24 Hours in Salzburg: What must you see no matter what?
Hohensalzburg Fortress - View of the Mönchsberg and the fortress
In transit, short trip or day trip? Don’t worry – you can also visit Salzburg’s highlights in just one day. One sight in the morning, one in the afternoon and one in the early evening is enough to get a lasting impression and to experience the city of Mozart from its most beautiful side.
As you know, the day only has 24 hours. But that is enough to get an exciting insight into the historical and cultural side of Mozart’s city, for which Salzburg is known far beyond the borders of Austria. The following three sights are quite feasible in one day and also highly recommended!
MORNING: HOHENSALZBURG FORTRESS
The first highlight of the day is the Hohensalzburg Fortress – one of the largest medieval castles in Europe. The construction of the imposing fortification began more than 900 years ago. For a time, the fortress was the seat of the government of the Archbishop of Salzburg and after a great fire in 1851, almost everything was restored. The fortress funicular has been around since 1900. Hohensalzburg Fortress is an excursion destination that is worth seeing for young and old. The Fortress Museum displays exhibits on the history of architecture and life at the castle, while in the Rainer Regimental Museum memorabilia from peace and wartime periods are shown. Other highlights include the famous State Rooms, some of the most beautiful secular Gothic rooms in Europe, and the Magic Theater. Our tip: Visit the fortress before 10 am and save with the Early Bird Online-Ticket!
Fortress Hohensalzburg - view of the fortress on the Mönchsberg in summer
NOON AND EARLY AFTERNOON: DOMQUARTIER
The magnificent DomQuartier is located in the middle of Salzburg’s old town. In 2014, a tour was opened there that has made it possible to gain previously unknown insights into the history of the former center of the archiepiscopal power. The tour leads through the Residenz, the Salzburg Cathedral and the museum part of the Benedictine Abbey of St. Peter. Church- and art history as well as architecture are impressively presented here. Visitors pass through a total of 15 state rooms of the Residenz palace and discover, among other things, opulent ceiling stucco work and valuable interiors. Other institutions of the DomQuartier that are worth seeing are the Residenz gallery, the Cathedral Archway Terrace and the Cathedral museum.
DomQuartier Salzburg - Fountain at Residenzplatz with visitors
AFTERNOON: HELLBRUNN PALACE AND THE TRICK FOUNTAINS
In the afternoon we head south to Hellbrunn Palace. The pleasure palace was built in the early 17th century under the patronage of Prince-Archbishop Markus Sittikus and the entire palace grounds include a spacious park, the famous trick fountains and the permanent exhibition “SchauLust – The Unexpected World of Markus Sittikus”. Mystic grottoes, unexpected water pranks, mechanical theaters and water automata await visitors. The exhibition in the palace can be explored at your leisure using an audio guide. Our tip: visiting the trick fountains should be the final highlight of your day. You could get wet here!
Info
Schloss Hellbrunn Fürstenweg 37, A-5020 Salzburg www.hellbrunn.at
