Salzburg Busses

Posted by Mira (Midwest) on 05/10/19 04:27 PM

My head is kind of spinning from looking into busses from Salzburg. Within the city itself I think I will mainly walk, but know I can buy a local bus ticket if needed. This seems straightforward enough. However I will be in Salzburg for a few days in early June and if the weather is pleasant I'd like to head out to a nearby mountain/natural area for some light hiking. Just spend half a day or so enjoying nature.

So my research has shown that Untersberg and Gaisberg are recommended nearby places, accessible by bus from Salzburg. I even found bus numbers and schedules. Great! But...how do tickets work? I see a lot about local zone vs. regional zones (multiple zones?), but no zone map, something about supplements for the city center, all sorts of things I can't figure out. All I want to know is what ticket covers this and how to buy it!

Also, if there is a better nearby mountain/hiking area, I'd be happy to hear about it.

Posted by wmt1

05/10/19 07:54 PM

2281 posts

Public transport in Salzburg city and its surroundings is organized in a "Verkehrsverbund", i.e. a unified fare and ticket system all public transport providers adhere to.
Here is the basic information folder: https://salzburg-verkehr.at/service/download/info-folder/
There are four different areas:
yellow - Salzburg city area called "Kernzone" (kernel zone)
blue - Salzburg state area being part of the Verkehrsverbund
grey - Salzburg state area not being part of the Verkehrsverbund
green - border crossing routes to Germany
In the yellow area distance does not matter; in all other areas the ticket price depends on how many zones you pass (you can count it on the map).
As you intend to use buses occasionally only and for different distances I guess you should stick to individual tickets. A time ticket (e.g. a week pass) makes sense only, if you go several times the same route. Maybe you might buy one for the yellow zone, and pay individually only the add-on price if you travel in one of the outer zones.
This is the most detailed map of the different zones: https://salzburg-verkehr.at/pa_file/svv-zonenplan/