Salzburg Travel Blog

There’s a lot to do and see in Salzburg during the weeks leading up to Christmas. From the end of November, Advent is marked by festivities in streets, platzes, concert halls and restaurants. Here are the top three Salzburg Christmas traditions. Krampuslaufen ‘Er kommt, er kommt!’ is the cry heard...

Coloured lights mark Silvester festivities on Salzburg's Residenzplatz. Photo: Lorraine Seal Salzburgers embrace New Year’s Eve—known here as Silvester—with enthusiasm and verve. As the end of the year approaches, stalls selling Viel Glück gifts spring up in shopping districts and malls across...

A view of Nonnberg Abbey, where Maria was a postulant nun. Photo:  Flickr user thisisbossi Of the thousands of visitors who come to Salzburg each year, a large number experience the city as the setting of The Song of Music. The real-life von Trapps lived here and began their musical careers here. And,...

'Rupert', the patron of Salzburg, at the opening of Rupertikirtag. Rupertikirtag, Salzburg’s festival in honour of its patron, St Rupert, is held every September. ‘Rupert’ himself, shown here, marks the opening of the five-day event by tapping the beer barrel. Photo: Lorraine Seal Barrels...

Late each September, the many platzes of Salzburg’s Altstadt are transformed into a gigantic fair and traditional folklore festival, Rupertikirtag. St Rupert was the first Christian missionary to Salzburg and, perhaps not incidentially, a tireless promoter of the salt trade that made Salzburg rich....

In Austria, May Day is a national holiday marking Labour Day. In traditional Salzburg, though, it’s frequently celebrated the old-fashioned way, with a Maibaumaufstellen, the Austrian version of the May tree. Literally meaning ‘setting up the May tree,’ the Maibaumaufstellen is a festival of food...