Salzburg holidays
Compact alpine city break combining riverfront old town and easy access to Salzkammergut lakes and nearby mountains.
Prices on this page are shown from the UK. Change market
20°C SeptemberBest Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep2–4 nights
At a glance
- short city breaks
- rail-linked multi-stop trips
- travellers wanting town plus nearby countryside
Trip cost
- Return flight
- ≈€237
- Stay
- ≈€507
- Food & local
- ≈€96
Includes the return fare from London Heathrow. An estimate, not a quote — each booking happens separately with its supplier. How we work this out.
Prices shown on this page are indicative estimates in euros, not quotes. Every booking happens separately with its own supplier, at that supplier's own live price. How we work this out.
Stays
Stays in Salzburg
From €86/night · Typical €214 · 241 stays · 3-night stay assumed
- Best 3-starSalzburg-Altstadt-Apartement1.4 km from the centre€205 a night (opens in a new tab)
See more 3-star options
- Best 4-starVilla Maxglan3.2 km from the centre€307 a night (opens in a new tab)
See more 4-star options
- CheapestFerienwohnung E&EFreilassing Germany · 6.3 km from the centre€86 a night (opens in a new tab)
See more options, cheapest first
Map
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Self-catering
Prefer a place of your own? Browse holiday homes and apartments in Salzburg on Holidu.
Getting to Salzburg
- AirportSalzburg Airport W. A. Mozart (SZG)
- Transfer optionsBus, taxi
Salzburg Airport is 4 km from the historic centre. Trolleybus line 10 reaches the old town in around 15 minutes and line 2 in around 23 minutes; both also serve the Hauptbahnhof, and taxis reach the centre in about the same time as line 10.
Indicative, per traveller. You book with Aviasales.
Areas of Salzburg
A few places people base themselves, and who each tends to suit.
- Altstadt (Old Town)Best for first-time visitors who want immediate access to historic streets and are comfortable with tight lanes and steps.
- Neustadt (New Town)Suited to travellers wanting central access and fortress views with slightly quieter streets and better value than the Old Town.
- NonntalGood for visitors who want walking access to the Old Town while staying in a calmer residential pocket on the southern edge.
- Elisabeth-VorstadtPractical choice near the Hauptbahnhof for rail-heavy itineraries, trading old-town atmosphere for transport convenience.
- MaxglanUseful for drivers and airport users who prefer easier parking and road access over being inside the historic core.
Salzburg weather by month
Salzburg is warmest in July, when daily highs average 26°C, and coolest in January at 6°C. September is the wettest month at about 183 mm, March the driest at 69 mm. Taking warmth and rainfall together, June, July, August, September score best for a trip.
- Best overall
- June · July · August · September
- Hottest
- July · 26°C
- Wettest
- September · 183mm
- January: average daily high 6°C, 102mm rainfall.
- February: average daily high 9°C, 106mm rainfall.
- March: average daily high 13°C, 69mm rainfall.
- April: average daily high 14°C, 129mm rainfall.
- May: average daily high 20°C, 148mm rainfall.
- June: average daily high 24°C, 119mm rainfall. Good month for weather.
- July: average daily high 26°C, 126mm rainfall. Good month for weather.
- August: average daily high 25°C, 163mm rainfall. Good month for weather.
- September: average daily high 20°C, 183mm rainfall. Good month for weather.
- October: average daily high 19°C, 91mm rainfall.
- November: average daily high 10°C, 131mm rainfall.
- December: average daily high 6°C, 116mm rainfall.
How these figures are worked out
Monthly averages — ERA5 reanalysis, 2022–2024, a three-year average, not a standard 30-year climate normal or a forecast. Gold months are the best weather fit: each month scores on how close its average daily high sits to about 27 °C, with heavy rainfall counting against it, and months far outside that range are not ranked at all.
What each season is like
- Spring
- City feels active but not overloaded, with highs climbing from 13C in March to 20C in May; alpine and lake areas can still be in shoulder season, so some excursions may run on limited schedules, and May is already one of the wetter months.
- Summer
- High visitor numbers and tour groups concentrate in the Old Town and fortress area during June-August, when highs run 24-26C; some alpine walks may feel busy at weekends, and this is also when rainfall starts building toward the year's wettest stretch.
- Autumn
- Quieter streets and clearer views once the summer crowds thin, but September is Salzburg's wettest month by rainfall, even ahead of any winter month, so some mountain and lake operations wind down and outdoor plans need a backup.
- Winter
- Advent markets and snow make the city atmospheric but shorter daylight, highs around 6-9C and possible valley fog limit time for side trips into the surrounding countryside.
Christmas and New Year 2026
Before Christmas: markets and festive events
One market, in front of the cathedral, that you can see properly in an evening — and it publishes its holiday hours in advance.
Confirmed dates
- Salzburger Christkindlmarkt, Dom- und Residenzplatz: The Salzburg Christkindlmarkt on Dom- and Residenzplatz, spilling onto part of Kapitelplatz, runs 19 November to 1 January. (19 Nov 2026 – 1 Jan 2027) — checked
Plan ahead
- Entry is free, and the market sits in one connected set of squares in the old town, so no transport planning is needed once you are there.
Suggested itinerary window: 27 Nov 2026 to 30 Nov 2026. Late November, once the market is open and before December weekends fill the old town.
An observed round-trip offer inside this season window — not a price for the suggested dates above: €226 return, London Heathrow (LHR) to Salzburg (SZG), departing 11 Dec 2026 and returning 14 Dec 2026, 1 stop — indicative, not a live quote, seen . Duration 21h 55m.
Consider elsewhere if — Too small if you want several days of markets — Vienna or Prague give you more to move between.
A Christmas stay
One of the few markets that publishes its Christmas Day opening hours months ahead, so the trip can be planned rather than hoped for.
Confirmed dates
- Salzburger Christkindlmarkt, Dom- und Residenzplatz: Published holiday hours are 09:00–15:00 on 24 December and 11:00–18:00 on 25 and 26 December. (24 Dec – 26 Dec 2026) — checked
On the day
- Christmas Eve is a short day — the market shuts at 15:00 — so plan the afternoon of 24 December around that, not around an evening visit.
Suggested itinerary window: 23 Dec 2026 to 27 Dec 2026. Arrive on the 23rd to get a full evening at the market before Christmas Eve’s 15:00 close.
We don’t hold a return fare for this part of the season yet — check the dates yourself in the flight dates section above.
New Year
The market publishes its New Year hours in advance: open on 31 December, and again on 1 January, its last day of the season.
Confirmed dates
- Salzburger Christkindlmarkt, Dom- und Residenzplatz: The market runs on 31 December 10:00–18:00, with selected catering stands open until 01:00, and on 1 January 11:00–18:00 before closing for the season. (31 Dec 2026 – 1 Jan 2027) — checked
On the day
- New Year’s Day is the market’s last day of the season, so 1 January is a real option here rather than a write-off.
Suggested itinerary window: 30 Dec 2026 to 2 Jan 2027. New Year’s Eve 2026 falls on a Thursday; arriving on the 30th gives you both the 31st and the market’s final day on 1 January.
We don’t hold a return fare for this part of the season yet — check the dates yourself in the flight dates section above.
Consider elsewhere if — If you want a large organised public countdown, this is a quiet old-town New Year, not a city-square spectacle.
Compare this with the other destinations in Christmas and New Year holidays from the UK.
What’s on in Salzburg
Fri 25 SeptLong Story ShortFrom €22
Sat 26 SeptBekenntnisse eines heimlichen Nudisten | One Man ShowFrom €22
Sat 26 SeptLass Die Sau Raus (Tour) !! - Die CALZINGER Show!! - Ab nach Österreich!From €26
Sat 3 OctDiven, Huren und andere Göttinnen - ChanSon(g)-AbendFrom €22See all events in Salzburg on Wanderistan (opens in a new tab)
Compare Austria destinations
Still deciding? Other Austria destinations, with the same weather and typical-stay data behind them.
| Destination | Aug | Typical stay |
|---|---|---|
| Vienna | 28°C | 3–5 nights |
Nearby and alternative destinations
Nearby — reachable overland
- Munich~117km straight-line
More from the UK
Good to know about Salzburg
Why go
- Smaller and easier to cover than Vienna, so a short city break still feels complete.
- Combines historic streets with quick access to lakes and peaks, unlike many flat Central European capitals.
- Works well as a base before or after wider Salzkammergut touring rather than demanding a full week itself.
- Flights here are one of the shortest on this site, which makes even a two-night trip genuinely low-effort to get to.
- Hallstatt is the classic day trip and the one most often misunderstood: its railway station sits on the far side of the lake from the village, and a small ferry meets the trains to carry you across. It runs year round, but it follows the trains rather than a clock of its own, so a delayed train moves the boat with it. The village is tiny and heavily visited — it runs a booking system just to meter arriving tour coaches — so an early or late train buys a very different experience from a midday one.
- The fortress above the old town does not need the funicular. A footpath climbs from the Altstadt in about fifteen to twenty minutes, and admission is sold more cheaply to people who walk up than to people who ride — worth knowing before paying for a ticket you did not need.
- The Eagle's Nest, over the German border at Berchtesgaden, is a common add-on, and you cannot drive to it: only the special Kehlstein-line buses may use the mountain road, from the Hintereck car park, and the alternative is a walk of about one and a half to three hours depending on where you start. It closes for the winter and can shut at short notice for snow or rockfall even in summer, so check the operator before building a day around it.
Worth knowing
- Historic core is small, so a longer single-destination holiday can feel repetitive once the main streets are explored.
- Old Town accommodation often involves steps, cobbles and limited vehicle access which may not suit travellers with mobility issues.
- Alpine and lake day trips rely on weather and seasonal transport, so plans can be constrained outside peak periods -- and late summer into early autumn is also when rainfall peaks, not just winter.
- Austria is in the Schengen area, so UK passport holders can stay without a visa for up to 90 days in any 180-day period; first entries now go through the EU's Entry/Exit System, which adds a biometric photo and fingerprint check for UK arrivals.
Source: UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (gov.uk) (opens in a new tab), checked
Official references
Authoritative pages worth checking before you go to Salzburg.
- Hallstatt lake ferry between the railway station and the village (opens in a new tab) — Hallstattschifffahrt
- Hohensalzburg Fortress — footpath, funicular and ticket options (opens in a new tab) — Hohensalzburg Fortress
- Kehlsteinhaus (Eagle's Nest) — access and opening times (opens in a new tab) — Kehlsteinhaus