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Salzburg Hohensalzburg fortress, Salzburg
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SalzburgTravel Guide

Austria5 stories

Mozart's baroque city beneath a hilltop fortress — and beyond the tour groups, quiet ridge walks, medieval lanes, and a monastery beer hall.

Is Salzburg right for you?

When to come

Late spring and September shoulder season; December for Advent markets

Around 24°C by day in July, 3°C in January — recorded at the local weather station.

What it costs

Mid-range. Comfortable without planning around money, expensive if you stop counting.

What we've planned, and who for

No hour-by-hour route here yet — the guides below cover it by subject instead.

Our editors pick it for a trip with one other person.

Salzburg is inDeepest in EuropeJust the two of youSnow and mountains
When to go
January: around 3 degrees by day, -4 at night, 59 millimetres of rain, some rain.
February: around 6 degrees by day, -3 at night, 53 millimetres of rain, some rain.
March: around 10 degrees by day, 1 at night, 87 millimetres of rain, wet.
April: around 16 degrees by day, 4 at night, 78 millimetres of rain, some rain.
May: around 19 degrees by day, 8 at night, 115 millimetres of rain, wet. We recommend this month.
June: around 23 degrees by day, 13 at night, 151 millimetres of rain, very wet. We recommend this month.
July: around 24 degrees by day, 14 at night, 158 millimetres of rain, very wet.
August: around 24 degrees by day, 14 at night, 164 millimetres of rain, very wet.
September: around 20 degrees by day, 10 at night, 112 millimetres of rain, wet. We recommend this month.
October: around 14 degrees by day, 6 at night, 73 millimetres of rain, some rain.
November: around 9 degrees by day, 1 at night, 72 millimetres of rain, some rain.
December: around 4 degrees by day, -2 at night, 72 millimetres of rain, some rain. We recommend this month.
Cold to hot, by dayDry to wetWhen we would go

Late spring and September shoulder season; December for Advent markets

Average daily highs, recorded at Salzburg-Flughafen (LOWS), 1991-2020.

Where this comes from

Central Institute for Meteorology and Geodynamics - ZAMG (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salzburg weather box)

Budget level

Mid-range

Typical cost profile for visitors

Combine it with
Plan itWhere to stay in Salzburgad · Booking.comTours and tickets
On the map

Finding Salzburg

Open in Google Maps Larger map
The stories

Reading Salzburg

White horses harnessed to a fiaker carriage waiting on a Salzburg square in front of a baroque palace facade
01
Destinations

Salzburg by Season: An Honest Guide to When to Go

Festival fever in August, Advent stalls in December, and a long green spring almost nobody books. What each Salzburg season actually feels like on the ground.

Austria · 2 min
Kaiserschmarrn, the torn and sugar-dusted Austrian pancake, served in its iron pan with a jar of apple sauce on a green checked tavern tablecloth
02
Food

Salzburg's Markets: What to Taste, and When to Show Up

A Thursday farmers market that starts before dawn, a curry-dusted sausage found nowhere else, and Advent stalls under the cathedral. Eating your way through Salzburg market calendar.

Austria · 2 min
Shoppers filling the narrow Getreidegasse in Salzburg beneath its wrought-iron guild signs, the fortress hill at the end
03
Itineraries

Salzburg Is a Two-Day City. The Third Day Should Leave Town.

The old town takes twenty minutes to cross, so the difficulty here is never distance but order - here is how two days inside the basin and one outside it fit together.

Austria · 10 min
Hohensalzburg Fortress on its wooded ridge above the green dome and towers of Salzburg Cathedral
04
Hidden Gems

Salzburg Out of Season: The Quiet Months That Reward You Most

Between the Festival and the Advent stalls, Salzburg has long stretches when the Old Town belongs to whoever turned up. Here is exactly when, and what it costs you.

Austria · 2 min
Hohensalzburg Fortress above Salzburg's old town at sunset, with the Alps on the horizon
05
Hidden Gems

Salzburg Beyond the Obvious: The Quieter Side

Skip the crush on Getreidegasse for an hour and find the ridge paths, medieval lanes, and monastery beer hall where Salzburg actually breathes.

Austria · 2 min
In pictures

Salzburg, framed

Salzburg's Advent market at blue hour, with rows of lit wooden stalls, garlands of fairy lights strung overhead and a glass tree-shaped light sculpture, a gothic church spire and a tiled dome rising behind the crowd.
Photo: Jeffrey Zhang / Unsplash
Salzburg Hohensalzburg fortress, Salzburg
Photo: Sarah Mutter / Unsplash
Salzburg Hohensalzburg fortress, Salzburg
Photo: Free Walking Tour Salzburg / Unsplash
Salzburg Hohensalzburg fortress, Salzburg
Photo: Laura Chouette / Unsplash
Our picks

What we'd do in Salzburg

See and do

Eat and drink

Before you go

Practical essentials for Austria

Money

Euro (EUR)

Language

German; English is widely spoken in tourist settings in Vienna, Salzburg and Innsbruck.

Power

Type C/F, 230V 50Hz

Getting around

OeBB trains link the cities, and each runs its own network on validated time-based tickets — in Vienna that is the Wiener Linien U-Bahn, trams and buses.

Tipping

Round up or add about 5-10% in a restaurant, handed to the server as you pay rather than left on the table.

Tap water

Tap water is safe to drink everywhere; in Vienna it is piped in from Alpine springs.

Driving

Right-hand side; an EU or EEA licence is enough, and other visitors should carry an International Driving Permit with their national licence.

Emergency

112; also 133 police, 144 ambulance, 122 fire

Country-level guidance, checked against official sources. Currency, fares and entry rules change — confirm anything time-critical before you travel.

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