Salzburg

The state of Salzburg stretches from the Baroque city of Mozart on the Salzach River to the glaciers of the High Tauern. A vacation in Salzburg can combine festival performances and church concerts with ski days in Saalbach, beach holidays at Lake Zell and hikes in Austria's oldest national park.

Landscapes of the State of Salzburg

The state is divided into five regions. The Flachgau around the city is hilly and rich in lakes, with Lake Wallersee, Lake Mattsee and the Salzburg part of Lake Wolfgangsee. The Tennengau around Hallein is salt country, while the Pongau, with Flachau, Wagrain and the Gastein Valley, is a center of winter sports. The Pinzgau, with Zell am See, Kaprun and Saalbach, lies between the Kitzbühel Alps, the Steinernes Meer and the High Tauern, whose peaks, such as the Großvenediger, rise above 3,600 meters. The Lungau in the southeast is a secluded high valley with a sunny climate.

The City of Salzburg

The Old Town of Salzburg is a UNESCO World Heritage Site: in the 17th century, archbishops had it remodeled on the Italian model, with a cathedral, a residence and wide squares. Towering over it all is Hohensalzburg Fortress, one of the largest surviving castles in Central Europe. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was born in the Getreidegasse in 1756; his birthplace and the residence on Makartplatz are both museums. Mirabell Palace with its gardens, Hellbrunn Palace with its trick fountains, and the Mönchsberg with the Museum der Moderne are further highlights. The Salzburg Festival has been held every summer since 1920, with "Jedermann" performed on Cathedral Square.

Beyond the fortress, you can also visit the Kapuzinerberg with its view over the city, St. Peter's Cemetery with its catacombs, the Haus der Natur and the Toy Museum. Many visitors follow the filming locations of "The Sound of Music" to Leopoldskron Palace and Hellbrunn.

Sights in the State of Salzburg

The sights in Salzburg include the Krimml Waterfalls, at around 380 meters the highest in Austria; the Eisriesenwelt near Werfen, the largest ice cave in the world; and Hohenwerfen Castle above it. The Grossglockner High Alpine Road leads from Fusch to Heiligenblut in Carinthia over the Hochtor Pass, with views of Austria's highest mountain. In Hallein you can explore the Dürrnberg Salt Mine with its slides and raft ride, and the Liechtensteinklamm near St. Johann is a deep gorge. In Kaprun, cable cars lead up to the Kitzsteinhorn, and the Mooserboden high-mountain reservoirs lie impressively among glaciers.

Other Salzburg destinations include Lake Wolfgangsee with St. Gilgen and the Zwölferhorn cable car, Lake Fuschlsee, Hallein with the Celtic Village at Dürrnberg, and the Großarl Valley with its alpine pastures.

Winter Sports and Spa Towns

Saalbach-Hinterglemm forms a large ski area together with Leogang and Fieberbrunn and hosted the Alpine World Ski Championships in 2025. Flachau belongs to Ski amadé, and Maria Alm am Steinernen Meer to the Hochkönig ski area. Bad Gastein, with its Belle Époque hotels by the waterfall, and Bad Hofgastein are spa towns with radon-rich thermal springs and the Gastein Healing Gallery. Zell am See and Kaprun combine lakeshore with glacier skiing.

In the Pinzgau and Pongau, alpine huts, mountain cable cars and gorges such as the Kitzlochklamm and the Sigmund-Thun-Klamm link winter sports with summer vacations.

Food and Drink

Salzburger Nockerln, a fluffy soufflé said to represent the mountains around the city, are the best-known sweet dish. Mozartkugeln made of nougat, marzipan and chocolate come in many varieties, with the original from Fürst in the Old Town. On the alpine pastures of the Pinzgau, you'll be served Pinzgauer Kasnocken with mountain cheese, and in the Lungau, Eachtling dishes made from potatoes. Beer from the Stiegl Brewery and from Augustiner Bräu in Mülln, where you sit under chestnut trees, is part of the experience.

At Easter and in Advent, Salzburg's churches host festive concerts, and the farmers' markets sell Bauernkrapfen and Kletzenbrot.

Getting There and Best Time to Visit

Salzburg lies on the Munich–Vienna rail line, and the Railjet takes about 1.5 hours from Munich. Salzburg Airport is small but well connected. The best time to visit the city and the mountains is June through September; the festival takes place in July and August, the Christkindlmarkt on Cathedral Square draws visitors in Advent, and the ski season runs from December to March.