the open-air play Jedermann on the cathedral square from late July to the end of August. Salzburg's rooms book out and prices peak; tickets go on sale in winter. Stay outside the city and come in by train.
- Christmas markets — From mid or late November to 23-26 December: Vienna's on the Rathausplatz, at Schönbrunn and the Belvedere, Salzburg's on the Domplatz, Innsbruck's under the Golden Roof, and the Wolfgangsee's on Advent weekends. Mulled wine (Glühwein, or alcohol-free Kinderpunsch), roasted chestnuts and crafts; rooms in Vienna and Salzburg fill on Advent weekends.
- Krampus runs — In late November and the first week of December, around St Nicholas' Day (6 December), costumed Krampus devils with bells and horns run through Alpine towns; loud and a little rough, not for small children.
Part of a longer route
Salzburg is a stop on a curated circuit through Austria.