5 Best Day Trips to Salzburg from Munich

Bordering the Bavarian Alps is Salzburg, a city declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO for its architectural and historical value. Salzburg was the birthplace of Mozart and one of the cities where he worked as an artist. This city is an earthly paradise where you can feel the mysticism and magic of Austria. Visiting Salzburg is one of the best things you can do and see if you are in Munich due to its proximity.

145 km from Munich, Salzburg and the Bavarian Alps are among the best tours you can take by bus from Munich. But you can also make the trip by train from Munich. The journey is made short by the majestic landscapes that you won't be able to stop taking photos of. Visiting Salzburg is an incredible opportunity where nature and city merge to give you an aesthetic experience. Here are some options for tours of Salzburg departing from Munich.

From Munich, I recommend spending a whole day on an excursion to the Austrian city of Salzburg. And what could be better than visiting the Lake District on the same day? This is a tour where you will have a lot of freedom and, although an expert guide will give you directions and tell you everything you need to know, you will have time to see what you want to see in Salzburg and also to relax for a few hours in the Lake District.

The tour costs around £50 and leaves very early, at around 8:00 am, from Karlsplatz in Munich. From there, you will travel by private bus to Salzburg on a journey lasting an hour and a half. When you arrive, your guide will give you a half-hour orientation tour of Salzburg's historic centre, but then you will have an hour and a half to eat, shop or visit the museums that most appeal to you, such as Mozart's house.

Afterwards, you will return to the bus that will take you to the Salzkammergut or Lake District, one of Austria's natural paradises. In an hour and a half, you will be at the fantastic Lake Wolfgang, where you can take a boat and sail for half an hour until you reach the meeting point. If you don't want to go by boat, you can take the bus, but my advice is not to miss the experience of sailing on an Austrian lake. Finally, you will take the bus again to reach Mondsee, one of the most beautiful villages in the Lake District.

Details of interest

• Price: around £50

• Duration: approximately 10 hours

• Transport: private bus for the entire itinerary

Discover the history and incredible culture of Salzburg on a walking tour of the city. Lose yourself in its beautiful streets with their impressive Baroque architecture, which led to it being declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The tour costs approximately £130 and includes transport, a guide who will tell you all about the stories that give the city its identity, and admission to sites that require an entrance fee, such as the Mozart Museum.

The tour departs from the bus terminal at Munich Central Station and takes you to the Mirabellplatz terminal. From here, walk to Marktplatz, which is Salzburg's central square. Your guide will be waiting for you to start the tour. If you are in Munich at Christmas, take advantage of this tour during the festive season, as there is nothing like walking through Salzburg with all the festive decorations.

From here you will reach the old town of Salzburg. One of the first stops is Mozart's birthplace. Once you're done there, head to St. Andrew's Parish Church, an architectural ode to Catholicism built in 1892 in the neo-Gothic style. The silence here will relax you.

Next, you will stroll through the Old City Hall, where you will find the old town hall with its dreamlike façade. From here, you will be taken to Getreidegasse, the shopping street in the centre where you will feel like you are shopping in ancient times. This street connects to the Baroque-style University of Salzburg. Obviously, you can't miss the view of the University Square.

At the end of your tour, you'll see how monks have lived for a thousand years in St. Peter's Abbey, a medieval monastery. The church next to the abbey will fascinate you. To round off such an impressive tour, you will end with a final stop at the Hohensalzburg Fortress. There may be many places to visit, but believe me when I say that everything in Salzburg is close by. The city is easy to walk around and you won't have time to spare on this tour, which will have you back in Munich in the afternoon before you know it.

Details of interest

• Price: prices can reach €150 for the guided tour

• Duration: 5 to 6 hours

• Transport: bus to get there, but the tour is mainly on foot

The abundant landscapes of the Alps open the doors to beautiful dreamlands. If you love bike tours in Munich, take a tour from Munich to explore these beautiful mountain ranges of the Bavarian Alps and the majestic Salzach, the river that runs through Salzburg, from the comfort of an electric bike on the Tauernradweg: the Salzburg cycle route.

Without a doubt, riding the Tauernradweg with children is one of the best activities you can do with the little ones on your trip to Munich. The best thing to do is to take the train with them from Munich to Salzburg and go on bike rides from there.

I recommend renting a regular or electric bike, depending on your physical ability, and letting yourself be guided by this tour that allows you to discover the natural areas of Salzburg. There are different types of tours and routes along the extensive cycle path.

You can take this excursion by bus or train from Munich, which will drop you off in Salzburg's central square. Here you can rent a bike and equipment for the route, which will take you to the Krimml Waterfalls, the highest waterfalls in Austria, two hours from Salzburg. You will be amazed by this natural monument, where you can rest, eat and take photos. The return journey is enjoyable as the afternoon draws to a close.

The tour can include guides who are experts on the route and will take you there and look after you while teaching you about the geographical history of the area and the historical value of the Salzach River, which was once a commercial waterway for Salzburg. The round trip to the waterfalls can take between 4-5 hours and the price can be between £45 and £90, depending on the electric bike rental and a guide.

Details of interest

• Price: £45-£90

• Duration: 1 to 4 hours

• Transport: take the bus to Salzburg and rent a bike from there.

You can't visit Salzburg from Munich without seeing the iconic sites that make it the capital of Baroque music, as it is the birthplace of the maestro Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Book this tour, which starts before sunset and takes you to the home where the musical genius grew up. You can take a cruise on the Salzach and enjoy dinner in a castle for less than £85 on a tour that departs from Munich Central Station and takes you to Mirabellplatz in Salzburg at around 4 pm.

Once you arrive, you will be taken to the Hagenauer House at Getreidegasse No. 9 in Salzburg, better known as the Leopoldskron Mozart Birthplace, which today serves as one of Austria's most visited museums. Here you can learn about the maestro through the museum's collection of letters, instruments and other valuable objects that describe the many facets of Mozart's life in his childhood home.

Once you're done there, you'll head to the Makartsteg pier, where you'll take a ferry down the Salzach River. There's nothing more spectacular than seeing Salzburg from a ferry with the Alps in the background. The trip ends with a cruise past the Hagen and Tennen mountain ranges, which form the northern ridge of the Berchtesgadener Alps. In short, if you only have two days in Munich, I recommend that one of your stops be Salzburg so you can enjoy this beautiful river cruise.

The ferry will take you to the Hohensalzburg Fortress, a medieval structure dating back to 1077. When you arrive at Hohensalzburg Fortress, take the funicular railway to the Panorama restaurant, where you can enjoy a Bavarian dinner at the top of the city and watch it light up the sky. If you are interested in this type of construction, don't miss the opportunity to visit Neuschwanstein Castle in Bavaria, near Munich.

The tour is timed so that you will be at Hohensalzburg Fortress before 8:30 p.m. so that, along with your dinner, you can enjoy a concert in honour of Mozart, which is often held for these tours. Once it's over, take the ferry again and finally the private bus that will take you back to Munich around midnight.

Details of interest

• Price: prices are around £110-£130
• Duration: 5 to 6 hours
• Transport: bus, ferry, funicular railway.

Discover the underground world of the Obersalzberg salt mines, located 5 hours from Munich but much closer to Salzburg, on a fantastic tour. This guided tour has an average cost that includes transport and entrance to the mines, ranging from £75 to £90. Overall, it is well worth it because you will be constantly admiring the diverse landscape of the Bavarian Alps.

The bus leaves from Munich and takes you along the Alpenstrasse, the route that miners used to transport the precious salt from the mountains. These mines are very important because Salzburg's economic boom was due to the exploitation of salt and other minerals extracted from the mountains. Another factor is that the river in Salzburg, the Salzach, was an important trade route. The city literally gets its name from salt: The Salt Castle.

Finally, you will arrive at the Berchtesgaden Mines, which have been there for over 450 years, making them one of the oldest in the world, along with the oldest stairs in Europe. The guided tour into the depths of the mine takes no more than two hours.

In addition to the guided tour, the tour includes a change of clothes so that you can enter wearing a miner's uniform to protect your own clothes. After the tour, you will go to the suspended viewpoint, which offers one of the most impressive views of your trip. Visiting hours vary depending on the season. If you take the tour in summer, the hours are from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., but in winter they are more restricted.

Details of interest

• Price: prices do not exceed £75-90

• Duration: 4 to 5 hours

• Transport: bus

Getting from Munich to Salzburg can be logistically challenging, but most tours are available via buses that depart from the city, with guided tours and pre-paid tickets. Many have the advantage of air conditioning and heating and are designed so that you can take in the scenery along the way.

If any of the tours do not provide private transport, then the most comfortable and economical way to get to Salzburg from Munich is by train, which takes you directly there in an hour and a half or two. The cost may depend on the distance and type of journey. In general, tickets can range from £3 to £30 per trip depending on the distance and the type of seats you want to use on your journey, but if you don't have any special requirements, a regional train is your best option.

I also recommend checking the weather forecast, as these excursions can vary greatly: they can take you to the top of mountains, across lakes, along rivers or involve a lot of walking, and you won't always be doing the same activity. For this reason, you may need lots of coats or as little clothing as possible.

Finally, if you are on a tight budget and it is not included in the excursion, I suggest you take prepared food with you for lunch or dinner. Salzburg is close to Munich, but if you want to make the most of your time, it's best not to make too many stops and focus on your excursion, especially if you're going for an afternoon or evening.

Salzburg is a great option if you really want to escape the bustling city of Munich, which can be overwhelming due to the number of people who visit every day. With a journey of just one hour, you can contrast the effervescence of Munich with the peaceful silence of the mountains and river in Salzburg.

What's more, if you're wondering what to do on your winter holiday in Munich, there's nothing like spending a few days in Salzburg for the December festivities, because the city is a winter wonderland. Relaxing with a cup of hot chocolate while the snow falls on the Alps is something you cannot miss.

Salzburg is also perfect for outdoor walks for hikers and trekkers. The city can also satisfy your urban tastes for strolling around the centre, or you can awaken the adventurer in you.

Another important aspect is that Salzburg is more affordable than Munich, which is one of the most expensive cities in Germany. Salzburg is a compact city where you will never stop seeing things to do. In Munich, although there are countless attractions and excellent tours, some trips require a whole day due to the distances involved, but not in Salzburg: all the main attractions are just a few streets away from each other and can be reached on foot. Are you going to miss out on a city with these characteristics?