The Salzburg outpost of the Viennese Sacher dynasty sits on Schwarzstraße facing the river and the Altstadt skyline, carrying the original Sachertorte recipe and a century of Salzburg Festival history behind its Belle Époque facade.
The Story
The first hotel on this site opened in 1863 as the Hôtel d'Autriche, a place designed for merchants, musicians, and the new bourgeoisie who were reshaping Salzburg after the mid-19th-century political changes. The building stood on the right bank of the Salzach River, directly across from the historic city, and that position has defined every version of the hotel since.
The Sacher name arrived in 2000, when the Gürtler family, who had owned the Viennese Hotel Sacher since 1989, rebranded the property they had acquired as the Österreichischer Hof in 1988. With the rebrand came the trademarked recipe: the original Sacher-Torte, the dense chocolate cake with apricot jam that Franz Sacher first made for Prince Metternich's court in 1832. Over 270,000 tortes are shipped yearly from Vienna alone; the Salzburg house bakes and serves its own.
The hotel's Salzburg Festival role hardened over decades. Its terrace and the Sacher Bar became the informal meeting ground for conductors, soloists, and the international arts world who descend on the city each summer. The connection is practical as well as atmospheric: the hotel is five minutes from the major Festival venues. After World War II, the building served as British headquarters during the Allied occupation, a footnote that underlines its position as the most prominent address on this stretch of the riverbank.
The rooms were renovated in several phases between 2004 and 2019. Designer Pierre-Yves Rochon was involved in later work. 110 rooms range from 25 to 150 square metres, with original paintings from the Gürtler family collection on the walls and some balconies framing the Salzach and Hohensalzburg Fortress.
Visiting
Located on Schwarzstraße 5-7, five minutes' walk from the main pedestrian bridges into the Altstadt. The Festival venues, Mirabell Gardens, and Mozartplatz are all within a short walk. The Café Sacher terrace, open to non-guests, is one of the most atmospheric outdoor spots in the city during summer. The Sacher Bar stays open late through Festival season. Rates run from around €400 per night, rising sharply in July and August. Book well ahead for Festival weeks.