How to Use the Salzburg Card to Save Money (Itinerary)

Last updated on January 26th, 2023 at 08:05 pm

If you are planning a trip to Salzburg, I am super excited for you! This beautiful Baroque city is often overlooked in favor other popular destinations around Austria such as Vienna or Innsbruck. But, it has much variety and value to offer visitors. It also has a wonderful offer that allows travelers to see more for less. So, if you are looking for a way to save money as you explore Salzburg, then the Salzburg Card just might be the right choice for you!! Keep reading to learn more about our own personal experience saving over 60 Euros during our visit. Additionally, I’ve included our 2-day itinerary using the 48-hr Salzburg Card for your own personal reference.

***Please note that this will NOT be the ideal travel plan for everyone, but I hope that by sharing our experience, I am able to help travelers better determine if this is the right choice for them.

View of Festung Salzburg Taken From the Water

***Disclaimer: please remember to check all entry requirements for Austria as well as any activities you wish to participate in before booking any part of your trip.

What is the Salzburg Card and How Does it Help You Save Money?

The Salzburg Card is a pass that you can purchase which covers your entry to most sites, museums, activities throughout Salzburg and even some places just outside of the city! Additionally, you will receive discounts at a number of other sites in the greater Salzburg area. And if that wasn’t enough, public transport is included with the Salzburg Card, so you can easily get to and from the points of interest with no additional costs! (Please note that this feature has some limitations as it does NOT include the S-railways, also known as the S-Bahn!)

The best part of this is the convenience of paying once and then being granted entry into all the locations that are included in the pass.

To view a list of all the places that you will receive free admission to, please click here.

For a list of places with reduced admission, please click here.

How Much Does the Salzburg Card Cost?

The price for the Salzburg Card will mostly depend on whether you buy the 24-hour, 48-hr, or 72-hr card.

Please note that the time for your pass begins after the first moment you use it! From that moment on, the clock starts ticking. So, plan your itinerary wisely in order to get the most out of your investment.

To see the most up to date prices, please click here. Please notice that the price is slightly higher if you are traveling during the peak season vs the off season.

Where To Get Your Salzburg Card

The most convenient option is to buy the virtual version of the Salzburg Card online. Alternatively, you can do what we did and purchase it at one of the Tourist Centers, hotels, and ticket offices in/around Salzburg.

How to Use the Salzburg Card

This is the easiest part! All you need to do is present you Salzburg Card when you enter a site or when you get on the public transportation! If you have a physical card (not virtual), you need to make sure it is signed and has the starting time written on it.

Once the Card is activated, you will have exactly 24 hrs, 48 hrs, or 72 hrs from that start time to use the Card. (This of course depends on which one you have purchased)

How to Choose Which Places You Should Visit with the Salzburg Card

In this section, I will walk you through a quick and easy set of questions. These are designed to help you determine if you personally will be able to save money using the Salzburg Card.

The Three Most Important Questions to Determine if the Salzburg Card Could Potentially Save You Money

1. The first question to ask when deciding which places to visit is: Which items on the Card list are the most expensive? This is an important question because it will play a crucial role in how much monetary value you are able to get out of your Salzburg Card. Therefore, you should always pinpoint which items on the list are most valuable first.

2. Next, ask yourself: Am I even interested in going to these places/doing these activities? If you’re not interested in the high value sites, there is a higher chance that the card will not benefit you. But, don’t completely write it off until you’ve gone through the next step! In my opinion, it is always best to verify something before giving up.

3. Finally, make a full list of sites you would like to visit and ask yourself: If I were to pay individually for each of these sites without the card, would that cost more than if I were to visit them with the card? This involves a bit of research but, it is a worth while effort. Look up every place you want to visit and write down the entry prices. Total them up and compare it to the cost for the Salzburg Card.

Helpful Hint: The Salzburg Card website makes this super easy for you! All you have to do is click on the sites you want to visit and you can view the most up to date prices.

If the Salzburg Card costs more than the total price for the places you want to visit, it’s not going to help you save money. If the Card costs less, continue on to the three follow up questions.

Three Important Follow Up Questions

1. If you have determined that you might be able to save money with the Salzburg with the card, then ask yourself: How long does it take to visit each of the sites/museums/tours/etc I want to go to? Of course, each Card has a time limit: 24 hrs, 48 hrs, or 72 hrs. So, you have to determine if it is even possible to see enough within those given time frames to get the most out of your Salzburg Card.

I recommend going through the whole list of places you want to visit and research the recommended amount of time to see each of them. Be sure to adjustments to these time suggestions based on what you think you and/or your travel party will be able to accomplish.

2. Next, ask yourself: Are any of the places located somewhat close together? Grouping site visits by their proximity to one another will help you save time and therefore money with the Salzburg Card. Use this information in conjunction with the information from the previous question to create a potential schedule of events.

3. Finally, and most importantly, you must ask yourself: Do I think this sounds like a reasonable schedule for myself and/or members of my travel party? Even if you determine that it would be impossible to accomplish absolutely everything given the locations, opening hours, time restrictions, etc., see which items you might be able to remove. Consider whether or not eliminating one or two sites from the list would still put you ahead financially.

Our Experience Saving Money With the Salzburg Card

We personally purchased the 48-hr Salzburg Card and we were very pleased with how much we were able to see within two days time. In order to save the most money with the Salzburg Card, we carefully plotted our route each day (using the above questions). For reference, at the time of our visit, the 48-hr Salzburg Card costed us 35,00 Euros per person, and we saved over 60 Euros per person!! In the following sections, you will find the itinerary we followed.

***Please note! Our trip took place at the end of May/early June. Opening times for the sites may vary depending on the time of year you visit Salzburg.

Wanting to Learn More About Things to do in Salzburg?

Christine’s Travel Gems is excited to once again be featured on the podcast Destinations Beyond Expectations! This fantastic podcast is hosted by Stevie G. and is designed for people who strive to be students of travel. Each of the episodes features travelers and destinations from around the world.

To tune into the Travel Gems Feature episode about Salzburg, be sure to visit the Destinations Beyond Expectations website, or you can tune in on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and others.

Additionally, you can find more information about specific sites mentioned in this post by going to: Fantastic Things to do on Your Vacation to Salzburg

Our Day 1 Itinerary With the Salzburg Card

1. Take the bus to Hellbrunn Palace – (entry price without Salzburg Card – 13,50 Euros per adult)

We chose to start at Hellbrunn Palace because seeing the trick fountains was one of the top things that I wanted to do in Salzburg. Overall, it took us about 2 hours to do everything. We arrived right at 9:30am and toured the palace interior before joining the trick fountain tour. Afterwards, we explored the grounds, found the Sound of Music gazebo, and even got to see an antique car show (which was taking place just outside of the palace).

2. Take the bus to Untersberg Cable Car – (entry price without Salzburg Card – 28 Euros per adult)

The Untersbergbahn runs continuously throughout the day, and takes about 8.5 minutes to get to the top. Please note that depending on the time of year, there may be a line and you may have to wait a while to ascend. Once you’re at the top, you can choose to explore as long as you would like and descend at your liesure.

For your reference, we chose to eat lunch at the restaurant here. An alternative would be to pack a small picnic and bring it with you (just remember you would have to carry it all over the palace beforehand).

3. Return to Salzburg Altstadt and visit Mozart’s Birthplace – (entry price without Salzburg Card 12 Euros per adult)

We arrived sometime between 2:30/3pm-ish. Altogether, it took us about 1 hour to visit Mozart’s birth home.

4. Visit Mozart Residence – (entry price without Salzburg Card 11 Euros per adult)

The Mozart Residence is just a quick, 5 minute, walk away from Mozart’s Birth Home. Overall, it took us a little over 1 hour to visit this site and we left just before they closed for the evening at 5:30pm. (Once again, please note that opening hours vary depending on the time of year!)

Our Day 2 Itinerary With the Salzburg Card

1. Festung Salzburg (Salzburg Fortress) and FestungsBahn (Funicular Train to Fortress) – (Festung Salzburg entry price without Salzburg Card – 8,50 Euros per adult, and FestungsBahn price – 5,20 Euros per round trip adult ticket)

The FestungsBahn is included in the Salzburg Card price, so it only made sense to take advantage of it as opposed to making the steep uphill climb to the fortress. We arrived at the fortress fairly early, at about 9am and spent pretty much the whole morning (2.5 – 3 hours) exploring the different museums and sites on the top. After our tour, we returned to the city for lunch.

2. Salzach River Cruise – (entry price without Salzburg Card – 17 Euros per adult)

After our lunch, we decided to go on the river cruise. Although was a bit cold and windy, the views of the city from the river were some of my favorites. We also got to learn even more about the city and its history from the narration on board.

3. Christmas Museum – (entry price without Salzburg Card – 9 Euros per adult)

This was not something that was originally on our schedule of events. But, we had time and it was included in the Salzburg Pass, so we decided to check it out. I enjoyed my time in this cute, little museum more than I thought I would. Seeing all the historical Christmas decorations was a lot of fun and very interesting.

4. Mozart Concert in Mirabell Palace’s Marble Hall – (10% discount on tickets with Salzburg Card)

This was one of my favorite parts of our visit to Salzburg. Not only was the music quality top notch, watching the musicians play was an incredible treat. It was very obvious that that they enjoyed making music with one another.

In Conclusion

Think the Salzburg Card will be right for you? Be sure to visit the official website to get yours!

I hope you have a fantastic time exploring the beautiful city of Salzburg! And, I hope you are able to save a lot of money by utilizing the convenient Salzburg Card. I’d love to hear from you, so drop me a comment down below! 🙂

Happy Travels,
<3 Christine