Discover Austria's Musical Salzburg in 3 DaysThe birthplace of Mozart and setting for "The Sound of Music," Salzburg rewards curious travelers with baroque architecture, a thriving classical music scene, and mountain scenery that frames it all. Here's how to make the most of it. Cover video © Austrian National Tourist OfficeAuthorsvisitaustria
DestinationsSalzburgItinerary

Day 1

Café Tomaselli
Café Tomaselli sits just off Alter Markt and has been serving coffee since the early 1700s, making it one of Austria’s oldest cafés. Often linked to Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, it’s better understood as a long-standing local gathering place, with marble tables, wood interiors, and traditional tray service for pastries. The outdoor seating offers a direct view into the steady rhythm of Salzburg’s Old Town.
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Cafe Konditorei Fürst
Café-Konditorei Fürst is best known as the birthplace of the original Mozartkugel, first created by confectioner Paul Fürst in 1890. The handmade version is still produced here using the original recipe, alongside traditional Austrian pastries and coffee. It has a small, historic feel that stays close to its everyday role in the city.
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Mozart's Birthplace
Mozart’s Birthplace (Mozarts Geburtshaus) at Getreidegasse 9 is where Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was born and lived until age 17. The museum focuses on his early life in Salzburg, with original rooms and artifacts that reflect the domestic environment of the 18th century in a densely built Old Town street setting. It gives a direct look at the scale and texture of everyday life in the city during that period.
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Pferdeschwemme, Salzburg
Horse Pond (Pferdeschwemme) is a 17th-century basin where the Prince-Archbishop’s horses were once washed and groomed. Set against the edge of the Old Town near Mönchsberg, it’s framed by painted façades and stonework that reflect its former court function. The space gives a clear sense of how closely the city’s layout once tied into ceremonial and practical life around the archiepiscopal court.
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M32
Perched atop Mönchsberg hill inside Salzburg's Museum der Moderne, M32 pairs panoramic Old Town views with a menu that ranges from Wiener Schnitzel to Mediterranean plates — all within a sleek interior designed by Matteo Thun. Ride the Mönchsberg elevator up and settle in on the terrace, 200 feet above the city, for breakfast, lunch, dinner, or cocktails Tuesday through Sunday.
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Museum der Moderne
Museum der Moderne Salzburg sits on Mönchsberg with wide views over the Old Town and the Salzach River, which you notice as much as the art inside. The museum is focused on modern and contemporary work, with a permanent collection and a steady rotation of temporary exhibitions that keep the experience changing. Past shows have included William Kentridge, Oskar Kokoschka, and Chuck Close, giving it a mix of local and international voices in a setting that feels open and connected to the city below.
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Mönchsberg
A walk along Mönchsberg follows a wooded ridge that runs above Salzburg’s Old Town, with frequent openings in the trees that look down over the rooftops and the Salzach River. The path passes a mix of old defensive structures, smaller historic buildings, and remnants of monastic life that have been folded into the landscape over time. It’s a quiet stretch of the city where the terrain itself shapes the experience as much as any single landmark.
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St. Peter Stiftskulinarium
St. Peter Stiftskulinarium sits inside St. Peter’s Abbey in Salzburg’s Old Town and is often described as Europe’s oldest restaurant, with roots reaching back to AD 803. Inside, the space moves between heavy stone rooms and more modern dining areas, all within the same historic complex. The Mozart dinner concerts are held in a dedicated Baroque hall on site, where live musicians perform between courses as part of a structured evening program inspired by historic Austrian recipes.
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Day 2

Café Bazar
Café Bazar sits along the Salzach River and has been a Salzburg coffeehouse since the early 1900s, with a long association as a meeting place for writers, artists, and locals. Inside, it still carries details of its Kaffeehaus tradition—pastry counters, marble tables, and Art Nouveau lighting that softens the rooms without feeling staged. It’s the kind of place where people settle in for coffee and pastries while the river traffic and Old Town activity move just across the water.
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Mirabell Palace
Mirabell Palace was built in 1606 by Prince-Archbishop Wolf Dietrich for Salome Alt, and later redesigned in Baroque style after a fire reshaped much of it. The palace opens onto formal French-style gardens with symmetrical paths, fountains, and sculpted viewpoints that stretch toward the river and up to Hohensalzburg Fortress on the hill above. The setting is also instantly recognizable from The Sound of Music, especially the “Do-Re-Mi” sequence filmed along the garden steps and pergolas.
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IMLAUER Sky - Bar & Restaurant in Salzburg
IMLAUER Sky Bar & Restaurant sits on the 6th floor of the IMLAUER Hotel Pitter, with floor-to-ceiling windows and a terrace looking out toward Hohensalzburg Fortress and the Old Town below. It’s an easy lunch stop where the view carries most of the experience, shifting across rooftops and river bends as the city opens up in front of you.
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Hotel Sacher Salzburg
Hotel Sacher Salzburg sits along the Salzach River in Salzburg’s Old Town and is part of the historic Sacher family tied to the original 1832 Sacher torte created in Vienna by Franz Sacher. The café serves its signature cake—a dense chocolate sponge layered with apricot jam and finished in a glossy chocolate glaze—usually with a side of unsweetened whipped cream. It’s a highly recommended stop for a slice of the original Sacher torte, especially if you want to try it in its home setting in Salzburg.
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Fortress Hohensalzburg
Hohensalzburg Fortress dates back to 1077 CE and sits above Salzburg’s Old Town, reached either on foot or by cable car. Inside, the Fortress Museum covers the history of the Prince-Archbishops who lived and ruled here, with preserved rooms, apartments, and banquet halls still showing original furnishings from the 1500s. From the top, the view looks over the Salzach River and the compact Baroque layout of the city below before heading back down.
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Hellbrunn Palace
Hellbrunn Palace was built in the early 1600s for Prince-Archbishop Markus Sittikus as a summer retreat just outside Salzburg. The grounds are best known for their trick fountains, where hidden water jets still activate through stone seats, grottoes, and walkways built into the gardens. The palace gardens also include the glass gazebo from The Sound of Music, set slightly apart from the main grounds and easy to pass through on a walk around the park.
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Restaurant Goldener Hirsch
Hotel Goldener Hirsch sits on Getreidegasse and dates back to 1407, originally operating as an inn in Salzburg’s Old Town. Inside, the rooms are traditional and wood-lined, and the menu features Austrian classics like Salzburger Nockerl. It’s an easy end-of-day stop right in the middle of the pedestrian street.
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Day 3

Stiftsbäckerei St Peter
Stiftsbäckerei St. Peter is often described as Salzburg’s oldest bakery, operating in some form since the 12th century within the grounds of St. Peter’s Abbey. In the early morning, locals queue here for fresh bread, including the long-running “St. Peter’s Bread.” The bakery sits quietly within the monastery complex, opening straight onto daily life in the Old Town before the city fully wakes up.
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Fräulein Maria's Bicycle Tours
Fräulein Maria’s Bicycle Tours runs a 3.5-hour bike tour through Salzburg, moving along the river, through neighborhoods, and out to viewpoints around the city. The route hits a few The Sound of Music filming spots along the way, along with stretches that feel more residential.
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The Original Sound of Music Tour Salzburg
The Original Sound of Music Tour® covers many of the same filming locations by bus, moving between sites like the Mirabell Gardens and out toward the lake district seen in The Sound of Music. It’s a structured way to link the well-known spots without needing to navigate the city on your own. A walking tour is also an option if you want a slower pace through the Old Town and nearby streets.
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Grünmarkt
Grünmarkt at Universitätsplatz runs most days except Sundays and is where Salzburg’s daily food rhythm shows up in one place. Stalls line the square with bread, cheeses, smoked fish, sausages, and whatever fruit is in season, depending on the time of year. People move between vendors picking up small things rather than doing one big shop, often eating as they go.
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DomQuartier Salzburg
DomQuartier Salzburg was the opulent seat of the Prince-Archbishop and still reflects Salzburg’s former role as a church-ruled state. The route moves through Baroque halls, galleries, and elevated passages with sweeping views over the Old Town and a consistently grand scale. It connects five museums in one continuous visit, including the Residenz rooms, Cathedral Museum, St. Peter’s Museum, the Residenz Gallery, and the Cathedral North Oratory.
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Restaurant Stiegl-Keller
Stieglkeller sits on the lower slope of Mönchsberg with terraces looking out over Salzburg’s Old Town and the Salzach River. It’s part of the Stiegl brewery tradition, serving freshly poured lager alongside classic Austrian dishes in a multi-level space that fills in warmer evenings. The view is front and center here, with the city lights spreading out below as the day winds down.
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Salzburg Puppet theatre
Salzburg Marionette Theatre has been staging performances since 1913, using hand-operated marionettes to perform everything from Mozart operas to The Sound of Music and fairy tales. The productions are detailed and tightly choreographed, with a rotating repertoire that keeps the programming varied throughout the year. Its long-running craft and performance tradition is also recognized by UNESCO as part of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Austria.
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Stay

Arthotel Blaue Gans
Salzburg's oldest guesthouse, operating since 1350, Arthotel Blaue Gans layers centuries of history with a gallery's worth of contemporary art woven through every corridor and room. Its individually designed rooms set medieval vaulted ceilings and ancient beams against clean modern furnishings, and a wine archive in the historic cellar sits beneath it all, directly opposite the Festival Hall, steps from Mozart's Birthplace, and within easy walking distance of the Cathedral, Hohensalzburg Fortress, and the city's main museums.
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