Salzburg Travel Guide

A town of unrivalled culture and heritage...
Salzburg is a city of astonishing beauty. The breathtaking sight of the Baroque spires of the old town, overlooked by the Festung Hohensalzburg, is quite unforgettable. It is no surprise that UNESCO has named the old town one of its World Cultural Heritage Sites. Salzburg is the birthplace of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, and his influence can be seen everywhere. There is the Mozartplatz with its Mozart statue, the Mozarteum music academy, and of course the Mozart Museum as well as the composer’s birthplace and residence. Mozart’s music dominates many, though not all, musical events. Devotees of a somewhat different musical genre also flock to Salzburg. The Hollywood musical, The Sound of Music was shot in the town and its environs in 1964. Apart from its gorgeous setting, Salzburg boasts outstanding architecture and a wealth of museums, galleries, theatres, caf?s, restaurants and bars.

A visit to the 12th-century Festung Hohensalzburg is one of the highlights of any stay in Austria. Walk up the hill from the old town or take the funicular which provides a more comfortable way to the summit! There are organised tours of the fortress and its two small military museums, or make your own way around. Visit the terrace caf? and take in the awesome views of the city stretching below. Descend into the city and lose yourself in its atmospheric old streets and elegant churches, courtyards and gardens. Enjoy the local cuisine on offer in cafés and open-air markets.

Take a trip 4 km south of the city to the 17th-century Schloss Hellbrunn, built as a summer residence by Bishop Marcus Sitticus. Stroll around the pleasant gardens, visit the Hellbrunn Zoo and don’t miss the piece-de resistance, the famous trick fountains. Back in Salzburg after a hard day’s sightseeing, try a beer in the Augustiner Braustubl, the beer hall run by monks serving the beer they brew themselves. The hilltop fortress and spectacular ice caves of Werfen make an ideal day trip from Salzburg. The caves in the mountainside are the largest and most accessible in the world, with around 42 km of passages to explore and exquisite ice configurations.

How to get to Salzburg, how to move around in town?
Salzburg Airport W.A. Mozart
http://www.salzburg-airport.com/
located only 4 km from the city center, 15 minutes's transfer. Numerous scheduled flights e.g. to Amsterdam, Brussels, Duesseldorf, Frankfurt, London, Paris, Zuerich and Vienna. Public bus #77 connects airport and train station.

Motorway
http://www.oeamtc.at
http://www.arboe.or.at

Salzburg is at the hub of the European motorway network: A1 Vienna - Salzburg, A 8 Munich - Salzburg, A 10 Villach - Salzburg.

Salzburg Central Railway Station
http://www.oebb.at

only a 15 minutes' walk from the city center. Integrated in the international railwaz network, Salzburg has outstanding Eurocity, Intercity and Interregio connections (ICE connection to Munich)

Busses
http://www.salzburg-ag.at

Public transport in Salzburg is well organised, any part of town can be reached easily.

Taxis
http://www.taxi.at

Taxi are also easy to get, there are designated stops throughout the city and they can also be ordered bz phone.

Walking
The whole Old Town is a pedestrian area, crossing it by foot takes between 15 to 25 minutes. Apart from taxis, you can also take a 'Fiaker' (horse carriage) tour.

Dine & Wine :
Salzburg's nightlife :
Turning the night into day seems to be one of the city's magnificent feats. The nighttime hotspots are well hidden from outsiders. The "Beisln" (Austrian for pubs, bars and bistros) are not marked by projecting door signs or bright neon lights. This is prohibited by the city's strict monument preservation regulations. Even the lights in the red light district (in the Steingasse or Herrengasse) must be discreet. But hidden behind old-fashioned entrances are the hottest hangouts to be found.

A tour of the scene - Austrian: 'Bermuda Triangles - proves: the nightlife in Mozart's city is more colorful than expected, not only due to the multitude of international guests, but also because of the nearby university and the stimulating culture scene. Salzburg's night owl venues have become increasingly popular during the last few years, those who are forced to close are soon replaced by other new hip and happening venues. Many bars and nightclubs can be found in addition to the endless number of restaurants and bistros in every price category, featuring exotic to traditional cuisine. The venues range from scene "beisls" to Irish pubs, from street cafés to elegant jazz lounges, from an exclusive club atmosphere to a cache of fabulous settings for celebrations and live concerts, to cinemas in the city center and - last but not least - the traditional restaurant. During the summer a number of beer gardens in the city are a popular place to start the evening.

The venues are scattered throughout the city, the most popular districts being on the left and right banks of the Salzach, in the vicinity of the Linzergasse and Steingasse, Anton-Neumayr-Platz including Gstättengasse, and generally along all of the streets of the Old City. The after hours scene is waiting!

Casino Salzburg :
Casino Salzburg, the second Austrian casino, opened on 1 July 1934 in Schloss Mirabell. It closed down during the Second World War and reopened in July 1950. As it grew larger, it became necessary to move to new premises and so the casino took up residence in 1977 in Caf? Restaurant Winkler on the M?nchsberg overlooking the city.

More and more visitors came to the casino and new games were introduced so that a further enlargement became necessary. The additional premises at Schloss Klessheim were so popular that Casinos Austria decided to make it the casino’s permanent home.

The magnificent baroque castle on the outskirts of Salzburg was designed by Johann Bernhard Fischer von Erlach, Austria’s greatest baroque architect. He based his design on Versailles and the Palladian style of northern Italy. The castle itself is extremely spacious and the casino occupies a large part of it. The combination of baroque art and modern gaming give the casino an atmosphere of its own.

Shopping in Salzburg :
Souvenirs from Salzburg
Buying gifts for loved ones at home - and of course one or two souvenirs for yourself - is a real pleasure in Salzburg's Old City on the left and right banks of the Salzach River.

Mozartkugeln - a sweet salutation
They stand for Austrian tradition, representing the country far from home. The genuine Salzburg Mozartkugeln from Mirabell are exported to 50 countries throughout the world; the chocolate speciality carrying the name of the city’s most well known son can be found from Cape Horn to Iceland and from the Canary islands to Japan.

Shopping in style
We've all enjoyed the sights and thanks to our Salzburg Card our sightseeing programme has proved to be both informative and excellent value for money. We've admired this magnificent city, we've assiduously studided all there is to know about famous names, dates and works of art - and we've finally earned a long stroll round the shops

Austria's most attractive shopping centre
A unique atmosphere and a great choice of goods: that's Austria's most attractive shopping centre. Where else can you find such a selection of shops in such a small area? Where else can you shop and at the same time enjoy the company of centuries-old buildings and savour the historic atmosphere between the Cathedral and the horse-pond.