When we started to plan our holiday in Austria with kids, we knew it won’t be easy, but we did it! We wanted to see Vienna, Hallstatt, some mountains and another big city. Our dilemma was whether to choose Innsbruck or Salzburg but considering that the distance from Vienna to Innsbruck is longer than the distance from Vienna to Salzburg, we decided to visit Salzburg.
We booked a good accommodation and we saw the main attractions in Salzburg while keeping the routine schedule of the babies. Since we travelled with our little one (2-year old) and with our friends and their 1-year old baby it was important to have a good accommodation, to choose some attractions for babies while we also visited the famous ones and to make sure the kids can have an afternoon nap. And we did all that. Salzburg is very child-friendly, so it was a pleasure to explore it!
Salzburg – where to stay with kids
We searched a B&B, an apartment or a family hotel. Salzburg offers accommodation for all tastes, but more expensive than other cities in Europe. So, we had to choose between:
- B&B Villa Verde – check price and availability*
- Salzburg Hotel Lilienhof – check price and availability*
- Haus Elisabeth – check price and availability*
- The Little Guesthouse – check price and availability*
In the end, we decided that the best place to stay in Salzburg was an apartment. This way we had the freedom to put the babies to sleep and have an area where we could spend some time after. So, we booked 2 nights at:
City Apartements Salzburg – check price and availability*
Located outside the city centre area, our apartment had a full equipped kitchen and we cold cook some meals for the babies. The apartment also had a backyard with grass where the children could run and play outside. For us, it was a great choice.
Visiting Salzburg with a baby and a toddler
We still use the stroller when we travel. It is easy to carry the baby like this when she’s tired, to put her to sleep in the afternoon and to have some extra luggage while we take long walks in the city. So, we also used it here for our toddler and our friends for their baby. Salzburg was perfect for stroller! We could even visit the fortress while the little ones were sleeping! There are elevators in all the main attractions in Salzburg and long, accessible ways.
We also found some great parks and playgrounds in the city, so the children loved it! The weather was perfect to stay all day long outside because we visited Salzburg in august. It is a city designed to be visited with kids and I was impressed of how welcoming it was for the little ones!
Places to see in Salzburg with kids
We tried to visit the main Salzburg attractions and to find some great activities for the children. They had fun since we combined indoor visits with outdoor play. I also received recommendation from other bloggers about the best attractions in Salzburg for kids.
-
Fortress Hohensalzburg
Recommended by Shang from Zip up and go
Salzburg, known as Rome of the North, is a wonderful destination to discover. If you are travelling with kids to Salzburg, you will be glad that the city is very child friendly, and there are several activities to keep the little ones occupied.
One of these is a trip up to Fortress Hohensalzburg, the giant castle complex that looms over the city. While it is easier to take the funicular up the steep hillside, you should instead take the kids on a nice short walk instead. Taking this route will open up a different view across the beautiful Old Town of Salzburg and burn off some of that endless energy!
Once you reach the stunning stone gate at the top, get your entrance tickets and head in to see some of the most impressive artefacts in Salzburg.
Start off with the Stable Block, then towards the famous Salzburg Bull, which is a gigantic mechanical organ.
With 3 museums to choose from, we recommend taking them to the Marionette Museum, where they can marvel at the unique hand-crafted dolls, and the Fortress Museum, where the family can see up close what life was like over 500 years ago.
If there is sufficient time, then check out the Rainer Regiments Museum. After the educational excursion through the interior of the Castle, be sure to head outside to feast on the most panoramic views of Salzburg Old Town, and not forgetting the impressive Austrian Alps on the other side. -
Haus der Natur
Recommended by Martina from Places of Juma
One of the coolest places to visit in Salzburg with kids is definitely the museum “Haus der Natur”. Roaming through to the so-called house of nature, visitors have the chance to discover the most fascinating aspects of Mother Nature. The exhibitions are very interactive and there is so much fun connected with science – not just for adults, but also for children.
This museum is huge and with more than 7000 m² you should take enough time for your visit. Kids really love to explore the underwater worlds in the aquarium, the outer space hall and the colossal dinosaurs. Very interesting is also the exhibition about the human body. On a journey into the human body kids learn in an interactive way about how do lungs, liver or kidneys work.
A real highlight is the Science Center – this is the place kids love the most. Illustrative experiments facilitate understanding of the physical and chemical laws. Don`t miss here the “Feel Mozart” area: in a walk-in violin, the vibrations of music can not only be heard, but also felt.
Visiting the Haus der Natur is for both, kids (6+ years) and adults, and you should definitely put that on your travel list.To have free access to Haus der Natur you can buy the Salzburg city card*.
-
Visiting the Zoo in Salzburg
Recommended by Josie from Josie wonders
Salzburg Zoo is a great way to spend the afternoon when visiting with kids. It’s quite a small zoo, but big enough to keep adults and children of all ages occupied for a couple of hours. There are a wide variety of animals to see with over 120 different species, including lions, leopards, wolves, bears, kangaroos, various monkeys, birds and reptiles. Kids will love searching the trees for the lemurs and watching the sea otters play. They will be fascinated by the snakes and spiders hiding under rocks in the nocturnal house and squealing for joy as birds fly around them in the aviary. It was great to see large enclosures where the animals had plenty of room to move around. At the same time, there are still many viewpoints and opportunities to see the animals up close. Kids will love the glass wall on the lion enclosure which allows the lions to get within a metre of visitors. There are opportunities to feed some of the animals in the petting zoo as well as in the bird aviary. Food for both areas can be purchased as you enter the zoo. When the children have had enough of the animals, there is a small playground to enjoy, right near the cafe where parents can grab a drink and a snack to finish off and enjoyable visit.To have free access to Haus der Natur you can buy the Salzburg city card*.
-
Salzburg outdoor activities: Hellbrunn castle
If you are searching for unique things to do in Salzburg, you should start with a visit of Hellbrunn castle. Hellbrunn castle was a real surprise for us too. You can attend the trick fountains tour (famous from the “Sound of music” movie), an attraction that also the kids enjoy. I think for older children (5+) is even more fun. After that, you must explore the gardens and, on the back, you will discover a big, green meadow, the Gazebo from Sound of music movie (where Liesl and Rolf sing “I am 16 going on 17”) and the Hellbrunn playground. On the way back to the palace you will also meet Heilbronn palace’s garden of senses hidden in a corner on the big domain. Here, you can play with water, enjoy the colourful flowers and feel the cold mist on the face.To have free access to Haus der Natur you can buy the Salzburg city card*.
Day trips from Salzburg with children
If you are planning to stay more than 2 days in Salzburg, you can also take some day trips. There are several spectacular and easy to reach attractions near Salzburg. Here are some recommendations if you are searching for things to do near Salzburg:
-
Schafberg Mountain day tour from Salzburg
Recommended by Darek from Darek and Gosia
Salzburg is one of most visited places in Austria. Beautiful architecture, mountain peaks just above the city and of course Mozart! It’s a stunning city, but if you travel to Salzburg with children you just have to go for one of many day trips outside of the city.
Your kids will be impressed with a trip to Schafberg Mountain – who doesn’t love Austrian cogwheel? A forty-five-minute journey from the town of St. Wolfgang, beautifully situated on the lake Wolfgangsee – stunning views during the journey are guaranteed!
At the summit of Schafberg (1783 m), it is necessary to walk around all viewpoints. In each side you can see turquoise lakes that diversify the landscape. It’s a perfect place for kids to walk or run away – just keep an eye on your little-ones as there are many steep rocks too!
After the trip to Schafber Mountain visit St Wolfgang town. It has beautiful streets with large, typical for the region, houses with sloping roofs and large balconies. You will see here a lot of small souvenir shops. Kids will find many handmade gifts, which will remember them this trip for years. To finish off, get on a boat ride on the Wolfgangsee. -
Salzburg day trip to Hallstatt
Recommended by Alex from Swedish Nomad
Hallstatt is one of the most beautiful towns in Austria and it attracts tourists from all over the world. It’s an easy day trip to make from Salzburg and the town of Hallstatt can be reached by car, bus, train or guided tours depending on personal preference. When visiting Hallstatt with kids, there are several activities that will be fun for the whole family, including renting a swan pedalo boat or just going for a boat ride.
For older kids, there is also an interesting ossuary and bone chapel that can be visited just outside the town. It contains bones from thousands of old residents who have lived in the area throughout the ages. It’s not recommended for younger children due to the graphic content of skulls put on top of each other. However, it’s a great opportunity to educate the kids.
With that said, the main attraction in Hallstatt is the picturesque village itself that features traditional Austrian houses and restaurants. When strolling around it almost feels like you’re walking inside a real life fairy-tale.
From the town, you can also reach several hiking trails that connect Hallstatt and the nearby area. The hiking is moderate and can be done by children from 10-12 years old. Smaller children might need to be carried for some parts where there are more steps leading higher up the trails. -
Things to do near Salzburg: Dachstein region and 5 Fingers platform
Near Hallstatt you can go up and admire the view from the 5 Fingers platform in Austria. First, you need to buy the ticket for the cable car (you need to take 2 cable cars to get to the platform) and decide if you also want to visit the giant Ice cave and the Mammut cave. To visit the giant Ice cave in Austria, the Mammut cave and the 5 Fingers platform it takes a whole day.
If you want to see them with a child, you should know that reaching the 5 Fingers platform with a stroller is not easy and the caves cannot be explored on wheels. The cable car goes up very fast, so the kids may start crying because of the pressure, so drinking water or chewing something will solve this problem. You should also consider the temperature difference. If down in Obertraun the temperature is around 25 degrees Celsius, up in the mountains you can find snow, so you should take warm clothes with you even during summer. To reach the platform you must walk around 20 minutes on a mountain trail. If you must push also the stroller, the trail to 5 Fingers viewing platform can take you around 30 minutes, but the scenery will leave you breathless and it deserved all the effort to get there!
Salzburg was a great choice for a holiday with kids! It has interesting activities for children, great places to visit for parents and amazing landscapes around. I would definitely go back! And after such an experience, I am convinced that I can plan other holidays in Austria with children and I will enjoy them as much as this one!
Liked it? Pin it for later!