Spend Idyllic 24 hours in Salzburg, Austria - Budget Friendly!
- Trips and Tales
- Jan 30, 2024
- 8 min read
Salzburg is a picturesque city that effortlessly blends rich history, stunning architecture, and a vibrant cultural scene. In this 24-hour itinerary, we'll guide you through the best attractions, delicious culinary experiences, and hidden gems that Salzburg has to offer. Get ready to immerse yourself in the magic of Mozart's birthplace and the breathtaking landscapes that surround this Austrian gem.
I research for months on end to come up with the perfect itinerary and wanted to share the fruit of my hours of research and experience of exploring this town with you’ll.
The first question I always have when I have to travel to a new city is
how do I get around,
where should I stay and
how much time to spend in a city.
I'll answer all these questions for you and give you options to extend this itinerary for 2 and 3 days.
Gaurav and I visited Salzburg in July of 2023 - the weather was warm in the day with cool nights. It's the ideal season to travel but I've seen the snow laden Christmas pictures of this town and if you can you must visit it then! We spent 2.5 days in Salzburg and below is an iteration of the itinerary we followed. I've added our actual itinerary at the very end of the post.
Where to stay in Salzburg?
We stayed in MotelOne Salzburg-Sud which is on the outskirts of the city. The bus stop is right outside the hotel and it is just 3.3 Kms from the old city. Cheap, convenient and clean.
Tip: Choose a hotel on the outskirts but right beside the bus stop to save on travel and stay cost.
How to travel in Salzburg?
Salzburg is a small Austrian city nestled along the Salzach River. All the major attractions are easily walkable from the city centre. We took a day bus pass from the main terminal to travel to and fro from our hotel to the old town. We explored the city on foot and it's an immersive way to know the town in and out.
We bought the 24-hour bus ticket from the train terminal. There are digital machines at the bus stop, it took us a while to figure out which ticket to purchase. Please read the article here for more information on day tickets. The core zone ticket is for € 4.70 and it covers all the major attractions within the city. However if you're planning to travel to Hallstatt you should explore the last option in this handy ticket-finder link.
You can also purchase the 24-hour Salzburg City Card worth € 28.
However, to make it worth the money you'll have to cover the most expensive attractions and covering everything in 24 hours is a tall ask, look at Day 2 to make it paisa vasool (worth the money). We did not purchase this card and just spent € 4.70 on a day pass.
How many days are ideal in Salzburg?
If you plan to visit Salzburg once in your life, you should spend 3 days to visit all the places in and around the city. However, if you're short on time even a day or two is enough for you to cover 70% of what Salzburg has to offer.
Our explore Salzburg in 24 hours itinerary is a walking only tour which you can cover with €4.70 24-hour bus pass, you won't even need that if you are staying in the old city.
To make it even easier to explore Salzburg you can opt for FREE Walking Tours which will take you through a 1.5 hour power walk across the city.
Day 1 - 24 hours in Salzburg
10:00 AM
Mirabell Palace and Gardens:
Start the day by strolling through the enchanting Mirabell Gardens, known for their manicured hedges, vibrant flower beds, and stunning sculptures. It's a picturesque palace where you’ll want to get clicked at every turn. You can take a guide or shamelessly eavesdrop on the multiple guides there. Take note of the floors and ceilings of the palace.
Time: 1 hour
Entry Fee: €0
11:00 AM
Hohensalzburg-Fortress:
Visit this in the day to see breathtaking 360 degree views of Salzburg city. To reach the fortress you’ll have to walk to the Kapitelplatz and ride a funicular to the top. If you’re visiting on a Sunday, keep your eye and ears open as at 11:45 am the tower brass players play from the trumpet tower.
There are several variations of the ticket to reach the fortress you can read about it here. We took the round-trip with the panoramic views - highly recommend it as the views at the top are worth it!
Time: 2 hours
Entry Fee: € 14.7 for the Basic Ticket
1:00 PM
Old Town (Altstadt):
Once you come back from the Fortress explore the Old Town (Altstadt) and wander through the charming narrow streets of the Old Town, a UNESCO World Heritage site. Admire the baroque architecture, visit quaint shops, and soak in the historic atmosphere. You’ll walk along the major highlights of the city - Alter Markt, Cathedral Square & Statue of the Virgin Mary, Residenzplatz, Linzergasse, Getreidegasse, Mozart's Birthplace, and the Salzburg Cathedral.
As we were starving we ate at the iconic Mozart Cafe and it was the best meal we had had in days. Do try the legendary Apple pie and buy Mozartkugeln chocolates in the Old Town. This is the perfect place to buy souvenirs and water colour-painting from local artists.
Time: 4 hours
4:00 PM
Salzach River Cruise:
Digest those calories and take a leisurely stroll Along the Salzach River. Walk on the iconic and picturesque Makartsteg Bridge which is often called "Love Lock Bridge". It is a beautiful view with the Alps in the background mirrored in the gorgeous Salzach River. Just opposite the bridge, overlooking the river is the Sacher Cafe where you can try their historically yummy Sacher cake. There are several River Cruises which you can opt for as well.
Time: 2 hours
6:00 PM
Mozart Concert: End the evening with a soulful Mozart Concert in the heart of Salzburg. There are several options here to book the concert, you can add a meal as well. It can be a cosy date night or a fast-track immersion into art. Call it a day in Salzburg and end the evening by taking a night walk along Salzach river and get mesmerised by the twinkling lights of this baroque town reflecting in the inky water of Salzach.
This ends 24 hours in Salzburg!
If you want to extend this itinerary to Day 2 you can add the below attractions. These are little far off from central Salzburg so you’ll need to hop on to bus 25 and you'd be able to reach most of these places directly. You’ll also need to buy a bus pass or a Salzburg City Card. For the below itinerary I’d highly recommend buying the 24-hour Salzburg City Card and you’ll know why.
Day 2 - 2 days in Salzburg
9:00 AM
Cable Car Untersberg: Start the day with an excursion to Untersberg where you can see amazing views of the Alpine mountains. If you are someone who loves to hike take a one way ticket to the cable car and hike your way down - it’s a 2-3 hour hike so be ready for a day of adventure.
Ascent & Descent Fee: € 32
Time: 3 hours, more if you hike
- Free with Salzburg City Card -
1:00 PM
Hellbrunn Palace and Trick Fountains: This amusing and fun palace is on the route to bus 25. Stop for a quick lunch and take the bus back to the city from Untersberg to Hellbrunn Palace. This palace is known for its trick fountains. Be ready to be sprayed with water at every turn - this palace will be the ideal spot to cool down after the hike. Also, if you’re travelling with kids, they will really enjoy this palace.
Entry Fee: Adults € 15.00
Time: 2 hours
- Free with Salzburg City Card -
As you can see, already the above two attractions take your expense to € 47 which with the city card will just be at € 28. So only if you’re planning to visit the above two attractions you should opt to buy the 24-hour Salzburg City Card
4:00 PM
DomQuartier Salzburg: After spending the entire day exploring stroll the Alter Market and visit the DomQuartier Museum of Salzburg to immersive in the art and history of Salzburg.
Entry Fee: Adults € 13.00
Time: 2 hours
- Free with Salzburg City Card -
8:00 PM
If you are not a museum person, you can relax at the hotel and get ready for a night at the Salzburg Casino. Spend the night with a poker face or have fun at the slot machines. End the evening at the KLESSHEIM CASTLE with a luxury dinner experience.
This ends the day 2 itinerary in Salzburg however this is not all that Salzburg has to offer. There are several day trips that you can take from Salzburg as well.
Day 3 - 3 Days in Salzburg
Hallstatt
We had heard a lot about the fairytale town of Hallstatt and we spent a day there.
You can add it as a Day 3 excursion or do it on Day 2. Read till the end to see how we planned the trip.
Hallstatt is a very well known, tiny town in the Salzkammergut region of Austria. Tourists take day trips to Hallstatt from Vienna as well. It is ideal to visit from Salzburg as it’s just 80 kms from the city.
However, visiting Hallstatt via public transport is quite cumbersome and there are 2-3 bus/boat changes you have to make. I found this article really helpful to travel Hallstatt independently. Also, my friend has taken the bus route and said it was a seamless experience. So you can surely go for it!
As we had really less time, hence we opted for Panorama Tours half-day trip to Hallstatt.
The bus ride to Hallstatt was gorgeous, we crossed the old Red Bull HQ, stopped for a quick photo session and reach Hallstatt in an hour.
Is the town worth it?
Oh yes! It is a quaint, beautiful town with arresting views of Salzkammergut region. You can also visit the salt mines - however not with Panorama Tours as they leave sharp at 5 and even left behind passengers who didn’t reach the bus on time.
If you’re here in Hallstatt, do visit the Bone House and eat a falafel sandwich at the pier.If, like us, you didn't want to miss this town got for it! It'll be a great day trip. I also think I’ll do another blog post on Hallstatt for a balanced view on what all to do. Fair warning, this town is tiny and full of tourists so its overly crowded.
Alternatively, you can also choose any of the excursions mentioned here. I have heard great reviews about the Werfen Ice Caves and Salt Mines as well.
So, this is the end of 24-hours, 2-days and 3-days itinerary in Salzburg.
I’m also writing below the itinerary Gaurav and I followed in our 2.5 days in Salzburg.
Day 1:
3:00 PM
Strolled along Salzach River, Makartsteg Bridge and Sacher Cafe
5:00 PM
Explored Alter Markt, Cathedral Square & Statue of the Virgin Mary, Residenzplatz, Linzergasse, Getreidegasse, Mozart's Birthplace, and the Salzburg Cathedral with supper at Mozart Cafe
7:00 PM
We were lucky to experience free movie viewing in the Kapitelplatz this night. We took a walk along the street and crossed all the major attractions along the way. We were pleasantly surprised to find a free movie viewing at Kapitelplatz at the backdrop of Hohensalzburg Fortress. We spent the evening watching a German movie and ate vegan burgers from the food trucks.
9:00 PM
Ended the night walking in the Alter Markt, best time to click pictures as all the tourists had retired for the night
Day2:
10:00 AM
Mirabelle Gardens
12:00 PM
Half-Day trip to Hallstatt
5:00 PM
Hohensalzburg-Fortress
9:00 PM
We walked along the Salzach River in the wee-hours of night - it was a quietly beautiful night and fitting end to our time in Salzburg
Comments