Austria has long winters, but April is when Salzburg and the rest of the country reawaken. Although the weather remains unpredictable and snow is still possible in April in Salzburg. However, you will more likely experience rainy, chilly, or warm sunny days. April is the official start of spring.
During April, when the sun is out and it is warm, people flock outside to catch the first warm summerlike days and to replenish their vitamin D levels. In April, many tours and excursions resume, especially to places that were inaccessible in the winter, such as mountain peaks.
If you are visiting Salzburg during the month of April and are wondering about things to do in Salzburg in April, I am here to help. In this article, you will find out about the best things to do in Salzburg in April.
Mount Gaisberg: Hiking in Salzburg in April
There are countless options for hiking around Salzburg. Many of the mountain peaks are, however, still snow-capped in April. Gaisberg is a mountain you can reach from Salzburg, even walking from the city center, but also by bus 151 from which doesn’t only take you all the way to the top but can also shorten your way. To learn everything you need to know about a trip to mount Gaisberg, read this article.
If you want to make sure that a hike to Gaisberg is indeed on the list of things to do in Salzburg in April, and that there is not too much snow on top of the mountain, you can have a look at the mountain. It can be seen from anywhere in the city. You might still want to try it if only the peak is snow-capped. The bus can be hopped on instead at Zistelalm, about 30 minutes before the top.
Celebrating Easter: Traditional Salzburg in April
Did you know that Salzburg was an independent church-state until 1803 and that Easter, and not the more popular Christmas, is the most important Christian holiday? Furthermore, the church in Salzburg is still very present due to it being home to one of the two archbishops in Austria. These facts make celebrating Easter one of the best things to do in Salzburg in April.
Easter is mainly celebrated in the families and at church. Churches are worth visiting on Easter holidays, even if you are not religious. They often host free concerts and people are dressed in traditional Austrian clothes, therefore, Easter in Salzburg provides a unique peek into Austrian culture and traditions. For more information on Easter in Austria, read this article on the Free Walking Tour Blog!
You are still not out of luck if you miss the Easter celebrations in Salzburg in April or are not in Salzburg during that time. The Christmas store in Judengasse has Easter decorations all year round.
Classical Music in April: The Salzburg Easter Festival
Salzburg’s Easter Festival (Osterfestspiele) has nothing to do with Easter as a religious holiday but is a classical music festival held over ten days around Easter week. Initiator of the Easter Festival was Herbert von Karajan, one of the most important and influential figures in the Salzburger Festspiele, the original Salzburg Festival. The Festival takes place from Palm Sunday to Easter Monday every year.
For most travelers, however, the Easter Festival is not on their list of things to do in Salzburg in April. Why is that? Because the Salzburg Easter Festival is known as the most elite festival in the world. In contrast to the original festival, the Easter Festival has a high degree of self-sufficiency. However, this self-support can only be maintained through patrons and subscriptions with high ticket prices, which has earned the festival the reputation of being elitist.
If you would like to find out about the Festival History in Salzburg, read this article.
Instagrammable Salzburg in April: Shooting the Magnolia Trees
The Magnolia trees at Makartplatz in Salzburg became one of the most popular things to do in Salzburg in April due to the rise of social media. Amateur and pro-social media influencers and users flock to the square to take the best photo of themselves and the event of the annual magnolia bloom. The magnolia blossom happens sometime between the second half of March and the first half of April and lasts for about a week. You might also find this article useful if you are into photography and looking for more photo spots in Salzburg.
Schrannenmarkt: Farmers Market in Salzburg in April
Salzburg’s Schrannenmarkt farmers market isn’t only held in April but all year round. It happens only on Thursdays at Mirabell square, next to the popular Mirabell gardens in the old town. During April in Salzburg, it is much nicer to stroll through the market when locals and tourists alike hang out on the street instead of just grabbing their groceries.
At Schrannenmarkt, one of my favorite things to do is eat fried chicken at one of the standing tables near the entrance to the church. It is a weekly ritual for many locals.
Salzburg’s Thursday market is a must-see if you are in the city on a Thursday, whether you want to try some of the traditional Austrian foods or just wander through the market. It is a rare authentic Austrian experience in a touristy city.
At Schrannenmarkt, you can find everything Austrian-food under the sun, from baked goods to vegetables, fish, and meat. As mentioned before, the “Schranne” is not only one of the things to do in Salzburg in April but a must-visit for every traveler fortunate enough to be in Salzburg on any Thursday of the year.
- The Location of Schrannenmarkt on Google Maps
Day Trips in Salzburg in April
Many of the day trips from Salzburg are remain open year-round. You can for example visit the Lake District and Hallstatt, the salt mines in Hallein, Berchtesgaden or Hallstatt, or parts of Königssee in Berchtesgaden all year round, someday trip destinations are closed in winter due to inaccessibility. Most of them open up again in the course of April:
- Hitler’s Eagles Nest on mount Kehlstein above the town of Berchtesgaden requires a shuttle bus ride. The shuttle buses usually restart at the beginning of May but sometimes, depending on the weather conditions, even that is postponed. The Eagles Nest is at 1800 meters of altitude.
An alternative to taking the shuttle bus would be a hike but hiking the Eagles Nest in April, if the weather conditions are not right, would be dangerous. If the hiking trip to the Eagles Nest is one of the things you want to do in Salzburg in April, I would recommend considering consulting a hiking guide like my friend Claudio from Monkey Adventures.
Once the shuttle bus is on, you might also want to consider taking public transportation to the Eagles Nest, taking an organized tour by Panorama Tours, or planning a hike on your own. - The Werfen Ice Caves are also located more than 1700 meters above sea level and inaccessible in winter plus the conditions of the Ice are actually better in summer than in winter. The Ice Caves in 2022 open very late in April at the 30th of the month but if you visit the Ice Caves at the very end of April, they might be worth considering. Here you can find out how to get to the Werfen Ice Caves by public transport and here is another article for more information on the Ice Caves.
- It is only possible to cross Königssee near Berchtesgaden by boat since the mountains at the lake nicknamed “Bavarian Fjord” reach right into the water. It is impossible to walk around Königssee. The boats run all year round, but in winter they don’t go all the way to Obersee. The Obersee is the place where the untouched nature of the region is revealed.
Boats that take you all the way to Obersee begin operating again before the end of April. Take the boat all the way to the end if you’re visiting Königssee during that last week of April from Salzburg. Here is a guide on how to get to Königssee from Salzburg.
Weather conditions will determine whether these day-trip destinations are actually accessible in April. If you need to find alternatives because they remain closed throughout all of April, don’t worry. There are plenty of day trips from Salzburg. Here are the 3 best day trips from Salzburg. If you would like to learn about the weather in Salzburg before you visit, you might want to read this article as well.
Sound of Music Bike Tours
Also, bike tours resume at the beginning of April and the most popular bike tours have to do with the most famous movie shot in Salzburg. While the Sound of Music is not something locals are fond of, people from all over the world visit Salzburg for the Sound of Music. The most popular activity related to the movie is the Original Sound of Music Tour by Panorama Tours.
While the Panorama Tour has become somewhat of an iconic tour and is certainly worth taking, if you are a die-hard fan, you can only get so close to the sights from the bus. Cycling takes you closer to the famous filming locations, but how do you find them on your own by bike? Bike tours can help.
The Fräulein Marias Bicycle tour has been around for two decades and became just as iconic as the Original Sound of Music Tour. You can’t go wrong with Fräulein Marias but from 2022 our company, the Free Walking Tour Salzburg also offers a Sound of Music themed bike tour in Salzburg.
Rather than cycling the city center before heading into the surroundings of Salzburg by bike, we offer a dedicated Sound of Music and WWII walking tour in the old town and have the bike tour focus solely on nearby sights like Hellbrunn, Leopoldskron, and Hellbrunner Allee.
