Day-Trips from Salzburg - Part II
Day-trips to the Alps
1.) Hallein & the Salt Mines: If there is only one day-trip you can do from Salzburg, its either the Großglockner (see below), or this one: The salt mines go back to Celtic days, Hallein itself is a pretty town and the surroundings look like proper Alps. A must-go for families with children, who will love the mines, and a great bad-weather option.
2.) Werfen: There are three reasons to go to Werfen. The massive fortress, where you can marvel at falconry shows; the massive ice caves of the Eisriesenwelt Werfen; and the rocky, Alpine surroundings.
3.) Zell am See: The "fin-de-siecle" town deep in the mountains, between the large Lake Zellersee and the glacier of the Schmittenhöhe take a while to get to, but they are well-worth seeing for those who fancy Alp-action.
4.) Großglockner Hochalpenstraße: You have to get a car or attend an organised trip to do this properly - but the massive road to Austria′s highest mountain is amazing. Absolutely amazing.
5.) Innsbruck: Tyrol′s capital and its medieval core by itself would be great attractions, but it′s the Alps around the town that make it one of the most attractive places in Austria. Pretty far from Salzburg, though - you′ll have to get up early to make this a day-trip only.
6.) Kufstein: A lot closer to Salzburg than Innsbruck; impressive fortress and a nice medieval and Baroque city centre on the edge of the Alps. Geographically, the surroundings are not dissimilar from Salzburg itself.
7.) Bad Hofgastein & the thermal spas: Tired after too much sightseeing? Then why don′t you spend a day in one of Salzburg′s thermal spas? The closest to the city is near Hallein, but further in the South you have a wider choice. Check my list of thermal spas in Austria.
Salzburg′s surroundings & Half-a-Day-Trips
1.) Oberndorf: Just by the border to Bavaria, this is the place where "Silent Night" was written. A nice little town with fairly few tourists. Go for a walk to Laufen, too, the sibling-town on the Bavarian side of the border (Germany is a Schengen country, too, but bring your passport anyway!).
2.) Großgmain: A typical Salzburg village without much to shout about - apart from the Freilichtmuseum (Open Air Museum) that features old farms from all over the province from the 19th century and before. Best of rural Salzburg.
3.) Untersberg: Fancy some hardcore mountaineering in the Alps on the doorstep of Salzburg? Up the Untersberg we go! The first proper mountain literally just south of the city has a cable-car for the lazy ones, hikes take much longer. Expect stunning vistas on the city in any case.
Note that Salzburg also makes a good gate to Germany - Munich is close enough to qualify for a day-trip itself (something like one hour and twenty minutes by car or train), but there are other attractions in Bavaria worth checking out, too.
Return to "Day-Trips from Salzburg - Part I"
Back to: "Salzburg
Travel Guide"
Sightseeing by Austrian Province
Bregenz and Vorarlberg - Innsbruck and Tyrol - Salzburg - Salzkammergut - Graz and Styria - Klagenfurt and Carinthia - Wachau and Lower Austria - Vienna - Burgenland
Further Reading
Salzburg Travel Guide & Hotels
