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Why Salzburg & Hallstatt?
Fortress · Mozart · Sound of Music · salt · snow
Expect cold, often grey days around 0–6°C, with frost at night and snow some days in the city. The mountains around it are properly white.
What makes it special
A Baroque old town
Domes, squares and arcaded lanes under a cliff-top fortress, compact enough to cross on foot in twenty minutes.
Mozart’s birthplace
He was born on Getreidegasse in 1756 and baptised in the cathedral the next day. Two museums tell his story.
The Sound of Music
Mirabell’s gardens, Nonnberg Abbey and the lake at Leopoldskron all appear in the 1965 film.
Snow within reach
A cable car climbs the Untersberg from the edge of town, and glacier and family ski areas are an easy train ride away.
Salt mines
Guided tours deep inside the mountains whose salt made Salzburg rich.
Hallstatt in winter
The famous lakeside village is at its quietest now, with snowy roofs and mist on the water.
Calm February
After Christmas and before Easter, queues are short and hotel prices gentler than in summer.
Halal food and mosques
Salzburg has a few halal restaurants and two mosques close together; plan ahead for Hallstatt.