Two days in Salzburg, with Hellbrunn
Going without a car?The boat trip includes the palace ticket, the Salzburg Card covers admission and the bus, and every option cancels free up to 24 hours before. Reserve the date now, decide later.
Check availabilityDay one: the old town
Salzburg’s old town is compact and the sights are a walk apart: the Hohensalzburg fortress above it, reached by funicular; the cathedral quarter, where Markus Sittikus laid the foundation stone in 1614; Mozart’s birthplace and, across the river, his residence; and the Mirabell gardens. The Salzburg Card covers all of them with the funicular, and reviewers say it pays for itself with two or three sights. Amaresh (Canada): “You can get complete value with 2 sight seeing.” Exchange the online voucher for the card at the Tourist Information on Mozartplatz first thing; it is not valid until you do. The card and the exchange step.
Day two: Hellbrunn, then an afternoon
Hellbrunn is a half day. Bus 25 from the old town takes about 24 minutes, the fountains about 50 with the audio guide, the palace about 30, the gazebo in the park ten more, and the bus back; about three hours door to door, starting at the 09:30 opening when the fountains are quietest. The card covers the bus and the admission. The timings in detail.
That leaves the afternoon. The four-hour Sound of Music tour leaves Mirabellplatz with a live guide and a coach, stops for photographs at Leopoldskron, the Hellbrunn gazebo and Nonnberg, and drives out to St Gilgen and Mondsee for the lake and the wedding basilica, with the soundtrack on board; it is rated 4.8 by over six thousand travellers and it is the easiest lake afternoon there is. It does not include the fountains, which is why the morning does. The two film tours.
If a boat suits you better than a bus, the boat trip does the Hellbrunn half day in two and a half hours from the old-town dock with the ticket and priority entry included, and leaves the same afternoon free. The boat trip, reviewed.
Which card
The Salzburg Card comes in 24, 48 and 72-hour versions. For this shape the 48-hour card is the one: it starts when first used, so an afternoon exchange on day one still covers the whole of day two. Bus 25, the Hellbrunn entry, the fortress with its funicular, the Mozart houses, the DomQuartier and the zoo next door to Hellbrunn are all on the list. Russell (United States): “You often don’t have to wait in line for a ticket and can simply enter through a turnstile / security gate.” The drawback, named by Bernd (Austria), is that the card “must first be picked up at the tourist information office”.
A third day
Three days adds Hallstatt or Berchtesgaden. The ten-hour Hallstatt and Sound of Music tour does Hallstatt with about two hours of free time and the film locations in one long day; reviewers call it a lot to pack in and say to bring a charger. It is the answer if the third day is the only day for both. The long day, reviewed.
What not to miss
The fortress for the view, the cathedral quarter for the scale, one Mozart house, the Mirabell gardens, and Hellbrunn for the fountains, which are the one thing in Salzburg that exists nowhere else: a 400-year-old garden built to soak its guests. The gazebo is a bonus in the free park. The honest case for the half day.
Book the 48-hour Salzburg Card
Hellbrunn admission, bus 25, the fortress and funicular, the Mozart houses, the DomQuartier and the zoo, on one card. Exchange the voucher at Tourist Information first. Free cancellation up to 24 hours before.
Best valueAdmission includedSalzburg Card: Free Admission and Free Rides
Top ratedSalzburg: Original Sound of Music Tour
Frequently asked questions
Is 2 days enough in Salzburg?
Yes: the old town on day one, Hellbrunn as a half day on day two with a lake afternoon or the Sound of Music tour. A third day adds Hallstatt or Berchtesgaden. How long Hellbrunn takes.
What should you not miss in Salzburg?
The fortress, the cathedral quarter, a Mozart house, the Mirabell gardens, and the trick fountains at Hellbrunn, which exist nowhere else. The gazebo in Hellbrunn’s free park is the bonus. Everything at Hellbrunn.
Is the Salzburg Card worth it for two days?
Reviewers say it pays for itself with two or three sights, and this two-day shape uses it for the fortress, the Mozart houses, bus 25 and the Hellbrunn admission. The 48-hour version fits; exchange the voucher on arrival. The card, reviewed.
Can I do Hellbrunn and the Sound of Music tour on the same day?
Yes: Hellbrunn at the 09:30 opening, back in town by early afternoon, and the four-hour tour from Mirabellplatz after. The tour stops at the gazebo but does not include the fountains, so the morning covers them. The tour, reviewed.