Things to Do in Salzburg 2026 and Christmas Market

The formal garden in front of the palace is all flower beds, statues and fountains, with the fortress on the hill behind. When we arrived in the late afternoon, people were sitting on the lawns; we loved how calm it felt.

The Pegasus statue behind me in the video was cast in 1661 and placed here in 1913. In The Sound of Music, Maria and the children sing Do-Re-Mi around this fountain (salzburg.info). The gardens are free and open daily from about 6 a.m. until dusk, with some parts closed in winter.

The palace’s Marble Hall is open Monday, Wednesday and Thursday 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., Tuesday and Friday 1 to 4 p.m., closed on Sundays and holidays (official info, 21 October 2026).

In the evening, Mozart concerts are held in the palace halls. Mozart concert at Mirabell Palace  Ad

Staying nearby: Mirabell is on the right bank; the Linzergasse and Andräviertel streets are one bridge from the old town. See hotels near Mirabell Gardens  Ad

The old town’s main street is famous for the wrought-iron guild signs hanging from the façades (salzburg.info). Some buildings have passages straight through to the squares behind. We walked it in the evening as the lights came on.

Mozart was born at No. 9 on 27 January 1756; the house is now a museum. Adults €18, students and seniors €15, ages 15-18 €7, ages 6-14 €6. A combined ticket with the Mozart Residence is €25, valid 24 hours. Open daily 9:00-17:30, last entry 30 minutes before closing (mozarteum.at, October 2026). Mozart’s Birthplace tickets  Ad

Staying nearby: Getreidegasse is the heart of the old town and the best place to walk before the crowds in the morning. See hotels near Mozart’s Birthplace  Ad

The fortress above the city is the first thing you see from the Salzach. Archbishop Gebhard began building it around 1077, and the fortress describes itself as one of the largest castle complexes in Central Europe (festung-hohensalzburg.at). We arrived too late in the day to go up.

The all-inclusive ticket with the funicular is €19.20 for adults, the basic ticket €15.50; walking up, €14.50 and €12. Children 6-14 pay 4.90-€7.30. Open 9:30-17:00 from October to April and 8:30-20:00 from May to September. The museums and indoor areas close 9-13 November 2026, and the funicular is out of service 11 January-14 March 2027 (festung-hohensalzburg.at, October 2026). Hohensalzburg Fortress tickets  Ad

Staying nearby: the foot of the fortress is the southern end of the old town; the funicular leaves from Festungsgasse. See hotels near Hohensalzburg Fortress  Ad

55 medieval houses were pulled down under Archbishop Wolf Dietrich to make room for Residenzplatz; the Baroque fountain in the middle is attributed to the Italian sculptor Tommaso di Garone. The carillon (Glockenspiel) in the Neue Residenz tower opposite has played since 1704 (salzburg.info).

The cathedral was consecrated three times, in 774, 1628 and 1959, and Mozart was baptised in its bronze font from 1311. Entry now costs a preservation fee: adults €7, ages 14-18 €3.50, under 13 free.

It opens at 9:00 Monday to Saturday and 13:00 on Sundays, closing between 17:00 and 19:00 depending on the month; no visits during services (salzburg.info, October 2026).

Staying nearby: hotels around here fill first in November and December because of the market; see the Christmas section below.

The bronze statue by Ludwig Schwanthaler was unveiled on 4 September 1842, with Mozart’s sons at the ceremony. It was meant to go up in 1841, but a Roman mosaic turned up while the foundations were being dug (salzburg.info).

In the video we mistakenly labelled this square “Mozart’s birthplace”; the birthplace is Getreidegasse 9, above.

Staying nearby: this is the old town; the Getreidegasse hotel link covers this area too.

The Mozart family moved into an eight-room flat here in 1773, and Wolfgang lived here until the end of 1780. Damaged in the Second World War, the building was rebuilt and reopened as a museum in 1996 (mozarteum.at). We walked past the door.

Prices and hours are the same as the birthplace; if you want both, the €25 combined ticket is cheaper.

Staying nearby: right bank, Mirabell side; see Where to Stay below.

The footbridge across the Salzach is covered in countless love locks. On 16 September 2020 the city renamed it Marko-Feingold-Steg (stadt-salzburg.at). We crossed it in the late afternoon and came back at night: Hotel Sacher lit up on the bank and the fortress behind, the best views of the day.

Staying nearby: the right-bank end of the bridge is right in front of Hotel Sacher; the hotel link is in the food section.

We didn’t want to leave Salzburg without a Sacher-Torte at Hotel Sacher. We’d had it in Vienna too; this one was better balanced, and with its apricot layer and lots of chocolate it isn’t bad, but we can’t say we loved it. We also tried the Linzer torte Austrians love, and didn’t really like that either.

A slice of Original Sacher-Torte with whipped cream is €11.50; the café is open daily 8:30-22:00, last orders 21:00 (sacher.com, October 2026). We arrived close to closing, so watch the time if you go in the evening. For Vienna’s famous cafés, see our Café Demel guide . See Hotel Sacher Salzburg prices  Ad