Salzburg old town walk: Getreidegasse to Nonnberg Abbey, with what is open each day

One of 2 self-guided walks in Salzburg. See every walk.

In this guide

💡 The Short Version: Start at Mozart’s Birthplace on Getreidegasse and finish at Nonnberg Abbey: under 1.5 km, half a day with the tickets. Go any day but Tuesday: the DomQuartier is shut on Tuesdays, and on Sundays the Cathedral opens at 13:00. The Cathedral costs €7, not free. Be at the Cathedral before 11:40 or after 12:30, when Music at Noon closes it. End at Nonnberg for Vespers at 17:00 (Monday to Saturday). The squares, St Peter’s church and cemetery and Nonnberg are free. Or book a tour: the Old Town, Mozart and Mirabell Gardens walking tourad is from €40 (GetYourGuide).

The route

Map of the walk numbered stops in walking order

Open the whole route in Google Maps - all the stops in walking order, set to walking directions, which is the version to put on your phone.

The old town is a few streets and squares, and the stops are the ones with something to book or a time to catch. Prices are the adult rate in euros from each operator.

Walk it with a guide

A guide adds the stories and the route. Neither paid tour includes entry to the sights above. Prices are GetYourGuide’s lowest “from” prices, per person.

• Salzburg: Old Town, Mozart, & Mirabell Gardens Walking Tourad, by Rosotravel Austria Tours & Experiences: from €40, 4.7 stars from 752 reviews, 2 hours. It starts at Rainerstraße 3 near Mirabell Palace, passes Getreidegasse, the Cathedral and the Residenzplatz, and ends at the Kapitelplatz.
• Salzburg 2.5-Hour Walking Tour: Mozart, Old Town & Moread, by MELODY Salzburg Tours&Travel: from €45, 4.2 stars from 1,146 reviews, 2.5 hours. It starts at Mirabell Palace and ends with a view from the Mönchsberg.
• Leo’s Free Walking Tour is tip-based and runs about 100 minutes from the entrance to the Mirabell Gardens, via Getreidegasse, the Residenzplatz and St Peter’s. Salzburg walking tours compares the paid and free options.

1. Getreidegasse and Mozart’s Birthplace

Birthplace €18, €25 with the Residence · daily 9:00 to 17:30 · Getreidegasse 9

Getreidegasse is the old town’s shopping street, with wrought-iron guild signs high above the shop fronts and passage courtyards, such as the one from No. 3 to Universitätsplatz. Mozart was born at No. 9 on 27 January 1756, and the house is now a museum of about an hour. Tickets come only from the Mozarteum; the Birthplace page has the prices and the combined ticket with the Mozart Residence, which stands across the river on Makartplatz.

Wrought-iron guild signs over Getreidegasse. Photo: Andreas Praefcke, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0.

Detour: the Mönchsberg lift

€4.80 return · Monday 8:00 to 19:00, Tuesday to Sunday 8:00 to 21:00 · Gstättengasse 13

The lift is at the western end of the old town, a short walk from Getreidegasse. It rises 60 metres in 30 seconds to the Mönchsberg, with a view and paths to the fortress. Walk back the way you came. Best views in Salzburg has the rest.

2. The Residenzplatz and the DomQuartier

Square free · DomQuartier €12, closed Tuesdays · Residenzplatz 1

The Residenzplatz fountain is 15 metres high and was built from 1658 to 1661. The Salzburg Museum’s main building stands on the adjoining Mozartplatz and is closed for renovation; its Carillon, a 35-bell tower, still plays daily at 7:00, 11:00 and 18:00. The DomQuartier runs through the Residenz state rooms, the Cathedral Museum and St Peter’s Museum on one ticket, in 1.5 to 2 hours. It costs €12 while the Residenzgalerie is shut. The DomQuartier page has the route.

The mechanism of the Salzburg Glockenspiel. Photo: MatthiasKabel, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0.

3. Domplatz and the Cathedral

€7 · Monday to Saturday 9:00 to 11:40 and 12:30 to 18:00, Sunday from 13:00

The Cathedral is not free: the conservation contribution is €7 for adults and €3.50 for ages 14 to 18, and it has applied since 23 October 2021. It closes at midday for Music at Noon, a 30-minute concert at €12 with the contribution included, and on Sunday it opens at 13:00. In July and August it cannot be visited during Jedermann performances on the Domplatz. Mozart was baptised in the bronze font of 1311. The DomQuartier page has the hours and tours.

4. St Peter’s Abbey and Cemetery

Church and cemetery free · catacombs €2 · church daily 8:00 to 20:00

The abbey church is free and open daily 8:00 to 20:00, except during services. The cemetery, around the late-Gothic St Margaret’s Chapel, is open 6:30 to 18:00 from October to March and 6:30 to 20:00 from April to September. The catacombs in the cliff above it cost €2 and are open from October to April 10:00 to 12:30 and 13:00 to 17:00; they are closed on 24 to 26 December, 31 December and 1 January. The scene of the family hiding in the cemetery in The Sound of Music was built in a studio. The Baroque Hall of St Peter Stiftskulinarium, inside the abbey, hosts the Mozart Dinner Concert; Mozart concerts in Salzburg compares it.

The Romanesque portal of St Peter’s Abbey church. Photo: Uoaei1, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Detour: the fortress funicular

Valley station Festungsgasse 4 · fortress from €12 on foot

The funicular to Hohensalzburg leaves from Festungsgasse 4, beside St Peter’s. The walk up takes 15 to 20 minutes, the funicular runs every ten minutes, and the funicular is shut 9 to 13 November 2026. A path leads from the fortress to Nonnberg Abbey. The fortress page has the four tickets.

5. Nonnberg Abbey

Free · church daily from about 6:45 to dusk · Nonnberggasse 2

The walk ends at the nunnery founded between 711 and 715, reached from Kaigasse by the Nonnbergstiege steps or from Nonntal by a narrow lane. The nuns sing at 6:45 every morning (7:00 on Sundays and holidays) and sung Vespers are at 17:00 Monday to Saturday, 16:30 on Sundays and holidays and 16:00 the day before a holiday. From November to February, listeners must register by email the day before. Church and cemetery are free, and closed to visitors during services. The film’s opening scene is Nonnberg; Sound of Music locations in Salzburg has the rest.

The best day to go

The timing that works: be at the Birthplace for 9:00, the DomQuartier for 10:00 and the Cathedral before 11:40, take lunch while Music at Noon is on, do St Peter’s after 12:30, and end at Nonnberg for Vespers at 17:00. What closes:

• 24 December: the Mozart houses close at 13:00, the DomQuartier is shut, and the catacombs are closed.
• 1 January: the Mozart houses open at 12:00 and the catacombs are closed.

What does not close: the streets, the squares, St Peter’s church and cemetery and the Nonnberg church. A Tuesday still makes a good walk: everything but the DomQuartier is open.

Getting there and back

• To the start: the old town is closed to cars by rising bollards from 11:00. Salzburg public transport covers the buses, and the Neutor tunnel closure diverts trolleybuses 1, 8 and 10 until 30 April 2027. Salzburg airport to the city covers the trolleybus in.
• From the end: the Nonnbergstiege steps lead down to Kaigasse, and a narrow lane leads down to Nonntal.

What to do with the rest of the day

• The fortress: Hohensalzburg Fortress tickets has the prices, and the funicular is beside St Peter’s.
• The other bank: the right bank walk starts at Mirabell Palace and ends at the Mozartsteg, 540 m from Getreidegasse 9, where this walk starts. Mirabell Palace and Gardens and the Mozart Residence are across the Marko-Feingold-Steg bridge.
• More free sights: free things to do in Salzburg.
• The whole trip: what to book in Salzburg has the closed days for every sight, and 3 days in Salzburg places the walk. To sleep in the old town, see where to stay in Salzburg.

Common questions

How long is the Salzburg old town walk?

Under 1.5 km on foot from Mozart's Birthplace on Getreidegasse to Nonnberg Abbey, and half a day with Mozart's Birthplace and the DomQuartier, which take about an hour and 1.5 to 2 hours.

What is the best day for the old town walk?

Any day except Tuesday, when the DomQuartier is closed. On Sundays the Cathedral opens at 13:00 and there is no Music at Noon.

Is the Salzburg old town walk free?

The streets, the squares, St Peter's church and cemetery and Nonnberg Abbey church are free. Mozart's Birthplace is €18, the DomQuartier €12, the Cathedral €7 and the St Peter's catacombs €2.

What time can I hear the nuns sing at Nonnberg Abbey?

At 6:45 every morning and at Vespers, 17:00 Monday to Saturday and 16:30 on Sundays and holidays. From November to February, listeners register by email the day before.

Where does the old town walk start and finish?

It starts at Mozart's Birthplace, Getreidegasse 9, and finishes at Nonnberg Abbey. Two detours, to the Mönchsberg lift and the fortress funicular, branch off the route.

Can I do the walk in reverse?

Yes, but Nonnberg's Vespers at 17:00 and the nuns' 6:45 song suit the end of the route, and Mozart's Birthplace opens at 9:00.