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Hire Guide for a day, or wing it?

Posted by on

Hi!

My husband and I are traveling to Salzburg via Munich in April 2023. We are first-time visitors from the States. We have 3 full days in Salzburg.
I wonder if it is worth having a private guide for our first full day in Salzburg, or if it’s fairly easy to get around independently. Our main interests include activities where we can people- watch while enjoying fine wine or beer. Museums would be fine, but we are more about seeing scenic spots and mingling with locals. I guess my main thought is, do we worry about missing “big” stuff if we venture on our own?
Is there really a bigger benefit to walking around with an expert first?
Thanks!

Posted by
1056 posts

Salzburg is an easy town to walk around in. I hope you have downloaded the free Rick Steves audio Europe app. There’s a self guided walking tour in Salzburg on that app that you could use to guide yourself around town. I’d also recommend that you either buy or check out from your library Rick Steves guidebook for Austria. I believe that’s the one that has the Salzburg information in it. I also took a strudel making class from the Edelweiss cooking school in Salzburg which was fun.

Posted by
3845 posts

Wing it. I often use private guides, but I've been to Salzburg three times and never used one. The Rick Steves walking tour in the book or in the app is quite good and gives a good orientation to the city. The Rick Steves book is entitled Vienna, Salzburg, & Tyrol.

Posted by
6788 posts

Do you have the Rick Steves guidebook covering Salzburg? If not, you should get it - guide books are a bargain! It has all the info you will need to enjoy the city, without missing anything. The guidebooks are absolutely worth having!

Posted by
2311 posts

Salzburg is a very easy place to “wing it”. The old town is very compact. The fortress is right above. The Mirabell palace and gardens are just across the river. Lots of charm and interesting places to see. I would do some research on the sights that are of interest to you, then see those independently. You might check to see if there are any free walking tours available - these can be very interesting and pack in a lot of info in a short period.

Are you venturing out into the area surrounding Salzburg (Hallstatt, Berchtesgaden, etc) after your 3 days in the city?

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