Austrian Veganderlust contains affiliate links and is a member of the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. If you make a purchase using one of these Amazon links, I may receive compensation at no extra cost to you.  For more info, see the Disclosure Policy.

Where to Stay in Salzburg: Best Areas for Every Travel Style

ByTina Riegelnegg Updated on

Salzburg is compact, but where you stay still matters. The right neighbourhood can shape your whole experience.

I’m Austrian and I’ve visited Salzburg many times. I’ve stayed near the train station and in Neustadt, so I know what each area is really like when you come back at night.

In this guide I’ll tell you where to stay in Salzburg based on how you like to travel. You’ll get honest pros and cons, hotel picks for every budget, and the vegan food tips other guides skip.

In a rush? Here are my top 3 Salzburg hotels

Salzburg’s Best Areas at a Glance

I made this map so you can see where each area is and how close it sits to the main sights.

Color-coded map of Salzburg, Austria, showing distinct neighborhoods like Altstadt, Nonntal, Riedenburg, and others, with landmarks including Mirabel Palace, Mozart’s Birthplace, and Fortress Hohensalzburg marked by icons. The map highlights geographic divisions using bright transparent overlays and is labeled with “© Austrian Veganderlust.”
  • Altstadt: the Old Town on the left bank. Pretty, central and busy.
  • Neustadt: across the river around Linzer Gasse. Cafés, bars and a more local feel.
  • Elisabeth-Vorstadt: around the main train station. Practical, cheaper and best for vegan food.
  • Nonntal: just south of the Old Town, under the fortress. Quiet and green.
  • Parsch: further east. Leafy, residential and slow.
  • Riedenburg: west of the centre, home to the Sound of Music palace.

A lively pedestrian street in Salzburg’s historic Getreidegasse, lined with pastel-colored buildings, wrought iron shop signs, and people strolling beneath a clear blue sky. The charming alleyway is a popular spot for shopping and sightseeing in the Old Town.

Altstadt: Best for First Time Visitors

If it’s your first time in Salzburg, stay in the Altstadt. This is the Old Town, with cobbled lanes, baroque churches and quiet courtyards.

You’ll be a few minutes from Mozart’s birthplace, Salzburg Cathedral and the path up to the fortress. Most streets are car free, so you can stroll everywhere.

Hotels cost more here. But you won’t waste a minute getting to the sights, which matters if you only have one or two nights.

Old Town

Pros

  • Walk to every major sight
  • Beautiful baroque streets and squares
  • Lots of restaurants and shops
  • Easy buses across the river

Cons:

  • The most expensive area, especially in summer
  • Very busy with tour groups during the day
  • Few locals actually live here

Best Hotels in Salzburg Old Town

Luxury (€€€)

  • Hotel Sacher Salzburg: Big, elegant rooms right on the river with views over the Old Town. This is Salzburg’s classic grand hotel.
  • Small Luxury Hotel Goldgasse: A boutique hotel in a 14th century building with modern rooms inside. It’s on a quiet lane near the cathedral, so it feels hidden even though it’s central.

Midrange (€€)

  • Hotel Wolf: A historic hotel just steps from the cathedral. The rooms are simple and clean with a few old touches.

Budget (€)

Vibrant orange roses in the foreground frame a view of the baroque Mirabell Palace and Gardens in Salzburg, with manicured lawns, walking paths, and the Hohensalzburg Fortress visible in the distance under a bright blue sky.

Neustadt: Best for Cafés and a Local Feel

Neustadt sits just across the river from the Old Town. It’s built around Linzer Gasse, a long street full of small shops, cafés and bars.

You can walk to the Old Town in about 5 minutes, and Mirabell Gardens are right there. But it feels more like a place where people actually live.

This is a great base for younger travellers, creatives and digital nomads. You get the charm with fewer crowds.

Neustadt

Pros

  • Easy to walk everywhere
  • Cafés, small shops and bars
  • Short walk to the train station

Cons:

  • Fewer big hotels
  • Can get busy in the evenings

Best Hotels in Neustadt

Luxury (€€€)

  • Boutique & Design Hotel AUERSPERG: A calm hotel with a spa, a leafy courtyard and beautiful rooms. The breakfast has vegan and gluten free options, so it’s the one to book if a vegan breakfast matters to you.

Midrange (€€)

  • Hotel Villa Carlton (Adults Only): A stylish adults only hotel near Mirabell Palace and the river. There’s no breakfast, so you can try a brunch spot nearby instead.

Budget (€)

Classic light wood bunk bed with white bedding in a simple hostel room with a blue vinyl floor. The lower bunk is marked with the number "4" and the upper bunk with the number "3".
Bright shared bathroom in a hostel with blue mosaic tile floors and walls. A row of washbasins with mounted hair dryers lines the wall, and large windows let in plenty of natural daylight.

My Stay at the YoHo International Youth Hostel (€)

There’s a bar on the ground floor and you get a voucher for a free shot. So it has a bit of a party feel, but when I was there it was actually pretty quiet.

Every evening they show The Sound of Music in the common room. I also saw guests of all ages, not just young backpackers, so don’t let the word hostel scare you off.

The rooms are basic and you’ll share a dorm. But if you want to save money and be close to the station, it does the job.

Elisabeth-Vorstadt: Best Near the Train Station

Elisabeth-Vorstadt is the area around Salzburg’s main train station. It’s more practical than pretty, but it’s very handy if you arrive by train.

The Old Town is about a 15 minute walk, roughly 1.5 km (1 mile), or a few stops by bus.

Elisabeth-Vorstadt

Pros

  • Right by the main train station
  • Cheaper hotels
  • Easy bus connections everywhere

Cons:

  • Not much charm
  • Some streets feel grey and busy

Hotels Near Salzburg Train Station

Midrange (€€)

  • Design Hotel zum Hirschen Salzburg: The oldest hotel in Salzburg still run by the same family. It has warm wood, a green courtyard and a small spa and gym.
  • Motel One Salzburg-Mirabell: A dark, stylish hotel with a terrace facing the river (there’s a road in between). It’s well placed for both the station and the Old Town.

Budget (€)

  • The Keep Eco Rooms: An eco hostel near the station with nature themed rooms and a vegetarian breakfast with vegan options. Read my honest review:
Rustic bunk bed made of light wood with a ladder crafted from real tree trunks in a hostel room. Folded towels are placed on the lower bed, and the bedding features the text "Hostel".
Mirror selfie of a smiling woman with glasses and a burgundy sweater in a rustic hostel room. The oval mirror has an ornate black iron frame, with a washbasin and soap dispenser visible below.
Cozy hostel common room with a rustic wooden chandelier and multiple Edison bulbs hanging from the ceiling. Several gold-framed mirrors decorate the distressed wall, and a light wood shelving unit with drinks and tea sets stands to the left.

My Stay at the Keep Eco Rooms (€)

I stayed at The Keep Eco Rooms on my own when I came by train from Vienna. The location was handy, but the area around it isn’t the prettiest.

The nature themed rooms look great, and the vegetarian breakfast had good vegan options. It was decent for the price.

But honestly, I probably wouldn’t stay here again. If your budget stretches a bit, Design Hotel zum Hirschen is also close to the station.

Sunlit courtyard of a historic church complex in Salzburg, featuring a red onion-domed clock tower, arched stone entryway, and old gravestones embedded in the outer walls. Lush green grass and manicured plants line the peaceful pathway under a bright blue sky.

Nonntal: Best for Peace and Nature

Nonntal is just south of the Old Town, right below the fortress. Most tourist guides skip it, but it’s one of the calmest and prettiest places to stay.

It feels quiet and local. You can walk along the Almkanal paths and reach hiking trails into the hills without taking a bus.

Nonntal

Pros

  • Close to the Old Town but much quieter
  • Lived in, local atmosphere
  • Great views of the fortress
  • Walking trails right on your doorstep

Cons:

  • Fewer hotels
  • Fewer restaurants and cafés

Best Hotels in Nonntal

Midrange (€€)

  • Junker’s Apartments: Technically in Morzg, a little further south. It’s a good pick if you want your own big apartment surrounded by green space.

Budget (€)

  • JUFA Hotel Salzburg: A simple, reliable chain hotel that’s popular with families and school groups. It’s surrounded by green space and about a 20 minute walk to the Old Town.

A scenic view of Salzburg’s Old Town framed by leafy tree branches, with pastel-colored buildings, church domes, and the Hohensalzburg Fortress rising above the city under a bright blue sky.

Parsch: Best for Longer, Slower Stays

Parsch is a quiet, green area southeast of the centre. It’s mostly homes and leafy streets, so it feels more like the countryside than a city.

Volksgarten park is nearby, one of Salzburg’s hidden gems. Buses run regularly to the Old Town.

It’s a great choice for couples, longer stays, or anyone who wants space to breathe.

Parsch

Pros

  • Green, quiet streets
  • Close to Volksgarten park
  • Local feel with buses to the centre

Cons:

  • About a 30 minute walk to the Old Town
  • Not many restaurants or cafés, so plan to eat in town

Best Hotels in Parsch

  • The Little Guesthouse (€€): Cosy rooms and a lovely garden in a countryside style house. There’s a two night minimum, which suits a slower trip anyway.
  • Hotel Rosenvilla (€€): A practical hotel with a garden, a natural pond and a sun terrace. A good, low key base if you want to relax.

Baroque-style palace overlooking a calm lake, surrounded by lush green and autumn-colored trees, with a mountain rising in the background under a cloudy sky. The symmetrical building features ornate architecture and is reflected in the water.

Splurge Pick for Sound of Music Fans: Hotel Schloss Leopoldskron

If you’ve ever wanted to wake up in a palace, Hotel Schloss Leopoldskron is the one. It’s a rococo palace on its own grounds, with a small lake and mountain views.

It’s best known as a filming location for The Sound of Music. If you’re a fan, staying here is the highlight of the trip.

But it’s quite far from the Old Town, and there’s nothing around but nature.

Book it if: you love The Sound of Music, you want a special treat, and you don’t mind taking a bus or taxi into town. Check availability here

When to Book Your Salzburg Hotel

Salzburg is small, so good hotels fill up fast. Two times of year are the hardest.

  • Salzburg Festival (late July to the end of August): the busiest and priciest time of year. Book several months ahead.
  • Advent and Christmas markets (late November to December): weekends sell out early. Book by early autumn if you can. Here’s my guide to the Christmas markets in Salzburg.

How many nights? Two nights is enough to see the main sights. Add a third if you want a day trip into the mountains or the lakes.

A cheerful visitor wearing a knit hat and scarf poses in front of the Mirabell Gardens in Salzburg. The beautifully manicured garden paths and hedges lead to a stunning view of Hohensalzburg Fortress perched on a hill in the background under a partly cloudy sky.
Me on a warm day in early December in Salzburg

My Pick: Where I’d Stay in Salzburg

If you’re not sure, stay in Neustadt. You can walk to the Old Town in 5 minutes, the station is close, and the evenings feel local instead of touristy.

If it’s your first visit and you only have one night, pay a bit more for the Altstadt. And if a vegan breakfast is a must, book Boutique & Design Hotel AUERSPERG.

Still haven’t found the right place? Use this map to see more hotels. You can filter by price, rating and location.

Read more:

Pin it for later:
Promotional graphic for a Salzburg travel guide, featuring a scenic city view with Salzburg Cathedral and Fortress Hohensalzburg set against a backdrop of green hills and blue sky. The bottom half shows Residenzplatz with its ornate baroque fountain and historic buildings, overlaid with text reading “Where to stay in Salzburg – best neighbourhoods & hotels” and “AustrianVeganDerlust.”
Best Areas to Stay in Salzburg for First-Time Visitors

Tina Riegelnegg is the founder of Austrian Veganderlust. After travelling the world and documenting her adventures on Veganderlust, she created this blog to share the beauty of her home country, Austria. Tina now focuses on helping travellers discover the best spots in Austria, including where to find the most delicious vegan food.