In this guide
💡 The Short Version: The hotel closest to Salzburg Hauptbahnhof is the Hotel Salzburg-Hauptbahnhof, about 120 m away in a straight line. The Austria Trend Hotel Europa is about 190 m away, the COCOON Salzburg Hauptbahnhof about 220 m, the arte Hotel Salzburg about 290 m and the Hotel Hohenstauffen about 310 m. The Mirabell hotels are at 0.6 to 1 km. The station is not in the old town: the Domplatz is about 1.7 km away, and trolleybuses 3, 5 and 6 run to Rathaus at the Alter Markt. Trolleybus 2 reaches the airport in 21 to 23 minutes. Overnight guests ride public transport free, and the tourist tax is €3.50 a person a night. Prices change with the dates, so check yours on Hotels.com. Or book a tour: the Original Sound of Music Tourad is from €75 and the Hallstatt half-day tourad from €85 (GetYourGuide).
What the station is like to sleep near
The Hauptbahnhof is the end of the line for the regional buses and the one stop for the long journeys. The trains to Munich take 1 hour 43 minutes at best and to Vienna about 2 hours 25 minutes, with a Vienna train every hour. Bus 150 and the express 150X to Bad Ischl and the lakes, and bus 25 to Hellbrunn, leave from the Südtiroler Platz in front of the station. Bus 840 to Berchtesgaden leaves from the stop Engelbert-Weiß-Weg beside it. Day trips from Salzburg has the journeys, and Salzburg public transport the tickets.
The front of the Hauptbahnhof on the Südtiroler Platz. Photo: -wuppertaler, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0.
Trolleybus 2 runs from the Südtiroler Platz stop to the airport’s Terminal 1 in 21 to 23 minutes, every 15 or 20 minutes. Salzburg airport to the city compares the other ways.
The Hauptbahnhof is about 0.9 km from Schloss Mirabell, 1.5 km from Mozart’s Birthplace and 1.7 km from the Domplatz in a straight line, so a hotel beside the station is a bus ride or a long walk from the old town. Trolleybuses 3, 5 and 6 run from the station to Rathaus, a few steps from the Alter Markt. While the Neutor tunnel is closed, from 14 September 2026 to about the end of March 2027, trolleybuses 1, 8, 10 and 22 are diverted. Where to stay in Salzburg compares the old town and the right bank, which are nearer the sights.
The UK Foreign Office asks for care on public transport and in crowded city centres, including main stations, and names no Salzburg district. Australia’s Smartraveller says bag snatching and pickpocketing can occur, and the Government of Canada names stations. Replies on r/Salzburg to a visitor asking about the area at night call Elisabeth-Vorstadt less pleasant than the rest of the city and fine to walk through, with people who are drunk or homeless gathering on the forecourt by day. Keep bags and phones close on the forecourt and in the station.
Hotel guests pay a tourist tax of €3.50 per person per night, which includes the mobility fee for the Guest Mobility Ticket. The hotel issues the ticket at check-in, and it covers city buses, trolleybuses and trains in the province of Salzburg.
Distances are straight lines from the hotels to the station, so a walk is longer, and a hotel’s own walking time is given where it prints one.
The hotels
The links go to the hotel on Hotels.com. Star grades are from the Austrian hotel classification, published by the Hotelstars Union: a hotel with no grade here is not in it, and the hostel has none. Michelin lists Design Hotel zum Hirschen in its guide without a Key.
Up to 500 m
Hotel Salzburg-Hauptbahnhof
About 120 m · Südtiroler Platz 13 · Hotels.comad
Right next to the main station, according to the hotel’s page.
Austria Trend Hotel Europa Salzburg
About 190 m · Rainerstraße 31 · Hotels.comad
The hotel’s page puts it 100 m from the Hauptbahnhof and seven minutes from the Mirabell Gardens and the Congress Centre. The Panorama Restaurant is on the 15th floor.
COCOON Salzburg Hauptbahnhof
About 220 m · Rainerstraße 29 · 4 stars · Hotels.comad
Compact rooms of 17 m² for the Mountain Cocoon and the twin and 21 m² for the family room, with a taco bar at breakfast. The hotel calls itself the hotel at the main station.
arte Hotel Salzburg
About 290 m · Rainerstraße 28 · 4 stars · breakfast only · Hotels.comad
A modern design hotel next to the main station, with mountain views.
Hotel Hohenstauffen
About 310 m · Elisabethstraße 19 · 3 stars · Hotels.comad
The hotel’s page puts it 300 m from the station, 700 m from the Mirabell Gardens and 1 km from the centre, with free parking at Stauffenstraße 16.
Design Hotel zum Hirschen
About 410 m · Saint-Julien-Straße 21-23 · 106 rooms · 4 stars · Michelin guide, no Key · Hotels.comad
A family-owned design hotel with a garden and a wellness area. It has held the Austrian Ecolabel since 2024.
Hotel Scherer
About 410 m · Plainstraße 37 · 4 stars · Hotels.comad
Trading since 1850, with its own parking and the Salzach riverside walks close by.
500 m to 1 km
Mirabellplatz, where Rainerstraße begins. Photo: Andreas Praefcke, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0.
YoHo International Youth Hostel
About 520 m · Paracelsusstraße 9 · hostel · hostel website
A hostel whose page advertises a free walking tour.
Hotel Markus Sittikus
About 620 m · Markus-Sittikus-Straße 20 · 4 stars · Hotels.comad
A family-run hotel that serves a regional breakfast.
IMLAUER Hotel Pitter
About 650 m · Rainerstraße 6-8 · 4 stars Superior · Hotels.comad
A family-run house a few steps from Mirabell Palace and Gardens, with the Congress House opposite, according to the hotel’s page. It has a sky bar and restaurant.
Motel One Salzburg-Mirabell
About 680 m · Elisabethkai 58-60 · Hotels.comad
On the Salzach, a stone’s throw from the Kapuzinerberg, according to the hotel’s page.
Hotel & Villa Auersperg
About 740 m · Auerspergstraße 61 · 55 rooms · 4 stars · Michelin guide, no Key · Hotels.comad
A boutique hotel with a garden, a spa and a second house, the turn-of-the-century villa next door. Its page makes organic and sustainable running its theme.
Hotel Villa Carlton
About 810 m · Markus-Sittikus-Straße 3 · 4 stars · breakfast only · adults only · Hotels.comad
Adults only, and pets are welcome. Croissants, coffee and tea are set out each day in the lounge at no extra charge.
NH Collection Salzburg City
About 870 m · Franz-Josef-Straße 26 · 140 rooms · 4 stars · Hotels.comad
In the Andräviertel, near the Mirabell Palace and Gardens and Linzer Gasse.
Altstadthotel Wolf-Dietrich
About 960 m · Wolf-Dietrich-Straße 5-7 · 4 stars · breakfast only · Hotels.comad
A family-run hotel with a pool and a sauna.
Hotel Amadeus
About 1 km · Linzer Gasse 43-45 · Hotels.comad
Family rooms on a quiet stretch of Linzer Gasse. The hotel’s page lists the Mirabell Gardens, Mozart’s two houses and the fortress as a few minutes’ walk.
Hotels further out
The hotels beyond 1 km are described by their own area in where to stay in Salzburg. For the Mozart houses on foot, look at the old-town hotels there.
Next
3 days in Salzburg fits the sights round the closed days, and the best time to visit Salzburg has the weather by month. Salzburg with kids sorts the sights by age, and what to book before you go to Salzburg lists the tickets and the closed days.
Common questions
Which hotel is closest to Salzburg Hauptbahnhof?
Of the hotels in this guide, the Hotel Salzburg-Hauptbahnhof on Südtiroler Platz, about 120 m from the station in a straight line. The Austria Trend Hotel Europa is about 190 m away and the COCOON Salzburg Hauptbahnhof about 220 m.
Is a hotel near the Hauptbahnhof close to the old town?
No. The station is about 1.7 km from the Domplatz and about 1.5 km from Mozart's Birthplace in a straight line. Trolleybuses 3, 5 and 6 run from the station to Rathaus at the Alter Markt.
How do I get from Salzburg Hauptbahnhof to the airport?
Trolleybus 2 runs from the Südtiroler Platz stop outside the station to Terminal 1 in 21 to 23 minutes, every 15 or 20 minutes, on a €2.60 one-hour ticket. There is no train to the airport.
How long do trains from Salzburg Hauptbahnhof to Munich and Vienna take?
Munich is 1 hour 43 minutes at best and Vienna about 2 hours 25 minutes, with a train to Vienna every hour.
Is the area round Salzburg Hauptbahnhof safe at night?
The UK Foreign Office asks for care on public transport and in crowded city centres, including main stations, and does not name a Salzburg district. Replies on r/Salzburg call Elisabeth-Vorstadt less pleasant than the rest of the city and fine to walk through.
Do hotel guests pay for buses in Salzburg?
No. The hotel issues a Guest Mobility Ticket at check-in, covering city buses, trolleybuses and trains in the province of Salzburg. The tourist tax is €3.50 a person a night.
