Salzburg and Lakes Day Trip from Vienna with Photo Stop in Melk
Vienna, Austria
- 13 hours (approx.)
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
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Overview
Explore Salzburg's Mirabell Garden and UNESCO-listed Old Town on this seamless day trip from Vienna. Led by a local guide, you'll enjoy the stunning drive to Salzburg, winding through the Austrian Alps. Upon arriving, take a guided walking tour of Mozart's home town and visit the gardens of Mirabell Palace, as well as other top sights. Your day trip concludes with transportation back to Vienna.
- Visit Salzburg, the home of Mozart, on a day trip from Vienna
- Walking tour through Salzburg's Old Town—a UNESCO World Heritage Site
- This option is perfect for first-time or time-pressed visitors
- Includes round-trip transportation from central Vienna
What's Included
- Guided walking tour of Salzburg Old Town
- Visit to Mirabell Gardens and film locations
- Scenic coach tour through the Salzkammergut
- Photo stops at Melk Abbey and Lake Mondsee
- Professional English- and Spanish-speaking guide
- Immersive multilingual audio guide experience in 20 languages
- Food, drinks and gratuities
- Hotel pick-up & Hotel drop-off
- Admission to Melk Abbey or Hohensalzburg Fortress
Meeting and Pickup
Meeting point
- Vienna State OperaOpernring 2, 1010 Wien, Austria
End point
This activity ends back at the meeting point.Start time.7:15 am
Itinerary
Your tour begins with pickup from your central Vienna hotel or the State Opera. Meet your expert guide and hop aboard your coach to begin your day trip to Salzburg.
Soak up incredible views from the windows as you travel, passing the landscape of lakes and mountains where Emperor Franz Joseph and his family used to holiday.
When reaching Salzburg you'll enjoy some free time for lunch (own expense). Afterward, explore the UNESCO-listed Old Town on a walking tour. Pass the Festival Hall, the Cathedral and St. Peter’s Abbey, as your guide explains the stories behind these historical sites and how the city became a bishop’s seat. You also learn about the city’s most famous resident, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, who was born in Salzburg and lived in the city until his late teens. As you walk through the busy shopping streets, spot the prolific composer’s home.
Admire the gardens as you continue through Mirabell Palace, where several scenes from "The Sound of Music" were filmed. Pass the statue of Pegasus, the same statue that Maria and the children famously danced around while singing "Do-Re-Mi."
Your Salzburg day trip concludes with a scenic drive back to Vienna, passing through the Fortress Hohensalzburg, one of the largest medieval castles in Europe. You are dropped off at the Vienna State Opera.
Soak up incredible views from the windows as you travel, passing the landscape of lakes and mountains where Emperor Franz Joseph and his family used to holiday.
When reaching Salzburg you'll enjoy some free time for lunch (own expense). Afterward, explore the UNESCO-listed Old Town on a walking tour. Pass the Festival Hall, the Cathedral and St. Peter’s Abbey, as your guide explains the stories behind these historical sites and how the city became a bishop’s seat. You also learn about the city’s most famous resident, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, who was born in Salzburg and lived in the city until his late teens. As you walk through the busy shopping streets, spot the prolific composer’s home.
Admire the gardens as you continue through Mirabell Palace, where several scenes from "The Sound of Music" were filmed. Pass the statue of Pegasus, the same statue that Maria and the children famously danced around while singing "Do-Re-Mi."
Your Salzburg day trip concludes with a scenic drive back to Vienna, passing through the Fortress Hohensalzburg, one of the largest medieval castles in Europe. You are dropped off at the Vienna State Opera.
1
Vienna
5 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
2
Melk Abbey
30 minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included
3
Mondsee
15 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
Getreidegasse (Pass By)
Schloss Mirabell & Mirabellgarten (Pass By)
Fortress Hohensalzburg (Pass By)
Salzkammergut (Pass By)
Salzburger Altstadt (Pass By)
4
Vienna
5 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Stroller accessible
- Service animals allowed
- Near public transportation
- Infants must sit on laps
- Travelers should have a moderate physical fitness level
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 100 travelers
Supplied by
Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Featured review
Sylvia was amazing to show us details of our trip that we may have missed on our own. She was happy to answer questions and never seemed tired of the endless questions from the guests. The driver was kind and got us safely to and from in a clean coach bus. We would definitely recommend this trip to anyone wanting to experience a little of Salzburg with only one day to spare.
Reviews
3.8
based on 742 reviews
Sort by: Most insightful
Very long, long bus ride to Salzburg.
The break on the way to Salzburg, Linetz(?) was not very good but the return stop was excellent.
Martin is a very good tour guide and very knowledgeable. His pace for all was appropriate.
Only negative aspect was we had a Spanish speaking group with us so every stop was twice long as everything needed to be repeated once in Spanish, then again in English.
This was marked to be an all English tour, not bi-lingual so it seems deceptive.
Sylvia was amazing to show us details of our trip that we may have missed on our own. She was happy to answer questions and never seemed tired of the endless questions from the guests. The driver was kind and got us safely to and from in a clean coach bus. We would definitely recommend this trip to anyone wanting to experience a little of Salzburg with only one day to spare.
Early start and long day but 100% well worth it.
Great commentary from the guide.
What I hadn’t anticipated so much was the fantastic scenery seen on the way - mountains and lakes.
It was so much fun and very informative. The whole trip was convenient as well. Perfect for a day trip
We loved every minute of our tour. The driver and the tour guide were very polite and knowledgeable. It was beautiful. Everything was perfect.
The bus broke down. We had to wait an hour for a new bus. This is a 5 hour ride, so we only had two hours to tour on our own, eat and then take a 5 hour ride back. Did not get much time to tour. We asked for a refund and were denied. Trip was not worth the time or money.
Response from Host, Nov 2025
Dear Brad,
We’re so sorry to hear about your experience and the inconvenience caused by the bus breakdown. We completely understand how frustrating it must have been to lose valuable time on your tour, especially after such a long journey.
Unfortunately, mechanical problems can happen despite regular maintenance, and we regret that this impacted your tour schedule and overall experience.
Our team did their best to arrange a replacement bus as quickly as possible, but we completely understand your disappointment about the reduced touring time. We take feedback like yours seriously and will review this situation internally to improve how we handle such incidents in the future.
Kind regards,
Your Vienna Sightseeing Team
There is a tremendous amount of walking. The walking areas are uneven and lots of cobblestone. Did not see anything related to the sound of Music
I selected an English speaking tour but it seems that Viator is now combing English and Spanish speaking together. This should be communicated when booking. They should also let you know how long the bus ride will be. I may not have taken the tour if known it was 4 hours there and back. And in MY opinion, the tour guide talked on and on and on.
Chris was an informative and patient tour guide who set a pace that allowed people in the group time to learn and take photos of the sights along the way.
2 stops on the way there and one stop on way home. Bus was clean and comfortable.
But it would have helped if information was provided on good restaurants, stores, museums etc. no recommendations were given
Bad experience. The tour company diverted our bus to pick other travelers and extended our travel by two hours. No consultation, no apologies. The tour guide was very haphazardly coordinated and almost left three people behind at one stop. We found the company unprofessional and would not recommend or repeat.
Response from Host, Nov 2025
Dear Rakesh,
Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback. We’re very sorry to hear that your experience did not meet expectations.
Please accept our sincere apologies for the inconvenience caused by the extended travel time and the lack of communication regarding the additional pickup. We understand how frustrating this must have been and appreciate you bringing it to our attention.
We have also shared your comments with our operations team and the tour guide involved to ensure better coordination and communication in the future — no guest should ever feel uncertain or left behind during a tour.
We truly value your feedback, as it helps us improve our service, and we hope you will give us another opportunity to provide you with a smoother and more enjoyable experience.
Kind regards,
your Vienna Sightseeing Team
Salzburg was beautiful and not to be missed but our tour fell short. Sylvia was quite knowledgeable and her English was excellent. However the tour is labeled “English speaking” and she was also giving the tour in Spanish. It was hard to follow as she went back and forth between languages. It was difficult to hear during the walking tour and that part was not well organized. In the end we could have booked cheaper transportation to the city and explored on our own.
Salzburg is a lovely place with lots to see and this trip does well in maximising the time spent there. The guide enhanced it with her charm and informative commentary.
Great Tour! On time, great pick up services! Additionally, great communication and everything happens as planned. Thank you!
Great comfortable experience. Well organized. A little disappointed with the tour guide in Salzburg.
Nice trip to Salzburg but the tour guide continuously spoke in Spanish for lengthly amount of time to cater to only 4 people out of the 30 English speakers in the group, I missed out on learning about the history which for a tour this expensive should have been prioritised to the majority of the group who speak English.
Our favorite tour in Austria, perfect balance of organized tour and personal exploration. We had the best pizza (randomly) we’ve ever had, and that is true even after visiting Rome! Highly recommend.
Salzburg is such a pretty town to visit and this day tour is well worth it. After our guide showed us some of the landmarks, we were left alone to discover the ten by ourselves. But there wasn’t enough time to see everything but we did manage to see the main things. Having said that, it was still worth doing the tour.
Beautiful landscape
Great city.
We passsed from beatiful landscapes, impressive view to mountains and a nice lake. We spent a great time to Salzburg. We would prefer to stay more in Salzburg and return later to Vienna.
Great experience, had the best time, the dedication of the tour guide is as deep as one would expect from a tour guide, trustworthy
Of the 13 hours of the trip, 10 were on the bus. While technically a day trip from Vienna, I would recommend doing the trip to Salzburg on your own if you're adventurous. Salzburg is pretty compact, with most of the sights in the old partod the town. During this time of year, the town is decked out for the holiday and the Christmas market is fantastic!
There were two parts of the tour: the part on the bus and the part with a local guide. Our guide on the bus led the Spanish speaking tourists while we English speaking ones had a local guide (Hans), who was awaiting us at Salzburg.
While I understand Hans was probably trying to maximize our free time, I felt the tour was a bit rushed. I also felt like he was okay with losing half the group over the course of the tour. We started out with 19 and ended with 9 in the group. I wasn't sure if the others left and did their own thing or were lost. We started at the Mirabell Palace and ended in old town. At the end, we had about two hours. This was enough time to have a snack and tour the Christmas market. There wasn't enough time to go see the fortress or the Mozart museum.
This tour was a good one if you need a way to get out to Salzburg and don't want to deal with the travel logistics. Next time, we will take the train and do our own thing. Not sure if this tour was worth $300 (for two people).
Really enjoyed this tour as we were looking for something to do in addition to our time in Vienna. Going to Salzburg was well worth the effort. Great tour guide and driver.
Old town was fun to explore and we appreciated that the tour guide gave us a one hour walking tour of old town to point out what to pay attention to when we had free time later on.
The bus was very comfortable and also had an onboard toilet. We took plenty of stops along the way as well. All in all, a great day out. Thank you!
Claudia was a fantastic guide. The day trip was lovely. Salzburg is so beautiful. The drive through the Alpine Mountains was spectacular.
Lovely experience. The driver and tour guide were grear and friendly recommended to all. Kids were too noisy and troubling
The guide was not good. This trip is worth it. The service was not provided in the amount requested.
We enjoyed this tour. Large bus of English and Spanish speaking tourists. Our guide was friendly and knowledgeable. Just the right amount of information and quiet time for us to rest as we were still adjusting to time zone.
The rest stops along the way were amazing! Very high quality restaurant and gift shop. The apple streudel was exceptional.
The town of Salzburg is beautiful and quaint. We enjoyed walking around and listening to music from local musicians. Had a wonderful lunch and plenty of time for shopping.
Our guide gave us an overview of the town and then let us explore on our own. You do have the option of taking the train back (at your expense) if you feel you need more time. We watched The Sound of Music on the return trip which was an enjoyable way to pass the time on the way home. All in all a wonderful day spent exploring the beautiful country of Austria!
Wonderful birthplace of Mozart. I even had a chance to see his birthplace.
Nice walk along to the abbey.
Long day, but well worth the trip, it was a nuisance in the coach having Spanish and English. Wish I knew about while booking the tour. The tour otherwise was excellent.
Salzburg beauty and even the scenery enroute baffling just a treat to the eyes. Nostalgic were the shooting locations of Sound of Music. Very vocal and meticulous and clarity in update by guide.
A long but a pleasant day trip to lively city of Salzburg. Mozart and Sound of Music enthusiasts must take this day trip. Food facility stops on both ways (going and coming back) are excellent though little pricy.
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$149.35
per personWas $165.95
up to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)
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Salzburg and Lakes Day Trip from Vienna with Photo Stop in Melk
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