The Salzburg Card is a 24- 48- or 72-hour sightseeing card that includes almost all of the paid attractions in the city of Salzburg for a fixed price. The attractions included in the Salzburg Card range from the Hohensalzburg Fortress to Mozart’s birthplace and Mozart’s residence to the Domquartier history museum and the Salzburg museum and even a few attractions in the surroundings of Salzburg are included. But not only sightseeing places are part of the deal. Public transport is included as well. But is the Salzburg card worth buying?
The Salzburg Card is worth buying if you plan to visit two or more paid sights. In 2022 the Card costs €27,- in low season and €30,- in high season. The entrance fee for Mozart’s birthplace for example costs €12,- and the Hohensalzburg fortress costs €13,30 but with the Salzburg Card but the Salzburg Card includes lots of more sights.
In this article, we will not only find out if the Salzburg Card is a good deal overall but also delve into a detailed case study to figure out if the Salzburg Card is worth it in your particular case based on how much time and money you have to spend.
How much does the Salzburg Card cost?
In 2022, the 24 hour Salzburg Card costs €27,- in low season from 1st of November till 30th of April and €30,- in high season from 1st of May till the end of October. The 48-hour Salzburg card costs €35,- in low season and €39,- in high season, while the 72-hour card costs €40,- in low season and €45,- in high season. Children are half price.
| Low Season | Adults | Children ages 6-15* |
|---|---|---|
| 24 hours | € 27,00 | € 13,50 |
| 48 hours | € 35,00 | € 17,50 |
| 72 hours | € 40,00 | € 20,00 |
| High Season | Adults | Children ages 6-15* |
|---|---|---|
| 24 hours | € 30,00 | € 15,00 |
| 48 hours | € 39,00 | € 19,50 |
| 72 hours | € 45,00 | € 22,50 |
What’s included in the Salzburg Card?
Here is a detailed article on the attractions included in the Salzburg Card but in this article, we only want to find out if the card is worth it compared to the entrance fees for the included sights. The Salzburg Card basically includes every paid sight in Salzburg and some sights on the outskirts of the city as well as public transport in the city center.
One of these sights on the outskirts, the Untersberg Cable car, alone makes the card worth buying. The Untersberg cable car costs €26,50 regular fare and the Salzburg Card includes bus 25 to get to the cable car. Therefore, the cable car alone would be more expensive even than the high season Salzburg Card.
The Card, however, includes Hellbrunn Palace and the Salzburg Zoo, which you can visit on the way back from the cable car, Mozart’s birthplace, Mozart’s residence, the Salzburg Museum, the Panorama Museum, Domquartier history museum, the natural science museum, the Museum of Modern art, a Christmas and a toy museum, a river cruise, the Hohensalzburg fortress, the Stiegl brewery, a tour at the Concert Hall and a few more minor sights. You get the deal. If you have time and are not traveling on zero budget, the Salzburg Card is a no-brainer.
How much money can you save with the Salzburg Card?
Let’s take a closer look at what you can save with the Salzburg Card and if it’s really worth the price! Here is what you would otherwise pay in 2022 for all the individual entrance fees:
- Untersberg Cable Car: €26,50
- Hellbrunn Palace and the Trick Fountains: €13,50
- Hohensalzburg Fortress: €13,30
- Combination Ticket for Mozart’s Birthplace and Residence: €18,-
- Domquartier Museum: €13,-
- Salzburg Museum: €13,-
- Haus der Natur Natural Science Museum: €9,50
- Museum der Moderne: €8,-
- Salzburg Zoo: €12,-
- Folklore Museum: €3,50
- Toy Museum: €5,-
- Christmas Museum: €6,-
- Stiegl brewery tour: €13,-
- Festival Hall tour: €7,-
- River Cruise: €16,-
- 24-hour Public Transport ticket: €6,40
All of these sights would cost you €290,50 if you paid individual entrance fees. On a 24-hour Salzburg Card, you can’t see all of these sights, but you can on a 48- or 72-hour Salzburg Card. Even if you only choose activities according to your interests, you can easily make the Salzburg Card worth it and save more than 100 euros over the actual entrance fee.
Let’s say you take a trip to the Cable Car and Hellbrunn in the morning and visit the fortress, Mozart’s birthplace, and Mozart’s residence in the afternoon. That’s not even scratching the surface of what you could do but you would already pay €77,70 without a Salzburg Card and therefore save about €40,-.
We should consider that not all the included services and sights are necessary. For example, in the old town, you don’t need public transportation. You only need public transport to head to the Untersberg Cable car and if applicable to the Stiegl brewery. Transport to day-trip destinations is not included. Also, in the case of paying the full entrance fee, I wouldn’t recommend all of the sights.
Is the Salzburg Card worth it in the off-season?
The Salzburg Card is still worth it in the off-season. In winter, most of the attractions on the Salzburg Card are still open and the Card is a few Euros cheaper.
The Untersberg Cable Car, however, is under maintenance and closed twice a year for several weeks. That is more likely in autumn and spring and not in the middle of winter. Make sure the cable car is open before buying your Salzburg Card.
What’s not available in winter are the trick fountains at Hellbrunn Palace. You may still want to visit Hellbrunn since it’s a beautiful place, the palace museum is still open and, especially in December, there is a beautiful Christmas market in the courtyard. The trick fountains, however, are closed due to the cold weather.
All other places are open as usual, but you will have to take into account some of the earlier closing times of some places, such as the Hohensalzburg fortress.
When is the Salzburg Card not worth buying?
If you plan on visiting only one paid sight, the Salzburg Card is not worth buying. If you are planning to only visit the fortress, no other paid sights and you don’t have time for any additional paid sights, the Salzburg Card might not be worth it. Many travelers only stay for a night and have plans to take a Sound of Music tour for example. In that case, you simply don’t have enough time to make the Salzburg Card worth it.
The Salzburg Card is not necessary if your budget is close to zero. It’s a great deal but not an absolute must since there are plenty of things to do in Salzburg for free.
Also, if you are a student, you might want to do your own calculation since some places like the Untersberg Cable Car offer student prices. In that case, you might have to visit three or more sights to make the Salzburg Card worth buying. There is no student discount on the card itself.
Should you buy a 24- 48- or 72-hour Salzburg Card?
While traveling, we usually have limited time or at least too many places on our wishlist. Most travelers, therefore, stay in Salzburg for 1-3 nights. The old town of Salzburg is small and the surroundings of Salzburg are gorgeous. I would, therefore, advise against a 72-hour Salzburg Card unless you have unlimited time.
Instead of spending 72-hours with the Salzburg Card, take the 24- or the 48-hour card and choose one of these 3-day trips from Salzburg for your third day. The trip to Mount Untersberg takes you into the surroundings of the city but an actual day trip is something entirely different.
The 24-hour Salzburg Card is valid from the time you activate it, until the next day. Therefore, if you have other activities planned like for example a Free Walking Tour or a Sound of Music tour in the morning, and you start using the Card at noon, you could do museums in the afternoon and the Cable Car and Hellbrunn the next morning before the card expires.
For many of you, the 24-hour Card will be just right. You will be able to fit the most important sights, especially if you follow our plan to make the most of your Salzburg Card. The 48-hour Salzburg Card, however, is only a few euros more expensive. Therefore, it entirely depends on the time you want to spend sightseeing in the old city. If you have 48-hours to spare and would like to be very active, the 48-hour Salzburg Card is absolutely worth it, if only to not be in a hurry.
Are there coupon codes for the Salzburg Card?
I have never seen any discounts on the Salzburg Card. There are no student discounts and no promotional offers. The only discount there is a discount for children below the age of 15.
Where to buy the Salzburg Card
Salzburg Card used to be like a bank card and was available at tourist information offices either at the train station or at Mozart Square, or at most hotel reception desks. These actual cards are still available but Salzburg is also developing and so nowadays the Salzburg Card is also conveniently available online for example on get your guide.
Conclusion
If you would do everything that is included in the Salzburg Card, you would pay €290,50. While you will not do everything that is included, the Salzburg Card (priced €27,- or €30,-) is worth it, if you visit two or more paid sights in Salzburg. The Salzburg Card is also worth it in the off-season since most of the sights are open but you need to check when the Untersberg Cable car is under maintenance.
You could also skip the Salzburg Card if you only visit one paid sight, if you are on a shoestring budget or if you are a student with limited time. Is the Salzburg Card worth it? Many other touristy things might be debatable, but the Salzburg Card is worth it for most travelers. Read these articles to find out how to make the most of your Salzburg Card and for a list of all the attractions included in the card.
