Sights of Salzburg: what to see in 1 day

Many travelers going on a tour of Central Europe want to visit several iconic places at once in one trip. Often one of them becomes the Austrian city of Salzburg - the birthplace of the great composer Wolfgang Mozart. Often, tourists allocate only 1 day to get acquainted with this town. Indeed, to explore Salzburg, whose attractions are represented by numerous historical and cultural monuments, for such a period is possible, but only with reasonable planning. To help our readers in compiling a guided tour list, we have collected information about the most interesting sites in the city.

When studying this article, we recommend that you occasionally turn to the map of Salzburg with the sights in Russian, presented at the bottom of the page. It will help you better navigate the location of urban objects relative to each other and give an approximate picture of your future route.

Climbing Mount Untersberg

When planning to visit the sights of Salzburg in Austria in 1 day, do not lose sight of one interesting natural object of the region - Mount Untersberg. It is located about 30 km south-west of the city on the border with Germany. The height of the mountain is 1835 m, the total height difference is 1320 m. Climb to Untersberg is possible by cable car, which was built back in 1961. Going up the mountain in the afternoon is primarily for the breathtaking views that open from its peaks to Salzburg and the surrounding areas, mountain ranges and the runway.

Fans of outdoor activities will also like it: after all, Untersberg has a whole national park with many hiking trails and an ice cave. At the top there is a convenient observation deck, a small cafe. A funicular takes you to a mountain of tourists: a huge cabin, designed for 50 people and withstanding weight up to 4 tons, will take you to Untersberg in about 10 minutes. During the trip you will also have the opportunity to enjoy the natural landscapes. Upstairs at the terminal station is a small room with information boards and latrines.

To visit Untersberg should be prepared in advance. Even if you are heading to the top during the summer months, bring warm things with you. In the case when you plan to explore mountain routes, do not forget to get special equipment - trekking shoes and sticks. It is best to visit the attraction on a clear day, otherwise beautiful panoramas run the risk of being underestimated.

Address: St. Leonhard, Salzburg 5020, Austria.
Getting there: You can get to the ski lift from Salzburg from the train station or from the Mirabelplatz stop by bus number 25. The journey takes no more than 30 minutes.
Cost of visit: return ticket for adults costs 25 €, for children - 12 €.

Working hours:

from January 1 to February 28 - from 09:00 to 16:00
from March 1 to May 31 - from 08:30 to 17:00
April 1-12 - closed for technical inspection
from April 13 to June 30 - from 08:30 to 17:00
from July 1 to September 30 - from 08:30 to 17:30
October 1 - October 20 - from 08:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
from October 21 to December 13 - closed for technical inspection
from December 14 to December 31 - from 09:00 to 16:00

The lift pulls up once every half an hour. Changes may be made to the work schedule during the year. You can always see the information on the official website: www.untersbergbahn.at/en.

Helbrunn Castle

If you plan to see the sights of Salzburg in one day, then start your walk from the Helbrunn Castle. This is one of the few architectural monuments of the city, which fully managed to preserve the pristine interiors and furniture. The hallmark of the palace’s decor is the elaborate frescoes that adorn the ceilings and walls. And outside the complex is surrounded by a park area, which was created over 3 years: here you can take a leisurely stroll during the day and look at the numerous amusing fountains, ponds and lakes. If you liked this attraction and would like to know more information about it, we advise you to read our separate article.

Hohensalzburg Fortress

The route of a walk through the sights of Salzburg for 1 day, of course, should include the ancient fortress of Hohensalzburg. The castle is considered one of the best preserved in Central Europe, and still tourists feel in it the true spirit of the Middle Ages. Today in the fortress you can visit 3 historical museums at once, look at the golden chamber and the ruins of the massive bastion. In the afternoon, visitors have the opportunity to get to the sights on the old funicular, which is at least 500 years old. If before adding the fortress to your plan of excursions for 1 day, you would like to know more about it, click here.

Salzburg Cathedral

Having decided to see the sights of Salzburg in 1 day, do not forget to pay a visit to the main religious object of the city - Salzburg Cathedral. Firstly, the temple is an outstanding monument of architecture in the early Baroque style, which is able to amaze travelers with its internal interiors. Secondly, a museum is concentrated on its territory, where it will be interesting to see the valuable exhibits gathered in the temple for 5 centuries.

A sightseeing visit will not take much time and it is quite convenient to make it on your sightseeing day in Salzburg. And so that your walk around the cathedral would be as informative as possible, we recommend that you read our separate article about the object by clicking on this link.

Walk the streets of the old town

Many travelers claim that the Old Town is also worth a look in Salzburg. This is a fairly compact area that you can get around in just an hour, so no doubt include it on your familiarization day with Salzburg. It is noteworthy that the Old Town, bearing in itself undeniable cultural value, has long been a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is here that the oldest Getreidegasse street stretches with its narrow lanes that attract tourists with a calm and peaceful atmosphere.

In the architecture of the old quarter, centuries-old buildings of different stylistic orientations are harmoniously interwoven: here you can see Baroque buildings, romanticism and the Renaissance. Of particular note are the many forged signs on local houses, some of which are covered with gilding. Among the attractions of the Old Town is the Town Hall, an elegant four-story building where the mayor lives and works.

Old Town Hall

Salzburg, being the birthplace of Mozart, carefully preserves the memories of the great composer. Today you can see the house where the great genius was born. If time permits, go inside the building, which has a small museum dedicated to the composer: his personal items, papers with notes, as well as a copy of his piano are exhibited in the collection. In honor of Mozart, one of the squares of the Old Town, where a monument to the Austrian genius is installed, is also named. Obviously, in Salzburg in 1 day you can see a lot of interesting objects.

Mozart's House

After a walk around the area, tourists look into one of the many cozy cafes or go to the interior store for an exhibition of old dolls. In this part of Salzburg there is also a market where you can buy souvenirs as a keepsake.

Read also: What to try in Austria - traditional dishes of the country.Find out RATES or book any accommodation using this form

St. Peter Abbey and Cemetery

Photos and descriptions of the sights of Salzburg are not always able to give a complete picture of the iconic object of the city. First of all, St. Peter's Abbey can be attributed to underestimated monuments - a seemingly unremarkable building, spread out at the foot of Mount Monks. Today, the temple is considered one of the oldest religious sites in Europe.

The ancient Catholic monastery was built by St. Rupert back in 696 and is not an easy lonely old building, but a whole complex of structures: a church, courtyards, a library with a collection of rare manuscripts and an ancient cemetery. In the rocks near the cathedral there are catacombs where hermit monks once hid: today, inside you can look at the crypts and miniature chapels preserved here.

At the entrance to the temple stands a statue of St. Rupert, and inside the building rests his ashes in the tomb. The exterior of the Abbey is distinguished by an elegant facade built in the Baroque style and crowned with an onion dome. Initially, the building was made in the Romanesque style, but in the 17th century its large-scale reconstruction began, after which the building acquired a modern look. The interior of the monastery is a whole work of architectural and artistic art. The ceiling is decorated with a large fresco surrounded by floral ornaments. The walls are decorated with paintings and stucco depicting biblical scenes. Many details of the interiors, including the altars, are covered with gilding, which gives the Abbey a restrained pomp.

Between the church and the mountain lies an ancient cemetery, the oldest graves of which are dated to the 8th century. Wrought iron fences, crypts with elegant architecture, centuries-old grave monuments adjacent to the Gothic chapel - all this creates a mystical atmosphere, inspiring thoughts about the transience of time. Many famous personalities were buried on the graveyard, in particular, Mozart's sister, and wealthy residents of Salzburg. Rumor has it that the monks sold out cemetery places a hundred years in advance.

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Mirabell Palace and Gardens

One of the most famous sights of Salzburg is the Mirabell Palace, built in 1606. The main treasure inside the castle was a luxurious marble room, which once served as a grand hall, and today it plays the role of a registry office. The park surrounding the palace also deserves attention, where you can take a walk on a warm summer day and look at the skillful fountains, the summer theater, the garden of the gnomes and the greenhouse. Interestingly, it was Mirabell Castle that acted as the set for the famous musical Sounds of Music.

If you draw up a plan of excursions in Salzburg for 1 day and are thinking of including this attraction in it, we advise you to gather more information about the palace from our separate article.

Output

Seeing Salzburg, the sights and the surrounding countryside is the dream of many travelers. And when a trip to Europe becomes a reality, it is very difficult to refrain from visiting several cities at once. Allocating 1 day to get acquainted with the objects, tourists risk losing sight of some of the attractions. However, if you do not spend your time on uninteresting objects, then it is quite possible to bypass the most important places in a short time. In our article we tried to present the best excursion route in Salzburg and we really hope that you will like it.

All the sights of Salzburg described in the article are marked on the city map in Russian.