Make your trip to Salzburg an unforgettable experience
Discover the city of Mozart and the Salzburg Festival. Experience its history, its charm and its fascination. Enjoy the special flair of this UNESCO World Cultural Heritage City, visit the Mirabell Palace, the Salzburg Festival, the Mozart Birth House and much more. Our Top 10 Salzburg sights and event tips give you the ideal overview of the City of Mozart!
The Mirabell Palace and the Mirabell Gardens, built in 1606, were a gift from Prince Archbishop Wolf Dietrich von Raitenau to his beloved mistress Salome Alt. Today, this palace is a romantic wedding venue. The Marble Hall, once the Prince Archbishop’s ceremonial hall, is regarded as one of the “most beautiful wedding halls in the world”. Weddings, conferences and awards ceremonies regularly take place in the Marble Hall. This Hall also provides the platform for the wonderful Mirabell Palace concerts. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart himself actually performed here several times. The Mirabell Palace and the Mirabell Gardens, a Baroque pleasure garden, are among the best-known sights of the City of Salzburg.
Every summer, the Salzburg Festival transforms the city into a huge stage. Over a hundred years ago the founding fathers of the Salzburg Festival, Max Reinhardt, Hugo von Hofmannsthal and Richard Strauss, proclaimed “the entire city is a stage”. The Salzburg Festival is one of the most important festivals for the performing arts in the world. The programme of artistic events, with unique combinations of opera, concerts and drama, the combination of culture and the holiday atmosphere of Salzburg, and the extraordinary flair of this UNESCO World Cultural Heritage City make Salzburg and its Festival something truly special. Enjoy the classic Festival production of “Jedermann” in the open-air theatre on Cathedral Square, the Felsenreitschule theatre, the Grosses Festspielhaus and wonderful operas, concerts and plays!
The Hohensalzburg Fortress is a truly eye-catching sight, set high above the roof tops of Salzburg’s Old Town. The imposing fortress complex dating from the 11th century is a distinctive part of the world-renowned City of Mozart, and towers impressively over the city’s roofs as a landmark that can be seen for many kilometres around. From a distance the Hohensalzburg Fortress appears as a mighty structure, and behind its walls history comes to life. The fortress, which stands on the Festungsberg mountain which merges to the northwest into the Mönchsberg, is one of the biggest fortified castles in Europe, and the largest in Central Europe to be preserved in its entirety. It is one of the top sights in the Austrian city of Salzburg. Discover the Hohensalzburg Fortress, which can also be reached easily with the Festungsbahn funicular railway from Festungsgasse.
The musical child prodigy Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was born on 27 January 1756 in Getreidegasse, in the “Hagenauer Haus” in Salzburg. Of the seven children of his parents Leopold Mozart, who was a musician at the court of the Prince Archbishop in Salzburg, and Anna Maria Pertl, only one other survived – his older sister Maria Anna, also known as “Nannerl”. Mozart’s parents laid the foundation of his musical career and nurtured the young Mozart, his father presenting him at the princely courts of Europe from Wolfgang’s earliest childhood. Musician, composer and concert master, Mozart died on 5 December 1791 at the age of 35. The “Little Night Music” Serenade (1787) is regarded as his best-known work. The last work he completed was “The Magic Flute” (1791). His many works are well known all over the world and are among the most important works of classical music.
Salzburg’s famous Getreidegasse, in the heart of the Old Town, has a magical and unique charm and attracts many visitors all year round. Whether you are visiting the Mozart Birth House, the many restaurants and cafes, the impressive traditional shops or the international fashion chains, Getreidegasse in Salzburg is unique and unmissable. Well known as a street for strolling along and for shopping, not only is there an extensive range of shops and restaurants but also the architecture of the buildings, with their impressive portals and windows, has a special charm. In particular, the public passageways leading off from Getreidegasse have contributed much to the characteristic charm of Salzburg. Not only does the architectural style of these passages have a special charm for visitors, but also they are full of interesting shops and galleries.
For over 400 years, Hellbrunn Palace with its mystic grottoes, water-driven figures and trick fountains has provided unforgettable experiences with guaranteed surprise effects. The water features are not just a true spectacle in themselves – they will also make you smile even as your face is soaked with water! However, Hellbrunn is known for much more than its famous water features: the impressive architecture, the beautiful park as well as the unique water features invite you on a journey through time to the age of the Prince Archbishop Markus Sittikus. He built this extraordinary cultural jewel as a place of entertainment and pleasure – a place that still astonishes and amuses visitors today. Hellbrunn Palace and its trick fountains is one of the most popular sights in Salzburg. Discover Hellbrunn and experience the watery fun of its many surprises!
Every summer in Salzburg, the picturesque backdrop of the Mirabell Gardens is a magnet for lovers of music and tradition. The Leuchtbrunnen concerts and Promenade concerts are a high point for wind music enthusiasts. Various local dance groups, singers, musicians and heritage groups perform lively traditional music and dancing to visitors in the “Heckentheater” woodland theatre. The Leuchtbrunnen concerts take place in the former pleasure garden of the Prince Archbishop, against the backdrop of the elegant illuminated “Four Elements” fountain. The wonderful ambience of the Mirabell Gardens and the elegant fountain create a sound and an atmosphere that can hardly be bettered even in a concert hall. Experience the magic of the romantic Mirabell Gardens and the rich and sophisticated repertoire and sounds of the Leuchtbrunnen and Promenade concerts!
Take a ride using the original means of transport of the Prince Archbishops – a horse-drawn carriage. A ride in a carriage or coach offers you a special way of discovering the impressive Old Town of Salzburg in peace and quiet. Whether you want to surprise someone for a special occasion, or celebrate an event in a special way, or simply want to enjoy a romantic coach ride during your holiday in Salzburg, a ride in a carriage is an experience that will stay with you for ever. Whether you are taking a tour of the city, or sightseeing, or getting married, or celebrating a birthday or some other occasion – the romantic city of Mozart is best discovered by carriage. Start your ride at the Residenzplatz in the middle of the Old Town, and listen as your driver tells you little anecdotes and important information about the city of Mozart. Take a ride in a horse-drawn carriage in Salzburg for an unforgettable experience!
Monkeys, flamingos, lions, pandas and ibex - Salzburg Zoo is one of the most popular excursion and sightseeing destinations in the south of the City of Salzburg. The many different species of animals, both native and exotic, will delight visitors of all ages. With around 1,500 animals of 150 species, the former “Hellbrunn Zoo” offers a thrilling and educational experience on a 14-hectare site. At Salzburg Zoo, between the Tropical House and the Alpaca House, a unique restaurant with cosy seating invites you to linger and enjoy something delicious from the menu. Salzburg Zoo is a modern centre for nature and species protection for animals from all over the world, and is a fascinating attraction for young and old alike. Visit Salzburg Zoo and experience the joy and pleasure of being in the midst of the species-rich animal world. There is a large car park just by the Zoo, only a few minutes’ walk from Hellbrunn Palace.
Salzburg in summer is always worth a visit. The Mirabell Palace, the Festival, Getreidegasse with its restaurants and cafes steeped in tradition, and the Old Town will make anyone want to spend time outdoors. But the City of Salzburg also has something to offer those who love to go to the beach: with beach-volleyball in the Park, sunbathing on the banks of the River Salzach and the “Chill-Zone”, the City of Mozart guarantees fun, thrills and the best “beach feeling “experience. You can also experience the “real” beach in Salzburg – known as the Salzbeach. Feel the magic of Caribbean sounds and the impressive sandy beach. The “Live im Park” series also offers cultural events, and in summer it is a hotspot for young people and the young at heart. Whether you opt for the open-air cinema or a picnic outdoors, canoe polo or stand up paddling, summer in Salzburg guarantees that “urban beach feeling” with plenty to do.
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