Salzburg is a city of music: the birthplace of Mozart, the backdrop for The Sound of Music and the stage for the Salzburg Festival. Even if you’re not a music lover, Salzburg still has the power to seduce with its narrow cobbled streets, home to centuries of history, an Alpine landscape and the 1,000-year-old Hohensalzburg Fortress. Explore the city’s history, music and surrounding nature, before retiring to one of the city’s best hotels.
The best places to stay in Salzburg are:
- Best for history: Radisson Blu Hotel Altstadt, Booking.com
- Best for art and design: artHotel Blaue Gans, Booking.com
- Best for old world charm: Hotel Sacher Salzburg, Booking.com
- Best for the socially conscious: Hotel Villa Auersperg, Booking.com
- Best for luxury: Hotel Bristol, Booking.com
- Best for mountain views: Hotel Schloss Leopoldskron, Booking.com
- Best boutique hotel: Boutique Hotel am Dom, Booking.com
- Best for wellness: Romantik Hotel Gmachl, Booking.com
- Best for budget travellers: Hotel Meininger, Booking.com
Best for history: Radisson Blu Hotel Altstadt
Neighbourhood: Altstadt
Step back in time at this hotel, which dates back to 1377. The Radisson Blu Hotel Altstadt spreads out across two medieval buildings at the heart of the Unesco protected Old Town, just minutes from where Mozart was born. Although the hotel sighs with history – one legend states that a 14th-century synagogue once stood here – you’ll still get all the 21st century luxuries you can’t live without, like high-speed wifi and lift access to all floors. There are 62 rooms and suites adorned with antiques, engravings of the city and exposed wooden beams. Breakfast is served in the Symphonie Restaurant, where the highlight is the conservatory overlooking the Salzach River.
Price: Rates from €205 (£176)
Best for art and design: artHotel Blaue Gans
Neighbourhood: Altstadt
By taking Salzburg’s oldest inn and turning it into a chic boutique hotel, the artHotel Blaue Gans successfully blends tradition and modern design. Each corner is unique in this historic hotel, where modern art hangs on the 14th century walls of its individually designed 35 rooms and suites. Aged wooden beams and headboards complement the contemporary furniture and state-of-the-art entertainment system. There are 120 pieces of artwork exhibited, including sculpture and photography, and foodies can dine in the hotel restaurant and bar, where dishes and cocktails feature fresh herbs picked from the courtyard garden.
Price: Rates from €207 (£177)
Best for old world charm: Hotel Sacher Salzburg
Neighbourhood: Altstadt
The hotel Sacher Salzburg may not be the city’s oldest hotel – it opened in 1866 – but it captures the spirit of the “World of Yesterday” evoked in one-time Salzburg resident Stefan Zweig’s novels, with its grand marble staircase and porters dressed in scarlet uniforms. The Sacher faces the old town from the other side of the Salzach River, minutes away from the baroque Mirabell Gardens. The hotel’s 110 rooms feature crystal chandeliers, fresh flowers, original art and antique furniture; some even overlook the spires of the old town and the fortress. Don’t forget to try the famous Sachertorte in the Sacher Cafe. Take a look at our more in-depth review.
Price: Rates from €458, (£155)
Best for the socially conscious: Hotel Villa Auersperg
Neighbourhood: Schallmoos
Minutes away from the Old Town, the Hotel Villa Auersperg slumbers in a quiet, pedestrianised part of town. There are 55 rooms and suites in this modern family-run hotel, which follows an ethical philosophy to work for the common good of its guests, staff and environment. It is also ideal for the health conscious, with its certified organic breakfast, rooftop spa with bi-weekly yoga classes and hidden secret gardens for guests seeking an urban sanctuary. Take a look at our more in-depth review.
Price: Rates from €181 (£155)
Best for luxury: Hotel Bristol
Neighbourhood: Altstadt
The moment you walk through the doors of the Hotel Bristol, expect to be dazzled with sparkling crystal chandeliers, smooth marble, polished brass, wrought iron railings hugging the stairs and heavy, plush fabrics draped or upholstered on antique furniture. The Hübner family took over the hotel around 75 years ago – which today has 60 individually designed rooms and suites – and transformed it into one of Salzburg’s leading hotels. The hotel’s luxury goes beyond the decor, as you can request a private in-room massage or your own private butler. A decadent breakfast spread is served in the crystal and gold-clad Crystal Ballroom, an occasion well worth rising from your slumber for.
Price: Rates from €349 (£299)
Best for mountain views: Hotel Schloss Leopoldskron
Neighbourhood: Riedenburg
Just a few minutes from downtown Salzburg, this hotel wins on views alone. Perched on a lake inside a 17 acre park, Hotel Schloss Leopoldskron overlooks the Untersberg Mountain and Alps. This palace will look familiar if you’ve seen The Sound of Music, as it was one of the locations used in the film, and groups spill out of The Sound of Music tour buses the other side of the lake to snap photos. Good news for guests though: no casual visitors are allowed on the property. The 18th-century palace houses 12 suites, the stuccoed Marble Hall (where breakfast is served) and the extravagant Max Reinhardt library; the neighbouring Meierhof building has 55 modern rooms.
Price: Rates from €204 (£175)
Best boutique hotel: Boutique Hotel am Dom
Neighbourhood: Altstadt
You’ll find the Boutique Hotel am Dom tucked in a narrow side street in the old town. This 15 room boutique hotel is only three minutes from the cathedral, and close to all the shops and sights. The elements of the 14th-century townhouse it occupies can be seen in the wooden beams and vaulted breakfast room, but most of the hotel is clean and white, with modern art inspired by music and quirky light fixtures. Breakfast is filling, and you can request eggs prepared to your liking; boiled eggs come with hand-knitted egg-warmers.
Price: Rates from €202 (£173)
Best for wellness: Romantik Hotel Gmachl
Neighbourhood: Elixhausen
Run by the same family since 1334, after 23 generations, the Romantik Hotel Gmachl is Austria’s oldest family run hotel, but with its modern, rustic looks it’s easy to forget. If you want to be in the middle of the action, this is not the hotel for you: it's in the village of Elixhausen just 15 minutes by bus from the centre of Salzburg – but it is the place to come to relax. Aside from the 76 rooms and suites, there is also a 1,500 square metre spa, complete with a glass-walled infinity pool with front row views of the Alps and a selection of saunas.
Price: Rates from €486 (£400)
Best for budget travellers: Hotel Meininger
Neighbourhood: Schallmoos
Although Hotel Meininger is a hostel, out of the 102 rooms, 33 are doubles and all rooms are en-suite. The modern, sleek-looking hotel is mostly grey, but the decor is punctuated with bright bursts of welcome colour. There is a communal kitchen and a laundry service, but the real highlight is the fifth-floor terrace overlooking the tree-covered Kapuzinerberg nearby.
Price: Rates from €87 (£75)
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