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Salzburg,a charming city that exudes beauty in every beat, and no wonder, is thecity filled with music. Set as the backdrop to the classic movie, Sound of Music, and birthplace to the musical genius,Wolfgang AmadeusMozart. It’sa nice, compact city that’s filled withbeautiful parks, museums and historical monuments amidststunning rivers and mountains. Which then beckons the question, where to stay in Salzburg to be in the center of it all? Let me show you the best areas to stay in Salzburg, as well asthe best Salzburg hotels and accommodationsfor every budget.
The million dollar question whenever booking accommodation: where is the best neighborhood to stay? Close enough to the city center that’s close to all the main attractions yet not right in the center where noise from the traffic keeps you up at night, and yet not too far where you’re in Drugville or Dodgy Dark Alley Lane.
The good news is that Salzburg isn’t that big of a city and most major attractions are within walking distance to each other, located within the Altstadt, or Old Town.
The area highlighted in orange is Aldstadt or Old Town, and this is where you should be looking forhotels or apartments.The area on the West of the river is where most of the attractions are, and Getreiedegasse where the main shopping street is. The area on the East is where Mirabell Palace and Gardens is and where you can find some pretty good food.
Also if you plan to take day trips from Salzburg, staying near the train station on the East of the river could be a good option, while saving a couple of dollars.
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Salzburg isn’t the biggest city, and your length of stay largely depends on your level of interest for museums and of course, Mozart. If you want to fully appreciate all the museums and main attractions within the Old Town, I would recommend a good 2 days in Salzburg. However, if you aren’t much of a museum buff like me, I spent about half a day walking in the Old Town, skipping all the museums and then moved on to areas outside of the city such as Hangar 7 and Hellbrunn Palace.
To me, the highlights of my trip were the day trips to the surroundings of Salzburg, such as King’s Lake and Hallstatt, both of which will require an extra day each of your stay, depending on which ones interest you. If you have extra time to spare, I would even recommend spending a night in Hallstatt.
Read more:10 Things You Absolutely Need To See in Salzburg
Here are some hotel recommendations I’ve gathered from observations during my stay and research. There are plenty of options for every budget, from those who prefer luxury stays to budget travelers.
Contents
- 1 For the Luxury Traveler
- 2 For the Mid-Ranged Traveler
- 3 For the Budget Traveler
- 4 For the Hostel Lover
- 5 For the Space Lover
For the Luxury Traveler
Hotel Sacher Salzburg | $304 – $645 | Book a room
Want to live like a star? At Hotel Sacher, you can. This is where many famous opera stars spent the night, and you might even spot a celebrity or two in the lobby. And if you are familiar with the mouthwatering Sacher-Torte, this is the place to try it. Also, did you notice that priceless view of Salzburg from the balcony?
Hotel Schloss Mönchstein | $362+ | Book a room
For the Mid-Ranged Traveler
Hotel Goldgasse – Small Luxury Hotels of the World | $159+| Book a room
Hotel Bristol Salzburg | $230+ | Book a room
Arthotel Blaue Gans | $190+ | Book a room
Hotel Stein | $153 – $510 | Book a room
Radisson Blu Hotel Altstadt | $190+ | Book a room
For the Budget Traveler
Mönchsbergapartments | $98+ | Book a room
| $92+ | Book a room
Gästehaus im Priesterseminar Salzburg | $80 – $163 | Book a room
Hotel Vier Jahreszeiten Salzburg | $86 – $163 | Book a room
For the Hostel Lover
Yoho International Youth Hostel Salzburg | $16 – $36 | Book a room
Sishaus – View at Mozarts | $28+ | Book a room
For the Space Lover
If you love a little more space (like me), you’ll love these Airbnbs:
Modern, stylish and recently renovated, hosted by Johannes who is a superhost! Which means you will be guaranteed a great stay 🙂
The thing I love the most about this apartment is that Oscar lends you his bike for free so you can see the city on wheels! Plus, it’s super eco-friendly 🙂
Sign up here to get $50off your first Airbnb booking!
Read more:Everything You Need To Know When Booking On Airbnb (Even If It’s Not Your First Time!)
Covers: Planning chapters, Vienna, Lower Austria, Burgenland, Upper Austria, Styria, The Salzkammergut, Salzburg, Salzburgerland, Carinthia, Tyrol, Vorarlberg, Understand and Survival chapters, and more
Further reading: Lonely Planet Austria Travel Guide is an up-to-date guide on what to see and skip, and the hidden secrets Austria holds. It features color maps and images, highlights and itineraries, insider tips, essential info, honest revie, s and cultural insights.
⇢ Compare flight prices to Salzburg
⇢ Book your regional train tickets on ÖBB
⇢ Compare accommodation options and prices on Booking.com | HotelsCombined.com | Agoda | Airbnb
⇢ Book tours in advance on GetYourGuide | Viator
⇢ Don’t forget travel insurance! Travel insurance is the most overlooked purchase when traveling, but one of the most essential. Anything can happen when you’re on holiday and you’d want to be covered in the case of travel mishaps such as flight delays, personal accidents or theft. Choose World Nomads Travel Insurance, designed by travelers for travelers.
⇢ Don’t leave home without a power bank!
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MY TOP TRAVEL TIPS & RESOURCES
Here are my top travel tips and resources to help you save money and plan your trips effectively! If you're looking for more tips, head over to my travel tips resource page or my comprehensive guide on trip planning.
- Booking Flights: When it comes to finding great flight deals, I always start my search on Google Flights or Skyscanner. To save some cash, consider flying mid-week or on the weekends, opt for carry-on only with budget airlines, and be open to red-eye or early morning flights. Check out my in-depth guide on how I find the cheapest flights.
- Accommodations: I'm a stickler for finding the absolute best deals on my stays, so I will obsessively oscillate between a few booking sites: Booking.com (in general) and Agoda (for Asian destinations). When it comes to vacation rentals, there's Airbnb or VRBO.
- Travel Insurance: It's always a wise decision to purchase travel insurance for international trips. I can't stress this enough - it's highly recommended! For international travel insurance, I suggest considering World Nomads or SafetyWing. SafetyWing, in particular, stands out as one of the few policies that cover Covid-19. They also offer excellent monthly policies that are perfect for digital nomads and long-term travelers!
- Travel Credit Card: My go-to travel credit card for booking trips is the Wise travel card. I love that there are no foreign transaction fees, so I can pay like a local and never get any surprises at the end of my trip. You can also withdraw cash from the ATMs wherever you are. WithWise, you are always guaranteed the best exchange rate, and I have savedsooomuch money just by using this card. Most of the time, I get charged the exchange rate I see on Google, plus or minus a few cents.
- Tours: Most times, I prefer traveling independently but sometimes, getting a guide and a local's perspective makes the experience all the more enriching. When it comes to tour bookings, I trust Viator and GetYourGuide to provide me with excellent options. In Asia, I choose Klook as they are the biggest provider in the region. Plus, you can often get entrance tickets and discounted prices!
- Transportation: To navigate through public transit options and plan my journeys from one place to another, I rely on Rome2Rio. When it comes to rental cars, I compare rental companies and find the best deals through DiscoverCars.
- Connection: It's essential to me to have seamless connectivity wherever I go. I need it to navigate to new places, Google what's around me, and keep in touch with my loved ones. But fumbling around with multiple SIMs has always been a nightmare, which is why I choose Airalo when I travel. No more switching SIMs, just purchase a plan on your phone, on the go, anywhere, and stay connected.
- Luggage Storage: Whenever I need to check out early or take advantage of a long layover, I securely store my luggage with LuggageHero. It's a reliable service that allows me to roam around freely. As a bonus, you can use this link to enjoy your first hour of FREE luggage storage on me!
- What to Pack: I always have packing anxiety once I've left home—you know the phantom feeling that you've forgotten something even though you've checked 372836 times. So I made my own packing list and use it religiously before every trip, and by religious I mean I tick off that list at least 7 times before I zip up my bag. Check out my in-depth packing list here.
