
Salzburg is the fourth-largest city in Austria (after Vienna,Graz and Linz) and the capital of the federal state of Salzburg. It's "Old Town", with its world famous baroque architecture, is one of the best-preserved city centers in the German-speaking world, and was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997.
The name Salzburg literally means "Salt Castle", and derives its name from the barges carrying salt on the Salzach river, which were subject to a toll in the 8th century.
Traces of human settlements have been found in the area, dating to the Neolithic Age and later a Celt camp. Starting from 15 BC, the small communities were grouped into a single town, which was named by the Romans as Juvavum. Little remains of this time.
The Festung Hohensalzburg, the city's fortress, was built in 1077 and expanded during the following centuries. Independence from Bavaria was secured in the late 14th century.
A number of companies run coach tours in and around Salzburg. By far the most popular of these are dedicated to the locations featured in The Sound of Music.
For almost a century, Salzburg has hosted the world famous Salzburg Festival [20], with operas, concerts, and theater plays in different locations throughout the city. It was founded by Hugo von Hoffmansthal, Max Reinhardt and Richard Strauss in 1920. It takes place in July and August, the most famous piece is the "Jedermann" ("Everyman") by Hugo v. Hoffmansthal, being conducted in front of the dome every year.
More recently, festivals also take place during Easter time (with mostly Baroque music), and in autumn (Jazz music).
The annual Frequency festival (mainly Alternative Rock) with world famous acts takes place only a few kilometres from the center of Salzburg.
Salzburg is well connected to both Wien (Vienna) and Munich, Germany via the autobahns A8 (Munich - Salzburg) and A1 (Salzburg - Vienna). There is a Austrian Motorway "Vignette" you have to purchase. The price varies depending on if you buy a yearly or 10 day vignette.
Driving around Salzburg can be a pain. The road names are small and written in a "Traditional" German font which can be hard to read. The best bet is to get into the city, find a parking space, and travel by foot. Be sure that if you are driving in cold weather to be prepared for snow. Snow chains should be recommended, in extreme weather.
Salzburg's train station, the Hauptbahnhof, is centrally located. From Munich to Salzburg is about an hour and a half long train ride, and international trains operate from Zurich, Zagreb, Ljubljana and Budapest to name a few destinations. Intercity trains operate very frequently (especially to Vienna where services are almost hourly).
The best way to get around Salzburg is by foot. There is a network of city buses (StadtBus, with numbers from 1 to 8. 24 hour ticket: €4.20. One week ticket: €11.40), which cover the whole city star-shaped from the center. If you travel by bus make sure you don't catch any of the last buses. They'll take you several miles out of town with your only way back by walking or taxi, should you be fortunate enough to wave one down. With that said if you need to get somewhere late at night it may be best to either take a taxi or walk.