Austria Travel—Visiting Salzburg

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Salzburg is one of Europe's most beautiful cities, both for its architecture and for its magnificent setting. In addition, Salzburg enjoys a special fame in the world of music as the birthplace of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.

Figure 1.  Hohensalzburg Castle viewed from Mirabell Garden

What Not To Miss In Salzburg

In [1], you will find out about the must-do and must-see attractions and activities during your time in the city of Salzburg. All of these must-see places are within a few minutes walking from each other.

1. Mirabell Palace and Gardens
2. Getreidegasse and Mozart's Birthplace
3. Mozartplatz Square and the Mozart Statue.
4. Salzburg Cathedral
5. Hohensalzburg Fortress
6. Saint Peter's Abbey
7. Authentic Austrian Street Food
8. Coffee Houses and Cakes
9. City Mountain Views

What if you have more than a Day?

You might want to head into the lake district for lakes and mountains and cute villages. The most popular of these cute villages is Hallstatt, which became the most popular place to visit in Austria overall. 

But there are many more places worth visiting in the Austrian lake district. You might also want to cross the German border to visit Kings lake (önigssee) and/or Hitlers' Eagles Nest in Berchtesgaden. And the third place that can be recommend is Werfen where the world's largest Ice Caves are located (see Video 2).

The lovely Bavarian lake of Königssee is one of the great beauty spots of the region of Germany referred to as Berchtesgadener Land. Also known as the King's Lake, this area near Salzburg is a hiking (and biking) paradise thanks to its vast network of trails.^[11]

One of the most popular things to do is follow the attractive footpath located along the east side of the Königssee to the Malerwinkel. Also known as Painters' Corner, it's notable for its superb views over the lake and the surrounding mountains.

 

Figure 2.  Hallstatt

Visiting Hallstatt

Situated on the shores of the idyllic Hallstätter Sea, the tiny community of Hallstatt is perhaps the most beautiful example of the many quaint traditional villages waiting to be explored in Upper Austria.^[10]

Using buses and trains are the fastest way to travel by public transportation from Salzburg to Hallstatt:^[3]

If you are coming from Vienna, travel time to the city can last up to 135 minutes via the ÖBB Railjet high-speed train. If you are coming from Salzburg, then the ÖBB Railjet high-speed train will drop you off at Attnang-Puchheim station in just 46 minutes. From Attnang-Puchheim, switch to a local REX train to Hallstatt Bahnhof station in 1hr 21mins. The local train shuttles you in across the lake from town, where you have to take a ferry to get to Hallstatt town proper. 

If you prefer a direct travel from Salzburg or Vienna, then you may take a bus, which gets you in the heart of Hallstatt. Once in the city, you easily explore on foot or on a bicycle. You can either bike on your own or you can join one of the guided biking tours offered.

Video 1.  Salzburg and Surroundings (YouTube link)

Video 2.  Eisriesenwelt (German for "World of the Ice Giants"; YouTube link) 

References

1. What Not To Miss In Salzburg (Free Tour Community)
2. 3 DAYS OF WINTER IN HALLSTATT, AUSTRIA
3. Your official travel guide to Salzburg
• Salzburg Card
4. Großglockner tour (mid May - mid Oktober; 8 hours)
5. Bavarian Mountain tour
6. Sound of Music / Hallstatt Tour (8 hours)
7. Parorama  Tours
• Hallstatt Tour (starts at noon and lasts for 5 1/2 hours)
• Meeting place: Panorama Tours Bus Terminal, Mirabellplatz / corner Hubert-Sattler-Gasse 1, 5020 Salzburg
8. Fräulein Maria’s Bicycle Tour (3.5 hrs)
9. 15 Top-Rated Tourist Attractions & Things to Do in Salzburg (planetware.com)
10. 14 Top Tourist Attractions in Hallstatt & along the Hallstätter See
11. 16 Top-Rated Tourist Attractions in Germany
12. 9 Top-Rated Day Trips from Salzburg
13. Eisriesenwelt (Ice Cave official site)
1. Salzburg → REX 3Salzburg Hbf (Service run by ÖBB; 42 mins) → Werfen
2. Werfen Train Station → by local bus → Eisriesenwelt
• A local bus system operates a direct shuttle service from Werfen to the Eisriesenwelt parking area / visitor’s center each day at 8:18 a.m., 10:18 a.m., 12:18 p.m. and 2:18 p.m.
14. Best Trails in Schönau a. Königssee
15. BEST THINGS TO DO AT BEAUTIFUL LAKE KONIGSSEE, BAYERN (good)
• If you don’t have your own transport then the number 841 bus takes about 10 minutes from Berchtesgaden Train station (Berchtesgaden Hbf) to Konigssee. As it is a relatively short distance, so you could also catch a cab or even walk – which would take about 40 minutes.
• The Deutsche Bahn (DB) website provides train and bus times from other points of travel within Germany.
• Salzburg Hbf → Bus 840 (49 mins) → Berchtesgaden Hbf → local bus or walk → Konigssee
16. Austria in Pictures: 15 Beautiful Places to Photograph (good)
17. Coronavirus Information in Austria
• FFP2 masks are mandatory in essential shops (e. g. supermarkets, post offices, pharmacies) and when using public transport (last update: 03/07/2022)
18. Best Western Hotels & Resorts
19. SalzburgCard
20. Route Planner (fahrplan.salzburg-verkehr.at)
• fahrplan means timetable
21. All options to get your ticket - ÖBB
22. Frankfurt Airport--COVID-19 test center
• Rapid antigen test: digital test result within 15 to 20 minutes (Antigen Test: 29,00 EUR)
• In our COVID Test Center at Frankfurt Airport in Terminal 1 located in the passage between the long-distance train station and Terminal 1 and in Terminal 2 on level U4/parking garage, you can be tested for COVID-19 by means of an RT-PCR test, an antigen rapid test and an antibody rapid test.
23. Salzburg 14 Day Extended Forecast
24. Obus/Albus Buses: Public Transportation in Salzburg (https://www.salzburg.info)
25. Sbg Vekehr (Salzburg verkehr app)