One Day In Salzburg: An Easy Day Trip From Vienna

Salzburg is a perfect day trip from Vienna; it has a small enough city centre to see it all, and is accessible by train from Vienna. Despite it being such a small town, it’s actually famous for quite a bit – leaving you with tons of things to do in Salzburg!

Just to give you a sneak peak, Salzburg has ties to Mozart, The Sound of Music, and is home to one of the oldest castles in Europe.

If you’re staying in Vienna, Salzburg is definitely worth the trip to. Here’s my one day in Salzburg itinerary.

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Why Should You Visit Salzburg Austria?

Salzburg is small city in Austria that borders Germany. Although it’s small size, Salzburg is known for quite a bit and is well worth at spending at least one day here (if not more!).

Salzburg is where The Sound of Music was filmed and was even home to the original von Trapp family. It’s also the birthplace of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (you know the very famous classical composer). Even if you’re not a fan of musicals or Mozart, Salzburg is still worth a visit…

You’ll also find one of the oldest (and largest) castles in Europe (Fortress Hohenzalzburg), a salt mine, and the Eastern alps (the closest peak is only 16 km (10 miles) from the city centre).

How To Get To Salzburg

You can get to Salzburg by plane, train, bus, car, or even on an organized tour.

If you’re travelling to Salzburg by plane, the airport is only about a 15 minute drive out of the city centre. 

If you’re travelling from Vienna to Salzburg you can arrive by train, car or go on an organized tour.

Taking The Train From Vienna To Salzburg

The train station in Salzburg is in the heart of the city so you don’t need to take any extra transportation once you arrive. You can walk off the train to the city centre in a matter of minutes.

If you’re coming from Vienna to Salzburg it’s about a 2 and a half hour train ride away. They run trains directly to and from both cities quite often. See schedule and buy your tickets here.

Renting A Car For A Day Trip In Salzburg

If you’d prefer, you can also drive from Vienna to Salzburg through the A1 motorway. It’s about a 3 hour drive from Vienna. This option gives you the most flexibility with your day, but you will have to find parking once you arrive.

There’s street parking in Salzburg both for free or paid, or you can also park in a paid lot. Read more about your parking options here.

Go On An Organized Tour From Vienna To Salzburg In One Day

The least stressful way to get from Vienna to Salzburg for one day is to go on an organized tour. This is the most expensive option but you get a lot for what you pay.

I’ve done organized tours with Viator before and would recommend their tours. You can see a full list of their tours here.

How Long Do You Need In Salzburg Austria?

You’ll be able to see the key points of interest with one day in Salzburg, but you won’t be able to see the surrounding areas (and trust me, they’re worth it!).

I only had one day in Salzburg but made the decision to go on a Sound of Music Tour in the afternoon to see some of the surrounding areas like the Austrian Alps. To do that, I missed out on touring some of the other things to do in Salzburg (like touring Mirabell Palace).

If you’re interested in touring all of Salzburg and the surrounding areas, I’d recommend at least two days in Salzburg. Tours like the Sound of Music Tour take up at least half a day.

Need A Place To Stay In Salzburg

We only spent one day in Salzburg so went back to Vienna at the end of the day. But, if you do decide to extend your time in Salzburg and need a place to stay overnight I found these accommodations.

For a unique bed and breakfast experience stay at Villa Flöckner Bed & Breakfast. You’re also very conveniently located close to the train station and Mirabell Palace. See room rates and availability.

If you’re looking to stay in the heart of Salzburg stay at Hotel Wolf. This boutique luxury hotel is in the middle of the pedestrian section of the Old Town. Each room is different at Hotel Wolf in this building from the 1400s! See room rates and availability.

Why not pamper yourself for the night at Hotel & Petit Spa Auersperg. Although it’s outside the city centre it’s still only a 15 minute walk to the nearest attraction. Plus I don’t know if you’ll ever want to actually leave the hotel! See room rates and availability.

For more accommodations in Salzburg, click here.

Top Things To Do In Salzburg

The Salzach river divides Salzburg into New Town and the Old Town. There are main attractions in both areas that are worth checking out.

The best way to see Salzburg in one day is to start with a walking tour of the city. As you may know, I’m a big believer in free walking tours. I found this free walking tour in Salzburg that has very good reviews. Not use to free walking tours – read why I love them here!

Walk Through Old Town Salzburg

When you have one day in Salzburg, you have to take the time to walk around the city centre. Salzburg is known for its quaint streets and architecture. Unfortunately, it’s become a little bit touristy nowadays, but try to look past it to see the charm.

When I was there, I stumbled upon a local food market. It seemed like a fundraiser for a high school. There was a band playing and stations serving local beer and food. If you know when you’ll be going try to find out if there are any local events.

See Mozart’s Birthplace

Salzburg is the City of Mozart (and they don’t let you forget it when you’re there). You can’t walk two steps without seeing a Mozart poster or souvenirs in the shop windows.

There’s also a statue erected in his honour in Marktplatz. But, he was born there after all, so why not celebrate him…right?

Probably the most exciting activity for Mozart fans is that you can visit his birthplace. His childhood home has been converted into a museum with some of his old instruments, and it’s in the centre of town. You get the chance to walk where Mozart did and learn about his life in Salzburg.

Visit Mirabell Palace

One of the top things to do in Salzburg is to visit the Mirabell Palace. Today, the Mirabell Palace hosts concerts, wedding ceremonies and other special events. Dating back to 1606, the palace is known for its grand marble hall and angel staircase.

Entry to the palace (and it’s gardens) is completely free! The only downside is that the palace isn’t always open to the public. It’s closed to visitors on the weekend and during special events. So if it’s something you want to see, plan to go during the week.

But even if the palace is closed, you’ll still have access to the gardens. I swear you could get lost in a daydream in these gardens.

They’re beautifully kept with bush art, fountains, and statues. At the entrance, you can see the fortress towering above in the distance. There are so many gardens to explore that you can easily spend an entire afternoon here. Read more about the palace and their gardens here.

You might also recognize the steps to the entrance of the gardens. They’re used in one of the most famous scenes with the von Trapp family in the Sound of Music. I’m not going to lie, I went there in the morning and had no idea I was standing on the Do-Re-Mi steps. When I did finally figure it out, I immediately ran back to take it all in!

Explore The Oldest Castle In Europe: Fortress Hohenzalzburg

This is the largest, fully preserved medieval castle still standing in Europe. It dates all the way back to 1077. The fortress now hosts several exhibits exploring life in the medieval period, and there’s even one on puppets!

But, what makes this a must-see is the incredible panoramic view of the surrounding alps you get from the top.

I swear you could spend your entire day trip in Salzburg at the Fortress Hohensalzburg alone!

You might notice that the fortress is all the way at the top of the hill. Don’t worry though, there is a funicular you can take, and your admission ticket includes both ascent and descent.

Or, if you’re stubborn like I was (and didn’t know this in advance) there is a path you can walk up. But I’ll warn you, it’s VERY steep. If you still want to walk, I recommend at least taking the funicular up and then walking down. The fortress is pretty large, so you want to save your energy to walk around the exhibits and climb the stairs to the top.

If you’re day trip in Salzburg is on a Sunday at 11:45 in the morning, they play live music from the trumpeters towers. It can be heard by the entire town below. 

Venture Outside The Salzburg City Centre

Salzburg is beautiful and the surrounding area outside the city doesn’t disappoint either. If you have extra time I highly recommend going on a half-day trip out of the city centre to see the surrounding Austrian Alps and the towns hidden among them.

Salt Mining in Salzburg

The mountains surrounding Salzburg are actually salt mines. So, just like Hallstatt, the city developed around the salt mining industry. In fact, Salzburg translates from German to “salt fortress”.

You can tour the mine, but it’s a 40-minute drive outside the city. If you’re visiting Salzburg for a few days, it’s worth checking out. But if you only have one day in Salzburg, it’s not worth spending so much time to get there.

If you’re also planning on visiting Hallstatt, you can visit the salt mine in there instead. It’s in the city, and because Hallstatt is so small, it’s one of the main attractions to do there. To see the mountains around Salzburg up close, I’d recommend going on the Sound of the Music tour.

The Sound of Music Tour

The Sound of Music tour takes you to your favourite, well, Sound of Music hot spots in and around Salzburg. If you didn’t already realize, The von Trapp family was from Salzburg and the movie was filmed here!

The tour gives you some amazing insider scoop about the movie and real family. They also play songs from the movie during the drive (and you’re encouraged to sing along!) to get into the Sound of Music vibe.

You’ll get to see the filming locations for the von Trapp family homes, like the Gazebo where Leisl professes her love to Rolf, and the church where Maria and Captain von Trapp get married.

If you’re a fan of the movie, this tour is a must do. But even if you’re not the biggest fan, it’s a great way to get out of the city centre to see what else Salzburg has to offer. They bring you up into the mountainous region and explore some little Austrian towns.

I went on the Sound of Music Tour from Panorama tours, see updated ticket price here.

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Last update on 2024-04-27 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API