22 Best Hotels in Salzburg, Austria

The sleek, contemporary style of the Blue Goose boutique art hotel counters the building's centuries-old pedigree and offers guests a stellar location at the top of the main shopping street—although the reception is at the other side of the building, just across from the Grosses Festspielhaus. More than 120 works by avant-garde artists adorn the walls of the winding corridors between low archways and ancient wood beams—look out for David Moises' "The Ultimate Machine aka Shannon's Hand"; the moment it is switched on, a hand emerges to switch itself back off again—while the plush furnishings in the lounge are works of art themselves. Upstairs, the guest rooms are beautifully understated, with whitewashed walls, heritage features, and sparkling modern bathrooms. Guests will also enjoy the well-stocked reading room, ancient wine cellar, and excellent restaurant. Artists, curators, and Salzburg Festival patrons flock to this hotel, so be sure to make reservations well in advance.

Tucked away on a tiny street near Residenzplatz, this small boutique hotel in a 14th-century building offers stylish, comfortable rooms, some with oak-beam ceilings. Its location on a quiet street in the heart of the Altstadt is hard to beat, while the prices are fairly low (by Salzburg standards)—especially out of season.

A picture-perfect Alpine chalet on the lofty perch of the Gersberg, high above Salzburg, this hotel is less than 15 minutes by car from the Neustadt. Inside, it has all the warmth and rustic coziness you would expect in a country house; indeed, it was originally a 19th-century farmhouse. Guest rooms have contemporary furniture and wooden balconies overlooking the mountain scenery. The house restaurant is excellent—the seasonal menu changes monthly and serves favorites such as locally caught fish and Tafelspitz (broiled beef). Locals know to request the off-menu homemade Kaiserschmarrn (fluffy, baked, shredded pancake with plum compote) for dessert. The wine list has an outstanding selection of Austrian wines. The outdoor pool and small playground make it an especially nice place for families.

Celebrities from Picasso to Pavarotti have favored the Golden Stag for its legendary gemütlichkeit (friendliness) and away-from-it-all feel. The interiors were dramatically redesigned in 2019, so even the classic rooms are a good size, with large TVs, wooden desks (often hiding a vanity table), comfy rugs, and spacious bathrooms with smart toilets, while the suites add seating areas and space to stretch out. Each room is unique, but all blend modern touches and colorful trims with wooden beams, stucco ceiling decorations, and antique feature pieces. Downstairs, there are two restaurants: the regal dining room with its vaulted ceilings and menu of international dishes alongside Salzburg specialties (try the towering Salzburger Nockerl); and a smaller bistro serving Austrian classics, loved by locals for its cozy, timbered look and house specialty Nürnberger Bratwürstl (half a dozen roasted sausages with sauerkraut). After dinner, take a seat at the stylish bar to try the signature cocktail "Susanne." It's named for a little girl who used to visit with her parents every year; as she got older, more and more ingredients were added, so by the time she was an adult she had a delicious cocktail of orange juice, Campari, crème de cassis, vodka, and Prosecco.

Renovated in recent years, the guest rooms in this 500-year-old house are individually decorated, featuring wooden floors and antique armoires among understated modern accents. Downstairs, greet the day in one of the cutest breakfast nooks in Salzburg. The hotel site was once home to one of Salzburg's communal baths. Back in Wolfgang's time houses didn't have running water, so travelers—especially those arriving through the nearby Linz Gate—would head straight here after their long, dusty trip. Today travelers still make a beeline here. If you're wondering why the hotel has Mozart's middle name, this 500-year-old house is not far from the St. Sebastian church and cemetery where many members of his family are booked in for an eternal stay.

A lush, green oasis is tucked between the two buildings that comprise the Auersperg: the hotel, built in 1892 by the noted Italian architect Ceconi, and its neighboring villa. The lobby welcomes you with Biedermeier antiques, and upstairs, the rooms have a fresh, modern feel, accented with classic ornaments. On request, kids' toys, food, and babysitters can be arranged. An extensive local, organic breakfast buffet, bicycles (including one fitted with a toddler trailer), and access to the rooftop sauna, steam bath, and lounge are included, while useful extras like iPads and e-bikes are available for hire. A five-minute walk brings you to the popular shopping street Linzergasse, while the historic Mirabell Palace is 10-minute walk away.

There is little wonder that this pale-yellow palace, just across the river from the Altstadt and with stunning historic detail and fine artwork, has attracted an impressive roster of royal and celebrity guests. Emperor Franz Josef I, Sigmund Freud, and the cast of The Sound of Music have all stayed here, to name a few (check out the photograph gallery in the plush piano bar). Rooms feature chandeliers and marble baths, and some have inner doors with their original etched glass. Some are classic historical, some are in whimsical Napoleonic style with tented ceilings, and others are in sleek, modern style. A few of the deluxe suites have stupendous views of the entire city. Classic international and Austrian dishes are served in the Polo Lounge.

With its cozy rooms, fantastic central location, and excellent on-site restaurant and bar, Hotel Elefant is an old Salzburg favourite. And we mean old: this 750-year-old house began life as an inn run by Salzburg citizen Hans Goldeisen, who was entrusted with the care of Maximilian II's pet Indian elephant Soliman, a local sensation of the 1500s. Dive into the famous, fluffy Salzburger Nockerl at an outdoor table of the attached Wirtshaus Elefant restaurant.

A two-minute walk from the Old City, next to the historic tunnel that plows through the Mönchsberg, and directly in front of a stop on several bus lines, this basic hotel has location and transportation covered. The interior is colorful though very dated, and some of the larger rooms have balconies. Parking is available in the small on-site lot or in the underground garage across the street, and buses connecting to the city center and the main station stop right outside the front door.

Wonderfully located right on the Salzach River, this mammoth heritage hotel has attracted guests from the Beatles and the Rolling Stones to Hillary and Chelsea Clinton, but the owners, the Gürtler family, will ensure that even if you don't have a Vuitton steamer trunk you'll feel welcome. The main atrium is a symphony in marble, while the grand staircase still looks like the Empress Sisi could make a dazzling entrance amidst its ferns. Upstairs, guest rooms are so lovely there is a danger you won't want to leave (especially if you get one with picture-perfect views of the Old City). Each is different, but all are exquisitely decorated. Restaurants include haute-style dining at the Zirbelzimmer, grilled specialties at the Sacher Grill, and of course the Salzburg outpost of Vienna's fabled Café Sacher.

With gorgeous gardens and hiking trails all around, it's little wonder the 19th-century naturalist Alexander von Humboldt called this gable-roofed, tower-studded mansion a "small piece of paradise." Catherine the Great of Russia and the Duchess of Liechtenstein are among the notables who have stayed in this historic property (dating back to 1350), where corridors are cut straight out of the mountain rock. Lovingly-refurbished rooms combine clever design and modern luxuries with heritage features and classical elegance. Take a summertime dip in the tempting infinity pool, warm up in the year-round outdoor Jacuzzi, steam room and sauna, and enjoy a host of spa treatments in the wellness area. You can dine in the Glass Garden restaurant, set within an impressive glass dome and with breathtaking views over the city, or in the atmospheric, antique-stuffed Gothic Saloon. Welcome drinks are served in the chic Apollo Bar. Getting to town means either a 10-minute woodland walk to the Mönchsberg elevator (there are free tickets at reception) or a short taxi ride. For drivers, there's free on-site parking available.

Standing tall over the Staatsbrücke and looking across at the Old City, Hotel Stein provides a high-end, design-forward, adults-only accommodation option at the very heart of Salzburg. The building may be historic, but the interior is unapologetically modern, with a blue sky/lagoon theme running throughout the bright and airy lobby, the plushly decorated bedrooms, the soothing wellness center, and even the al fresco Steinterrasse restaurant. Avoid the elevator and take the stairs to see the hotel's most striking design feature: a chandelier-like installation made of hundreds of blue glass discs that hang seven floors down from the ceiling.

The embodiment of Austrian gemütlichkeit (friendliness), just off Mozartplatz, the small, family-owned, in-the-center-of-everything Hotel Wolf (not to be confused with Hotel Wolf-Dietrich across the river) offers spotlessly clean and cozy rooms in a rustic building from the year 1429. Rooms are idiosyncratically arranged on several upper floors, connected by narrow, winding stairs, and are decorated with a pleasing Salzburg mix of rag rugs and rural furniture. It's popular, so be sure to book far in advance.

Located in a residential area just north of the New Town, this smart new hotel (opened in December 2022) offers warm and elegantly designed rooms complete with comfortable king-size beds, stylish furnishings made from natural materials, and modern conveniences including coffee pod machines. Upgrade to a Junior Suite for extra space and riverside views to the Altstadt and the mountains beyond. Downstairs, the Mayburg Living Room—a swanky lounge-bar area—is where meals are served, from the excellent (included) buffet at breakfast to tasty burgers in the evening. There's also an honesty bar with drinks and snacks available 24 hours a day. Guests here will also enjoy the relaxing roof-garden terrace and small gym.

This budget-friendly, thoroughly modern, and recently redesigned riverside hotel is situated halfway between the Mirabellgarten and the main train station. Rooms are compact but comfortable and stylish with big TVs, strong air-conditioning, and, in some rooms, balconies overlooking the river. The breakfast buffet (not included in the room rate) only has cold options, but the meats, cheeses, and pastries are exceptional, and everyone is catered for (note the half-dozen different milks on offer).

Part of a Spanish hotel chain, this pretty building is in a nice location, around the corner from Linzergasse (the shopping street leading to the Salzach River) and five minutes away from the beautiful Mirabellgarten. The exterior has Art Nouveau awnings, Secession-style sash windows, and white stone trim, and inside all is sleek and comfy. There is a rich buffet-style breakfast, and the restaurant has a garden terrace.

This venerable 1372 building, one of the city's oldest inns, is an impressive riverside landmark with its buff pink facade and iron lanterns. The interior has been renovated to within an inch of its life, but stone arches, beamed ceilings, and tasteful antiques remain. On one side, rooms overlook the river and the picturesque hilltop cloister; on the other, those on upper floors sneak a peek at the fortress. Rooms are spacious and light filled, and most are furnished with reproduction antiques and traditional accents. The Symphonie Restaurant is elegance personified, with royal-blue and gold hues ashimmer under Rococo chandeliers.

A large lake and expansive grounds surround this historic palace immortalized in The Sound of Music, located less than a kilometer (⅔ mile) southwest of Fortress Hohensalzburg, which was originally built in the 18th century for Archbishop Leopold von Firmian. In 1918 it became the summer residence of Max Reinhardt, founder of the Salzburg Festival, and today you can yourself marvel at the mirrors of the Venetian Room and enjoy the property's two libraries. Coffee and a slice of homemade cake, or a glass of locally produced wine, are best enjoyed on the enchanting terrace overlooking the peaceful lake and jagged Untersberg mountains. The historic Meierhof building offers 55 elegant, modern rooms embellished with artifacts discovered in hotel storage; if you're a fan of The Sound of Music, request one of the handful of rooms adorned with movie and stage memorabilia. There are also 12 luxurious suites in the palace itself.

With the lovely Mirabellgarten virtually at its back door, this modern hotel tastefully blends in with the belle-epoque buildings that surround it. Rooms are soothing in tone with contemporary furniture, and contain all the little extras and then some; try to get one room facing the gardens. The buffet breakfast (not included in the basic room rate) is enough to keep you going all day. The house café, with attractive garden seating, bakes all its tempting pastries and strudels on the premises.

Snuggled under the monument-studded Kapuzinerberg and a two-minute walk from the bridge leading to the center of the Altstadt, the Stadtkrug (dated 1353) hits an idyllic, romantic, and quiet vibe, thanks to its mountainside setting. A traditional wrought-iron sign greets you, the lobby tinkles with chandeliers, and the main-floor restaurant is your archetypal, white, classic, vaulted Salzburg sanctuary. Upstairs you find charming rustic rooms. Head up to the roof to enjoy a restaurant that is terraced into the mountainside and set with statues, potted begonias, echoes of Italy, and lovely views.

Tucked away below the walls of Fortress Hohensalzburg, this historic hotel offers beautifully-appointed bedrooms packed with charming antique furnishings, as well as a relaxing garden and small spa. There are only six rooms in all, but each is individually decorated, combining historic features like thick wooden doors, ancient beamed ceilings, and time-worn cabinets with extra-long beds, flat-screen TVs and iPads, and stylish stone bathrooms with rain showers. Opt for a third-floor Deluxe Room to enjoy stunning views over the Altstadt. The building's history, with stretches back to at least the 1300s, is also on show in the spacious second-floor lounge area, with exposed wooden ceilings and lime-plastered walls with natural pigments. This is where breakfast (an optional extra) is served, while there's also an honesty bar and access to the hidden-gem garden. You can reserve rooms individually or book out the whole property for a large group; you'll need to book very early if you want the whole property during the Salzburg Festival.

This small, family-owned hotel is an inviting choice, with some of the guest rooms including attractive sitting areas; rooms in the back look out over the looming Gaisberg and the cemetery of St. Sebastian. Note that this hotel is divided between houses opposite each other: the main Altstadthotel (no air-conditioning) and the Residenz (all rooms with air-conditioning). The reception, breakfast room, spa, and other public areas are all in the main building. The hotel also has apartments a couple blocks away.