Salzburg, [70] birthplace of Mozart, is a city in central Austria, near the German (Bavarian) border with a population of some 150,000 in 2013. If you have seen the movie The Sound of Music [71], you may think you know all there is to see in Salzburg. Admittedly, it is difficult not to spontaneously burst into song when you’re walking along the Salzach River, or climbing up to the Hohensalzburg fortress which looms over the city. But there is a lot more to this compact, courtly city than Julie Andrews. Salzburg is the fourth-largest city in Austria (after Vienna, Graz and Linz) and the capital of the federal state of Salzburg. Its “Old Town”, with its world famous baroque architecture, is one of the best-preserved city centers in the German-speaking world and was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997.The name Salzburg literally means “Salt Fortress”, and derives its name from the barges carrying salt on the Salzach river, which were subject to a toll in the 8th century.Traces of human settlements dating to the Neolithic Age, and later a Celtic camp, have been found in the area. Starting from 15 BC, the small communities were grouped into a single town which was named by the Romans as Juvavum. Little remains of the city from this period.The Festung Hohensalzburg, the city’s fortress, was built in 1077 and expanded in the following centuries. Independence from Bavaria was secured in the late 14th century.Salzburg was the capital of an independent state from the early 14th century until 1805. It was ruled by prince-archbishops, who became rich from the salt mines located in the south of the city. This led to the architectural gem you see today as not only materials, but also architects, were imported from Italy and other European countries. This is also the reason why, compared to other Austrian cities, sacred monuments outnumber the few secular buildings. This is how Salzburg got its nickname as “the Rome of the north”. Everywhere you go in this city, you see and read about the legacy of the Archbishops.Salzburg is well connected to both Vienna (Wien) and Munich (Munchen), Germany via the autobahns A8 (Munich Salzburg) and A1 (Salzburg Vienna). There is an Austrian Motorway “Vignette” you have to purchase. The price varies, depending on whether you buy a yearly or 10 day vignette.Driving around Salzburg can be a pain. The road names are small and written in a traditional German font which can be hard to read. The best bet is to get into the city, find a parking space, and travel by foot. If you are driving in cold weather, be prepared for snow, and snow chains are recommended in extreme weather. From October to April, the law requires all cars to have snow tires (Winterreifen).Salzburg’s railway station, the Hauptbahnhof (Hbf.), is located to the north of the Salzach River within the New Town of Salzburg. The train ride from Munich to Salzburg takes about an hour and a half (Regional trains take about 2 hours), and international trains operate from Zurich, Zagreb, Ljubljana and Budapest to name just a few destinations. Fast Inter-city trains operate very frequently, especially to Linz and Vienna, with up to three connections every hour operated by aBB and WestBahn.The station was completely renovated between 2009 and 2014 and now has a modern look. The Austrian Federal Railways (aBB) and German Federal Railways (DB) have ticket offices. Tickets for aBB, DB and WestBahn trains are also sold at machines. The popular Bayern Ticket train pass for Bavaria sold by DB also covers train rides between Bavaria to Salzburg Hbf., but it is only valid for Regional trains (code RE and RB). The rail pass can be bought from DB ticket offices as well as DB Ticket Selling Machines in the station.Westbus.at.Bus connection from Prague,Cesky Krumlov,Linz.From 29 Eur from Prague.westbus.atThe best way to get around Salzburg is on foot. There is a network of city buses, the StadtBus, with numbers from 1 to 8 (trolleybuses) and 20-27 (diesel buses). A single trip ticket on the bus is 2.60, a single short trip ticket 1.30 (maximum 3 stops), a 24 h ticket 5.70 (from 1st Jul 2016) which covers the whole city. If you travel by bus, make sure you catch none of the last buses. They will take you several miles out of town with your only way back being on foot or by taxi. If you need to get somewhere late at night, it may be best to take a taxi.Conveniently, bus tickets can be bought on the buses from the bus driver. However, if you have time, buy the tickets in advance at a “Trafik”, since they are then significantly cheaper. But you have to buy the tickets in blocks of 5, 5-single-ticket package costs 9 (means 1.8 each), 5-short-trip-ticket package costs 4.5 (means 0.9 each) and Day Ticket Single tickets is 3.7. Single tickets and 24-h Day ticket are also available from automatic machines at central bus stops.The “Lokalbahn” train has a separate station under the main railway station and travels in the direction of Oberndorf and Lamprechtshausen. Tickets can be bought on the train.Another option for exploring areas around the main city (Bad Ischl, Fuschlsee, etc.) are the Postbuses. These also leave from the main railway station

Airport: SZG Salzburg Airport Cities in Austria

Country: Austria