Salzburg 3-Day Itinerary: Old Town Domes, Hohensalzburg, Mozart & Mirabell, Hellbrunn & Salzkammergut Lakes

Three full days in Salzburg let you explore both sides of the Salzach River and ascend two Alpine peaks without rushing. You also have time for the Prince-Archbishops' southern country estates. The smartest strategy is grouping your sightseeing by riverbank and Salzburg Card activation. Dedicate Day 1 to the sacred Left Bank plazas, the DomQuartier, St. Peter's Abbey, and Hohensalzburg Fortress. Spend Day 2 walking Getreidegasse and the Festival District in the morning. Cross to the Right Bank in the afternoon for Mirabell Gardens, Mozart's Residence, and Kapuzinerberg before ending at Augustiner Bräu Mülln. On Day 3, ride Bus 25 south to the 1615 Hellbrunn Trick Fountains and the 1,776-metre Untersberg Cable Car. Alternatively, use Day 3 for a full-day excursion into the Salzkammergut lakes.

Day 1: Residenzplatz, Salzburg Cathedral, DomQuartier, St. Peter's Abbey & Hohensalzburg Fortress

• 08:30, Residenzplatz, Mozartplatz & Original Fürst Mozartkugel: Begin on the marble expanse of Residenzplatz beside Tommaso di Garona's 15-metre-tall 1661 Residenzbrunnen fountain. Step across to Mozartplatz to hear the 35 bells of the 1702 Glockenspiel ring out from the Neue Residenz tower. On the corner at Brodgasse 13 stands Konditorei Fürst, where Paul Fürst invented the hand-dipped blue-and-silver Original Salzburger Mozartkugel in 1890. Enjoy a morning Melange across the lane at Café Tomaselli, founded in 1703 on the Alter Markt.
• 09:30, Salzburg Cathedral (Salzburger Dom): Enter Santino Solari's 1628 Baroque cathedral through its three bronze Faith, Love, and Hope doors. Pause beside the 1321 Romanesque bronze baptismal font where Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was christened on 28 January 1756. Afterwards, look up into the 71-metre crossing dome and descend into the Romanesque crypt.
• 10:30, The DomQuartier State Rooms & St. Peter's Museum: Activate your 48-hour or 72-hour Salzburg Card at the Alte Residenz entrance. Follow the elevated first-floor DomQuartier walkway through the 66-metre Carabinierisaal, the Prince-Archbishops' State Apartments, and the Residenzgalerie picture collection. Cross the Dombogenterrasse onto the West Gallery organ loft of the Cathedral before visiting the Kunstkammer and Long Gallery of St. Peter's Abbey.
• 12:30, St. Peter's Abbey, Cemetery, Catacombs & Stiftsbäckerei: Step down into the rococo nave of St. Peter's Abbey (founded 696 CE by Saint Rupert). Walk through the wrought-iron arcades of Petersfriedhof, where Mozart's sister Nannerl and composer Michael Haydn rest. Next, use your Salzburg Card to climb the early Christian rock-cut Catacombs inside the Mönchsberg cliff. Afterwards, pick up warm wood-fired sourdough brioche from the waterwheel-powered Stiftsbäckerei St. Peter on Kapitelplatz.
• 14:30, Festungsbahn Funicular, Hohensalzburg Fortress & Nonnberg Abbey. Scan your Salzburg Card at Festungsgasse 4 to board the 1892 Festungsbahn funicular up the cliff into Hohensalzburg Fortress (founded 1077). Tour the gilded 1501 gothic Princes' Chambers (Fürstenzimmer), the Fortress Museum, the 1502 Salzburger Stier mechanical organ, and the 360-degree Reckturm viewpoint. Descend on foot along the eastern ramparts to visit Benedictine Nonnberg Abbey (founded circa 714) and its 1150 Romanesque frescoes.

Day 2: Getreidegasse, Mozart's Birthplace, Festival Halls, Mirabell, Kapuzinerberg & Augustiner Bräu

• 09:00, Getreidegasse Through-Houses & Mozart's Birthplace: Walk west down Getreidegasse before tour groups fill the lane. Duck through the medieval arcaded Durchhäuser courtyards (such as the Schatz-Durchhaus at No. 3) onto the University Square food market (Grünmarkt). At 09:00 sharp, scan your Salzburg Card to enter Mozart's Birthplace (Mozarts Geburtshaus) at Getreidegasse 9. Three exhibition floors display the room where Wolfgang Amadeus was born on 27 January 1756, his childhood violin, and his concert clavichord.
• 11:00, Festival District, Pferdeschwemme & Mönchsberg Clifftop Walk: Continue to Herbert-von-Karajan-Platz to photograph the 1695 frescoed Pferdeschwemme horse pond and the rock-hewn Grosses Festspielhaus and Felsenreitschule. Step through the 1765 Siegmundstor road tunnel to Gstättengasse. Ride the MönchsbergAufzug lift (free with Salzburg Card) up to the Museum der Moderne terrace for views over the Old Town rooftops.
• 13:30, Right Bank: Mozart's Residence & Mirabell Palace Gardens: Cross the lock-lined Marko-Feingold-Steg footbridge to the Right Bank. Tour the eight spacious rooms of Mozart's Residence (Mozart-Wohnhaus) at Makartplatz 8 (included on the Salzburg Card). Then walk through Mirabell Palace and Gardens to see the Angel Staircase, Marble Hall, 1661 Pegasus Fountain, Hedge Theatre, Rose Garden, and 1690 marble Dwarf Garden.
• 15:30, Linzer Gasse, St. Sebastian's Cemetery & Kapuzinerberg: Stroll down pedestrian Linzer Gasse to the Italianate Campo Santo of St. Sebastian's Cemetery, whose arcades hold the tombs of Wolf Dietrich von Raitenau, Paracelsus, and Leopold and Constanze Mozart. Climb the 250 steps of the Imbergstiege past the 1599 Capuchin Monastery to the Hettwer-Bastei viewpoint on Kapuzinerberg.
• 18:00, Evening Steins at Augustiner Bräu Kloster Mülln: Walk along the river or over the northern Mönchsberg ridge to Augustiner Bräu Mülln (founded 1621). Rinse a stoneware mug at the marble fountain and draw unpasteurised Märzen beer tapped from wooden barrels. Afterwards, assemble a platter of roast pork, Obatzda cheese spread, and radishes from the traditional market arcade (Schmankerlgang).

Day 3: Hellbrunn Trick Fountains, Schloss Leopoldskron & Untersberg (or Salzkammergut Day Trip)

• Morning at Hellbrunn Palace & 1615 Trick Fountains. Ride Albus Line 25 from Rathaus or Mirabellplatz twenty minutes south to Schloss Hellbrunn. Scan your Salzburg Card at the ticket counter to reserve the next timed guided tour. The route leads through Prince-Archbishop Markus Sittikus's 1615 Trick Fountains (Wasserspiele) and the 1750 water-powered Mechanical Theatre. Tour the frescoed Festive Hall inside the palace. Afterwards, walk through Hellbrunn Park to the white 1964 Sound of Music Pavilion and the stone theatre (Steintheater) carved into the Hellbrunner Berg.
• Afternoon on the 1,776 m Untersberg Cable Car & Schloss Leopoldskron. Reboard Bus 25 for 10 minutes to the southern terminus in Grödig / St. Leonhard. Scan your Salzburg Card at the Untersbergbahn valley station to ascend 1,320 vertical metres in 8.5 minutes to the 1,776-metre Geiereck summit station. Walk the panoramic ridge path toward the 1,805-metre Salzburger Hochthron overlooking the Berchtesgaden Alps and Salzkammergut lakes. On the return ride into town, stop at Schloss Leopoldskron to walk around the Leopoldskroner Weiher lake. Finish your evening in the Altstadt over golden three-peaked Salzburger Nockerl. Alternatively, use Day 3 for a full-day trip by Postbus 150 to St. Wolfgang and Hallstatt, or Bus 840 to Berchtesgaden and Königssee.