salzburg train station area OK to stay?

Its not a bad area.
Salzburg is small and walkable, I think there are better areas, but its not too far out of the way. I had to walk through there at like 0430 one morning and I didn't feel unsafe at all.

I am not aware of any city in Austria where the area near the train station is dangerous.

that area is a quite new redevelopment with a shopping mall and cineplex between the station (also newly rebuilt ) and hotel. As you say, a good idea if you plan on using the trains and buses. The traffic can get chronic at peak times but that won't bother you.

Last time I was in Salzburg, my kids and I waited in front of the station while my dad came around in the car. A weird drunk guy and his girlfriend started bothering us, so we walked away from them and I kept a watchful eye on us and our stuff. I felt safe, totally, but I would say in Austria the stations tend to be the places where drugs and alcohol seem to find a home. Very true in Vienna, for sure.

elaine,

You didn't say what day trips you have planned, but I've always found it very convenient to stay closer to the river, as it's a really nice part of town and there are lots of restaurants. It's also an easy walk to connect with HO/HO buses, the boat tours, the Hohensalzburg Fortress or other sights in that area.

I stayed at Hotel Hohenstauffen (about a block from the station). Loved the staff there and the breakfast was awesome. The hotel was dated but clean. I wasn't out late at night, but the area felt safe enough for me as a single female. There were a couple of adult oriented stores on the street but they didn't seem to attract a crowd. About a 10-15 minute walk to main tourist area, and of course very close to the train station.

I would not stay next to train station in Paris, or Florence or Rome. But found Colmar (smaller town) to be fine. I don't want to walk in seedy areas, lots of loafers hanging out, etc., even if it is technically "safe."
But on our 4 day trip-most days involve going to HBF. And we need AC for July, so options for 4 persons at a budget are limited.

We are arriving in pm via 7 hr train ride--tired, going directly to hotel and shower/sleep
DIY day trip via bus to Eagle Nest
DIY day trip to Munich via train
one day walk into city center Salzburg, Sound of Music tour, etc.
Shuttle to Czesky picking up at HBF, transfer to Prague

the route 840 bus to Berchtesgaden (change for Eagles Nest) usually goes from Stop G at the Hbf, which is rather convenient for you because this is closer to the hotel than the main bus station area! It's in the street between the two parts of the shopping centre. If you walk towards station and see the back of the taxi line in front of you and the main bus station to the right, turn left and it's a few yards along. Before anyone says I'm a bit obsessive to know this, my usual bus to Bad Reichenhall goes from Stop F and the 840 often blocks it!!

thanks so much--great info!

but I would say in Austria the stations tend to be the places where drugs and alcohol seem to find a home. Very true in Vienna, for sure.

I do not agree with that statement. To conclude from single incidents that all stations are sleazy places paints a false picture of Vienna's safety.

I go through three stations every day for 10 years in Vienna - Praterstern, Hauptbahnhof and Matzleinsdorferplatz. Lots of harmless drunks and drug addicts, every single day. My kid goes through two of these stations alone every day to school for 4 years now, so clearly I'm not worried about safety. I just think these characters are off-putting and annoying (and sad).

the small cluster of drunks near the main exit of Salzburg station have been there for so long they could be listed as historic interest. You wouldn't want a photo of them but they aren't a problem.

I just think these characters are off-putting and annoying (and sad).

In my experience, some of them can be even interesting in a certain way. My wife and me call them the "Vienna philosophical U-Bahn school". Those are simply looking for listeners for their theories of world peace or the structure of the cosmos or the duration of eternity and so on. Every time we come to Vienna we run into such people at U-Bahn stations or in the tram. In any case, the contrast to the drunkards at Munich subway stations, who simply are annoying, is quite remarkable.