Hohensalzburg Fortress
Fortress Hohensalzburg is a real eye-catcher, high above the Baroque towers of the city. The castle remains a visible landmark to this day and is an unmistakable feature of Salzburg’s world-famous skyline. From afar, the mighty walls begin to reveal the history visitors experience at first hand within these sturdy defenses.
Salzburg – the city of Mozart – is overlooked by Fortress Hohensalzburg, one of the largest existing 11th century fortress complexes in Europe. This imposing monument is a remarkable sign of the desire for recognition expressed by the prince bishops – and a demonstration of the political authority and power they held. The fortifications were built to protect the prince bishops and the principality itself from attack. Actually, the fortress never faced a real siege. Most of the time the prince bishops lived in the palace at the heart of Salzburg town, known as the ‘Residenz’.
Highlights
Highlights of a visit include the Golden Hall – where lavish banquets were once held – with a gold-studded ceiling imitating a starry night sky. Your ticket also gets you into the Marionette Museum, where skeleton-in-a-box Prince-Archbishop Wolf Dietrich steals the (puppet) show, and the Fortress Museum, which showcases a 1612 model of Salzburg, as well as medieval instruments, armour and some pretty gruesome torture devices.
Opening Hours
January – April: 9.30 a.m. – 5.00 p.m.
May – September: 9.00 a.m. – 8.00 p.m.
October– December: 9.30 a.m. – 5.00 p.m.
Advent weekends and Easter: 9.30 a.m. – 6.00 p.m.
Tickets
Basic tickets:
Adult: 12.80 EUR or £11 / $14
Child: 7.30 EUR or £6 / $8
Family: 32.30 EUR or £27 / $35
All-inclusive tickets:
Adult: 15.90 EUR or £13.50 / $17
Child: 9.10 EUR or £8 / $10
Family: 40.30 EUR or £34 / $44
Tickets can be bought online here or at the information desk at the base of the funicular.
How to get there
Arrival by car
The entire Salzburg old town is a pedestrian zone and is not accessible by car. We therefore recommend using the public car parks in Mönchsberg or Nonntal. There are other car parks at the Mirabellgarage, the Rotkreuz-Parkplatz near the Salzach or at the end of the Linzergasse. If you park in the convenient ‘Park & Ride’ parking spaces at the exhibition center (A1 – highway exit exhibition center) or on the Alpenstraße (A10 – highway exit Salzburg south), you can reach the Salzburg old town by public transport quickly and without traffic jams.
Get your parking tickets stamped at the cash register
Have your parking ticket stamped at the ticket window to receive a discounted parking tariff for the garage in Mönchsberg.
Arrival from train station
Salzburg’s main railway station is only about 20 minutes’ walk from Salzburg’s old town. Travelers can find bus stops for city buses in front of the station. The trolleybus (O-Bus) lines 1, 25, 3, 5 and 6 go from the main station directly to Salzburg city center. Get off at the bus stop Rathaus (Town Hall) or Ferdinand-Hanusch-Platz (Ferdinand-Hanusch Square). By walking along the Getreidegasse and across Alter Markt Square, Residenzplatz, Domplatz and Kapitelplatz you can reach the Festungsgasse (Castle Street) in about five minutes.
Arrival from airport
Salzburg airport is the second largest airport in Austria and is located only around four kilometers away from the city center. It provides very good flight connections to big European cities and is well linked to the main transport hubs of Frankfurt, Vienna, London and Zurich. From Salzburg airport you can reach the Salzburg’s old town by taxi or public transport buses (O-bus line 8) in around 20 minutes.
Images
We loved the fortress in Salzburg! Make sure its on your list!
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