Salzburg

Getreidegasse at opening time, Hellbrunn's fountains by afternoon

Spend a day in Salzburg's old town and a second at Hellbrunn. Reach Mozart's birthplace on Getreidegasse soon after 9:00, walk through Residenzplatz and Domplatz to the FestungsBahn up to Hohensalzburg, follow the Mönchsberg path west, and finish with beer at the Augustiner Bräustübl in Mülln. Spend day two at Hellbrunn's trick fountains.

Be on Getreidegasse soon after 9:00, before the coach groups, and go straight into Mozart's birthplace at number 9 while the rooms are empty. Walk on through Residenzplatz and Domplatz to Kapitelplatz, look into the cathedral, then ride the FestungsBahn up to Hohensalzburg. Give the fortress a couple of hours. For the way down, follow the Mönchsberg path west through the woods, stopping at the viewpoints over the river, and drop back into town on the lift beside the Museum der Moderne. By late afternoon you are a short stroll from Mülln: end the day with a stone mug of beer at the Augustiner Bräustübl.

On the second morning, cross the Makartsteg footbridge to Mirabell Gardens while the flower beds are still quiet, then visit Mozart's Residence on Makartplatz. Climb the Kapuzinerberg steps from Linzer Gasse for the view back over the domes to the fortress. After lunch, take the bus south to Hellbrunn Palace and stand right beside the guide at the trick fountains if you want to stay dry. Back in town, order a Salzburger Nockerl for dinner and let the kitchen take its half hour. Finish with a drink in Steingasse.

Nockerl, sausages and monks' beer

Order a Salzburger Nockerl, the baked soufflé shaped into three peaks for the city's hills; it takes half an hour and one portion feeds four, so order with your mains. Buy hand-wrapped Mozartkugeln at the Fürst confectioners, and grab a bratwurst at the sausage stand on Ferdinand-Hanusch-Platz by the river.

Salzburg's own dessert is the Salzburger Nockerl, a baked soufflé shaped into three golden peaks that stand for the hills around the city. Good kitchens make it to order, which takes half an hour or more, and one portion feeds a table of four, so order it with your mains. Mozartkugeln, balls of pistachio marzipan and nougat dipped in chocolate, were first made at the Fürst confectioners, which still wraps them by hand in silver foil.

For quick food, this is a sausage town. The stand on Ferdinand-Hanusch-Platz by the river is a fixture for bratwurst and grilled meat in a roll, and the Heisse Kiste on Schwarzstrasse feeds the late crowd Leberkäs and Käsekrainer once the bars close. The Grünmarkt on Universitätsplatz, behind Mozart's birthplace, sells fruit, bread and snacks on weekday and Saturday mornings.

Beer matters more than wine here. At the Augustiner Bräustübl in Mülln, brewing since 1621 and Austria's largest beer hall, you take a stone mug from the rack, rinse it, pay at the till and have it filled straight from the wooden barrel. Pick food from the stalls in the hall or bring your own to the chestnut garden.

Schnürlregen, Jedermann on Domplatz and the Untersberg

Visit Salzburg in late spring or early autumn for the best balance of dry days and space. June to August each bring over 150 mm of rain, often days of Schnürlregen drizzle, with highs near 24°C. The Salzburg Festival runs from the second half of July to the end of August, with Jedermann staged on Domplatz.

Plan around the rain. Salzburg is one of Austria's wettest cities: June, July and August each bring more than 150 mm, and the steady drizzle locals call Schnürlregen can last for days. Summer highs sit around 24C, while January hovers near 3C by day and -4C at night. Late spring and early autumn give the best balance of dry days and room on the pavements.

Festivals shape the calendar. The Salzburg Festival runs from the second half of July to the end of August, with opera, concerts and the morality play Jedermann staged on Domplatz. Mozart Week fills the concert halls in late January around the composer's birthday, and the Easter Festival brings major orchestras in spring. From late November, Advent markets take over Domplatz and Residenzplatz; Oberndorf, a Lokalbahn ride north, keeps the chapel where Silent Night was first sung in 1818.

For day trips, Hellbrunn's trick fountains and gardens are just south of the city, the Untersberg cable car lifts you onto the mountain that closes the view to the south, and the Salzkammergut lakes start within an hour to the east.