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Travel to Salzburg

Flying to Salzburg

Airlines offering direct flights to Salzburg from the UK include British Airways and Ryanair. There are no direct flights from the USA; indirect options include flights with Lufthansa via Frankfurt and with Austrian Airlines via Vienna. The cheapest fares are usually available outside the peak winter ski season and school summer holidays.

Flight times

London - 2 hours; New York - 9 hours 30 minutes (including stopover); Los Angeles - 13 hours (including stopover); Toronto - 9 hours 30 minutes (including stopover); Sydney - 26 hours (including stopover).

Travel by road

Austria has an excellent network of roads. Traffic drives on the right and the minimum driving age is 18 years.

Speed limits are 130kph (81mph) on motorways, 100kph (62mph) on main roads and 50kph (31mph) in built-up areas. Drivers must carry an EU driving licence or an International Driving Permit. Third-party insurance is mandatory.

Tolls are payable on a number of mountain roads, tunnels, motorways and main roads. Toll stickers (Autobahnvignette), which must be attached to the windscreen, are valid for 10 days, two months or one year. You can buy them from tobacconists, border-crossing points, petrol stations and from automobile clubs ARBÖ (www.arboe.or.at) and ÖAMTC (www.oeamtc.at).

Emergency breakdown services

ARBO (tel: +43 123); ÖAMTC (tel: +43 120).

Routes

Salzburg is easily reached by road from all directions. Several motorways (including the A1 from Vienna and Linz and the A2 and A10 from Graz and Klagenfurt) go straight to Salzburg. Route 20 reaches the city from the north and west, and Route 159 arrives from the southeast.

Coaches

Eurolines (tel: +43 900 128 712; www.eurolines.at) is the main operator, linking Salzburg with numerous other cities in Europe. The coach station is located opposite the main railway station (Salzburg Hauptbahnhof).

Time to city

Vienna - 3 hours; Graz - 3 hours; Munich - 1 hour 30 minutes.

Travel by Rail

Services

Salzburg's main railway station is Hauptbahnhof. From the station, buses depart to various parts of the city, including the Old Town (the Altstadt) and there is a taxi stand right in front of the station entrance. The station has a currency exchange, bicycle lockers and storage lockers.

Operators

Salzburg's Hauptbahnhof is run by ÖBB (tel: +43 5 1717; www.oebb.at) and connects several major rail lines, with frequent east-west trains servicing Vienna, Munich, Innsbruck and Zürich and several trains heading south through the Alps into Italy.

Journey times

Vienna - 2 hours 30 minutes; Munich - 1 hours 45 minutes.

Transfer

Salzburg’s station is a 15-minute walk from the city’s historic centre. There's also a taxi stand to the right of the main exit.

A digital image at https://illuminoto.com

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Featured Hotels

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Hotel Stein

One of the hottest hotels in town is, without doubt, Hotel Stein. Commanding terrific views of the river and reached by bridge from the Old Town, it combines sexy modernity with classic style. Boasting a history dating back to 1399, its rooms range from the glamorous to the super-chic.

Yoho

Among the cheapest digs in town, Yoho is perhaps the most unique lodging in Salzburg. The rooms are comfortable and boast impressive mountain views, while the bar is always busy with young backpackers. What’s more, The Sound of Music is screened every day at 7pm in the TV room – take that as you will.

Hotel Goldener Hirsch

The hotel of choice for celebrities and royalty over the years, the Goldener Hirsch (the Golden Stag) is a Salzburg institution. Highly exclusive yet exuding genuine hospitality, the hotel has a unique old-world atmosphere combining the rustic with the luxurious. The hotel boasts two superb restaurants and a wonderfully decorated bar.

Wolf-Dietrich Hotel

The Wolf-Dietrich Hotel comprises the Altstadthotel and the Residenz, two houses that face each other near the city centre. In addition to being very comfortable, it is also healthy and environmentally friendly, being powered only by green electricity, serving organic food in the restaurant and incorporating feng shui into the design.

Haus Wartenberg

Housed in a 400-year-old building, and furnished with antiques and homey bric-a-brac, Haus Wartenberg exudes plenty of character and charm. Rooms are snug and cosy rather than spacious, but that only adds to the warmth of the place. It's within walking distance of Salzburg's Old Town.

Hotel Bristol

Looming over the river this stately property preserves the feel of a classic 19th-century hotel. First built in 1619 it opened for guests in the late 1800s and was the first hotel to have electricity in the city – earning it the name 'Electric Hotel'. It has hosted everyone from monarchs to Sigmund Freud. Today expect a blend of traditional atmosphere with contemporary service.