3 Best Performing Arts Venues in The Altstadt, Salzburg

This morality play by Hugo von Hofmannsthal is famously performed annually (in German) in the front courtyard of the cathedral. A centerpiece of the Salzburger Festspiele, the play—"Everyman" in English—begins with a rousing medieval parade of performers through the streets of the Altstadt, spilling onto the stage for a colorful, intense, and moving presentation of the allegorical story of wealthy, selfish Jedermann's final journey before death. Few of the thousands packing the plaza are unmoved when, at the height of the banquet, church bells around the city ring out and the voice of Death is heard calling "Jedermann—Jedermann—Jed-er-mann" from the Franziskanerkirche tower, followed by echoes of voices from other steeples and from atop the Fortress Hohensalzburg. Despite the fact Jedermann is performed several times a week throughout the festival, the tickets go very fast (it's one of the first shows to sell out every year), so book early; prices range from €10 to €190.

Eyes from all corners of the world are on this city during the Salzburger Festspiele, which mounts a full calendar of magnificently produced operas every summer, and even more during the Whitsun Festival in May. These performances are held in three main venues along Hofstallgasse in the Old City: the Grosses Festspielhaus (Great Festival Hall), which opened in 1960 and seats more than 2,150; the Haus für Mozart (House for Mozart), with its massive lobby frescoes by Salzburg painter Anton Faistauer; and the Felsenreitschule (the Rocky Riding School), which was hewn out of the rock of the Mönchsberg during the 17th century and offers a setting that is itself as dramatic as anything presented on stage. There are also performances at the Landestheater (State Theater) across the river and at numerous other smaller venues, where lieder recitals and chamber works dominate. Prices range from the affordable (€15) to the eye-watering (€450-plus).

World-class guest orchestras and Salzburg's own Mozarteum Orchestra appear in the Grosses Festspielhaus and the Great Hall of the Mozarteum during the fall and winter under the auspices of the Salzburg Cultural Association. If you visit over Sylvester (New Year's Eve), you can experience the Austrian tradition of the brass-and-wind-powered New Year's Concert. It also created Salzburg Cultural Days, filling the autumn off-season with top talent and exciting performances.