Salzburg and a car

Hi Mardee, We like staying in Ramsau (by Berchtesgaden, Germany) for visits to Salzburg. Our favorite place to stay is in Ramsau... the Pension Mayringerlehen. We stayed here in '06, '07, '09 www.Mayringerlehen.de Just outside of Salzburg we liked our stay (in 2001) at the Gasthof zum Kirchenwirt in Puch bei Salzburg. www.kirchenwirt.at Paul

Hi Mardee a car in Salzburg is not needed and is a royal pain to drive around and to park. We were there for 5 days and luckily had a place to park where we stayed which we did and then never drove until we left. Salzburg is small and very walkable in almost everywhere you want to go or go by bus which is fast easy and cheap. We stayed at St Sebastian which is just across the river from the Old town but on my next visit we are planning on staying at one of 2 B&B's on Moostrasse. Ricks book and many posters recomend the B&B's which are easy to drive to from the Autobahn without having to go into the main part of town and stay parked at during your visit. Moostrasse is on a main busline right into town and buses run late into the evening for your return trip. Trying to park close to town is expensive and a pain IMO. Driving outside of town around and to St Wolfgang, Mondsee and Hallstatt however is easy and beautiful. The price of the B&B's is well within your range and as I recall(dont have my book handy) even less that your stated limit. Have a great trip

There is a parking garage near the Wolf Dietrich in the New Town that is not very expensive, but to reach the Old Town, you will have to take the bus or else prepare for a long walk. We enjoyed the Wolf Dietrich, but avoid the annex, which has five floors and no elevator. The Moostrasse B&Bs have nearby bus connections, so you will not have to drive into the city; the disadvantage is that the bus ride will be longer and there are fewer runs on the weekend. Haus am Moos seems to get the most recommendations.

We visited Salzburg last fall and innocently drove into the old town area where our hotel was located. GPS was valuable but was throughly confused by the many turns and short streets. Our parking experience - we had pulled up to a public lot and mistakenly drove around those who were waiting in line to enter. Apparently when someone would leave the lot, another car would be admitted, we jump ahead of all. We where given every obscene jesture - most of which we never seen before. We felt like rude Americans but it was hard to undo a wrong until we found out what we did wrong. The girl at the hotel explained and said not to worry about it. I'd take the recommendation of the others here and park outside of the old town area, Salzburg was surprisingly small and very walkable. It is a truey beautiful place to visit. Research the transportation options upon arrival and maybe the hotel can assist if you have one reserved.

These are some great ideas! After reading this, I do think it best to stay on the outskirts or even in another town. I've sent out a few requests for inquiries to some of the places mentioned here, and will hopefully hear something. Thank you!

Hi Mardee, we stayed out on the Moosstrasse when we were in Salzburg. We stayed with Helga Bankhammer, her info is in Rick's book. Nice room, huge bathroom. And Helga is very nice, too. Cost is somewhere around 50 euro/night. As far as recommendations for towns in Salzburger Land, I love St. Wolfgang and St. Gilgen. There's lots of pensions/B&B's in either for under 70 euro. I think it depends on whether you want to stay in a small village or closer to Salzburg. From the Moosstrasse, it's about a 10 minute bus ride to town. From St. Wolfgang, it's about an hour drive, plus you'd have to figure out where to park.

I stayed at the Goldene Krone which is just over the bridge from old town. It was a very nice area. Rick Steves recommends it. There was parking garage in a cave that was reasonable. I was there over the weekend. I stashed the car and picked it up when I left. Pam

I might have given you the link to the Hotel Bergland before. They had free parking and are about 10 minutes walk from old town: http://www.berglandhotel.at/ENGLISH.html

"would it be better to stay on the outskirts of town?" Another place to consider is right across the river in Germany, in Freilassing. From Freilassing Bahnhof to Salzburg, Hbf is eight minutes by train. I've stayed there twice. The first time was in *** Hotel Krone. A double with breakfast (DZ Ü/F) there is €94 (€92 with online booking). The last time I stayed at Hotel Rupertus (http://www.hotel-rupertus.de)(DZ Ü/F €55). He has garage parking for €4/day.

Check out Pension Blobergerhof just outside Salzburg. Very reasonable prices; great reviews (Trip Advisor), and you can take the bus to & from Salzburg.

Well, I have started the search for accommodations, using these replies as a starting point, and I'm batting 0 for 3 so far. I'm sure it's partly because I will be there on a Friday and Saturday night, and also because I waited till now to book. I still have several inquiries out there, though, and I will keep checking ... thank you all for your help!

Parking space is at a premium in any European city. You are probably best staying on the outskirts of downtown and riding a bus in. We stayed at Institute San Sebastian. They had a little parking lot where we parked our car. It was free but an amazingly tight fit (probably why our car had an inside switch to rotate the side mirrors in).

I like staying on the outskirts in the town of Hallwang. We take the train or the bus into the city. Here are some zimmers you can check on: www.haus-lindner.com www.haus-christine.org www.lenzenbauer.at Have fun on your trip! Love Salzburg!

Hi Mardee, .... A big BIG vote for Blobergerhof on Moosstrasse. Huge free safe parking area, excellent breakfast, even better dinner, big rooms by European standards, lovely people, bus stop 2 minutes walk away, view of the mountain, silent at night, rooster (optional) in the morning. We've stayed twice (or is it thrice) and will be back next year. .... Unless you don't like horses which rode past last time. Free Wifi. Great eggs cooked to order. I think all their rooms, all ensuite, are under €100.

Unfortunately Blobergerhof is one of the ones that is full up. However, I did get a response from Haus Ballwein, which is also on Moosstrasse and is mentioned in RS, and they have an available room, which I've reserved. I'm waiting on a couple of other responses, too, but I do like the idea of staying on Moosstrasse. However, my neighbor (who is from Landshut originally and just got back from a visit) is trying to convince me to stay in Berchtesgaden and head into Salzburg for the day. Has anyone done that? The friend who I'm traveling with is coming over tonight to talk about the trip, so I'm going to see what she would like to do (although she'll probably say she's fine either way). :)

Sometimes the best parts of our trips are our evening walks around town. Therefore, we try to pick places with restaurants, shops, pedestrian zones, etc. Salzburg is a very nice town for evening strolls. If you taste is like ours, I would try to stay there.

We have stayed at night both in Berchtesgaden area and Salzburg and I agree with Gary. The night walk around Salzburg was almost as romantic as Paris. All of the buildings and fountains are lit up, the street belongs to you because the other tourists are in their hotels and if you have a good digital camera that takes night shots you will have a blast. Some of my favorite photos are Salzburg Paris and London at night. I would definately spend a night in Salzburg

You've sold me! I do like cities at night, and an evening stroll in a romantic place like Salzburg sounds perfect (now if I could only conjure up a romantic guy!). :)

As far as staying in Berchtesgaden, it is a delightful town. There is a bus, the Watzmann Express, RVO 840, between the Berchtesgaden Hbf and Salzburg Hbf. It leaves from Berchtesgaden ZOB in front of the Hauptbahnhof, usually at 15 min past the hour, takes 49 min., and costs €9 pP RT for an RVO Tagesticket. A Bayern-Ticket is not valid on the Watzmann Express, since it runs through Austria. The last bus trip leaves Salzburg at 19:15, so if you want to stay late in Salzburg, it wouldn't work. You can also take the train, 1h22m with a change at Freilassing. It runs hourly, leaving the Berchtesgaden Hbf at 20 min after. The fare is €8,60 pP each way, but for 2 people RT, you can use a Bayern-Ticket. The last train comes back at 22:17, so if you wanted to stay late, taking the train both ways with a Bayern-Ticket would be the way to go.

"Salzburg sounds perfect (now if I could only conjure up a romantic guy!). :) "..... My wife is probably thinking the same thing.