Lodging Outside of Salzburg

Hotel Hohenstauffen is a family owned inn close to the Salzburg train station. We stayed in a family room which was quite large. They have a wonderful breakfast. It was very reasonably priced.

I've stayed 3 times in Freilassing, Germany, across the river (and border) from Salzburg. The first time, 2000, I was visiting Berchtesgaden, and just went into Salzburg one evening for dinner. That trip I stayed at the Stadthotel Freilassing (https://www.stadthotel-freilassing.de/). At the time, it was privately owned and run. I thought it was fairly reasonably priced, but it's since been taken over by a corporation. It's still operating, but today, at about 140€ for a double, I think it's overpriced.

Two more times, 2011 and 2012, I think, I stayed at Hotel Rupertus. The first time I went in on the train (about 12 minutes) to the the bus stops at Salzburg Hbf. I was going by bus to Hallstatt via Mondsee. The second time I went by train from Salzburg Hbf to Werfen. I thought Rupertus was a lot more reasonable, but it's no longer in business.

Today, there doesn't seem to be many economical options in Freilassing. There are several other places, but Stadthotel Freilassing seems to be about the least expensive one.

There do seem to be some less expensive places in Austria, just across the Salzach, on the way to Salzburg. However, not many of them are accessible by train. If you find one near a bus stop, it might work out. You might try the Four Points Flex by Sheraton at the Salzburg Messe or the nearby Hartlwirt Gasthof (https://www.hartlwirt.at/).

I'm sure most places in Salzburg will speak English, but as you get outside town, you are more likely to encounter non-English speaking hosts.

Have you tried to search for an apartment on AirBnB?

When I was there with a friend some years ago, we stayed at Pension Ballwein on Moosstrasse, which sat on the outskirts of Salzburg. The nice thing was that there is a bus stop right across the street from it, where you can take the bus into the city every morning and back. And it's not that far out, so the ride was maybe about 10 minutes? It was really a lovely place.

The pension was quite charming with lots of kitschy touches that were very Austrian, and the beds had very fluffy comforters and pillows. But the best was the view. Our room had French doors that opened onto a balcony, which gave way to an incredible vista of the Alps. It was really beautiful.

I believe they now have apartments as well as rooms. https://www.pension-ballwein.at/en/

You might stay in/near Kuchl, Österreich and you are half way to Werfen. We have stayed at Stallerhof, but you would have to get up the hill and probably multiple rooms making it not so affordable. We have had dinner further up the hill at the Hochreithalm Golling. Bad Reichenhall may be too far out for you? I would just add make your reservations as soon as possible.

We (also a family of 6) stayed in Teisendorf, Germany over Christmas and traveled in to Salzburg each day. We rented an apartment through AirBnb (https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/917071171212355050?source_impression_id=p3_1768276191_P32e7g1ftSeNQGQM) that was perfect. Lots of room and a full kitchen. It's about a ten minute walk to the train station (our hostess showed us a shortcut through the woods that our kids were thrilled with!), and then a 25 minute train ride into Salzburg. If you don't have a car (which we didn't), it is about a 15-20 minute walk to get into town for groceries, but it is a pleasant walk along a country lane, so we were able to make it work just fine, and it was much cheaper than staying in Salzburg itself.

When I visit Salzburg, I like to do it as a day trip from the Wolfgangsee, St. Gilgen specifically. It is about a one hour bus ride on bus 150 to Salzburg.

As others suggest, perhaps also consider AirBnbs.

Thanks so much for all of the suggestions. I looked into all of the options offered to me, and based on availability, staying in Freilassing seems to make the most sense. For those of you who have done this, do you recall how long it took to get into Salzburg?

do you recall how long it took to get into Salzburg?

Depends. Travel time to the Freilassing Bhf will vary depending on where you stay and what kind of transportation you use to get there. Walking from Stadthotel Freilassing takes about 10 minutes.

The time from the Freilassing Bhf to the Salzburg Hbf depends on what kind of train you take. By regional train, of which there are one or two and hour, travel time to the Salzburg Hbf is 9-10 minutes. By S-Bahn, at least 2 per hour, it's 11-12 minutes. Either fare is just over 4,20 €. There are also long distance trains (RJ, IC, or EC); they are a little faster, but 4x more expensive.

The trains from Freilassing to Salzburg take you to the Hbf. To get to downtown Salzburg, you will need to walk or take a bus.

After spending far too much time perseverating over where to spend two nights in Salzburg, we have reservations at the Hotel Hohenstauffen, as was first suggested by Jules M. It's one of the few budget-friendly options that gets fantastic reviews from everyone on every platform and the location can't be beat. Although it would have been nice to spread out at an Airbnb in Freilassing, we really just need a place to sleep.

Thank you to everyone who offered suggestions.