Our 4-Day Family Holiday in Salzburg, Austria
We, as a family, took a 10-day summer holiday in Austria and visited Vienna, Salzburg, and Innsbruck. On our ten-day holiday, we spent four days in Vienna, four in Salzburg, and 2 Days in Innsbruck. Today, I am writing about the 2nd leg of our journey, i.e., Salzburg.
So, here was the Itinerary we followed in Salzburg:
4 Days Itinerary in Salzburg:
Day 1: Explore the city (Salzburg Altstadt), Visit Hohensalzburg, Visit Mirabell Gardens
Day 2: A day trip to Hallstatt from Salzburg
Day 3: Visit Hangar 7 and Hellbrunn Palace
Day 4: A day trip to Dachstein Caves
Before I get to the details of the places we visited, let me take my readers through travel, transport, and stay.
Reaching Salzburg:
Salzburg was a part of our ten-day trip to Austria. As a part of that trip, we had already visited Vienna, and Salzburg was the 2nd leg. We travelled to Salzburg using the ÖBB (Österreichische Bundesbahn) from Vienna. It took approximately 2.5 hours. So, we checked out from our hotel in Vienna in the morning and were in Salzburg by the afternoon.
The tickets for ÖBB trains can be bought on their official website:
You can also book your tickets to Salzburg on the website of Deutsche Bahn.
Alternatively, if you are within driving distance of Salzburg, you can use a car, which is much faster and gives you complete flexibility. If you don’t own a car, you can rent one. We have rented vehicles from SIXT multiple times and found their cars of top-notch quality.
While you are here, you can reach my articles:
How to get a driving license in Germany- Step-by-Step guide
My Experience with renting a car in Germany
Accommodation in Salzburg
Since we are a family with kids already in their teens, having enough space for each of us is essential. Hotel rooms are not spacious, and everyone is restricted to a small room. So, off late, we have started booking homestays. We usually book an apartment, preferably with an equipped kitchen and a minimum of two bedrooms, so that each of us has our own space and there is always an option of cooking something.
We, as a family, like having a good breakfast and starting our day, and a homestay allows us to make simple meals at home. We also like exploring the local supermarkets, finding what’s new, and trying out foods and drinks that are locally available. Homestays are an excellent option for all those who want to add this to their holiday experience.
You can book an accommodation of your choice on the City Website or Booking.com.
Travelling within the city of Salzburg:
In Salzburg, we used public transport to travel around places. Since we planned to be in Salzburg for Day 1 and Day 3 and outside Salzburg (in Hallstatt and Dachstein ) on Day 2 and Day 4, we bought the city day tickets on Day 1 and Day 3. On the other days, we purchased destination-specific tickets ( I will cover that in detail on the Day 2 and Day 4 itineraries below).
Day tickets can be purchased at any ticketing machines at the bus stops, at the Tobacconists, or from the bus driver. Tickets can also be purchased using the official website of Salzburg Verkehrverbund (the public transport authority in Salzburg): https://ticketshop.salzburg-verkehr.at/ or app, but you have to register there. So, the simplest way we chose was to buy from the bus driver or the ticket machine.
For our itinerary, this worked well. However, if you plan to add more places and want to do it more comfortably, you can use a Hop-on Hop-off City Tour Bus. The advantage of a Hop-on Hop-off Bus is that it is specifically designed for tourists. Unlike regular public transport, this bus covers all tourist attractions taking you directly from point to point. General Public transport can sometimes be crowded, and you may waste time going all around the city, covering places you don’t even want to visit.
Now, let’s get on with the Itinerary:
Day 1: Explore Salburg old city (Altstadt), Visit Hohensalzburg and Mirabelle Gardens.
On the 1st day, we wanted to get a feel of the city. So we reached Mozartplatz.
We explored some prominent buildings there, like the giant statue of Mozart, The Salzburg Museum, Getreidegasse– the present-day shopping street with its famous landmark –Mozartgeburtshaus (Mozart’s birthplace), and the Salzburg Cathedral.
All these places are located within a kilometre of each other, and one can easily explore everything on foot.
Here, I would recommend a walking tour of the old city. The places you see, the historical structures you encounter, the markets, monuments, parks, etc., all become more meaningful when you understand the stories behind them. And who could do it better than a local?
We spent about 1/2 a day exploring the city and then stopped by for lunch at an Indian restaurant called Hanna’s Rasoi on Getreidegasse. This restaurant serves fantastic Indian food and is a must-visit when in that area. After having a sumptuous lunch here, he headed to Festungsgasse, from where we took the rail to Hohensalzburg.
About Hohensalzburg:
Hohensalzburg Fortress is a large medieval fortress in Salzburg located at an altitude of 506 m. Its enormous length and width make it one of the largest medieval castles in Europe. The fortress can be reached by climbing steps or more easily by rail. Apart from offering beautiful city views, it also houses museums and princely chambers worth visiting.
We purchased our tickets for the fortress visit in advance, and I recommend that my readers do the same. During peak tourist season, there are long queues, and purchases may not be possible on the spot. There are many ticket options, but we bought an all-inclusive ticket, which included visiting everything inside the Fortress and the funicular ride. The Fortress is enormous and offers lovely views of the city.
Here, I would ask my readers to be mindful of the closing times of the fortress. It is open till 8 pm in summer, but in winter, it closes early, around 5 pm. I suggest planning your entry time to avoid disappointment. Especially if you have bought all-inclusive tickets, you will need at least 3 hours to reach the Fortress and see everything. It would be best if you also accounted for the long rail queue during peak tourist season.
You can book your tickets using any of these links:
We finished our visit and climbed down using the steps. The scenery is lovely and can be enjoyed only when you climb down, taking steps, and not by the funicular.
Our next stop was Mirabell Garden, which is about a kilometre from the funicular station at the base of Hohensalsburg. We crossed the Salzach River on the bridge, admired its beauty and continued our walk towards the garden.
If you have time, you can even add a Boat Ride on the Salzach to your itinerary. The pickup point for this ride is very close to Mirabell Garden.
About Mirabell Garden:
Mirabell Garden is a baroque-style historic garden adorned with fountains, well-manicured lawns, and plenty of places to walk or relax under the shade of a tree. From here, you also get a fantastic view of the Hohensalburg fortress. It is a photo enthusiast’s treasure because of this lovely backdrop. The garden is beautiful too and is a treat for the eyes.
After visiting the garden, we called it a day and returned to our homestay.
Day 2: A day trip to Hallstatt
On this day, we had planned a day trip to Hallstatt.
About Hallstatt
Hallstatt is a small village about 70 km southwest of Salzburg on Lake Hallstatt’s western shore in Austria’s Salzkammergut region. It is famous for its lovely landscapes, Alpine houses, and Salt mine- Salzwelten.
How to reach Hallstatt from Salzburg
You can either take the bus or train to reach Hallstatt. But using the bus is a better choice anytime as it is faster and cheaper. By train, you get dropped on the other bank of the lake, from where you must take a ferry to reach the salt mine side. Although the bus journey is broken into three legs, it is pretty straightforward and saves you time.
Here are the bus details:
Salzburg to Bad Ischl using Bus 150
Bad Ischl to Hallstatt Gosaumühle using Bus 542
Hallstatt Gosaumühle to Hallstatt Lahn by bus 543
Tickets can be purchased from the driver.
In total, it takes about 2 hours to reach Hallstatt from Salzburg.
A note for my readers:
We wanted to spend an entire day in Hallstatt because we wanted to explore the town AND visit the Salt Mines (More details given below). If you wish to explore the town only, about 2- 2 1/2 hours are enough. In that case, you can either take the bus (as described above) OR opt for a Half-Day Tour to Hallstatt. This option costs you more, but it works well for people who have mobility issues, difficulty changing buses, or are uncomfortable with public transport. You get picked up at Salzburg and dropped directly at Hallstatt. After spending about 2 1/2 hours exploring the town, you can take the same bus to return to Salzburg. Note that if you still want to see salt mines, you can even visit them in Salzburg.
We spent an hour or so exploring the place on foot. The lake is stunning, and the sights are breathtaking.
The village is lovely, too, and a walk on the narrow streets, exploring the town, and admiring its beauty is a must-do activity in Hallstatt.
Then, we stopped by for lunch and headed to our next destination, Salzwelten in Hallstatt.
About Salzwelten
Salzwelten refers to the 7,000-year-old salt mines in Hallstatt. The archaeological finds discovered here prove that mining took place here as far back as 350 BC.
Here, a 3500-year-old wooden ladder, the oldest wooden ladder in Europe, has been displayed and can be seen by visitors. Many axes and pics have also been found here, substantiating the history of mining activities in this area.
The highlights of these mines are large salt crystals, which are displayed, an underground lake, and a 64 m-long miner’s slide, which is said to be the longest in Europe.
The place can be visited only with a guided tour, tickets for which can be purchased on their official website.
The ticket includes using the funicular to reach the top of the hill, the guided tour, and using the funicular to come down.
A note for my readers: Book your tickets in advance to avoid long queues if you plan to visit the salt mines. To enter the mines, all visitors are provided special clothing: a shirt and pants that can be worn on top of their clothes. So, dress up accordingly and wear sturdy shoes. The place is mostly dark, and the guided tour lasts about 90 minutes, so if you have any problem with darkness, consider that before your visit. Lastly, plan at least 3-4 hours for the salt mine visit. That would include going up, exploring the exhibits near the salt mines, viewing the platform, etc., then the tour, and returning to the base.
After our salt mine tour, we explored the lovely surroundings and returned to the base.
Then we took the bus and returned to Salzburg the same way we came in the reverse order.
Day 3: Visit Hangar 7 and Schloss Hellbrunn
Our first stop for today was Hangar 7.
About Hangar 7:
Hangar-7 at Salzburg Airport is a unique building that houses the Flying Bulls aircraft fleet and a Formula 1 race car collection. Hangar-7 also offers space for art exhibitions. It is a treat for car lovers. There is no entry fee for this place.
We spent an hour here. The place also has a nice restaurant.
Our next stop was a super fun place called Schloss Hellbrunn.
About Schloss Hellbrunn:
Hellbrunn Palace is a big Baroque Villa built in the early 17th Century by the then Archbishop -Markus Sitticus. The key tourist attraction in the palace is the many trick fountains, the idea of which came to Markus Sittikus, who thought it would be fun to perform practical jokes on his guests. He designed many water sprays that would mechanically get activated. He designed them in such a way that at each station, there was always a spot that was never wet. That’s where the Archbishop stood or sat and watched as the water sprays took his drenched guests by surprise.
For example, there is a large stone table with seats around it. A water conduit sprays water on the guests’ seats and drenches anyone who sits on them. Also, hidden fountains surprise people and spray water on them as they walk around the area. There are water jets that are mechanically operated. Also, there is a theatre with music to entertain the guests.
Here again, visitors can enter with a tour guide. Audio guides are given, and a guide demonstrates how all the secret water jets operate. Visitors can have fun getting themselves wet!
Adjoining the trick fountains is a large garden and the villa, which can be visited.
Visitors can understand the story behind this building and about Markus Sitticus with an audio guide.
Since Hellbrunn Palace is a bit far from the city centre, you can reach there using public transport or take a boat ride+bus transfer to Hellbrunn Palace. This also includes an entry to the water feature and palace. If you reach there by car or by public transport, buy the tickets for the visit at the counter or on their official website.
Hellbrunn Palace is undoubtedly an informative and fun place to visit, especially when you are with children. They are sure to enjoy exploring the secret fountains and getting wet.
A note for my readers:
You need at least 2-3 hours to explore the place fully, so plan your visit accordingly. Carry an extra set of clothes to have fun in the water fountains. Also, the Hellbrunn Palace and fountains are only open in the summer months. In the winter, only the open gardens can be accessed.
After we visited the Hellbrunn Palace, we headed back. That was the end of day 3.
Day 4: A day trip to Dachstein Caves
Located just a few kilometres from Hallstatt are the Dachstein Caves. We made a day trip to these caves and travelled from Salzburg by bus.
Here are the details of how to reach the Dachstein Visitor Centre from Salzburg:
Here are the bus details:
Salzburg to Bad Ischl using Bus 150
Bad Ischl to Hallstatt Gosaumühle using Bus 542
Hallstatt Gosaumühle to Dachstein Visitor Center by bus 543
Tickets can be purchased from the bus driver.
Do the reverse when returning to Salzburg.
About Dachstein Caves:
Dachstein caves are ice caves located high up in the mountains and are one of the largest in the world. Visitors can buy tickets at the Dachstein Visitors Centre. The tickets include the cable car ride to the top (a three-legged journey) and a guided cave tour.
We took tickets for two cave visits – The Ice Caves and the Mammoth Caves. Apart from this, we also visited the cave museums on our way to the caves. There are many more places to visit in Dachstein, but we were able to cover only these on our day trip.
The caves are a must-visit and provide great insights.
A note for my readers:
Start early if you plan to travel by bus for a day trip to Dachstein. The last bus for return to Salzburg is early in the evening, around 5 pm ( please check the latest bus schedule when you travel), so you need to be back at the Visitors Centre to catch the bus. Visiting all the caves, the museum, and the cable car ride takes time, and you will most likely stop at a restaurant for lunch. During the peak tourist season, queues are everywhere, starting from buying tickets. All this will take at least 6 hours, so starting early is much recommended. Also, it’s cold inside the caves, so dress accordingly.
With this day trip, we ended our 4-day holiday in Salzburg!
Salzburg is a must-visit and a charming place if you plan a holiday in Austria. The day trips to Hallstatt and Dachstein make the trip worthwhile and offer experiences that are hard to get anywhere else in the world.
Mozart chocolates are found everywhere in Salzburg. These nice souvenirs can be taken back as a memory of the trip.
Read about the 1st leg of our vacation in Vienna here.
Read about our next leg of the journey to Innsbruck here.
Read about our other holidays here.
Comment and let me know if this article was helpful to you. If you have already visited Salzburg, share your experiences.
Check out more pictures of all the lovely places in Salzburg.
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