Salzburg -Is one day enough?
 

Planning a trip for May. Juggling itinerary. Is one full day enough to see Salzburg or should we take another day from 3 days in Munich? What did you MOST enjoy in Salzburg? We love the local color,people, etc. but are not big museum people. Thanks for your advice.

Sandy

Salzburg is a great town. The tour of the castle is interesting. We also broke down about 10 years ago and did the SOUND OF MUSIC bus tour. I have to admit...we enjoyed it. It gave you a very nice tour of the area around Salzburg.

One fun tip: Find Mozarts Birthplace in the OLD TOWN area. As you face the building, turn around. You will see a small bar that looks out of place. This is a great spot for a drink or beer.

My vote would be to try to spend extra time there. If the weather is good, you will be glad you did. We have been to Salzburg many times over the years and will be returning with friends in June for one more time. We usually stay in Berchtesgaden and drive over for the visit.

I do not think one day is enough. You can see and do a lot in two days. Salzburg is such a lovely city and is one of my favorites.

As previously noted, the tour of the Hohensalzburg Fortress is interesting. Take time to visit and take pictures in the Mirabell gardens.

I also really enjoyed walking the streets and shopping in the old town. All the storefront windows are so beautifully dressed.

Although it can be crowded, I found Salzburg to be a city in which one could relax, wander and not feel rushed.

Ok, I'm posting just because I have a question on how the heck did this thread get into the top 50 when the last post was on Dec. 27th? Is there a new post that is not showing up on my computer? This is freaky.

Well, now I'm confused. The new post (the one just above mine) showed up after I hit "post my reply." Either I'm crazy, or my computer is. I think it's me.

One day is pushing it - unless you can start really early and run all day.

at a minimum:

Castle/hill
Old town
Mozart's House
Mirabel gardens
several churches (I love the audio tour all about the "Wergin")
Try to see at least one concert/musical event

I've been trying to post a reply for some time without it showing up. However, it does show up on the "post a reply" page. Strange.

Others may disagree, but I feel one day is plenty. I did it as a day trip by train from Munich and was disappointed. Perhaps my expectations were too high. There were hordes of tourists even in April. The nice shopping street was crowded with people buying everything Mozart. Costumed hawkers for mediocre concerts were at every turn. And of course the Sound of Music fix was available too. Even the main square was asphalt instead of cobbles.

Sure it's worth a visit for a few hours but I wouldn't spend more than a day. Don't let the hype take too much time away from Munich. You can by Mozart chocolate bars anywhere.

Salzburg is beautiful, wonderful and "atmospheric". Others have given you very good ideas so I won't repeat those.
Munich is interesting, but really just "a large CITY", though it has a lot to offer and to experience.
Salzburg is great for walking the streets in the old town and observing the "local color, people , and culture.
We are not huge museum fans either, though enjoy certain ones once in awhile. In Munich (many years ago when we lived overseas) and we had children ages 9,l0,12 we spent almost a whole day in the HUGE science Museum, with "hands on" displays etc.
I'd vote, as other have, for spending a second day in Salzburg.
(the Sound of Music tour might be a little hoky, but as someone else said : you get to see the countryside and outlying areas.) We had a car and drove about the same route 2 years ago..TWENTY FIVE years after our first trip there.!
Mozart's house, the castle, the streets, historical buildings etc!!

I'm with Jeff on this one; I liked Salzburg but personally thought that a day was more than enough. We spent a week in a small town about 20 minutes from Salzburg, and while we did enjoy Salzburg, we liked the surrounding area (Salzkammergut and Berchtesgadenland) a whole lot more.

I just feel that the city is quite small. If you get there early enough you could certainly visit most of the main sights in well under a day. That being said, an extra day would allow for a more leisurely experience, but if I had an extra day I would spend it in the stunning countryside. Its just a matter of personal preference.

Tracy

Most of the charm of Salzburg is in people's minds and a fascination with Mozart, which can be equally satisfied in Vienna and Prague.

The SOM tour I took was an egregious ripoff. I can think of nothing favorable to say about it. There are cheaper bus rides to St. Gilgen and Mondsee.

The highlights of my 4 visits to Salzburg are these:

The Festung up on the hill.
A stroll around the Old Town.
A walk inside a couple of the churches.
A tour of the Festspielhaus that took us behind the scenes. (That one was memorable for two reasons: one, we got to see the opera sets and two the tour started off in German and English. The German speakers soon told the guide she need not repeat anything in German; her well-spoken English was sufficient.)
The Marionetten Theater
Schloss Hellbrunn
A concert at Mirabell Gardens - despite the fact that the room was not suitable and it was stuffy hot.

If you attend a performance at the Marionetten Theater and tour the trick water fountains at Schloss Hellbrunn you can spend 2 days rather easily.