AT
Salzburg
Mozart’s baroque birthplace below a hilltop fortress, with a famous summer music festival
Mozart’s baroque birthplace below a hilltop fortress, with a famous summer music festival
Begun in 1077, this is one of the largest preserved medieval castles in Central Europe. A funicular climbs to it from the old town, and the walls have views over the city and mountains.
Photo: Heribert Pohl, CC BY-SA 2.0
The old town’s main shopping street is known for its wrought-iron shop signs and narrow passageways.
Photo: Jorge Franganillo, CC BY 2.0
Mozart was born in 1756 in the yellow house at Getreidegasse 9, now a museum with his childhood violin and family items. The family’s later home, the Mozart Residence, is across the river.
Photo: Andrew Bossi, CC BY-SA 2.5
An early baroque cathedral, where Mozart was baptised. It has a large dome and several organs.
Photo: Diego Delso, CC BY-SA 4.0
Formal baroque gardens with fountains and statues, with a view of the fortress. Scenes from The Sound of Music were filmed here.
Photo: Sorin Craciun, CC BY-SA 3.0
Try Salzburger Nockerl (a sweet soufflé), Kasnocken (cheese dumplings), Wiener Schnitzel and beer from the Augustiner Bräu monastery brewery. Mozartkugeln are chocolate and marzipan sweets.
Traditional inns and cafés line the old town; the Grünmarkt has food stalls.
Salzburg Airport (SZG) is about 20 minutes from the centre by bus. Trains run to Vienna (about 2.5 hours) and Munich (about 1.5 hours).
The old town is compact and largely pedestrianised; use buses for longer distances. Austria is in the Schengen area. Non-EU visitors are registered in the EU Entry/Exit System on arrival, and visa-exempt travellers will need an ETIAS travel authorisation once it launches, expected from late 2026. Drivers need a motorway vignette (digital or sticker), sold by ASFINAG and at petrol stations. Check current rules before you travel.
Austria uses the euro. Prices are similar to Germany; museums and concerts are moderately priced, and city cards can save money on transport and entries. Hotel prices rise sharply during the Salzburg Festival in July and August.
Prices are approximate.
Fortress, Mozart and gardens.
Take the funicular to the fortress, then visit the cathedral, Getreidegasse and Mozart’s Birthplace.
Walk through the Mirabell Gardens, visit the Mozart Residence and end at the Augustiner Bräu beer garden.
🛂 Entry rules: EES and ETIAS
Austria is in the Schengen area, which has two EU border systems for non-EU visitors.
EES (in force): since 10 April 2026 the EU’s Entry/Exit System registers non-EU visitors’ passport details, fingerprints and a photo the first time they enter the Schengen area, replacing passport stamps. Allow extra time at the border on your first trip; later crossings are quicker. EU, EEA and Swiss citizens are not registered.
ETIAS (not yet running): a €20 online travel authorisation for visitors who don’t need a visa, such as UK, US, Canadian and Australian citizens. It hasn’t started and no start date has been confirmed, so nobody can apply yet; ignore websites that offer to “pre-register” you for a fee.
Visa-free visitors can stay up to 90 days in any 180-day period across the whole Schengen area, not per country.
Official information: EU: Travel to Europe (EES & ETIAS) · Reviewed September 2026
Book Salzburg Festival tickets and rooms months ahead.
The Salzburg Card includes the funicular, museums and buses.
Salzburg is known for frequent rain; carry an umbrella.
The Christkindlmarkt is held on the cathedral squares.
Quick answers for planning time in Salzburg.
At Getreidegasse 9 in Salzburg’s old town, now a museum.
Every summer, usually from late July to the end of August.
By the FestungsBahn funicular from the old town, or on foot up a steep path.
Yes, including the Mirabell Gardens; organised tours visit other sites.
May to September, and December for the Christmas markets.
German is spoken; English is widely understood in tourist areas.
Free
Planning a wider trip? Our Austria travel guide covers getting there, costs, when to go and more.