I have been thinking of my route and I have come to the decision of going home by way of possibly my favourite European destination, in Austria 🇦🇹 the city of Salzburg. I am enamoured of the city and I wish to revisit it once again.
Salzburg is the fourth-largest city in Austria. In 2020 its population was 156,852. The city lies on the Salzach River, near the border with Germany and at the foot of the Alps mountains.
The town occupies the site of the Roman settlement of Iuvavum. Founded as an episcopal see in 696, it became a seat of the archbishop in 798. Its main sources of income were salt extraction, trade, as well as gold mining. The fortress of Hohensalzburg, one of the largest medieval fortresses in Europe, dates from the 11th century. In the 17th century, Salzburg became a centre of the Counter-Reformation, with monasteries and numerous Baroque churches built. Salzburg has an extensive cultural and educational history, being the birthplace of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and being home to three universities and a large student population. Today, along with Vienna and the Tyrol, Salzburg is one of Austria's most popular tourist destinations.
Salzburg's historic center (German: Altstadt) is renowned for its Baroque architecture and is one of the best-preserved city centres north of the Alps. The historic center was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1996.
Salzburg is on the banks of the River Salzach, at the northern boundary of the Alps. The mountains to Salzburg's south contrast with the rolling plains to the north. The closest alpine peak, the 1,972-metre-high (6,470 ft) Untersberg, is less than 16 km (10 mi) from the city center. The Altstadt, or "old town", is dominated by its baroque towers and churches and the massive Hohensalzburg Fortress. This area is flanked by two smaller hills, the Mönchsberg and Kapuzinerberg, which offer green relief within the city. Salzburg is approximately 150 km (93 mi) east of Munich, 281 km (175 mi) northwest of Ljubljana, Slovenia, and 300 km (186 mi) west of Vienna. Salzburg has about the same latitude as Seattle.
Due to its proximity to the Austrian-German border, the greater Salzburg urban area has sometimes (unofficially) been thought of as if it included contiguous parts of Germany: Freilassing (until 1923 known as Salzburghofen), Ainring, and Piding. Public transport planning and multiple public transport lines stretch across the border.
In the 1960s, The Sound of Music, based on the true story of Maria von Trapp, who took up with an aristocratic family and fled the German Anschluss, used locations in Salzburg and Salzburg State as filming location.
The city briefly appears on the map when Indiana Jones travels through the city in the 1989 film Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.
Salzburg is the setting for the Austrian crime series Stockinger and an Austrian-German television crime drama series Der Pass.
In the 2010 film Knight & Day, Salzburg serves as the backdrop for a large portion of the film.
Salzburg was featured as one of the mystery destinations on the NBC reality competition series Destination X in 2025.
The Salzburg Festival is a famous music and theatre festival that attracts visitors during July and August each year. A Salzburg Easter Festival and a Salzburg Whitsun Festival are also held each year over a shorter period. The Europrix multimedia award takes place in Salzburg. Electric Love Festival takes place in Salzburg.
