2 Day Itinerary for Salzburg - Tips NEEDED for efficient and smart touring

A very ambitious itinerary, especially with kids. How old are they? Not much spare time for breathing. ;-)

I am not an expert for Salzburg, but I noticed a few things.

No. 170 is a bus line, not a train, and bearing a three-digit number it is most likely a regional bus going out of town. Schloss Hellbrunn's homepage gives bus #25 for going from/to the city center.

The time frame of 1.5 hours for the birthday dinner seems very short. If you ever had been to Austria you will have noticed that everything is somewhat slower. You should tell the waiter upfront that you must leave at 6:30pm if you want to follow your schedule.

wmt1, thank you!

No. 170 is a bus line, not a train, and bearing a three-digit number
it is most likely a regional bus going out of town. Schloss
Hellbrunn's homepage gives bus #25 for going from/to the city center.

Very good, I'll double check that! I used Google maps, so that was my error, thank you!

The time frame of 1.5 hours for the birthday dinner seems very short.
If you ever had been to Austria you will have noticed that everything
is somewhat slower. You should tell the waiter upfront that you must
leave at 6:30pm if you want to follow your schedule.

I wondered about that. When I made the reservation I mentioned we were going to the Marionette theater. But I agree, with a birthday dinner (daughter is turning 7), we should not be rushed. We can do Mirabelle Gardens before dinner, then!

Thank you!

You are welcome.

Generally, do not rely on public transport information given by Google maps without cross-checking.

I also have two similarly-aged kids. I'd be lucky to get done half of what you list, especially on day 2. I'd cut out Mozart's birthplace just to give you a cushion.

On the Tuesday, why do you go all the way to Mirabell to catch the bus to Hellbrunn? The bus to Hellbrunn (bus 25) stops right in the Old Town at Mozartsteg. It is about a 20-25 minute bus ride each way. Once at Hellbrunn, you have to take a group tour to see the fountains. The tour takes about an hour alone. Trust me that you will also want to let you kids explore the huge park and playgrounds. There are some Sound of Music sites there as well, such as the gazebo. To only allow 1 hour is not realistic.

Run the numbers to see whether a Salzburg card makes sense based on what you plan to do. We took the Untersberg lift one trip and looked across snowy mountain tops -- that by itself almost covers the Salzburg card cost.

Very helpful inputs, thank you!

I like the idea of postponing Mozart's Birthplace until/if we feel up to it after the gardens (or Hellbrun)! I was thinking the tour only, didn't realize we'd have the ability to hang out around Hellbrun for awhile...

Thanks again!

Laura B, thank you too! I have purchased the Salzburg card, did the calculations and it's worth it by about 70e for us.

With the Salzburg card and the included bus, we combined the mountain lift and Hellbrunn in the same trip. From Untersberg, the bus dropped us at Hellbrunn and we returned to town by the same bus. If time allows it might be fun for the kids. And that practically paid for the card, which I rank as one of our best deals ever. I think a zoo is located nearby Hellbrunn as well, but really didn't attend to that. When we used the card it included a fun, one hour boat ride on the river your kids might enjoy. Have fun and safe travels.

Thanks Denny, I had not considered the Untersberg!

Hope I am not too late. I have spent a lot of time travelling in Germany and Austria. Salzburg is one of our Fave's many visits to the Mozart Festival! I admire your desire to learn and to see everything possible. However, I think your schedule is a tad aggressive/optimistic for fit adults and in your specific case for the 6 year old in the party. (Also, be mindful that bathroom pauses are not as available as in the States,)
Another note, there is a lot of walking and stair climbing and descending at the Fortress.
Making it from Mirabelle to the Marionette in say a half hour walking again with the kids? You could easily make it with a Taxi if you find one when you walk out.
I also agree the hour and a half for the B day dinner might be optimistic even if you notify the wait staff.
We have taken 2 excellent Sound of Music tours. I think Rick has a recommendation and there is always TripAdvisor.
If the budget allows...the kids would probably love a carriage ride.
Finally, Salzburg is a living museum unto itself and wandering the Alt Stadt is an experience alone....
Gute Reise!

thanks cmciebiera!

It looks like from the map it's about 300 meters from the restaurant to the Marionette theater, isn't that a 5 minute walk? I thought everything in Salzburg was generally very close and walk able. I definitely have not accounted for taxis.

I too would error on the side of caution in that this sounds like a very aggressive schedule. It might help to prioritize what you most want to see so that if you find that the kids are tired, etc you can easily make a choice to cut something out and still have a wonderful time. As to transportation, yes, the old town area is very much a walkable area. When we were there in May, we took the bus into the old town from our pension, and then walked everywhere. There are several bridges that you can use to get to places on the other side of the river, such as the Mirabell Palace.

Have a fantastic trip!
Robert

Hi Melissa,
I see someone already covered the ambitious comment. I would echo that as well, especially with a 6 year old and possibly the 10 year old as well. I think to very fit adults would find you schedule a bit challenging.
A couple of observations to consider: once you reach the fortress there are a lot of stairs to negotiate and if I understand that you are trekking across the Monschberg from fortress to the elevator there is some significant elevation changes and no facilities.
The kids should love the Marionettes and I would suggest a carriage ride. Talk to the "cabbie" first to insure that you find one you like and speaks English the best.
Finally, I also agree with a contributor that if you are doing the nice dinner for the Bday 1.5 hrs. even telling the wait staff may not help. I am thinking you need to loop in the owner or manager or the kitchen. This is only a heads up to the possibility of being disappointed/frustrated. We have waited upwards of 20 minutes dozens of time all over Europe for the check to arrive. It is not rudeness it is the simple fact that U.S. assign usually 5 tables per waiter give or take based on the elegance factor, + a busboy, in Europe you may see 2-4 waiters serving an entire restaurant. One our favorite Parisienne place seats over 80 inside and probably another 20 outside - It's covered by never more than 3 waiters.
Just be as flexible as you can and keep your expectations reasonable and then dial them back one more notch. Auf Weidersehen und eine Gute Reise!!!