Getting to Salzburg W A Mozart Airport (SZG) in Austria is easy by car or bus. Buses run frequently in a few minutes to downtown and the train station, as wel as Bad Reichenhall and Berchtesgaden in Germany.
Salzburg WA Mozart Airport (SZG) is very conveniently located just behind a hill from the center of Salzburg in Austria. Travelers heading from the airport to downtown Salzburg or the main train station (Hauptbahnhof) can use the fast and cheap public buses that run several times per hour. Taxis are also not too expensive due to the short distances. Shuttle buses to ski resorts are best booked in advance as is car hire. For many travelers heading further into Austria (or Germany), a bus ride to the station and train ride is the best option, or pre-book airport minibus shuttles to ski resorts.
Getting to Salzburg Mozart Airport by Car
Driving to Salzburg W A Mozart Airport (SZG) is very easy as the airport is conveniently located just over the Mönchsberg hill from central Salzburg and close to highway exits for travelers arriving from further afield.
Driving from the airport to downtown Salzburg is usually around 6 to 8 km and sometimes done in less than ten minutes. However, as parking is hard to find and expensive in Salzburg (and at old town hotels), tourists may often save by taking the bus (or taxi) and pick up a rental car a day or two later when leaving Salzburg.
If heading further into Austria, use Autobahn 1 exit 296 for travel northeast (e.g. Linz, Vienna, Hallstatt) or exit 297 when heading south onto the Autobahn A10. Check if rental cars have an autobahn vignette (Pickerl), as fines for driving on Austrian highways without a toll sticker are high.
Getting to Salzburg Airport by Bus from the Town Center and Train Station (Hauptbahnhof)
Several public buses call at Salzburg Mozart Airport but the following three are particularly useful for tourists and travelers heading to downtown Salzburg or the Hauptbahnhof (main train station).
- Bus line 2 runs generally six times per hour in 20 minutes from Salzburg Airport (SZG) to the main train station. Bus 2 does not pass through the old town itself but stop Mirabellplatz may be closer than the main station to some old town hotels.
- Bus 10 runs generally four times per hour in only 15 minutes from Salzburg Airport (SZG) to the town center (Ferdinand Hanuschplatz) of Salzburg (the final destination is Sam). The bus stops in the town center at amongst others Herbert von Karajan Platz, Rathaus, Mozartsteg / Rudolfskai, and Justizgebäude.
- Bus line 27 also run from Salzburg Airport to the train station up to four times per hour but follow a different route from line 2 that passes via the town center. From the airport to Ferdinand Hanuschplatz Zentrum takes 28 min and from the airport to the station on bus 27 takes 38 minutes (almost double the time of bus 2).
Buses run up to six times per hour per line at peak times and usually at least twice per hour at quieter hours and Sundays. Return buses use the same numbering system.
The one-way fare on these buses in early 2016 was €2.50 if tickets are bought from the driver, €2 from machines, and €1.80 if bought in advance in a block of five tickets. Tickets not bought from the driver must be validated on the bus. (The Newscorner shop at the airport sells bus tickets, as well as other discount transportation passes and sightseeing tickets.)
Getting to Salzburg Airport from Germany
Salzburg Airport is also convenient for travelers from Bavarian towns across the border in Germany such as Bad Reichenhall and Berchtesgaden. (The latter famous for its ski resorts, the Alpsee Lake, and Hitler´s mountain residence and Eagle’s Nest – incidentally where the Von Trapp family would have ended up if they followed the Sound of Music plot line and crossed the Alps from Salzburg.)
Driving to Salzburg Airport from Bad Reichenhall (12 km / 15 min) or Berchtesgaden (25 km / 30 min) is simple enough. However, consult local maps to stay off the highway in Austria. It is hardly worth buying an Autobahn Vignette / Pickerl, or risk a fine, for five kilometers of Austrian highway travel, if local roads are just as easy to use, and often shorter, on the drive to Salzburg Airport.
Buses from Salzburg Airport to Bad Reichenhall and Berchtesgaden
Frequent buses are available between Salzburg Airport and the German towns Bad Reichenhall and Berchtesgaden.
- Bad Reichenhall can be reached generally hourly direct from Salzburg Airport on ÖBB Postbus 180 in 32 minutes and a few times per day on bus 260 in 17 minutes.
- For Berchtesgaden, use bus 2 to Salzburg Hauptbahnhof and change there to RVO bus B / 840 for Jennerbahn / Schönau am Königsee that passes through Berchtesgaden. Total travel time is around an hour with buses available usually once per hour.
Salzburg Airport is very convenient but unfortunately for many travelers does not have that many flights. For many, especially intercontinental arrivals, it may be more practical to fly to Munich Airport (MUC), which is around 180 km away in Germany. Transportation from Munich Airport to Salzburg is simple enough and requires around two hours driving or two and a half hours by frequent train. Vienna’s Wien Schwechat Airport (VIE) is further away and less convenient than Munich Airport for travelers heading principally to Salzburg.
