24 Hours in Salzburg
Salzburg: the land of Mozart and struedels. We spent 3 days total in Salzburg, which I feel gave us a good amount of time to really enjoy the city. Ideally, we may have added another day though. If you're like us, you fall in love with European cities very quickly and always wish you had more time. Regardless, if you only have 24 hours, squeezing in Salzburg is totally worth it! There's so much to see and the city really is gorgeous. Visiting the castle and Salzburg Cathedral are not included in this itinerary although they are both extraordinary and worth a visit if you have time. Feel free to swap out any sites and make this itinerary your own. There is no way you can fit everything into 24 hours, but this list puts together a bunch of sites and things to do in an efficient order, maximizing your time and giving you a full and well rounded experience. Although I love museum hopping,I think sometimes it can become a bit exhausting. And let's be honest, you never remember all the things you saw or read about, so although the following itinerary may seem like it's not including the most popular sites, it will leave you with a more memorable experience. From visiting Mozart's birthplace and lunching on a mountaintop to cheersing with locals in a centeries old biergarten, this list gives you the real Salzburg! Enjoy!
If you don’t have time to read the article, here’s the short list:
TO DO / SEE:
Salzburg Card
Mozart's Birthplace
Untersburg
Schloss Hellbrunn
Salzburger Marionettentheater
WHERE TO EAT / DRINK:
Café Bazar
Augustinerbrau
Hotel Sacher bar
Morning
Aim to leave the house by 9AM to shoot over to Café Bazar for breakfast. This place has an awesome location along the river so sitting outside is definitely ideal. The patio seems to fill up quickly and stay pretty packed so if you’re leaving later than 9AM, keep this in mind. Like a lot of places in Austria, pastries aren’t always listed on the menu. Make sure to take a look at the glass case inside as to not miss any goodies.
Once you finish breakfast, head across the river to the ticket office at Getreidegasse 5. Here, you’re going to buy yourself a Salzburg Card. The Salzburg card costs 28 Euro for 24 hours and will cover museum and local attraction entrance fees, bus and tram transportation, and even discounts for concerts and local shows. If you're planning on staying in Salzburg longer, they also offer the Salzburg card for 48 and 72 hours as well. Take a look at their site here to see what you may want to attend and how many days is right for your stay.
After picking up your Salzburg card, head a couple doors down to Getreidegasse 9, Mozart's Birthplace. It's nice getting here early while it's still relatively empty. Spend some time wandering around the house and learning about Mozart's family and upbringing. His childhood violin is located here, which is really cool.. the lock of hair however.. is a little weird. The place is fun to explore though and filled with loads of interesting information.
Grab some sandwiches over at BackWerk, which is nearby or another takeaway lunch spot and head over to the Rathaus bus stop, just down the street a bit. Look out for Bus 25 and take it all the way down to the last stop, Untersburg. Don't forget that your Salzburg card covers bus fare, so just jump on and grab a seat. You don't have to show the driver your card. Just make sure to have it in an easy to access spot in case you're asked to show it.
Afternoon
Once you arrive at Untersburg, walk up to the cable car building and head up to the mountain! Again, your Salzburg card covers the cost, so just use the card as your ticket to get on. Without the Salzburg card, the cable car roundtrip cost comes to 24 Euro. So with the Mozart Birthhouse, the bus fare andddd the cable car cost, the Salzburg card has already paid for itself. The ride up the mountain is about 8 minutes and it's absolutely gorgeous! Try to get a spot facing out the front or back of the car if you can. If not, just try for a window view and have your camera ready.
You'll arrive at the top and be immediately blown away by the view. You can even see Salzburg castle in the distance, which is awesome. Take some time to go off and explore. There are several trails you can take, some quoted at just over an hour, others ranging from 3-5. Two peaks are within a short walk that you can easily summit. The one is literally right behind the restaurant and accessible by steps. The other is a bit further and not as easily obtained. When you're ready, find a good spot and enjoy your takeaway lunch with a view! The restaurant on-site serves traditional, homemade Austrian meals if you'd prefer to order something instead. They also have beer and hot chocolate. Those are two that I'm sure of :) Paragliding is also available on the mountain if you're interested. Of course, if you're visiting in colder months, check out the snowboarding and skiing options.
Head back down the mountain whenever you're ready and jump on the same Bus 25. Since it's the last stop, you don't have to worry about which direction the bus is heading. Just simply walk down to where it dropped you off and wait for it to return to the same spot. Instead of taking the bus back into town, get off at Schloss Hellbrunn. This was a summer residence of an Archbishop in the 17th Century. A lot of people know it as a filming location from the Sound of Music film though. Or am I the only Sound of Music nerd out there? But anyway, the place is pretty cool in its own right. The gardens are free to roam and locals seem to have picnics or ride bikes through the property. For those of you that were excited when I mentioned Sound of Music, Sixteen Going on Seventeen was filmed in a gazebo constructed here. Although the gardens are free to roam, your Salzburg card covers the cost of the trick fountain tour, which is not open to the public. The tour is awesome and unlike any other tour I've ever been on. Turns out the Archbishop had trick fountains designed and situated throughout the grounds for his own amusement. He would have them turned on periodically, surprising guests and probably infuriating the lot of them. That's pretty much how the tour goes as well. So best tuck your camera away and keep an eye out for potential water surges. It's good fun and no one gets too wet though.
Evening
Since you're heading back to town in the same direction, again grab the same Bus 25. Change to Bus 4 towards Liefering at Mirabellplatz. Take Bus 4 to Landes-krankenhaus and use the GPS on GoogleMaps to guide you the last few blocks to Augustinerbrau for dinner. The biergarten is incredible, so make sure to score a spot outside. Everything is self service here. There are loads of different stalls selling food, both inside and outside, and the beer is poured outside under the stairs. It's definitely a two trips kind of place: one for beer and another to wander around looking at the different food options and deciding what to eat. Don't forget to "warm" your beer stein before handing it over to be filled. (You're just rinsing it out). The envirnoment here is truly authentic and it's just a really fun time. People seem to camp out for hours enjoying the company of friends and strangers alike! Feel free to hang out soaking in the Austrian culture (and beer) or, if you're ready to move on, head out.
If it's before 7:30PM, head to the Salzburger Marionettentheater for a puppet show, a must while you're in Salzburg! I suggest buying tickets ahead of time and keeping an eye on the time while at Augustinerbrau if you plan on definitely going. Otherwise, show up early and hope they have some open seats. From Augustinerbrau, turn right out onto the main road, Mullner Hauptstrasse. Follow it until you can cut down to the trail alongside the river and then cross the bridge. Head straight to the first street, Schwarzstrasse and hang a right. Walk for about 5 minutes until you reach Salzburger Marionettentheater.
Before heading home after your show, swing by the Hotel Sacher bar for a sacher torte and a nightcap. The hotel is basically across the street from the theatre, and the sacher torte is famous throughout Austria.
Well now you have officially completed a fully packed day in Salzburg! Again, feel free to swap out things that don't fit your ideal day. And don't forget, your Salzburg card is good for 24 hours, starting when you first used it- so if you did end up getting a later start or wanted to catch an early bus the next morning, make sure to swipe your card for those savings!