Salzburg and Vienna in 5 Days

Getting there:

If you are doing a multi-country European itinerary, make Austria your second stop. Direct flights into Salzburg are a lot easier to find when traveling between European gateways such as Istanbul, Frankfurt, and London. But if you’re departing from the US, getting to Salzburg requires a stop in Vienna. We took a train from Vienna to Salzburg instead of taking another flight.

We checked into the Sheraton Grand Salzburg for a three-night stay and selected it because of its location and moderate price. It’s 5 minutes from the train station, and 20 minutes by foot to Old Town. How close are the gardens? We walked behind the hotel and were there before we could finish singing Do Re Mi. As we made our way through the iron gate and past the Pegasus Fountain, it was hard not to miss Hohensalzburg, or the Salzburg fortress, high above the city. Also eye-catching was the rose garden fronting Schloss Mirabell. The gardens are peaceful, meant for quiet enjoyment. You can fill your camera roll with beautiful stills of florals and statues or daydream on a park bench in the shade. We were still adjusting to the time difference but were comforted knowing that our hotel was a hop and a skip away.

For the discerning guest who prefers riverfront accommodations with up-close views of Old Town, a stay at the luxurious Hotel Sacher Salzburg may be more suitable. The rooms there are classic turn-of-the-century - adorned with bold tapestry and a design aesthetic befitting of an Austrian aristocrat.

Our room at the Sheraton Grand Salzburg was on the seventh floor and with it came lounge access to ETAGE 7, the lounge dedicated to guests on the highest floor. From our balcony, we could see the fortress peaking just above the tree canopy. We mapped our way to Old Town using Apple maps, but you can also ask the hotel concierge to map you to Hohensalzburg. Be sure to have them outline a path that takes you through Mirabell Gardens, across Love Lock bridge, into Old Town, through the St Peter’s Abbey, around toward the golden Sphaera statue, and up toward the entrance where you can purchase tickets to the fortress and board the funicular, the slope-side car system that transports visitors to and from the fortress. There are a couple of eateries in the fortress, one of which overlooks the Alps. On the opposite end of the castle is a viewing platform with an incredible view of the city and the calmly flowing Salzach. If you’re in the mood for more exploration, you will find it easy to get to the other sights of Old Town such as Old City Hall, the Salzburg Cathedral and Mozart’s birthplace, which is on the Getreidegasse, a busy street lined with shops and art galleries.

For anyone who would prefer to stay in the historic town, Hotel Goldener Hirsch, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Salzburg, is the perfect choice. Think 15th-century guesthouse with all the updates suitable for the modern traveler. The rooms are authentically Salzburgian; original antiques, handmade furniture and native rugs all celebrate the storied craftmanship of the local artisans.

A visit to Austria would be incomplete without a day trip to one of its lakes. There is Fuschl (future location of Rosewood Schloss Fuschl), St. Wolfgang (popular with locals for its Christmas Market), and insta-famous Hallstatt. We chose to book a tour to Hallstatt and combined it with a visit to a salt mine.

Hallstatt is storybook charming - hillside cottages with boldly painted shutters, flower boxes hanging from every window, and swans lazily floating on the clear lake. Unfortunately, the town struggles with over-tourism, so this fairytale ends with busloads of visitors and a big banner at the end of the road requesting everyone to be respectful of the residents and their homes. If enjoying Hallstatt in peace is a priority, consider spending the night in a bed and breakfast or arrange to arrive here early in the morning before the first tour bus arrives. A couple other things to note: many shops don’t accept credit cards, and bathrooms are 1 Euro per person (unless you dine at a restaurant that has restrooms, then there’s no charge).

We visited Salzwelten Salzburg on the way back to the hotel. The kids got a kick of the white mining overalls we were required to slip into and were excited to hop onto the mining cart that took us deeper into the mountain. At one point, we even crossed into the German border. The further we went, the colder it got. Through interactive displays and videos played on the tunnel walls, we learned about how the salt mining process evolved over the ages. Another highlight of the Salt Mine tour was going down two miner’s slides. The 90-minute excursion is meant for the family, except if you have a family member with mobility issues, then the salt mine tour would not be suitable for them.

We departed beautiful Salzburg and headed to Vienna, but not before making a detour to visit Mauthausen Memorial, the former concentration camp now turned museum. Our oldest son is a history buff, so it was important for me to include a place with ties to World War II in our itinerary. The museum has free admission and leverages their mobile app to optimize the experience. You can map yourself on the app by following the points of interest in numerical order, all of which have placards explaining each location in detail. If you prefer, you can listen to the narration on the mobile app. Bring along your Air Pods or personal headsets because the museum does not have any to loan. This self-guided experience can take at least 90 minutes to complete. At the time of visiting, our youngest was 8 years old – still young but mature enough to understand the events and the atrocities that took place at the camp. It was a somber experience that left us all heavy-hearted.

From the museum, the drive to Vienna should have been 2 hours. Traffic in the city delayed our arrival by 30 minutes.

We checked in to the Park Hyatt Vienna for our last two nights in Austria. The exterior of the hotel looks like the rest of the buildings in the city center with chiseled stonework and columns. Upon entering the lobby, I couldn’t help but look up. The high ceilings gave off the vibe we were somewhere loaded with money. Well, at one point it was. The building was once the Austrian Monarchy Bank and the onsite spa facility, the Arany Spa, was previously the bank vault. I made two separate hotel reservations - The Park Suite was booked on points, and the second room with two beds booked with a Hyatt Privé rate. The connecting rooms needed for my family of six were confirmed within 24 hours of my request. Normally these room features can’t be confirmed until arriving to the property, but we had priority because of the Hyatt Privé rate… Big win for preferred partners! The rooms have more of an art deco feel with bronze embellishments, Italian marble flooring with mother of pearl glistening through the tile mosaic, and a bathroom with a deep soaking tub and separate cascade shower. The rooms were spacious and comfortable, and we couldn’t have been more excited to call this place home.

We started off our final full day in Austria with one of the best hotel breakfasts ever. The buffet offers the usual European items – a bread/pastry station, cured meats, and musli bar. There was also a menu, which we could select made-to-order items such as Truffled Scrambled Eggs (my favorite) and the Bank Chives Toast.

The hotel is perfectly situated with high-end shops around the corner and many of the cultural sights nearby. St. Stephen’s Cathedral is five minutes away, while the Spanish Riding School, Sisi Museum Hofburg, State Hall of the Austrian National Library, and the Schonbrunn Palace are all about 15 minutes on foot. Note, each of these require admission, so if you plan on entering multiple places, consider purchasing the Vienna Pass card. Also nearby is Demel, the famed café known for its traditional coffee and cakes. We were fortunate to arrive when there was no line, so we dipped in for an afternoon pick-me-up of coffee and local favorites sachertorte and kaiserschmarrn.

If you’re a traveler who likes the understated city, peaceful countryside and sprawling landscapes, you’ll enjoy Salzburg and neighboring Upper Austria. Vienna couldn’t be more opposite. Its imperial history is a big part of its identity, and its reputation as an international hub from centuries ago continues to this day.