Salzburg Card

Before heading to Salzburg, I had to evaluate whether I should purchase a Salzburg Card, and the number of days I will need the card. In the end, given that we will visit Salzburg for 2 days, we will visit all the places that does not require the Salzburg Card on the first day, and use our 1-day Salzburg Card on the second day of our trip. You can click the link for more information about the Salzburg Card.

Destination

1. Schloss Berchtesgarden

Berchtesgarden is our first stop, given that the place is at the most eastern end of Salzburg, and we want to slowly head towards the east as the day progresses. Beside the castle, there is a chapel and a small boutique souvenir shop that is worthwhile to visit.

2. Salt Mine Berchtesgaden

This place is a classic, and is really worthwhile to go especially for kids. It is strongly advisable to go online and purchase tickets a few days before the trip. Each person will need to wear a special bib and brace in order to enter the mine. The visitors will take a ride on the train for several minutes, and arrived to a place where you get to slide down a steep slope to enter the underground mine. Anybody who are scared of slides will be invite to take the stairs in another place. The touring guide will explain the history of the mine, tourists are also given an audio for language translation.

There was also a part in the mine where we boarded on a boat and sailing through a pond, and was able to some beautiful twinkle lights inside the mine. The entire journey took around one hour.

3. Sound of Music Pavilion, Hellbrunn Castle Palace and Garden

Note that on our way to Hellbrunn Palace, we dropped by Gasteservice Anif tourist information centre to purchase a Salzburg Card for our second day visit at Salzburg. I prefer a physical card but you can always make the purchase online.

The Sound of Music Pavilion is a classic site that nobody wants to miss. Unfortunately the weather was unsettled for the entire day, and many people were forced to include an umbrella in the photo. There is a paid parking (Hellbrunn carpark) nearby, and you will find the pavilion as you walk past the entrance.

The Hellbrunn Palace Castle is another historical landmark cannot be missed. Inside the palace there were some magnificent piece of artworks, along with sculptures and furnitures, which is really worthwhile for a visit. There is also a fountain garden that provides insights on some of the historical events happened around the city. At the garden, remember to look out for some operators or hidden fountains that may splashes some water towards you!

4. Fortress Hohensalzburg via the Festungbahn

We arrived to Salzburg city centre on the second day of our trip. Although we arrived around 10am in the morning on a weekday, the traffic was already very congested, and we need to wait for parking for quite a while. I suggest to park at Conti Parking, which is less than 1 Euro for the first 3 hours, and to consider to arrive very early in the morning to secure parking without queueing, it wasted us a lot of precious time.

To get to the Fortress, we use the Salzburg Card and took the Festungbahn to get up to the mountain. There were some really amazing views when were at the top of the hill. The Fortress is also a beauty, there were some free exhibitions inside and the kids had a fun time exploring the site.