Where to Stay in Salzburg: Best Areas & Hotels for Every Budget

Salzburg is small enough that almost every hotel is "central" on a map, yet the difference between sleeping inside the Old Town, across the river, or out by the lakes changes how your trip feels. This guide walks through each area, names the hotels locals actually recommend, and explains when to book and what it costs. We have been collecting guests from Salzburg hotels for private tours for years, so we know which doors our drivers can pull up to and which ones mean a walk with your luggage.

The short answer

• First visit, two or three nights: stay in the Altstadt (Old Town) on the left bank. Everything is on foot.
• Best value close to the centre: the right bank around Linzer Gasse and Mirabell. Five minutes' walk to the Old Town, noticeably cheaper.
• Quiet, views, a car: Mönchsberg, Nonntal or the villa districts of Aigen and Leopoldskron.
• Sound of Music pilgrims: Hotel Schloss Leopoldskron, whose lake façade played the von Trapp villa.
• Early flight or train: the streets between the Hauptbahnhof and Mirabellplatz.

Altstadt (Old Town): best for first-timers

The left bank of the Salzach is the UNESCO-listed core: Getreidegasse, the cathedral, Residenzplatz, Mozart's birthplace and the fortress on the hill above. Staying here means church bells in the morning, cafés under your window and no transport at all for the main sights. The trade-offs are price, small rooms in 500-year-old buildings, and the fact that most of the Altstadt is pedestrian, so cars stop at the edge and hotels arrange luggage access.

• Hotel Goldener Hirsch (Getreidegasse): an inn since 1407, now part of Marriott's Luxury Collection. Low beamed ceilings, painted furniture, and the address you give people when you want them to be impressed.
• Arthotel Blaue Gans (Getreidegasse): the oldest inn in the city, reworked as a contemporary art hotel. Calmer and less formal than the Goldener Hirsch, with a good restaurant under the arches.
• Hotel Elefant (Sigmund-Haffner-Gasse): a family-run four-star in a 700-year-old house, one street back from the crowds. The usual first pick for travellers who want the Old Town without five-star prices.
• Radisson Blu Altstadt (Rudolfskai): riverside on the Old Town side, larger rooms than the historic inns, and easy for cars on the quay.
• Altstadthotel Weisse Taube (Kaigasse): a modest, well-kept three-star behind the cathedral. Ideal if you only sleep in your room.

Right bank (Neustadt): best value near the centre

Cross any bridge and you are in the "new town", which is only new by Salzburg standards. Linzer Gasse is a pedestrian street of shops and hotels, Steingasse is the atmospheric medieval lane along the cliff, and Mirabellplatz has the palace and gardens. Rooms here are typically cheaper than across the river, the Old Town is a five-minute walk, and drivers can reach almost every hotel door.

• Hotel Sacher Salzburg (Schwarzstraße): the city's grand hotel, facing the Old Town across the river. Ask for a river-view room and you will have the fortress lit up at night from your window. The café serves the original Sachertorte.
• Hotel Stein (Giselakai, at the Staatsbrücke): rebuilt as a design hotel, best known for its rooftop bar with the classic postcard view of the domes and fortress.
• Hotel Bristol (Makartplatz): traditional five-star elegance opposite Mozart's Residence, a two-minute walk to Mirabell Gardens.
• Sheraton Grand Salzburg (Auerspergstraße): the big-brand choice, with a private gate straight into Mirabell Gardens. Popular with groups and business travellers.
• Hotel Auersperg (Auerspergstraße): a family-run four-star with a garden and rooftop sauna. Consistently one of the best-reviewed mid-range hotels in the city.
• Hotel Amadeus (Linzer Gasse): small, central and reasonably priced, right on the pedestrian street.

Mönchsberg and Nonntal: quiet, with views

The Mönchsberg is the wooded ridge that rises straight out of the Old Town; Nonntal is the leafy district south of the fortress. Both are a ten-minute walk from Getreidegasse, yet feel like a different town at night. This is where to stay if you want to hear birds rather than street musicians and have somewhere to park.

• Hotel Schloss Mönchstein: a small castle on top of the Mönchsberg with its own park, a wedding chapel and views over the whole city. It is the most romantic address in Salzburg and priced accordingly. The Mönchsberg walking paths start at the door.
• Nonntal guesthouses and apartments: this district has few big hotels but a good stock of pensions and serviced apartments, useful for families and stays of a week or more.

Leopoldskron and Aigen: Sound of Music country

South and east of the centre the city turns into villas, gardens and lake views towards the Untersberg. You will want a car, a bike or the bus, but the payoff is space and silence.

• Hotel Schloss Leopoldskron: the rococo palace on the Leopoldskroner Weiher whose lake façade and gardens stood in for the von Trapp family home in the film. Guests sleep either in the palace itself or in the adjoining Meierhof, and can walk the terrace that most visitors only see from a tour bus. Our Sound of Music filming locations guide explains which scenes were shot where.
• Aigen: the district around Schloss Aigen and the real Trapp family villa on Traunstraße. Quiet, green, and fifteen minutes from the Old Town by bus. Look here for boutique villas and apartments rather than chain hotels.

Near the station and airport: practical stays

The Elisabeth-Vorstadt between the Hauptbahnhof and Mirabellplatz is where the budget chains sit. It is not pretty, but it is safe, well connected, and a fifteen-minute walk or a few bus stops to the Old Town. Salzburg Airport is only four kilometres west of the city; trolleybuses reach the centre in about twenty minutes and a taxi in ten.

• Motel One Salzburg-Mirabell (Elisabethkai): the design-budget chain, by the river, closest to the centre of the station-area options.
• a&o and YoHo hostels: dorms and private rooms for backpackers and school groups, a few minutes from the station.
• Star Inn and IBIS-style business hotels: clean, predictable, and easy for early departures.

If you land at Munich instead, the drive is about two hours; our private airport transfer brings you door to door to any of the hotels above.

Outside the city: lakes and castles

Salzburg is compact, so a base twenty minutes out is still a base. Lake Fuschl, Lake Wolfgang and the villages of the Salzkammergut offer lakeside hotels at prices that are often lower than the Old Town, and the scenery is the reason many people came in the first place.

• Rosewood Schloss Fuschl: the lakeside castle east of the city, reopened in 2024 after a full renovation. The most luxurious address in the region, with the lake for swimming and the hills for walking.
• St. Gilgen and St. Wolfgang: traditional lake hotels, boat stops and mountain railways. Ideal if you want Salzburg as a day trip rather than a home.
• Anif and Grödig: villages just south of the city at the foot of the Untersberg, with country inns and easy parking. Our private day trips from Salzburg collect guests from all of these places at no extra charge.

When to book and what it costs

Salzburg has two high seasons and they are not the ones most people expect. The first is the Salzburg Festival from late July to the end of August, when Old Town rooms sell out months ahead and rates for the same bed can double. The second is Advent, when the Christmas markets fill every weekend from late November to Christmas Eve. Easter and Mozart Week in late January are smaller peaks. The quiet, good-value months are March, early April, October and the first half of November.

As a rough guide, a well-located three-star double runs comfortably into three figures per night in summer, four-star hotels sit in the middle hundreds, and the historic five-stars start around the price of a return flight. Booking three to four months ahead for July and August, or six weeks ahead for the rest of the year, is enough for a good choice. Most hotels in the city charge a small tourist tax per person per night on top of the room rate.

Practical notes for choosing a hotel

• Cars and the Old Town: the Altstadt is largely car-free. Hotels there usually direct you to the Altstadtgarage inside the Mönchsberg and will fetch luggage on a trolley. Right-bank and outlying hotels are easier if you are driving.
• Salzburg Card: 24, 48 or 72 hours of public transport and free entry to the fortress, Mozart houses, Hellbrunn and the Mönchsberg lift. Good value if you are staying outside the centre.
• Getting around: the city is walkable and the bus network is reliable; our guide to public transport in Austria covers tickets and apps.
• Noise: Getreidegasse and Linzer Gasse are lively until late in summer. Ask for a courtyard room if you sleep lightly.
• Breakfast: almost every Austrian hotel includes it, and the spreads are generous. Factor it in when comparing prices with apartments.

From your hotel to the mountains

Wherever you sleep, the real reason to base yourself in Salzburg is what lies within an hour of it: Hallstatt, the Eagle's Nest, the Werfen ice caves, the lakes and the Bavarian Alps. Every Be Special Tours day trip starts with a pickup at your hotel door, at the time you choose, in a private car with an English-speaking driver-guide. If you are still deciding what to see in the city itself, start with our list of the best things to do in Salzburg, then plan the day trips around it. For longer itineraries across the country, our tailor-made Austria tours can include hotel bookings along the route.

Frequently asked questions

Where is the best place to stay in Salzburg?

For a first visit, the Old Town (Altstadt) on the left bank of the Salzach. Every major sight is within ten minutes on foot. If price matters, the right bank around Linzer Gasse and Mirabell is a five-minute walk away and noticeably cheaper.

Which are the best hotels in Salzburg's Old Town?

The Goldener Hirsch and Arthotel Blaue Gans on Getreidegasse for historic luxury, Hotel Elefant for a family-run four-star, and the Radisson Blu Altstadt for larger rooms by the river. Schloss Mönchstein sits on the hill directly above the Old Town.

Where should I stay for the Sound of Music tour?

Hotel Schloss Leopoldskron if you want to sleep at a filming location. Otherwise anywhere central works, because private tours collect you at your hotel and the group tours leave from Mirabellplatz.

Is it better to stay in Salzburg or Hallstatt?

Salzburg. It has far more hotels, restaurants and evening life, and Hallstatt is an easy day trip of about ninety minutes each way. Hallstatt itself has only a handful of small hotels that book out early.

How many nights do I need in Salzburg?

Two nights covers the city; three or four lets you add one or two day trips to the lakes, Berchtesgaden or Hallstatt without rushing.

Is Salzburg expensive to stay in?

It is one of Austria's pricier cities in July, August and Advent, when demand from the festival and the Christmas markets pushes rates up. Outside those weeks it is comparable to other mid-sized European cities, and the right bank and station area offer good value all year.

Can I stay in a castle in Salzburg?

Yes. Hotel Schloss Mönchstein is a castle on the hill above the Old Town, Hotel Schloss Leopoldskron is a rococo palace by its own lake, and Rosewood Schloss Fuschl is a lakeside castle twenty minutes east of the city.

Do I need a car in Salzburg?

Not for the city, which is walkable and has a good bus network. For day trips you can use trains and buses, rent a car, or book a private tour with hotel pickup so nobody has to drive or park.