In this guide
💡 The Short Version: Go by the regional train. The RE5 leaves Hauptbahnhof hourly and reaches Salzburg in 1 hour 55 minutes to 2 hours 8 minutes, and the Bayern-Ticket (€34 for one, €44 for two) covers it from 9:00 on weekdays and all day at weekends. The Railjet takes 1 hour 43 minutes on a separate long-distance fare. Carry a passport: Germany has border controls on its Austrian border from 16 September 2026 to 15 March 2027. Hohensalzburg Fortress is €15.50 with the funicular and Mozart’s Birthplace €18, so a day on your own comes to about €67.50. The fortress museums are shut 9 to 13 November 2026. Or book a tour: the Salzburg day trip by train with a guidead is from €79 and the Salzburg, St Wolfgang and Salzkammergut coach tourad from €74 (GetYourGuide). Salzburg is also a day trip from Vienna.
Getting there on your own
Train times are for the timetable valid to 12 December 2026, which changes on 13 December.
| Train | From | Times | Journey |
|---|---|---|---|
| RE5 (Bayerische Regiobahn) | Munich Hauptbahnhof | Hourly at :43, :47 or :49 | 1 hour 55 minutes to 2 hours 8 minutes |
| Railjet, ICE and EuroCity | Munich Hauptbahnhof | About hourly: 5:04, 6:09, 7:03, 7:06, 8:13, 9:16, 10:13 | 1 hour 43 minutes to 1 hour 58 minutes |
| WESTbahn | Munich Hauptbahnhof | 6:32 | 1 hour 49 minutes |
| Back: RE5 | Salzburg Hauptbahnhof | Hourly at :05 or :07, last at 20:07 | 2 hours 4 minutes to 2 hours 16 minutes |
| Back: Railjet and ICE | Salzburg Hauptbahnhof | 15:00, 16:00, 17:00, 17:04, 18:00, 19:00, 20:00 | 1 hour 43 minutes to 1 hour 58 minutes |
- The Bayern-Ticket is €34 for one person, €44 for two, €54 for three, €64 for four and €74 for five, in second class. It is valid on weekdays from 9:00, so the first RE5 it covers is the 9:43, and all day at weekends and on public holidays. It runs to Salzburg Hauptbahnhof and does not include the Salzburg city buses.
- Railjet, ICE, EuroCity and WESTbahn are separate tickets from DB, ÖBB or WESTbahn, and the Bayern-Ticket is not valid on them. A Railjet saves 10 to 25 minutes.
- The passport rule: Germany has controls on all its land borders from 16 September 2026 to 15 March 2027. The train crosses one, so carry a passport, or a national ID card if you are an EU citizen.
- Cost on your own, one adult: €34, the fortress at €15.50 and Mozart’s Birthplace at €18 come to €67.50. Two adults come to €111 (€44 and €67). The day trips page has the other trips costed the same way.
Tours from Munich
A tour gives a guide and a fixed day. Prices are GetYourGuide’s lowest “from” prices for one adult.
Salzburg day trip by train
From €79 · 9.5 hours · 4.7 stars from 1,814 reviews
From Munich: Salzburg Day Trip by Trainad is a guided day in Mozart’s home town, with an expert guide in English. At €79 it costs more than twice the Bayern-Ticket for one adult, and the price buys the guide and a fixed day.
Salzburg, St Wolfgang and the Salzkammergut
From €74 · 11 hours · 4.4 stars from 1,301 reviews
From Munich: Salzburg, St. Wolfgang, and the Salzkammergutad is a coach day that passes the Chiemsee and goes on to the lakeside village of St Wolfgang. It is the only way in this guide to see St Wolfgang and the lakes in a day, because the train does not go there.
Hallstatt is not a Munich day
Hallstatt takes 4 hours 18 minutes to 5 hours 5 minutes each way: for example the Railjet to Salzburg, bus 150X to Bad Ischl, the REX70 train to Hallstatt station, then a ferry across the lake to the village, back to Munich between 18:46 and 21:28. For Hallstatt, sleep in Salzburg: GetYourGuide’s half-day tour from Salzburg to Hallstattad is 5.5 hours from €85 (4.7 stars from 4,226 reviews). Hallstatt from Salzburg has the bus, train and ferry route, which takes about 2 hours each way, and the Vienna Hallstatt guide compares the coach tours from Vienna.
What to see in Salzburg
Salzburg’s old town and the fortress above it fit one day.
Hohensalzburg Fortress
Basic ticket with funicular €15.50 · all-inclusive €19.20 · on foot €12 and €14.50
The fortress is open daily, 9:30 to 17:00 until 31 December, and closes at 14:00 on 24 December. The basic ticket includes the funicular, the panorama tour and the Fortress Museum, among other rooms; the all-inclusive ticket is €19.20. From 9 to 13 November 2026 the funicular is under maintenance: the walking path and the outdoor areas stay open, the museums and indoor areas are closed, and no online tickets are sold (festung-hohensalzburg.at). GetYourGuide sells the fortress admission ticketad at the operator’s €19.20.
Hohensalzburg Fortress above Salzburg’s old town, across the Salzach. Photo: Uoaei1, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Mozart’s Birthplace
€18, or €25 with the Mozart Residence · daily 9:00 to 17:30
The museum at Getreidegasse 9, where Mozart was born on 27 January 1756. The Mozarteum sells tickets only through its own webshop and at the museum’s box office, and says that tickets bought from third parties are not accepted. It closes at 16:00 on 21 November and 13:00 on 24 December, and opens at 12:00 on 1 January 2027 (mozarteum.at).
The facade of Mozart’s birthplace at Getreidegasse 9. Photo: Stefan97, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
The Original Sound of Music Tour
From €75 on GetYourGuide, from €70 on the operator’s page · 4 hours · 9:15 and 14:00 daily in English
Salzburg Panorama Tours’ coach tour starts at its bus terminal on Mirabellplatz (Hubert-Sattler-Gasse 1). It passes the Mirabell Garden and Pegasus Fountain, views Schloss Leopoldskron across the lake, stops at the gazebo in Hellbrunn and goes on to the church at Mondsee used for the wedding scene (panoramatours.com). The GetYourGuide listingad is 4.8 stars from 6,299 reviews.
The Mirabell Garden, with Schloss Mirabell at the end of the path. Photo: Leonhard Lenz, Wikimedia Commons, CC0.
A day, hour by hour
| Time | What |
|---|---|
| 7:06 or 8:13 | Railjet from Hauptbahnhof (RE5 at 9:43 with a Bayern-Ticket) |
| Morning | Hohensalzburg Fortress, which opens at 9:30 |
| Midday | Mozart’s Birthplace, which takes about an hour |
| 14:00 | The Original Sound of Music Tour, ending about 18:00 |
| 17:00 to 20:07 | Railjet at 17:00, 18:00, 19:00 or 20:00, or the RE5 at :05 or :07 past the hour |
The 9:15 Sound of Music tour needs an earlier train: the Railjet at 5:04 or 6:09.
Before you go
- Passport: carry it, or a national ID card, until 15 March 2027.
- Fortress: museums closed 9 to 13 November 2026; funicular maintenance also runs from 11 January to 14 March 2027, with the walking path and indoor areas open.
- Mozart’s Birthplace: shorter days on 21 November and 24 December.
- Tickets: the Bayern-Ticket is not valid before 9:00 on weekdays or on long-distance trains.
Salzburg is one of the day trips from Munich. Neuschwanstein is the other long day by train, and Berchtesgaden and the Eagle’s Nest is reached through Freilassing on the same RE5 line. From Vienna the trip is Salzburg from Vienna, and the figures for the fortress and Mozart’s Birthplace agree on both pages. Munich public transport covers the city tickets, what to book before you go to Munich the rest, and where to stay in Munich compares the areas.
The Salzburg guides cover the city itself: what to book in Salzburg, Hohensalzburg Fortress tickets, Mozart’s Birthplace and Residence, Sound of Music locations in Salzburg and the Sound of Music tours compared. Is the Salzburg Card worth it? has the sums for a longer stay, and day trips from Salzburg covers the Eagle’s Nest, Hallstatt and the salt mine from the city.
Common questions
How long is the train from Munich to Salzburg?
The regional RE5 takes 1 hour 55 minutes to 2 hours 8 minutes, hourly from Hauptbahnhof. The Railjet, ICE and EuroCity trains take 1 hour 43 minutes to 1 hour 58 minutes, and WESTbahn 1 hour 49 minutes.
Does the Bayern-Ticket cover Salzburg?
Yes, to Salzburg Hauptbahnhof, on the regional RE5 and not on Railjet, ICE or EuroCity trains. It is €34 for one person and €44 for two, valid on weekdays from 9:00 and all day at weekends. The Salzburg city buses are not covered.
Do I need a passport to go to Salzburg from Munich?
Yes, carry a passport, or a national ID card if you are an EU citizen. Germany has border controls on all its land borders from 16 September 2026 to 15 March 2027, and the train crosses the one with Austria.
How much do Hohensalzburg Fortress and Mozart's Birthplace cost?
The fortress is €15.50 with the funicular for the basic ticket and €19.20 for the all-inclusive one; on foot they are €12 and €14.50. Mozart's Birthplace is €18, or €25 with the Mozart Residence. From 9 to 13 November 2026 the funicular is under maintenance and the fortress museums are closed.
Can I do Hallstatt as a day trip from Munich?
Not sensibly. It is 4 hours 18 minutes to 5 hours 5 minutes each way by train, bus and ferry. From Salzburg itself a half-day tour to Hallstatt takes 5.5 hours, and the Vienna guide compares the Hallstatt tours.
