Austria
Salzburg travel budget: what to plan for
Plan €1870 for 7 nights in Salzburg, return flight from London included, or €1011 travelling cheap. On the ground that works out at €262 per person per day in comfort, €140 travelling cheap.
- From
- €140/day
- vs. London
- 139%
- Best month
- Jul
Your trip to Salzburg
Set the length, the number of travellers and the comfort level: the figures recompute here.
€1,870
per person, flight included
- on the ground
- €1,834
- flight from London
- €36
- per person per day, on the ground
- €262
In short, where the money goes
- The heaviest line
- Food39 % of the trip
- The strongest lever
- Food€399 less travelling cheap
- Seven nights on the ground
- €1834excluding flights
Food
€714
Accommodation
€700
Activities
€161
Extras
€133
Transport
€126
Over seven nights, food accounts for 39 % of what you spend. The line where travelling cheap changes the bill most is food, a €399 gap. The others are worth discussing, that one decides.
Basis: 23 hotel addresses surveyed for a 15 October 2026 arrival, twelve months of airfares surveyed on 17 August 2026. The total excludes flights, insurance, personal shopping and any lodging split between several people.
InstantTripCost estimate
Full 7-night budget breakdown
Per-person estimate including flights from London, split across the six expense categories.
per person · Comfort
| Category | Budget | Comfort | Luxury |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flights | €31 | €36 | €54 |
| Hotel | €525 | €700 | €1372 |
| Food | €315 | €714 | €1596 |
| Transport | €56 | €126 | €315 |
| Activities | €35 | €161 | €511 |
| Misc | €49 | €133 | €455 |
| 7-night total | €1011 | €1870 | €4303 |
Flight from London (annual median).
Unit prices
comfort
Enough to check the total yourself, line by line, at the comfort level you picked.
- €15
- Breakfast
- €29
- Lunch
- €58
- Dinner
- €6
- City ride
- €23
- Site admission
- €262
- A full day
Orders of magnitude derived from our measured ranges, not surveyed venue by venue. Prices vary by neighbourhood and season.
The three tiers
What a budget traveller, a comfort traveller and a premium traveller typically spend.
Budget
€128
per day, approx
- Hotel / night
- €75
- Meal
- €15
- Transit / day
- €8
Comfort
€220
per day, approx
- Hotel / night
- €100
- Meal
- €34
- Transit / day
- €18
Luxury
€469
per day, approx
- Hotel / night
- €196
- Meal
- €76
- Transit / day
- €45
When to go, and what the month changes
Average temperatures and conditions by month in Salzburg.
Best month to visitJuly
Where to sleep in Salzburg
Choosing a district
In Salzburg, price drops the moment you step away from the old town, itself tiny and entirely walkable. Sleeping near the station or on the right bank, ten minutes on foot from the center, often costs half what you pay below the fortress.
Altstadt
The UNESCO old town, baroque lanes, Mozart's house and fortress right there. Central and beautiful, but lodging here is the priciest.
Neustadt - Mirabell
Right bank, around the Mirabell gardens, five minutes from the center across the bridge. Quieter, better value.
Autour de la gare (Hauptbahnhof)
The station district, charmless but handy and cheap: this is where the hostels and budget hotels are, fifteen minutes on foot from the center.
The hotels we measured
Accommodation picks by price range.
MEININGER Hotel Salzburg City Center
Hotel, decent (7.5/10) from 3,943 reviews.
a&o Salzburg Hauptbahnhof
Hotel, decent (7.1/10) from 6,814 reviews.
YoHo - International Youth Hostel
Hostel, well rated (8.1/10) from 5,710 reviews.
HOTEL junior by MAX 70
guesthouse, well rated (8.2/10) from 1,875 reviews.
Hotel Lehenerhof
Hotel, decent (7.8/10) from 1,743 reviews.
Hotel Evido Salzburg City Center
Hotel, standard (5.9/10) from 2,248 reviews.
Numa Salzburg Mozart
Hotel, well rated (8.3/10) from 1,956 reviews.
Hotel Elefant
Hotel, very well rated (8.6/10) from 1,937 reviews.
Altstadt Hotel Stadtkrug
Hotel, very well rated (8.6/10) from 1,997 reviews.
All observed hotels in Salzburg
24 of 24 surveyed properties shown, the cheapest in each tier. Nightly rate for a 2-night stay arriving 15 October 2026.
| Hotel | Category | Rating | From / night |
|---|---|---|---|
| MEININGER Hotel Salzburg City Center | Budget | ★ 7.5 | €22 |
| a&o Salzburg Hauptbahnhof | Budget | ★ 7.1 | €23 |
| YoHo - International Youth Hostel | Budget | ★ 8.1 | €33 |
| The Keep Eco Rooms | Budget | ★ 7.4 | €54 |
| Haus Wartenberg | Budget | ★ 7.2 | €57 |
| OEKOTEL Salzburg Messe | Budget | ★ 7.7 | €68 |
| Ibis Budget Salzburg Airport - Self-Check-In | Budget | ★ 7.3 | €71 |
| HOTEL junior by MAX 70 | Budget | ★ 8.2 | €72 |
| HOTEL junior by MAX 70 | Mid-range | ★ 8.2 | €72 |
| Hotel Lehenerhof | Mid-range | ★ 7.8 | €74 |
| Hotel Evido Salzburg City Center | Mid-range | ★ 5.9 | €79 |
| HOTEL max70 | Mid-range | ★ 8.7 | €85 |
| DAD Vogelweiderhof Rooms | Mid-range | ★ 7.8 | €85 |
| Apartments33Deia | Mid-range | ★ 8.7 | €88 |
| B&B Hotel Salzburg-Nord | Mid-range | ★ 8.1 | €88 |
| Hotel Turnerwirt | Mid-range | ★ 8.1 | €89 |
| Numa Salzburg Mozart | Luxury | ★ 8.3 | €110 |
| Hotel Elefant | Luxury | ★ 8.6 | €127 |
| Altstadt Hotel Stadtkrug | Luxury | ★ 8.6 | €128 |
| Boutiquehotel Amadeus | Luxury | ★ 8.5 | €139 |
| H+ Hotel Salzburg | Luxury | ★ 8.5 | €147 |
| IMLAUER Palais Mirabell | Luxury | ★ 8.8 | €149 |
| Hotel Villa Carlton - Adults Only | Luxury | ★ 8.8 | €165 |
| Hotel Wolf | Luxury | ★ 9.2 | €182 |
What food costs in Salzburg
Concrete benchmarks to set your meal budget, from the morning coffee to dinner.
Eating in Salzburg tracks the general level: rather pricey in the center, more reasonable once you move out. A traditional Austrian dish, schnitzel or sausage, runs around €12 to €16 at a neighborhood brasserie, double that at a tourist spot in the old town. Sausage stands and bakeries cover lunch under €8. For a sit-down dinner with a beer, plan €20 to €30 a head outside the center, more in the fortress's shadow.
What getting around costs in Salzburg
Transit, distances and the smart moves so you don't pay the tourist tax.
The center is entirely walkable: the old town, the fortress and the Mirabell gardens sit minutes apart, and that is the real saving of the trip. For the station or outer districts, the bus network is simple and a single ticket costs a few euros; a day card pays off quickly if you stay far out. The fortress is reached on foot up a steep climb, or by a paid funicular for those who would rather spare their legs.
What sightseeing costs in Salzburg
Recommended activities and tours.
Hohensalzburg Fortress
Hohensalzburg Fortress (German: Festung Hohensalzburg, lit. 'High Salzburg Fortress') is a large medieval fortress in the city of Salzburg, Austria. It sits atop the Festungsberg mountain at an altitude of 506 m.
Castle
Residenzgalerie Salzburg
The Residenzgalerie is an art gallery in the Alte Residenz, Salzburg, Austria. Its collection includes works by Rembrandt, Carel Fabritius, Carlo Saraceni and Hieronymus Francken II.
Art museum
Salzburg Cathedral
Salzburg Cathedral (German: Salzburger Dom) is the seventeenth-century Baroque cathedral of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Salzburg in the city of Salzburg, Austria, dedicated to Saint Rupert and Saint Vergilius. Saint Vergilius founded the church in 774 on the remnants of a Roman town, and the cathedral was rebuilt in 1181 after a fire.
Church
Salzburg Museum
The Salzburg Museum is the museum of artistic and cultural history of the city and region of Salzburg, Austria. It originated as the Provincialmuseum and was also previously known as the Museum Carolino-Augusteum.
Art museum
Mozart's birthplace
Mozart's birthplace (German: Mozarts Geburtshaus or Hagenauerhaus) is a house museum in Austria at No. 9 Getreidegasse in Salzburg, Austria. The Mozart family resided on the third floor from 1747 to 1773, and Mozart was born in the residence on 27 January 1756.
Museum
Church of the Holy Trinity, Salzburg
The Holy Trinity Church (German: Dreifaltigkeitskirche) is a Roman Catholic church in Salzburg, Austria. It was designed by Johann Bernhard Fischer von Erlach.
Church
Franciscan Church, Salzburg
The Franciscan Church (German: Franziskanerkirche) is one of the oldest churches in Salzburg, Austria. The church is located at the intersection of Franziskanergasse and Sigmund-Haffner-Gasse opposite the Franciscan Friary in the Altstadt section of the city.
Church
Residenzplatz
Residenzplatz is a large, stately square in the historic centre (Altstadt) of Salzburg in Austria. Originally named Hauptplatz, it is now named after the Alte Residenz (Old Residence) of the Prince-Archbishops of Salzburg.
Square
Salzburg Residenz
The Salzburg Residenz, also known as the Alte Residenz or Old Residence, is a palace located at Domplatz and Residenzplatz in the historic centre (Altstadt) of Salzburg, Austria. First mentioned about 1120, for centuries the Prince-Archbishops of Salzburg resided at the Residenz and used the palace to present and represent their political status.
Castle
Schloss Goldenstein
building in Elsbethen, Austria
Castle
Places referenced on Wikidata. Admission prices vary by season - check each venue's official site.
Paying less in Salzburg
What moves the needle
What each decision takes off the €1972 total, strongest lever first.
- − €854
Travel cheap rather than mid-range
Hostel or entry-level hotel, local canteens, public transport. Accommodation is where the gap opens up.
- − €524
Stay five nights instead of seven
Two fewer nights also removes two days of meals, transport and sightseeing.
- − €350
Travel as a pair
The room is shared, nothing else is. Travellers themselves name this as the strongest lever.
Differences computed from our own measurements, for a 7-night mid-range stay, excluding flights.
6 tips on the ground
- The old town, its squares and most of its churches are free to visit: a full day of walking discovery with no paid entry.
- Sleeping near the station rather than the center drops the night from €120 to €22-33 in a hostel, for a fifteen-minute walk.
- Salzburg runs pricier than Vienna: pairing both in one trip balances the overall budget.
- The center is walkable, so transport stays near zero if you sleep a reasonable distance out.
- A neighborhood meal or a sausage stand stays under €16, far from old-town terrace prices.
- Paying in euros avoids any exchange fee for a eurozone traveler.
FAQ
FAQ - Salzburg
- How much does a week in Salzburg cost?
- For seven nights, plan roughly €980 per person on a budget (hostel near the station, neighborhood meals, free sights), and around €1,834 at mid-range comfort with a three-star hotel, excluding flights.
- Is Salzburg an expensive destination?
- Yes, rather: its cost index reaches 139% of London, and it runs pricier than Vienna, its own capital. That is the price of a small, very touristy city. The budget is mainly controlled on lodging, by sleeping near the station rather than the center, and by leaning on the many free sights.
- What's the best time to visit Salzburg?
- Late spring (May) and early autumn (September) offer the best balance. Summer is mild (around 19°C) but the rainiest, with over 200mm of precipitation, and peak season. Winter is cold, around 0°C, but carries the charm of Christmas markets. Pack a raincoat in any season: it rains a lot all year.
- Do you have to pay to visit the Hohensalzburg fortress?
- Access to the fortress and its museums is paid, but you can walk up for free by the path rather than taking the paid funicular. The squares, lanes and most of the old-town churches, on the other hand, stay free and easily fill a day.
At a glance
Wikidata, Wikipedia and Open-Meteo data
- Population
- 155k
- Area
- 66 km²
- Elevation
- 424 m
- Language
- German, Austrian Sign Language
- Currency
- €
- Time zone
- UTC+01:00
- Avg. July temp.
- 19°
- Avg. Jan. temp.
- -1°
- Rainy days / year
- 195
inhabitants
Euro
14° - 24°
-5° - 3°
About
Salzburg in brief
Salzburg is the fourth-largest city in Austria. In 2026 its population was 157,994. The city lies on the Salzach River, near the border with Germany and at the foot of the Alps mountains.
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)
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