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Munich

Munich is the nearest major international city to Salzburg and one of the two primary arrival hubs for IS visitors; it is referenced in IS content as a gateway city, as the birthplace of Richard Strauss, and as a…

Cathedral square

Mozart's birthplace

Festungsberg fortress

Salzach river walk

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On the map

Why visit

What makes Munich worth your time

Munich is the nearest major international city to Salzburg and one of the two primary arrival hubs for IS visitors; it is referenced in IS content as a gateway city, as the birthplace of Richard Strauss, and as a natural complement destination for visitors spending time in both Bavaria and Salzburg.

Plan your visit

Practical info for Munich

Historical context and how to think about your visit.

The most photographed village in Austria

Hallstatt earns the hype and suffers from it in equal measure. The lake-and-spire view really is that good, and by mid-morning in summer you share it with a thousand other people and a fleet of coaches. The trick is timing, not avoidance.

Come at opening or stay till the day-trippers leave, and the village empties into something close to the postcard. Better still, make it part of a slower Salzkammergut loop rather than a single rushed stop.

Getting there

By car it is about 1h10 from Salzburg around the lakes. By public transport, take the train to Hallstatt station and the little ferry across. Slower, but the arrival by water is the best first view there is. Day-tripping is easy; an overnight rewards you with the empty early morning.

Hallstatt · map
What to skip
Don’t come midday in July.
And skip the “Hallstatt in 2 hours” coach logic. The village is small; rushing it in the busiest window is the one way to leave disappointed. Early, late, or off-season. Or don’t bother.
Make a route of it

Loop the whole Salzkammergut

Plan your trip