A long weekend in Salzburg requires good planning, otherwise there is a risk of missing sights – and we wouldn’t want to be responsible for that. For a successful stay, it is advisable to stick to the following tips: These are the must-sees for a long weekend in the city and province of Salzburg!
A short trip has its advantages and disadvantages. For the stressed-out, it often represents a well-deserved break and allows you some time to recuperate. On the other hand, city trips often lack enough time to look at a destination extensively. In order that you don’t feel like you’ve missed anything during your short break in Salzburg, the following stops should be made in the city and province of Salzburg.
SALZWELTEN SALZBURG & CELTIC MOUNTAIN
No visit to Salzburg would be complete without an excursion to Salzwelten. And not just for the kids, since an exciting ride down the miners’ slides or on the mine train awakens the inner child and sparks the spirit of discovery in everyone. And since we are on the topic of discovery: At Salina Celtic Village on the Kelten.Erlebnis.Berg, you are able to personally experience how the Ancient Celts once lived here on the Dürrnberg. And in Austria’s first public salt manufactory, salt crystals are grown into impressive salt pyramids.
Info
Salzwelten Salzburg Ramsaustraße 3, A-5422 Bad Dürrnberg www.salzwelten.at
Salzwelten Salzburg - Salt lake in the mineSalzwelten Salzburg - Salt rock exhibitionSalzwelten Salzburg - Mine railway
HELLBRUNN PALACE AND THE TRICK FOUNTAINS
Hellbrunn Palace is a pleasure palace that was planned and built in the 17th century. Its patron, Prince-Archbishop Markus Sittikus, wanted to create a place that had never existed before. The palace was intended to be an area for celebration, enjoyment and relaxation. Today, the palace rooms offer a lot to discover: multimedia installations, a music room, an interactive swivel sofa, a life-size unicorn and much more. In the palace park, the famous trick fountains await visitors. When the water suddenly sprays, it’s possible that you or someone else will receive an unexpected shower. From all the nozzles and fountains the water sprays – but of course we’re not made of sugar!
Info
Schloss Hellbrunn Fürstenweg 37, A-5020 Salzburg www.hellbrunn.at
Hellbrunn Palace & Trick Fountains - PavilionHellbrunn Palace & Trick Fountains - Water parterre and the palaceHellbrunn Palace & Trick Fountains - Water Feature Prince's Table
HOHENSALZBURG FORTRESS
The landmark of Salzburg is one of the largest medieval castles in Europe and remains so well preserved because no besiegers ever managed to conquer the fortress. One of the reasons is certainly its location, because the fortress sits high on the fortress mountain southwest of the old town of Salzburg. The construction of the fortification began over 900 years ago, the fortress funicular has been around since 1900. At Hohensalzburg Fortress you can feel like a real knight or a courtly lady. The Fortress Museum displays exhibits from the history of architecture and life at the castle, while in the Rainer Regimental Museum memorabilia from peace and wartime periods are shown. Also worth a visit are the famous State Rooms and the Magic Theater.
Hohensalzburg Fortress - The fortress on the Mönchsberg in summerHohensalzburg Fortress - St. George Chapel on the fortressHohensalzburg Fortress - exhibition of medieval cannon in the armory
DOMQUARTIER SALZBURG
Since 2014, a tour has been opened in the DomQuartier in Salzburg, enabling access to hitherto hidden rooms and insights. Many passages of the former archiepiscopal residence that were closed before and are now accessible. Now it is possible to visit the former center of the archiepiscopal power in the middle of the old town. In the rooms, church- and art history as well as architecture are impressively presented. 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. The collection of the Museum of St. Peter is comprised of about 40,000 exhibits – some of which can be seen on the tour. Other institutions of the DomQuartier that are worth seeing are the Residenz gallery, the Cathedral Archway Terrace and the Cathedral museum.
DomQuartier Salzburg - Audience Hall Stateroom Close-up of a Table ChandelierDomQuartier Salzburg - Carabinierisaal with paintingsDomQuartier Salzburg - Fountain at Residenzplatz with visitors
SALZBURG OPEN AIR MUSEUM
Not far from the city of Salzburg is the Salzburg Open Air Museum – about 15 kilometers southwest in the municipality Grossgmain. The museum area covers 50 hectares and is located in the middle of a nature and biological reserve at the foot of the Untersberg mountain. There you can visit original buildings, which were collected in the province of Salzburg, reconstructed and furnished. As a result, rural construction, domestic and working life from the 16th to the 20th century can be preserved and demonstrated on site. The museum is divided into the five regions of the province of Salzburg and houses over 100 buildings from the fields of agriculture, crafts, trades and industry. Incidentally, the oldest building dates from 1442.
Salzburg Open Air Museum - AbrahamhofSalzburg Open Air Museum - Kneipp facilitySalzburg Open Air Museum - Museum railway
EISENRIESENWELT WERFEN
From the beginning of May until the end of October, a fascinating natural spectacle of ice and rock can be observed in the Eisriesenwelt in Werfen. In the largest ice cave in the world, passages extend a total length of more than 40 kilometers and are like a cave labyrinth. Guides lead groups through the rock tunnels and allow access to another world. Of course, such a trip also requires the appropriate equipment: make sure to pack sturdy shoes and warm clothing! Beyond the gates of the ice world, gigantic and bizarre ice forms and sculptures are waiting to be seen. Simply breathtaking!
Eisriesenwelt Werfen Giant Ice Caves - Guided tour in the iceEisriesenwelt Werfen Giant Ice Caves - path with stairs through the ice inside the caveEisriesenwelt Werfen Giant Ice Caves - Ice formations inside the cave
HOHENWERFEN FORTRESS
Only a few minutes away from Eisriesenwelt, Hohenwerfen Fortress sits majestically on a rocky prominence. High above the Salzach valley towers the castle, which served mainly as a defensive fortification in the late Middle Ages. The adventure fortress is over 900 years old and invites visitors on exciting fortress tours. The tour leads you through the armory, the castle chapel, the state rooms and the bell tower. More insight into medieval life just isn’t possible! The exhibition on the history of the fortress and the birds of prey show at the Provincial Falconry Center are also especially exciting.
Hohenwerfen Fortress - Birds of prey showHohenwerfen Fortress - Special exhibitionHohenwerfen Fortress - The castle
MAUTERNDORF CASTLE
Mauterndorf Castle invites you on a journey back in time to the 15th century and places visitors in the interactive exhibition exactly in this time period. The court staff perform the daily work of the Middle Ages and from a wardrobe you can dress up in medieval garb. Other interesting places are the rock cellar, the 700-year-old defense tower and the castle tavern, where food and drink can be enjoyed. The south tower of the castle also houses the Lungau Regional Museum, which provides information about Lungau customs, flora, fauna and minerals.
Mauterndorf castle - Knight games for childrenMauterndorf Castle - Children's playgroundMauterndorf Castle - Medieval exhibition
KAPRUN HIGH MOUNTAIN RESERVOIRS
The high mountain reservoirs in beautiful Kaprun are an impressive experience for the whole family. Surrounded by high mountains and alpine meadows, they are set like fjords in the middle of the glaciers of the High Tauern mountains. You can stop by the visitor center “Electricity Adventure World” at the reservoirs, where you will learn about VERBUND, the buildings, the difficulties encountered during their construction and how hydroelectric power actually works. At 2,040 meters above sea level, electricity is generated in the high mountain reservoirs throughout the year This magical world of technology invites you to linger and marvel during the summer months.
Kaprun Alpine Reservoirs - Tthe via ferrata arena HoehenburgKaprun Alpine Reservoirs - Mooserboden reservoirKaprun Alpine Reservoirs - The Wasserfallboden reservoir
GROSSGLOCKNER HIGH ALPINE ROAD
The Grossglockner High Alpine Road is a high alpine scenic road that connects the two provinces of Salzburg and Carinthia. It also branches off its course from Bruck an der Großglocknerstraße via the mountain passes Fuscher Törl and Hochtor – to the Edelweissspitze and Kaiser-Franz-Josefs-Höhe. On the latter, a trail leads into the Gamsgrube, where with a little luck rare ibexes and, of course, chamois can be observed. In the around 1000 m² visitor center on the Kaiser-Franz-Josefs-Höhe there is an interesting and exciting exhibit around the theme of the Grossglockner.
Info
Großglockner Hochalpenstraße Taxenbacher Fusch 96 A-5672 Fusch a.d. Großglocknerstraße www.grossglockner.at
Grossglockner High Alpine Road - The Grossglockner and the PasterzeGrossglockner High Alpine Road - Experience marmots close upGrossglockner High Alpine Road - Glacier road of Grossglockner
KRIMML WORLDS OF WATER
Directly at the entrance to the Krimml waterfalls is the Krimml Worlds of Water. The focus of this innovative area is the essence of life, water, which is presented in an impressive and entertaining manner. The water theme park in the Pinzgau region accommodates, among other things, a panorama terrace, an outdoor area for children to play in and the projection show “Aquaszenarium”, which enables you to take a multimedia journey under water. The rushing of the water masses of the Krimml waterfalls can be heard from far away and the highest waterfalls in Europe can of course also be visited and explored on the waterfall circular trail.
Krimmler WasserWelten - Water fountain in the "AquaparkKrimml Worlds of Water - Water fun and Kneipp in the outdoor "Aquapark" facilityKrimml Worlds of Water - Interactive exhibition on "Faces of Water
