In this guide
💡 The Short Version: Go by train. ÖBB railjet express trains leave Wien Hauptbahnhof hourly at :28, reach Salzburg in 2 hours 25 minutes, and the last train back leaves Salzburg at 22:07. The ÖBB fare is €67.70 each way bought on the day, or €63.70 booked 15 to 180 days ahead; Sparschiene and Westbahn advance fares can be much cheaper when booked early. Westbahn leaves from Westbahnhof, a different station, and its tickets are not interchangeable with ÖBB’s. Hohensalzburg Fortress is €15.50 with the funicular and Mozart’s Birthplace €18. Or book a tour: the small-group Salzburg tourad is €143 for 12 hours, and the Hallstatt and Salzburg tourad is €100 for 14. A tour saves choosing between two stations and two train operators (GetYourGuide).
Getting there on your own
Train times are for the timetable valid until 12 December 2026, when ÖBB and Westbahn change it.
| Train | From | Times | Journey |
|---|---|---|---|
| ÖBB railjet express | Wien Hauptbahnhof | Hourly at :28, first 05:28, last 22:28 | 2 hours 25 minutes |
| ÖBB InterCity | Wien Hauptbahnhof | Hourly at :57, 04:57 to 19:57 | 2 hours 36 minutes to 2 hours 59 minutes |
| Westbahn | Wien Westbahnhof | Every 30 to 60 minutes, from 05:38 to 20:38 | 2 hours 30 minutes |
| Back: ÖBB railjet express | Salzburg Hauptbahnhof | Hourly at :07, last 22:07 | 2 hours 33 minutes |
| Back: Westbahn | Salzburg Hauptbahnhof | About :22 and :52, last 20:22 | 2 hours 35 minutes to 2 hours 40 minutes |
- ÖBB fares, second class: €67.70 online or on the app on the day, €66.40 booked 1 to 14 days ahead, €63.70 booked 15 to 180 days ahead. At a ticket machine it is €73.50, at the ticket office €83.70 and on board €92.80. First class is €132.10 online. With a Vorteilscard it is half price, €33.90 online (ÖBB price tables).
- Advance fares: ÖBB’s Sparschiene and Westbahn’s Superpreis are tied to one train, sell in limited numbers and cost less the earlier you book. Up to four children under 15 travel free with each adult on Sparschiene (oebb.at). Westbahn’s children under 15 pay €3 a trip on Superpreis (westbahn.at).
- Two stations. Hauptbahnhof is on the U1 and Westbahnhof on the U3 and U6. An ÖBB ticket is not valid on the Westbahn.
Tours from Vienna
A tour buys the transport and the stops in one booking, and a coach day is 12 to 14 hours. Prices are GetYourGuide’s lowest “from” prices.
Small-group day trip
From €143 · 236 reviews · 12 hours · no more than 8 people
Salzburg: Small-Group Day Trip from Viennaad covers Salzburg and the lake region of The Sound of Music, with alpine villages and Mozart’s birthplace. The group is capped at eight, and the listing allows a private option.
Guided day trip including Melk
From €139 · 668 reviews · 13 hours
From Vienna: Guided Day Trip to Salzburg (incl. Melk)ad shows Salzburg’s top sights and Sound of Music locations, and stops at Melk on the way.
Sound of Movies tour
From €125 · 192 reviews · 13 hours
From Vienna: Sound of Movies Musical Tour to Salzburgad visits the film’s shooting locations and tells the story of the real Trapp family.
Hallstatt and Salzburg together
From €100 · 13 to 14 hours · 3,648 and 2,308 reviews
Day trips from Vienna: Hallstatt & Salzburg Scenic Experiencead is 14 hours from €100, and Vienna: Hallstatt, Salzburg, Alps & Lakes Day Tripad is 13 hours from €100. Both list hotel pick-up; choose them if you want both places in one day. The Hallstatt guide compares the Hallstatt-only tours.
What to see in Salzburg
Hohensalzburg Fortress
Basic ticket with funicular €15.50 · all-inclusive €19.20 · open daily, 09:30 to 17:00 until 31 December
The fortress above the old town is open every day of the year; on 24 December it closes at 14:00. The basic ticket includes the funicular up and down, the panorama tour and the Fortress Museum, among other rooms; the all-inclusive ticket is €19.20. Walking up instead, the tickets are €12 and €14.50. 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 close, and no online tickets are sold (festung-hohensalzburg.at). GetYourGuide sells the fortress admission ticketad at the operator’s €19.20.
Hohensalzburg Fortress in evening light. Photo: Eweht, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Mozart’s Birthplace
€18, or €25 with the Mozart Residence · daily 09:00 to 17:30 · about an hour
The three-storey museum at Getreidegasse 9, where Mozart was born on 27 January 1756. The Mozarteum sells tickets only in its own webshop and at the museum’s box office, and says tickets bought from third parties are not accepted. It is closed on 13 and 14 October 2026, and free on 26 October (mozarteum.at). The building is not barrier-free.
The Getreidegasse and its wrought-iron shop signs. Photo: Leonhard Lenz, Wikimedia Commons, CC0.
The Original Sound of Music Tour
From €75 on GetYourGuide, from €70 on the operator’s page · 4 hours · daily at 09:15 and 14:00 in English
Salzburg Panorama Tours’ coach tour starts at its bus terminal on Mirabellplatz (Hubert-Sattler-Gasse 1); be there 15 minutes early. It passes the Mirabell Garden and Pegasus Fountain, takes in the view of Schloss Leopoldskron across the lake, stops at the gazebo at Hellbrunn and goes on to the church at Mondsee used for the wedding scene. Cancellation is free up to 24 hours before (panoramatours.com). The GetYourGuide listingad has 6,259 reviews.
The Mirabell Garden and Mirabell Palace, with Hohensalzburg on the hill beyond. Photo: Isiwal, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
A day, hour by hour
| Time | What |
|---|---|
| 07:28 | Railjet from Wien Hauptbahnhof, arriving in Salzburg at 09:53 |
| Morning | Hohensalzburg Fortress, which opens at 09:30, and Mozart’s Birthplace |
| 14:00 | The Original Sound of Music Tour, ending about 18:00 |
| 19:07 to 22:07 | Railjet back, arriving at Hauptbahnhof from 21:40 to 00:42 |
The 09:15 Sound of Music tour needs an earlier train: the 05:28 reaches Salzburg at 07:53. For a night in Salzburg, GetYourGuide’s half-day tour from Salzburg to Hallstattad is 5½ hours from €85.
Before you go
- Train times are valid until 12 December 2026.
- The fortress closes its museums from 9 to 13 November 2026 for funicular maintenance. Maintenance also runs from 11 January to 14 March 2027, with the walking path and indoor areas open.
- Mozart’s Birthplace is closed on 13 and 14 October 2026.
Salzburg is one of the day trips from Vienna. Hallstatt is the other lakeside day and the Wachau the Danube one. Vienna public transport covers the way to Hauptbahnhof and Westbahnhof, 3 days in Vienna shows where a day away fits, and what to book before you go to Vienna has the city tickets. Where to stay in Vienna compares the areas, and the best time to visit Vienna gives the weather by month.
Common questions
How long is the train from Vienna to Salzburg?
2 hours 25 minutes on the ÖBB railjet express from Wien Hauptbahnhof, hourly at :28 from 05:28 to 22:28. The Westbahn takes 2 hours 30 minutes from Wien Westbahnhof, a different station. The ÖBB fare is €67.70 each way bought online on the day.
What is the last train back from Salzburg to Vienna?
The last ÖBB railjet leaves Salzburg Hauptbahnhof at 22:07 and reaches Vienna at 00:42. The last Westbahn leaves at 20:22 and arrives at Westbahnhof at 22:57.
Can I use an ÖBB ticket on the Westbahn?
No. Westbahn says ÖBB tickets are not valid on its trains. Westbahn's trains leave from Wien Westbahnhof on the U3 and U6; ÖBB's leave from Hauptbahnhof on the U1.
How much is Hohensalzburg Fortress?
€15.50 for the basic ticket with the funicular and €19.20 for the all-inclusive ticket. Walking up instead of taking the funicular, the tickets are €12 and €14.50. From 9 to 13 November 2026 the funicular is under maintenance and the museums are closed.
Is a Salzburg day tour from Vienna worth it?
For a Sound of Music route or Hallstatt in the same day, yes: the coach tours with Hallstatt are from €100 and take 13 to 14 hours. For Salzburg alone the train is cheaper if you book an advance fare, and the Original Sound of Music Tour runs from Salzburg itself.
