I'll be staying in Salzburg for almost 1 week in late September. Any ideas for things to do alone during the days while my significant other is working? We'll be arriving via train fom Munich, so I will not have a car. Short day trips on public transportation are a possibility. I'm also interested in fun things to do in the evenings/nights while we're there.

Check Salzburg in the "destinations" guide, above.

Munich is a short train ride from Salzburg.

There are some fine shops in Salzburg, but be aware of the "Salzburg premiumquot; things are more expensive that elsewhere. So shop in Munich!

Salzburg does have, however, a Villeroy et Boch shop that's special. There are any number of cafés for evening enjoyment.

I once spent a week at Christmas in Salzburg. I thought the biggest attraction in Salzburg was the beauty of the town. I never tired of walking through the downtown, to Mirabell Gardens, in St. Peter's cemetary, up to the castle and along the river. The view of the lighted castle and church spires at night from bridges over the river was breath taking.

We had a car and visited both the Donau River and the Salzkammergut (a lake district). I especially enjoyed visits to St. Florian's abbey just outside Linz; I preferred it to Melk.

There have been several threads lately in "Trip Advisor" on public transport from Salzburg that you might view.

http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowForum...6-Austria.html

Finally, Salzburg is a fun place for shopping. I preferred the art stores but that is just personal tastes.

Just being in Salzburg is fun.

Regards, Gary

Great day trip by bus and boat...
take the postal bus from Salzburg to St Gilgen, on gorgeous Lake Wolfgang and then the boat across this pristine Alpine lake to St Wolfgang, a wondrous town of old wooden buildings and return to Salzburg by bus - about an hour or two each way - cheap.
Or you can take Sound of Music mini-bus tours to the same area and these will also stop at other places that were the venue of filming the Sound of Music film. They are not terribley expensive - your hotel will surely have brochures.

I have 4 favorite places to visit in Salzburg: the Festung on the hill, the Marionetten Theater, the Festspielhaus where the concerts and operas are given, and Schloss Hellbrunn, provided the water display devices are operating.

In the surrounding area, Berchtesgaden in a short trip away and most people find it beautiful. Hallstadt is a visitable objective; so are the lake towns of St. Gilen and Mondsee.

There are other objectives in the region known as the Salzkammergut that attract people as well.

A day trip to Vienna is a bit of a stretch because the train ride is about 6 hours out of the day.

Munich is about half as far, and doable in a day for a visit to an interesting city.

At the village of Priem, just off the main rail line to Munich, is the dock for the boat to one of Ludwig II's dream castles known das Neues Schloss on Herreninsel in the lake known as Chiemsee. The "new castle" is where Ludwig spent even more money to emulate Versailles. Some people think that the castle in some resects even surpasses Versailles, but Ludwig had the advantage of more advanced technology - about 150 years worth of new tools and techniques.

I agree with BB about Herrenchiemsee castle that was 'Mad' Ludwig's gem - a great easy day trip from Salzburg. Take train to Prien then walk about a mile to the boat dock or take the old-fashioned tiny steam train from the train station vicinity to the dock for constant boats to the island and castle.

Smashing day trip - could be the best single one IMO - in terms of easiness and astounding.

Hhhhmmmm...this is a good query!! Without hubby and solo, I can easily kill one full day in Salzburg seeing the sites, walking the Getriedegasse (main shopping/pedestrian zone, visiting the shops, especially the Trachten items for gifts. I would need a big break in the afternoon for kaffee and kuchen at the Cafe Tomaselli(my fav). If they have it, I would choose a piece of Esterhazy torte to go with my coffee.
Next day, I would take the bus to Berchtesgaden. If I could find a local tour bus that would stop in the city of B'gaden and also at the Konigsee that would be a plus! I can spend a whole day in B'gaden visiting the castle in town and enjoying the shops and wandering around. I would have lunch at the outdoor cafe at the Hotel Post. This is a great people watching spot. In the afternoon, I would go over to the park at the Kurhaus and enjoy the daily outdoor concert in good weather. For sure, I would stop at the local shops to purchase some Enzian liquor to bring home and maybe some of the local crystal and some nice German white wine - probably a Muller Thurgau, which I can't find here in the states. In the small square near the Hotel Post, I would go in to the Cafe Forstner for kaffee and some good kuchen. While I was in there, I would buy some great Marzipan for gifts and in case I get a hunger pain! Next day, I would take the train to Munich...this is a fun trip with great sites along the way. In Munich, I would visit the Victualienmarkt as well as the museums and the Hofbrauhaus.
Next day, I would take a tour bus to go up to the Eagle's Nest and the Rossfeldstrasse and perhaps the Konigsee if I didn't see it yet... Wow, this is fun and I only did 3 days!! Anyway, I hope this helps a little bit!

Be sure to visit the Hohensalzburg. There is a tour of the inside of the fortress that I really enjoyed.

While you are all the way up at the top of the hill be sure to visit the Nonnberg, where Maria von Trapp was a novitiate. The Nonnberg is thought to be the oldest, continually inhabited convent in the world (founded in 713 AD).

Also visit the Mozart Museum on the Getreidegassse.

And be SURE to have the peach souffle at the Siftskeller St Peter (next to St Peter's Church). It is the oldest restaurant in Austria. (It dates to before 803 AD)

I don't think anyone has mentioned it yet - but my favorite shop in Salzburg is the "egg shop" which sells beautifully painted hollow eggs.

They're not cheap (probably starting at 5 or 6 euros each and going up) and I think you have to pay cash.....but they are spectacular! Painted eggs for every season and occaision. I have about 6 that I put on my Xmas tree each year.

The shop is in the pedestrian area in the old side of town - not too far from the ice skating rink/Mozart statue.

On several occasions we have enjoyed delightful chamber music in the evenings at the Hohensalzburg fortress. Your hotel concierge can arrange tickets for you. Beautiful view also--gazing out over the lights of Salzburg from the fortress windows.

Cheers,

Jinx Hoover

i would check to see if ice caves in werfen and/or the salt mine at Hallein are having tours - both are excellent