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| General Information
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Salzburg means “salt castle”, referring to its massive fortress and the white gold from the mountains in the South. It is the capital of the homonymous federal state Salzburg in Austria. With about 150.000 inhabitants Salzburg is the 4th biggest city in Austria after Vienna, Graz and Linz. Above all Salzburg is known for its famous son Mozart from which the cities name “Mozartstadt” (City of Mozart) comes from. But of course there is more to see than you might expect. Salzburg is a dreamy city with many castles, mansions and museums. The world famous Mirabelle Garden and the Mirabelle Castle, the Baroque Museum, the fabulously romantic Old Town or Mozart’s birth place are some of many sights that Salzburg has to offer. Small winding alleys lead you through the city passing souvenir shops full of exclusive watches antiquities or jewellery. A mixture of tradition and hard business shows the liveliness of this town close to the Alps. Since Salzburg is still more a town than a big city it is easy to get around on foot or by bike. Also the surrounding areas like the Salzachtal are easily manageable by bike. Tours to the forest pool Anif which offers a lake for swimming or the water castle Anif, to the salt mines or a hiking tour to the Untersberg are always worth it.
The federal province of Salzburg is dominated by agricultural land, inhabited by people that are deeply rooted in centuries old traditions and customs. Some remarkable customs are living traditions and fascinating expressions of ancient believes, especially in the Alpine regions of Salzburg.
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| Weather
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Since Salzburg is located at the Northern side of the Alps the climate is very much influenced by the mountain range. The winters are pretty cold and dry and the chance of snow fall is quite high. Summers are warm and sunny, although rainy periods can occur and most of the time last for a couple of days. The best months to visit Salzburg are May, early June as well as September and October since the weather is very pleasant and the demand for restaurants and hotels is lower than during the rest of the year.
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| Languages
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The official language spoken in Salzburg is Austrian German but like every region Salzburg has its own dialect. English is widely understood and spoken especially in touristy shops, museums and most of the cafes and restaurants.
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| Religion
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Salzburg is heavily characterised by the Catholic belief which covers about 56% of the population. About 7 % are Protestants, 5 % Russian Orthodox and 7% Muslims. The rest is split among atheists, Jews, Buddhists and Hindus.
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| Currency
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The currency used in Austria is the Euro. Notes come in denominations of €100, €50, €20, €10 and €5 and the coins in use are €2, €1, € 0.50, € 0.20, € 0.10, € 0.05, € 0.02 and € 0.01.
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| Tipping
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Restaurants in Salzburg usually include the tip but it is customary to round up the bill (ie € 2 on € 1.90). The same applies for taxis. Hotel staff usually expects € 1 to € 2 per room/night. For other services, such a haircut, it is normal to leave € 2 or more.
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| Taxes
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The VAT of 20% can be reclaimed by visitors from outside the EU. by filling a tax-cheque by the time of purchase. At the airport your purchased items need to be taken to the customs clearance where the customs official will provide a tax stamp which can be cashed at any of the airport banks in a variety of currencies.
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| Telephone
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To call Salzburg from abroad dial +43 for Austria and then (0)662 for Salzburg. Calling from a hotel is in general pretty expensive. Public phone can be used with telephone card. Coins are not very common anymore. Telephone cards can be purchased in any post office.
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| Internet
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Salzburg possesses a couple of internet cafes from which the Internetcafe Cybar am Mozartplatz (+43 (0)662 / 844 822) is the best known. Here also W-LAN is provided so you can use your won laptop. Many cafes also offer the option to connect your laptop to the internet and there are public libraries where computers provide access to the internet. Other internet cafes are:
Cyber "Café": Gstättengasse +43 (0)662 29 84 26 16-22
Bignet internet.cafe: Judengasse 5, +43 (0)662 84 14 70
Cybar Mozartplatz 5, +43 (0)662 84 48 22
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| Emergency numbers
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Fire Brigade: 122
Police:133
Rescue: 144
Euro emergency: 112
Mountain rescue service:140
Water rescue 130
Ambulance 141
Information on poisoning: 01/406 43 43
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| Opening times
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Shops are in general open weekdays between 9 am and 7.30 pm and on Saturdays until 6 pm. Banks are open from Monday to Friday from 8 am to 12.20 am and then between 1.30 pm and 5 pm.
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| Public Holidays
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New Year: 1 Jan
Epiphany: 6 Jan
Easter Monday
National Holiday: 1 May
Ascension Day
Whit Monday
Corpus Christi
Assumption Day: 15 August
National Holiday: 26 Oct
All Saints'' Day: 1 Nov
Maria conception: 8 Dec
Christtag: 25 Dec
Stefanitag: 26 Dec
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| Safety
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Salzburg is a fairly safe city where you don’t need to worry about being out at night. However, Salzburg is a big city and normal precautions should be taken. Since pick pocketing can occur here as well, keep money in a money belt or in a wallet. Some areas might be a bit scary but they are not very touristy which means that tourists actually never go there.
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