Our family of 4 (2 teens) are planning to be in Salzburg late July 2018, at the start of the music festival. How crowded will it be and will it affect our plans enough to try to switch the our preferred timing on our trip to be in Salzburg (school schedules, etc.)?
We are planning on stay at the Pitter. We would take the train from Italy on day 1, DIY walking tour Salzburg day 2, bus to Eagle Nest and hike day 3, day trip via train to Munich day 4. Might or might not take in a musical performance.
Posted by
1906 posts
"Salzburger Festspiele" is Austria's top summer event regarding opera and classical music. (The State Opera in Vienna is closed during summer.)
Salzburg is always crowded with tourists, a lot of celebrities add up during the festival. But this should not keep you from following your planned schedule.
You should make your hotel reservation right now, as everything is usually booked out during the festival.
Should you want to attend a music performance, you must check frequently when ticket sales start. Try to get tickets on the very first day. This is the page to watch: http://www.salzburgerfestspiele.at/ticketorder
As you can see, in October 2017 ticket sales start for the Whitsun Festival in May 2018. So I guess that for the summer festival it will be about two months later.
Posted by
Southeast US
3847 posts
I agree with wmt1's comments above. As for my own experience, I was in Salzburg during the Salzburger Festspiele in 2014. I did NOT feel like the crowds were particularly overwhelming -- certainly not enough to reschedule your trip. Salzburg is one of my favorite places! Enjoy your time there.
Posted by
Seattle
119 posts
We were in Salzburg several weeks ago during the festival and attended two outstanding concerts. We did not think the city felt crowded. I reserved our hotel room early. Salzburg had the most expensive hotel rates of any of our destinations during our 3-week August trip.