For couples · Salzburg · Austria
Romantic things to do in Salzburg
Ideas for a couples' trip, from small moments to a special day out.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: MatthiasKabel, CC BY-SA 3.0
Quick answer
Candlelit concerts in Baroque halls, river walks with the fortress lit above and day trips to mountain lakes make Salzburg a classic couples' city, especially outside festival crowds. Couples tend to stay in Altstadt (left-bank old town).
Key facts
- Romantic ideas
- 5
- Couple-friendly sights
- 2
- Area for couples
- Altstadt (left-bank old town)
- Best months
- May
Romantic ideas
1.Concert at the fortress or Mirabell
Chamber concerts in the fortress's princely rooms or the Marble Hall at Mirabell Palace make an elegant evening.
2.Sunset on the Kapuzinerberg
Climb the steps from Linzergasse and watch the domes and fortress turn gold across the river.
3.Love locks on the Makartsteg
The footbridge across the Salzach is covered in padlocks and offers views of the old town at night.
4.Mozart dinner concert
Several historic restaurants, including the one at St. Peter's Abbey, pair a period-style dinner with arias by Mozart.
5.A day on Lake Wolfgang
Take the boat between St. Gilgen and St. Wolfgang and ride the Schafberg railway for views over the lakes.
Sights couples love
Garden · Andräviertel
Mirabell Palace and Gardens
Peek into the palace's Marble Hall staircase, decorated with putti, and look out for chamber concerts held there.
- Time needed
- 45 minutes
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Iconic
- Couples
- Photo spot
- Kids
Palace · Hellbrunn
Hellbrunn Palace and Trick Fountains
Bring a change of top for children; the guides make sure someone gets wet on every tour.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Kids
- History
- Outdoors
- Couples
Where couples should stay
$$$$ · Best for first-timers, couples, culture and luxury
Altstadt (left-bank old town)
The historic centre between the Salzach and the Mönchsberg holds the cathedral, the Residenz, St. Peter's Abbey, Mozart's birthplace and the Festival halls. Hotels are in old townhouses and fill early in festival season, but everything is a short walk away, including the funicular to the fortress.
- Good
- Every major sight within a few minutes' walk; Atmospheric at night after day visitors leave; Pedestrianised lanes
- Watch out
- Highest prices in the city; Crowded Getreidegasse by day; Few rooms with parking
- Nearby
- Salzburg Cathedral, Getreidegasse, Hohensalzburg Fortress, Residenzplatz
Romantic day trips
- Hallstatt (About 2–2.5 hours by bus or train and ferry) — The lakeside village of Hallstatt, with its church spire and houses stacked against the mountain, is a UNESCO site at the heart of the Salzkammergut.
- Berchtesgaden and Königssee (About 45–60 minutes by bus) — Across the border in Bavaria, Berchtesgaden has a salt mine with underground slides, and the emerald Königssee lake is explored by quiet electric boats to the onion-domed church of St.
- St. Wolfgang and Lake Wolfgang (About 1 hour 15 minutes by bus) — Lake Wolfgang's villages of St.
- Mondsee (About 30–40 minutes by bus) — A lakeside market town whose yellow-towered basilica was the wedding church in The Sound of Music.
For dinner
Share local specialities such as Cheese dumplings, Wiener Schnitzel and Cheese dumpling soup. Kitchens in traditional inns may stop serving hot food around 9pm–10pm.
Questions travellers ask
+Is Salzburg romantic?
Candlelit concerts in Baroque halls, river walks with the fortress lit above and day trips to mountain lakes make Salzburg a classic couples' city, especially outside festival crowds.
+What is the most romantic thing to do in Salzburg?
Concert at the fortress or Mirabell: Chamber concerts in the fortress's princely rooms or the Marble Hall at Mirabell Palace make an elegant evening.
+Where should couples stay in Salzburg?
Altstadt (left-bank old town): Baroque squares, Getreidegasse shop signs and the cathedral beneath the fortress.