Best Things to Do in Salzburg: 3 Days in Salzburg Itinerary

Thinking about traveling to Salzburg? We adored this Austrian city, especially the Old Town pedestrian area and both sides of the river, Salzach. I'm thrilled to write this Salzburg travel blog post because I truly fell in love with the city (and I hope you do, too).

While I highly recommend wandering around, drinking coffee, and exploring every little side street, here are the best things to do in Salzburg Austria for every interest. Here's the perfect 3 days in Salzburg itinerary, a wonderful city with small town charms.

Getting to Salzburg

In our case, we travelled to Salzburg from Cesky Krumlov, Czech Republic. Justin and I opted for a shuttle service as it was the easiest and quickest option. Green Shuttles picked us up directly at our accommodation in Cesky Krumlov (Orangerie Apartment) and dropped us off at our apartment in Salzburg (Salzburg Place to Stay).

Our apartment was in the pedestrian area of Old Town and our shuttle couldn't drive us right up to the front door, so we did have to walk for a few minutes with our luggage. More on our accommodation at the end of the post!

Salzburg Sightseeing: Get the Salzburg Card

If you want to see Salzburg attractions for free or at a great discount, be sure to get your hands on a Salzburg Card. You can buy the card for 24 hours, 48 hours, or 72 hours, depending on how much time you plan to spend there. It provides you with many ideas for the best things to do in Salzburg Austria.

The Salzburg Card gives you loads of benefits. First, you receive free one-time admission to all city tourist attractions and museums. This includes Hohensalzburg Fortress, Hellbrunn Palace and Trick Fountains, Mozart's Birthplace, the Museum of Modern Art, and more.

You will also receive free transportation in Salzburg. While you might find yourself walking a lot in Salzburg, feel free to hop on a public bus to get around. Also, a river cruise with Salzburg City Cruises can be redeemed with the card. Cable railway transportation to Hohensalzburg Fortress, the Monchsberg Lift, and the Cable Car in Untersberg are also included with the card.

The prices for the Salzburg Card are very reasonable considering the benefits you get from ordering one. Plus, I loved not having to worry about admission tickets or transportation around time, so it also saved lots of time and hassle. We highly recommend getting one when you visit Salzburg.

Salzburg Itinerary Day 1

We reached Salzburg in early June on a bright and sunny day. Justin and I were immediately noticed the grandiose Salzburg Cathedral, the interesting statue of a man on top of a giant golden globe, and Hohensalzburg Castle up high on the hill. As there are so many things to do in Salzburg Austria, let's start our plans right away!

Things to Do in Salzburg: Stroll Around Old Town

I always love wandering around a new place when I first arrive. After we settled in at our apartment, we set off and explored the pedestrian area of Old Town. It's definitely one of my favorite things to do in Salzburg Austria.

Salzburg has a very charming, small town feel. Take the time to roam up and down every narrow side street. If you're in the mood to shop, you might find some souvenirs or treasures along Getreidegasse, the main shopping street. There are also quaint cafes around every corner, and even shops selling traditional Austrian clothing.

In Kapitelplatz, there's an interesting sculpture called Sphaera by Stephan Balkenhol. It's an ordinary looking man standing on top of a giant golden globe. While it's a very striking work of art, the artist leaves its interpretation completely up to the observer. As this square was right on the way back to our apartment, we passed by this 9 meters high sculpture several times daily. It's certainly one of the most iconic Salzburg attractions, and surely one you'll remember seeing for years to come.

Apparently, there's a tiny woman statue, made by the same artist, hidden elsewhere in Old Town. Unfortunately, we never found her (but we didn't look very hard). Maybe you'll discover the tiny woman on your travels!

Salzburg Cathedral

I loved that we had a view of the Salzburg Cathedral's dome from the window of our apartment. I recommend you visit the inside of this beautiful and ornate cathedral. It's worth adding to your 3 days in Salzburg itinerary.

The Salzburg Cathedral was first founded by Saint Rupert in 774, and it was rebuilt in 1181 after a fire. Then, in the 17th century, it was completely rebuilt in the Baroque Style (how it appears today). Notably, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was baptized here a day after he was born, on January 28th, 1756.

The three bronze gates at the front represent the three divine virtues of faith, hope, and love. They were added in 1957 to 1958. Above the three gates are three years: 774, 1628, and 1959, which are three years that the church was fully built or renovated.

Lunch at Backwerk

We were pretty hungry and wanted a quick bite to eat, so we picked up sandwiches at the BackWerk convenience store. There are assorted wraps and sandwiches, clearly marked as vegan on the shelf. Choose from a ranch tofu wrap, a guacamole wrap, a falafel wrap, or an avocado sandwich.

We brought these sandwiches back to our apartment and ate on the patio in the backyard, like a small picnic lunch. Interested in more vegan food from Salzburg? Check out our entire guide to vegan restaurants in Salzburg where we ate on our trip.

Places to Go in Salzburg: Across the River

We continued our walk across the river by using the Mozartsteg, an Art Nouveau pedestrian bridge. On the corner before you walk across, there's a small coffee stand called We Love Coffee. Stop for a cup of joe to go if you're feeling like a midday boost! And yes, they have plant-based milk for a latte or cappuccino.

Take a walk up and down the Linzer Gasse, another pedestrian zone with boutiques and restaurants. On your way back, meander down Steingasse, one of the oldest streets in Salzburg. This street is a quiet retreat from the busier shopping districts.

Walking around these peaceful meandering streets was one of my favorite things to do in Salzburg, even if it rained a little while we were there. Now that you've walked all over Salzburg, you've probably got a good feel for this delightful city.

Takeaway Dinner From My Indigo

My Indigo has several vegan options on the menu, including a vegan curry with soy chunks, salads, and vegan sushi rolls. We brought back some curry and sushi rolls to eat at our apartment. There's also a small seating area inside should you wish to dine in. On another occasion, I also enjoyed a coffee here on their small outdoor patio facing the serene river.

Salzburg Itinerary Day 2

Now that you're all settled in, use day 2 in Salzburg to check out some local attractions. There are so many fun things to do in Salzburg, you surely won't run out of places to see. But first...don't go out on your sightseeing adventure with an empty stomach!

On our way to breakfast, we crossed a different bridge that was covered with love locks. The Makartsteg pedestrian bridge offers scenic views across the river, and it's also a place to mark your everlasting romance.

Breakfast at The Heart Of Joy

The Heart of Joy is a vegetarian and vegan cafe serving up hearty and delicious meals all day. On the breakfast menu, there are a number of breakfast plates. We both ordered the "Vegan Delight", consisting of a soy latte, vegan ham, porridge with fruits, vegan butter, jam and spelt bread. What a nourishing way to start the day!

Mirabell Gardens

Would you like to visit one of the most delightful spots in the city? Not only is it tranquil, but it's one of the best free things to do in Salzburg. The Sound of Music made Mirabell Gardens famous. Regardless of its notoriety in film, it's an exquisite garden with a rainbow of flourishing blooms, sure to brighten your day.

One of the wonderful things about Mirabell Gardens? It's open from 6:00am until dusk. If you're an early riser or you want to get an earlier start to your day, you can visit Mirabell Gardens very early in the morning and perhaps even have it mostly to yourself.

While we would have loved to have visited Mirabell Palace, it wasn't open when we were there. Next time, for sure! Be sure to take note of this important detail within this Salzburg travel guide. The palace is open on Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday from 8:00-16:00, and on Tuesday and Friday from 13:00-16:00.

Visit the Salzburg Farmer's Market

At Kajetanerplatz, I randomly stumbled upon the Salzburg Organic Farmer's Market. It only happens on Friday mornings, so it was very good luck that we happened to be there on a Friday. It's very close to Mirabell Gardens, so you can stop here before or after your visit.

There are many vendors at the Salzburg Farmers Market selling fresh produce, flowers, and other treats. While I didn't pick up any food or flowers, I managed to snag a couple of handmade vegan chocolate bars that were super yummy.

Hohensalzburg Castle

A trip to Salzburg isn't complete without a visit to Hohensalzburg Fortress. It's already featured in a few of the pics of I've posted here as the imposing castle up on the hill. Visiting Hohensalzburg is one of the most iconic things to do in Salzburg, and one of the top Salzburg attractions.

We rode a funicular up the hill and we were greeted by a lookout point. The views of Salzburg's Old Town and beyond are stunning. Justin and I paused here for a while to take in the beautiful scenery. Views from Hohensalzburg Castle are among the best things to see in Salzburg.

Next, walk through the interior of the castle itself until you eventually get to the top. When we visited, it started to pour rain exactly as we got outside at the very top of the castle! Thankfully, we had an umbrella and tried our best to shield ourselves while snapping a few pictures and admiring the view.

Once you come back down from the top, explore the grounds within the inner walls of the fortress itself. You can really transport yourself back in time here as the grounds are perfectly preserved.

And a trip to the Hohensalzburg Castle wouldn't be complete without checking out the Marionette Museum! Yes, there's a museum devoted to the art of marionette puppetry inside the castle itself. Salzburg has a rich history in marionette theatre, including one that offers performances to this date.

It's a small museum, but very cute and worth checking out. There are even a couple of interactive displays where you can try your hand at using a marionette for yourself. As you can see, in this Salzburg travel guide, we highly recommend going to Hohensalzburg Castle for both the exterior scenery and the history lesson found inside the castle.

One final last cute touch at Hohensalzburg Fortress was the adorable little tunnel called Liebesgrotte. You walk into the small stone opening with your partner. As it says on the plaque, "One kiss inside the love grotto and your love will be everlasting." Of course, Justin and I had to smooch in the grotto!

Lunch at Uncle Van

After Hohensalzburg Castle, we hopped back across the river for lunch at Uncle Van. It's a Vietnamese takeaway restaurant, specializing in vegan-friendly ingredients and sauces.

Make your own rice or noodle bowls by checking off which vegetables, protein, and sauce you'd like. There are eight sauces that are all vegan. You can add several different vegetables and tofu for a complete meal. There are also two vegan soups available to order.

While Uncle Van is primarily a takeaway restaurant, there are a few tables inside and outside, although these have a limited availability. Thankfully, we were able to snag a spot outdoors. Uncle Van has an interesting location, down a narrow, partially covered side street.

Our apologies for the food photos - it was a bit dark, plus Justin ate half of his before I took the picture! Blogger fail, Justin!

Coffee Break at 220 GRAD

After lunch, we wandered around a little bit more and stopped for a coffee near our apartment. I ordered an Americano that was rich and delicious. You might find that coffee is a little expensive right in the main tourist area of Old Town. However, there are many cafes and coffee shops in Salzburg in less frequented spots that are a little less expensive and have tasty brewed beverages.

What to Do in Salzburg: Salzburg Marionette Theatre

In the evening, Justin and I had reserved tickets to see a production of The Sound of Music at the Salzburg Marionette Theatre. We booked the tickets on their website in advance, and the tickets were speedily mailed to us in Canada. Definitely book your tickets ahead of time because you don't want to miss this unique production show that you won't see anywhere else!

The Salzburg Marionette Theatre is included on the UNESCO List of Intangible Cultural Heritage. These marionette shows have delighted adults and children alike for decades. If you're looking for what to do in Salzburg, seeing a production of The Sound of Music makes perfect sense.

It's easy to become enraptured by the production and forget that the characters are even puppets being pulled by string. The sets are quite elaborate, and the marionettes themselves are very detailed in their expressions and movements. The puppeteers are highly skilled and I don't even know how they pull off such orchestrated choreography so eloquently!

It's important to note that there is no photography or videography allowed inside the theatre. I only snapped a couple of pictures inside the theatre before the show started. I'll post one picture from the photo archive of the Salzburg Marionette Theatre so you can catch a glimpse of the marionettes themselves.

We would have never guessed it ahead of time, but this was one of our favourite things to do in Salzburg.

Late Night Pizza Dinner

After the theatre production, we were starving and opted to grab some pizza to go. Thankfully, Organic Pizza Salzburg was right on the way back home. They focus on fresh ingredients and cater to vegans. There are three vegan pizzas on the menu, each with vegan cheese and various vegetable toppings. The pizza was cooked perfectly and it was super flavourful.

Organic Pizza Salzburg is open until 10:00pm, making it a great pit stop if you're looking for a late dinner or evening snack.

Salzburg Itinerary Day 3: Day Trip

You could easily spend 3 days in Salzburg, especially if you travel a little more slowly than we did. But, it's also a great opportunity to take day trips from Salzburg, while maintaining your base in the city.

Originally, we planned to travel to Hallstatt for the day. As I was trying to figure out how to get to Hallstatt from Salzburg, I realized you either had to take a couple of trains or a bus, and then hop on a ferry across, plus you had to return before a certain time with the risk of being stranded there. I wanted a little more flexibility with our day, so we decided to rent a car.

However, as we heard more and more that Hallstatt was overly crowded in the summertime, we explored some other options. With some advice from a local and some last minute research, Justin and I decided the day would be better spent travelling to some of the smaller, lesser visited towns for an equally awesome experience. If you do have your heart set on Hallstatt, I discovered afterwards that you can take a Hallstatt day tour from Salzburg.

Plus, it happened to be my birthday that day, and all I really wanted was to witness some stunning Austrian scenery, no matter where we went. Yes, my wish was granted over and over again that day. Here's an overview of a couple of Austrian villages near Salzburg that we visited, and you can discover them in more detail in this article about Mondsee and St Gilgen.

Mondsee

Mondsee is a lakeside village with an adorable downtown with beautiful, brightly painted buildings. It's right on Lake Mondsee, so savour those gorgeous views of the lake with the mountains in the distance.

The most famous attraction in Mondsee is the St. Michael Basilica, as featured in The Sound of Music. You can also visit the St. Michael Basilica on a guided Sound of Music tour from Salzburg. It's a very popular choice and a great substitute day tour if you don't feel like renting a car and taking this day trip from Salzburg.

We walked around town, enjoyed a cup of coffee at a cute cafe, and wandered down to the lake. It's easy to see this town in a couple of hours, making it the perfect pit stop on a road trip of Austria.

St Gilgen

Our next stop was St Gilgen where we embarked on a cable car ride up to the top of the mountain. Taking the Zwölferhorn Mountain cable car was the highlight of our day trip as the views from the top were spectacular. The ride itself was scenic and a lot of fun. Be sure to pack something warm to wear as it was chilly at the top of the mountain, even in June!

After the cable car ride back down the mountain, we explored the town of St. Gilgen, Austria. We browsed some local shops, had a bite to eat for lunch (we found some pasta with tomato sauce as this small town wasn't super vegan-friendly), and walked down by the lake.

We returned to Salzburg, dropped off the rental car, and headed out...in search of birthday cake!

GustaV for a Birthday Treat

GustaV is a vegan restaurant in Salzburg. While we didn't have the chance to eat a full meal here, I was thrilled to stop for cake and coffee. I ordered a red velvet latte (colored red with beetroot juice) and a slice of their cake of the day, coconut cream. Both were melt-in-your-mouth delicious!

The Green Garden for Dinner

Later, we walked from our apartment to a vegetarian restaurant, The Green Garden. Even though I was following Google Maps, I still managed to get us twisted around and walking in the wrong direction. We climbed some stairs in an instance where we shouldn't have, but the diversion ended up providing us with a stunning view of the city. Sometimes mistakes can be a good thing.

The Green Garden serves eggs and dairy, but the vegan menu choices are abundant and clearly marked. Justin treated me to an extra special birthday dinner. I started with a glass of lavender Prosecco that had a small flower in the glass.

For my main dish, I got the vegan burger with homemade potato wedges and dip, which really hit the spot. Even though it was super filling, I couldn't skip the chance to have another dessert that day! I couldn't resist ordering the chocolate brownie with caramelized peanuts and ice cream.

More Top Things to Do in Salzburg Austria

Not completely satisfied with this Salzburg itinerary? Don't fret, there are even more things to do in Salzburg that I'm sure you'll love. This is a great list if you'd like to spend all of your 3 days in Salzburg rather than venturing to the towns outside of the city.

Plus, it's an addition to this Salzburg travel guide that you'll find handy if you're spending 4 days in Salzburg...or up to a week there. I loved this city so much that I could have easily spent a week there, wandering around its quaint cobblestone streets. Here are some more tours and Salzburg sightseeing to try:

• In this musical city, enjoy the sights and sounds of a concert at Mirabell Palace. Take in the classical music and atmosphere in the most magnificent room in Salzburg.
• For another musical experience, experience an evening of Mozart with a concert and dinner at the Hohensalzburg Fortress.
• There are even more interesting things to do in Salzburg that we didn't have time for, including the Hallein Salt Mine tunnels and adventures.
• Take a boat ride to Hellbrunn Palace and go for a tour.

Where to Stay in Salzburg

Justin and I stayed at Salzburg Place to Stay, a Salzburg luxury apartment in the pedestrian area of the historic old town. While we rented this apartment for three nights, we could have easily stayed much longer. We really felt like we were returning to our home every night after our daily adventures.

We soaked up a gorgeous view of the Salzburg Cathedral and dome right from our own place. We were surrounded by old buildings in such a historic area of the city. Throughout the day, we heard the sounds of bells from several churches, each with their own tune.

Behind the house, there's a tranquil garden with greenery and flowers growing everywhere. Steps lead up to a small seating area. One day, we enjoyed our lunch on the patio. It is such a quiet and peaceful place in the middle of a touristy town. Be sure to book your stay at this gorgeous Salzburg apartment, and take a look at more reviews of Salzburg Place to Stay written by fellow travelers.

3 Days in Salzburg Itinerary & Travel Map

If you're more of a visual person and enjoy seeing places all mapped out, here's our Salzburg itinerary and Salzburg travel guide on a map. Feel free to reference this Salzburg travel map when you go there, and you can also save it to your own Google maps for future reference.

There are lots of fun things to do in Salzburg, so you can easily spend at least a few days there. From delicious vegan food to exploring historic sites and charming streets, I fell in love with Salzburg quickly and hope to return someday.

During our two week trip to Europe, we visited a lot of incredible towns and cities. Be sure to check out our other city guides and day trip ideas to have 2 fun-filled weeks in Europe: Prague, Cesky Krumlov, day trip from Salzburg, Bamberg, Berlin, and Amsterdam.

If you're looking for more things to do in Austria, check out our one day guide to Innsbruck, a beautiful city in Tyrol.