When in Munich, you should absolutely consider taking a day trip to Salzburg. Salzburg, Austria being a city known for many things, like… well, how about… okay so maybe Salzburg is known for just one major thing: The Sound of Music. It’s where the movie was filmed; it’s where the movie takes place. It’s also a great place to escape the craziness of Oktoberfest for a day.
Salzburg is a quick and easy train ride from Munich, has enough sights of its own to entertain you for a day, and still has beer so you don’t have to dry out completely. And that’s what makes a day trip to Salzburg from Munich such a splendid idea. This post will help you accomplish just that. Enjoy!
Taking a day trip to Salzburg from Munich
Do you need to be a fan of The Sound of Music to enjoy this little side quest? Definitely not. Even though you probably are because it’s not terrible. But will it help to watch it before you go? Absolutely. I mean you still want to be an informed human being, right? [Currently available on Prime Video and Disney+.]
Otherwise, a day trip to Salzburg from Munich is easy to navigate, a necessary pilgrimage for any Sound of Music fan, and I have confidence you’ll find it totally worth squeezing into your busy travel schedule.
Check out the full list of awesome day trips from Munich here.
How to get to Salzburg from Munich
Munich and Salzburg are fairly close together, despite there being a border in between. By far, the easiest and fastest way to take a day trip to Salzburg from Munich is by train. Germany’s awesome public transportation system makes this day trip simple and painless. The direct ride takes just 1 hour 50 minutes and there are several departures every day. You can see train schedules here.
However, if you do already have your own rental car, the trip takes about the same amount of time as taking the train. You’ll just have to find a place to park for the day. I’ve visited Salzburg both by train and by car and both have been utterly painless. Check out Salzburg’s page on parking here, and rent a car here if you need one.
Naturally, because the two cities are so close together, Flixbus also offers tons of departures that take only slightly longer than the train or driving but costs much less. Check out the bus schedules and rates here.
Salzburg to Munich day tours
One other option would be to take a guided day tour that includes roundtrip travel between Munich and Salzburg as well as guided tours and free time within Salzburg. This is a great option if you simply don’t want to hassle with all the logistics.
If this is a route you’d like to take, definitely check out this highly-rated option:
Taking the train from Munich to Salzburg
Since taking the train from Munich to Salzburg (and back) is the most common method of the three, that’s what I’m going to focus on in this post.
Given the popularity of this particular day trip, there are tons of train options between the two in both directions. You can get a decent overview of the times and routes available on Omio. This is great as you can see several different rail companies in one place, but they do leave out some of the options. I prefer to book my tickets direct through the Deutsche Bahn (the official German railway).
Pro tip: The earlier you book your DB ticket, the cheaper it will be. Certain saver fares aren’t available the closer you get to your travel date.
Fill in the timetable
At Bahn.com (the English-language version), fill in the timetable with the following:
For everything else
For everything else it asks on the first page:
Choose your itinerary
Now submit the search query and choose your itinerary by each leg. Here are a couple things you need to know about your DB ticket:
Pro tip: Even though you totally will not need it, you’re still visiting a separate country so it’s always a good idea to have your passport on you. You really just never know.
Know the German terms
And here are a few key words you need to know in order to decode your German train ticket:
- Datum = your travel date
- Zeit = the time your train leaves (so be prepared to board a few minutes before that) and the time it arrives at your destination
- Gleis = which platform to board your train from
- Produkte = the train number
- Reservierung = your assigned seat if you booked one
Salzburg is just one of the great cities to visit in Austria. Check out my entire 10-day Austria road trip itinerary here.
Catch your train
Now wait, little girl, on an empty stage train platform for fate the conductor to turn the light on. Inside Munich’s main train station, the Deutsche Bahn trains are found in the huge open-air area of the station. Like, right there when you walk in off the street. Those platforms, right there. Look for the huge numbers.
The journey from Munich to Salzburg will take anywhere between 1.5 to 2 hours, depending on which train you choose. You can expect a blissful ride through the Bavarian countryside.
How to save money on your day trip to Salzburg
For all the great things you can do on day trip to Salzburg from Munich, you can save a bunch of money by picking up a Salzburg Card. It’s going to save you money, time, and (most importantly) hassle. You get to skip lines, skip walking, and skip having to get your wallet out constantly. These are a few of my favorite things!
The Salzburg Card
The Salzburg Card is a single, low-cost pass that gets you:
- Free admission into all the most popular tourist attractions and museums in Salzburg
- With skip-the-line privileges
- Free travel on all modes of public transportation
- A free river cruise
- Extra discounts around town
- And more
They come in several formats, but for this purpose you’ll want to grab the 24-hour version. You can get your digital Salzburg Card ahead of time online here or in-person at all Salzburg tourism offices. (And there’s one of these right here in Salzburg train station, mere steps from where you’ll disembark!) It couldn’t be easier. Do, re, mi, fa, so, la, let’s go!
Munich to Salzburg day trip map
This map contains all the tourist sites and logistical concerns I mention in this post. To save this map: Click on the star ⭑ next to the map’s title to save in your Google Maps. To use this map: When you get here, open Google Maps on your phone, click “Saved” at the bottom, then click “Maps.”
What to do on a day trip to Salzburg
Here’s a list of all the best things you can do on a day trip to Salzburg from Munich including museums, Sound of Music filming locations, tours, and more.
Sound of Music tour
Let’s start at the very beginning, a very good place to start. When you read you begin with A-B-C, and when you visit Salzburg, you begin with the Original Sound of Music tour.
This is, without a doubt, the most popular activity in Salzburg. This famous tour takes you to many of the original Sound of Music filming locations in and around Salzburg. It has superb reviews and even offers an afternoon departure time if you can’t make the morning option.
See all the stops it makes and book your Sound of Music tour here.
Mozart’s Birthplace
Next on the list is the birthplace and former residence of Austria’s most famous child prodigy—Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. By the age of four the kid was already skilled at the piano, violin, and musical composition. Four, for crying out loud.
According to WebMD, today’s four-year-olds are just learning to correctly identify shapes and colors and “possibly write his or her name.” Something about this Mozart kid is truly science fiction-y, but I digress.
Mozart’s Birthplace won’t take you a long time to go through, mostly because houses were just way smaller back in the 1790s. It houses a large collection of Mozart-related artifacts—among them, more than a couple locks of his hair. Just in case they want to clone some more baby geniuses maybe?
Mozart’s Residence
There’s another Mozart-related museum here in another of his former homes—Mozart’s Residence. This is a much bigger (relatively) museum where he lived from 1773 to 1787. Both are worth visiting, but with only one day in Salzburg, I recommend just picking one. The important thing is to know these are indeed two different museums.
Do you ever think: Hundreds of years from now, will people be streaming through my house to look at stuff? “And here’s the couch from which she binge-watched Stranger Things that one time. And here’s where she rode a Segway through the house and crashed.” No? Just me?
Salzburg Castle / Hohensalzburg Fortress
Salzburg Castle sites high above the city and is one of the largest (and most well-preserved) medieval castles in Europe.
Built in the year 1077, it offers visitors a look into true medieval torture—specifically, through its marionette museum. Admission to the castle and the funicular ride to the top are free with your Salzburg Card, but a visit to the marionette museum is going to cost you many sleepless nights. Anyway.
Beyond that, the castle’s location atop Festungsberg (the name of the hill it’s on) provides visitors with the absolute best views of Salzburg to one side and the Alps on the other. And with the Salzburg Card and the free funicular ride, you don’t have to climb every mountain.
You’re free to explore the castle grounds on your own and even enjoy a brew with a view at their on-site beer garden.
If marionette doesn’t freak you out the same way it does me, you might actually be interested in this super popular Sound of Music marionette show.
Mirabell Palace and Gardens
The Mirabell Palace (Schloss Mirabell) was built in 1606 as a “pleasure palace” for Prince-Archbishop Wolf Dietrick Raitenau and his mistress and I think that’s as far as we need to go there.
It changed royal hands a few times, served as the wedding venue for Eva Braun’s sister (the reception of which took place nearby at the Eagle’s Nest) and as a filming location for The Sound of Music, and eventually became the mayor office after WWII.
The “pleasure gardens” were designed in 1690 but not opened to the public until much later. They consist of massive floral arrangements, a rose garden, an orangery, fountains, and the oldest “dwarf garden” in Europe. You can get awesome views of Hohensalzburg Fortress from here and reenact your favorite Sound of Music scenes.
Planning to spend the night in Salzburg? You can even attend a Mozart concert here at Mirabell Palace! Better yet, make it a fancy dinner concert.
Salzburg Cathedral
Every European capital has its big beautiful church and this is Salzburg’s. Salzburg Cathedral, considered the city’s centerpiece, was founded in the year 744 (no ‘1’ in front, just 744) but the Baroque version you’ll visit today was constructed between 1614 and 1628. Still old as heck.
Besides being super gorgeous inside, this place also holds the baptismal font used to baptize both Mozart (1791) and Joseph Mohr—the guy who wrote the lyrics to “Silent Night”—in 1792. The font itself is from 1311. There’s also a cathedral museum that contains art treasures from the cathedral’s 1300-year history.
Take a Salzach River cruise
I always love taking a river cruise wherever I travel and the one by Salzburg City Cruises has been one of my favorites. They only take about an hour, are inexpensive (if you don’t have the Salzburg Card), and are a unique way to see Salzburg’s beautiful sites (and Sound of Music filming locations, of course). The river cruises board right in the center of town next to the Marko-Feingold-Steg bridge.
Visit the Stiegl Brewery
Salzburg’s Stiegl Brewery has been around since 1492—can your country even say that? It’s Austria’s biggest privately-owned brewery and you’ll see their beers everywhere in Austria.
Stiegl (German for “little staircase”) is a massive facility on the outskirts of town that’s you can easily access by city bus or even by your own two feet if misreading maps is your standard operating procedure as well. To get here, take either the #1 or #10 bus and get off at the “Bräuhausstraße” stop.
The Salzburg Card includes a free tour of the brewery and they’re even available in English (unlike my last German brewery disaster). Your tour also includes free beer and a couple of free gifts to take home! There’s also an on-site beer garden and restaurant if you want to stay a bit longer. If you don’t have a Salzburg Card, you can get Stiegl tickets here.
Explore Getreidegasse / Salzburg City Center
Salzburg’s historic city center lies between the Salzach River and the Festungsberg in what has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This is said to be the meeting point of Northern and Southern Europe.
Salzburg City Center is noteworthy because of how well its medieval structures have held up over time, its association with its most famous resident (Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus), and for having the fanciest McDonald’s sign you ever did see.
Getreidegasse (that’s the name of the street) is where to go for souvenirs and by that I specifically mean the Mozart Balls you’ll see everywhere. This is also where most of the town’s restaurants, cafés, and other shops are. So if you’re hungry, thirsty, or have money in your pocket to burn, this is the area for you.
If you don’t want to just roam aimlessly, consider booking a guided Old Town walking tour.
Check out Mozartplatz
In the center of Salzburg’s historical district you’ll find Mozartplatz—a large plaza featuring a bronze cast of the boy genius (but as a grown-up). His wife once lived in this square but today it’s mainly just a great meeting point and hang-out spot.
Where to eat and drink in Salzburg
There are plenty of great places to eat and drink in Salzburg, but in the spirit of helping you save time, here a quick list of my favorite spots:
Where to stay in Salzburg
I know this is a post about taking a day trip to Salzburg from Munich, but there’s a good chance that maybe you’ll actually want to stay overnight. In that case, here are a few great places to look into:
See all Salzburg hotel options here.
So long, farewell, auf wiedersehen, adieu!
Big thank you to Salzburg Tourism for providing me with a Salzburg Card so I could help relay the best ways to spend a day trip to Salzburg from Munich!
More info for your day trip to Salzburg
Like this post? Have questions about taking a day trip to Salzburg from Munich (or elsewhere)? Let me know in the comments below. Have fun in Austria!
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