3-4 days in Salzburg before a RS tour--suggestions please

No need for a car rental expense. Which RS tour and where is your first landing in Europe?

Arrive in Salzburg and we have 3 days before we meet the tour

Take day tours, such as Sound of Music. No need for a car. We used Bob's Tours.

You can visit Berchtesgaden in Germany easily by short train or bus ride. Parking is not as easy as it is in the US. Are you saying you are flying in to Salzburg airport? Its a minor regional airport - how much does that cost?

Flying SFO-FRA-SALZ. We figured a car would give us more freedom and will be less stressful than trying to figure out trains, buses, etc with jet lag but maybe it is easier just to figure out the trains and get a hotel the first day and sleep.

Salt mines at Hallein
Ice cave at Werfen

Longer drives, but you could drive to Krimml, Österreich and the Falls (2 hr. drive one way? Entrance fee) passing Zell am See and traveling along the Salzach river and back. You could drive to Heiligenblut, Österreich over the Großglocknerstraße and back (2.5 hr. drive one way? Toll road). Not sure but maybe your tour does not do this? Hope to have good weather, or maybe skip these longer drives. You have a lot of options. Get a good navigation device or get familiar with the rental car Navi.

Easy nearby is the Königssee and St. Sebastian Church in Ramsau bei Berchtesgaden, and Wallfahrtskirche Maria Gern.

Definitely get a hotel and stay off the roads the first day. Fatigue sets in once you sit down behind the wheel. Take the train to Hallstatt the second day since you will be in Salzburg for your My Way Alpine tour.

We arrived in Salzburg 3 days before our Alpine Tour last year. We didn't get a car, but we did get a Salzburg card. Free admittance to many places and free transportation. The buses were easy and frequent. We took a bus to Hellbrun one day. Also to the salt mines. Very easy. We'd done the Sound of Music tour on another trip years ago. There's lots to see on foot in Salzburg. We walked up to the Fortress, saw the Mozart birthplace and museum, the Salzburg Museum, Mirabell Palace, and several beer gardens! The cemeteries and St Peter's church are worth seeing, too. We saw a marionette show one night and a concert another night. You can also rent bikes and ride places.

Any recommendations for a hotel, don't need fancy, just clean and quiet and close to transportation like train. Thank you so much

We stayed 3 nights at Imlauer Hotel Pitter, good location near train station and easy walk to historic area. Nice rooms and pleasant staff. No need for car. Plenty to see and do for a few days in Salzburg.

Any recommendations for a hotel, don't need fancy, just clean and quiet and close to transportation like train. Thank you so much.

Your post is a little confusing. Why would you want to stay near the train station? RS tours travel by bus. Where are you staying during the RS tour? I would suggest you just stay there if you are arriving early. The train station is at least a 20-25 minute walk to the major sites. Why walk back and forth?

It sounds like you will be in Salzburg 5-6 nights in total. You will want to have a hotel closer to the sights. The Imlauer Hotel Pitter suggested is a good location.

A total of 5-6 nights in Salzburg is a little too much IMO. That is why I suggested Hallstatt for at least one night. You are very close and it is only a two hour train ride. Well worth spending a night to enjoy some place different.

We fly into Salzburg and figured we would take s train to town-but I see there are buses to the old town which we will now do (or a taxi). I know all of this sounds confusing and that is because I am totally confused. And clueless, hence all the stupid questions. Appreciate all the help though!

Dave's well-off-the-beaten-tourist-path idea that he always pitches for Salzburg: Walk to the new town! I particularly recommend a visit to the city library (Stadt:Bibliothek Salzburg). The architecture of the building is super cool and makes me think of Godzilla. The inside of the library has shockingly red carpet. For a great view of the city and the fortress in the distance, head up to the Panoramabar, a coffee shop and reading room in the "head" of the building. You take a nifty horizontally-travelling elevator to get to the Panoramabar. The coffee shop employees individuals with developmental disabilities, so some basic skills in ordering coffee in German are helpful. Hours are on the official website. I have read that as of late, the Panoramabar is often booked for special events during lunch hours, so it can be hard to pay a visit during that time. Across the street from the library is a Spar Hypermarkt (think Walmart but higher class). To me it's fun to check out places like that in another country.

Go here: www.rupertustherme.de. Looks like there’s a bus from Saltzburg to the town that’s just a half hour then a short walk to the Therme.

We loved this spot and it was mainly all Germans. Research the website ahead though - there are some parts that are clothing free and they are strict about enforcing that.

Also - weather was bad for us but if it’s good for you and you decide to do a car, this was on my itinerary plans initially as it looked lovely: www.thumsee.de.

And I assume Berchtesgaden and the Koenigsee are you the RS trip but if not, put aside all other suggestions and just go see these. :)

Salzburg is a small town. Absolutely not confusing as you just walk everywhere.

Take a taxi from the airport to your hotel. Stay in a hotel in the historic center - we like Hotel Elefant. Walk everywhere. Sleep and rest your first day. Use a tour company like Bob’s for Sound of Music stuff.

I agree with Emily. I just got back from 26 days in Europe which included 4 in Salzburg. I rented a car several years ago and Salzburg was one of the stops. I spent a lot of time and money trying to park the car. Buses and trains there are great, fast, cheap and easy to navigate. I have stayed near the old town before and I actually like a Hotel a little ways away from Old town right on the river. Motel One is moderate priced with great air conditioning and very clean. It is a ten minute walk to Old Town along the river and 10 minute walk to train station and very quiet with no party groups. Bobs SOM tour was much better than the big bus company. Small group in a very nice van with a great guide. They drove to Mondsee via very pretty back roads where the big bus does not fit and gave me great ideas where to drive on the last day I was there and rented a car for one day to see the pretty country side around Salzburg. On one of your 3 days you can go up to the Eagles Nest. Catch bus 840 from the train station across the street from Mc Donalds to Berchtesgaden catch the 838 direct to Obersalzburg and then buy a ticket on one of the special buses that take you up to the Nest. One of the prettiest drives I have ever been on. Take the 838 back to Berchtesgaden and catch the 840 back to Salzburg. They don't do this on your tour. The rest of Salzburg you can do by foot very quickly. Have a great trip.

Do a Sound of Music tour. Fraulein Maria’s bicycle tour was great.
Go hiking. I don’t have specific recommendations on this but I wish I’d had time to do it.
Salzburg has an excellent zoo. It’s just a bus stop beyond Hellbrun so could be easily combined with that.

We did a Sound Of Music Tour with Bob's Special Tours this past December and absolutely loved it. We also did a cooking class which was great. We made apple strudel and were served goulash at the end. So good! On a prior trip we went to the Eagles Nest tour which was very interesting.

As noted above, the Fraulein Maria bicycle tour is wonderful. We went in mid-April, on a splendid spring morning, and enjoyed breathtaking views of the city and Alps. Rupert is an excellent guide. Even if you're not a Sound of Music fan, the tour provides a great overview to Salzburg itself and the beautiful pastoral area just south of the city. The riding itself is mellow as you pedal through old-town Salzburg, stopping at the major sites, and then ride out to the Hellbrunn Palace.

If you really want to stay outside of town, I recommend Pension Ballwein on the Moostrasse. It's easily accessible on bus 21, about 12 minutes from downtown. The area has a rustic alpine flavor with glorious views of the Untersberg Mountain. There is a convenient market across the street for sandwiches or coffee. The pension is run by a delightful young couple who speak excellent English. For a nice meal farther down the road, check out the Reiterhof Moos. It can also be reached by bus 21 or via a pleasant walk from the pension. Good food, especially the garlic soup and peppersteak, and a great ambience

We just stayed several days ago at Wolfe Dietrich Hotel. Wonderful!

Easy to hop on a train to the lovely town of Zell am See. Gorgeous lake; you can take a cable car up the ski mountains.

Don't rent a car. And plan a day trip or two out of Salzburg (by bus/train or book a tour on Viator, etc.) as I think 3-4 Salzburg days, plus the 2 days that is part of the tour, is a little long for staying IN and around Salzburg.

I was a bit confused about the start of the tour so we ended up with lots of extra time in Salzburg. Thanks so much for all the great tips. Relaxing a couple days is good too for us old folks!

OOOH! I am arriving Sept 3rd for the tour that starts on the 4th. I think it would be great to connect with some friends before the tour!