← Salzkammergut Marathon·3 nights

Salzburg After the Lakes: Three Nights in the City

A city base for three nights with a fortress funicular, a palace garden and a flat river walk, finishing at the airport.

Duration3 nights
TransitRegional bus 150 from the Wolfgangsee to Salzburg Hauptbahnhof; check the timetable
DepartsSt Wolfgang

After the Salzkammergut Marathon: Salzburg

The Route: St Wolfgang → Salzburg → Salzburg Airport (SZG) Logistics: Regional bus from the lake to Salzburg Hauptbahnhof, three nights in the city, then bus 2 to the airport. Marathon Month: October Duration: 3 nights

St Wolfgang ──(bus via St Gilgen)──> Salzburg Hbf ──(bus 2, 23 min)──> Salzburg Airport (SZG)

The Salzkammergut Marathon finishes in St Wolfgang, and Salzburg is the airport city for the whole lake district. A bus along the lakes takes you to it, and three nights give you time to walk slowly.

October in Salzburg: it is cool, often damp and the days are short. Plenty of the attractions are still in season. Hellbrunn's season has run from 28 March to 1 November, so a Monday-after visit falls inside it. The fortress hours listed by the operator covered May to September, so check its autumn hours. The Stefan Zweig Centre was listed with afternoon opening of 14:00 to 16:00 on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, which matches a Monday arrival.

Take the regional bus from the lake to Salzburg Hauptbahnhof. Bus 150 runs along the Wolfgangsee and on to Salzburg, but check the line, the Monday timetable and the total journey time at salzburg-verkehr.at. The St Wolfgang stop may need a short change at the lake.

Nights One to Three: Salzburg

Salzburg's old town is compact and mostly flat, and the Salzach river path runs level through the centre with benches along it. A slow circuit of the central stretch takes about 30 minutes at post-marathon pace.

Hohensalzburg Fortress sits above the old town, and a funicular saves you the climb. The interior still involves steps and standing. Hellbrunn is a palace park south of the centre with trick fountains and level gravel paths. It is the best option for a day when the legs are bad, and the palace is not wheelchair-accessible. Mozart's Birthplace was listed with daily hours of 09:00 to 17:30. Check ticket prices on each operator's site.

Stay at Altstadthotel Weisse Taube at Kaigasse 9, in the old town, or PLAZA INN Salzburg Messe at the exhibition centre, which is a bus ride out of the centre. Check rates and availability for your dates.

For a meal, the Stiegl-Keller lists Sunday opening from 11:00 to 22:00 from April to December, with the kitchen open from 11:30 to 21:00. It is uphill from the old town, and its weekday hours need checking.

Getting to Salzburg Airport

Bus 2 runs from the main station to Salzburg Airport (SZG) in about 23 minutes by the airport's published estimate. Bus 10 runs from the city centre in about 15 minutes. Check for diversions on your travel day.