Where to Stay in Salzburg

Salzburg

Bunny used to live in Vienna for four years before she visited Salzburg. She is not a huge fan of Mozart (she prefers Metallica) or crowds, and both feature heavily in the Salzburg experience. In Vienna, Bunny is frequently harassed by the excruciatingly slow-walking tourist groups and she was afraid that the same, or worse, would be waiting for her in Salzburg. She was not totally wrong.

Salzburg is very busy with tourists at any time of the year. Bunny visited twice in the same year, in March and August, and both times were definitely busy. The old town, in particular, was heaving with tourists, including the dreaded groups that block the streets and ruin your photos.

There is a lot to see and experience in Salzburg so it is worth a visit but it is not one of Bunny’s favorite places in Austria. In addition, the hotels are quite overpriced for what they offer. Luckily, Bunny managed to find nice affordable hotel options for both of her visits to Salzburg.

Hotel Goldgasse

Bunny had this hotel in mind for a while before she made her way to Salzburg. She first noticed hotel Goldgasse when it opened, and was added to the collection of Small Luxury Hotels (SLH) in 2015. Bunny made a mental note back then to go and check it out. 

She managed to do so two years later. First it was a challenge to find a weekend when Goldgasse was not fully booked. The hotel has only 16 rooms and is, deservedly, very popular.

First Impressions

Hotel Goldgasse is (appropriately) located on Goldgasse, a street in the heart of Salzburg’s old town, Altstadt. The location is excellent as it is very central but, at the same time, on a quiet narrow alley. From Hotel Goldgasse, you can easily walk everywhere, with all of Salzburg’s sites at your fingertips.

The welcome at the hotel reception was very friendly. Bunny received a little welcome pack that included a city map and other useful little things (chocolate!), and good advice about Salzburg in general. 

Room

Bunny had reserved a Junior Suite for her visit. As the hotel is small, and was fully booked at the time of Bunny’s visit, she did not receive the usual room upgrade reserved for SLH members. No worries. You cannot win all the time.

The Junior Suite was very spacious (40m2) and immaculately clean. The decor was a bit quirky, combining traditional elements (ceiling frescos and wooden floors), cool modern features and mural posters. The bathroom was nice with lovely toiletries by Vinoble. In addition, the room boasted a Nespresso machine, organic tea selection and a decent size Smeg fridge with complimentary drinks. The entertainment system had Sound of Music always available on TV. Perfect for curling up on the comfy bed and spending a couple of hours with the Trapp family on those rainy days in Salzburg.

Some online reviews of Goldgasse mentioned street noise but Bunny didn’t detect any. Ask for a room on a higher level if you want to avoid noise. It is also good to note that there is no air-conditioning in the rooms but fans are provided on request. The free Wi-Fi worked well in all parts of the hotel.

Breakfast

The breakfast was a cute little affair. There was a small buffet and you could order coffee/tea and eggs separately. The service was relatively quick and Bunny was happy to discover that they were able to make her favourite decaf cappuccino. 

The hotel also has a traditional Salzburg dinner restaurant but Bunny didn’t try that. Judging by the menu it was not a place for vegetarians…

Building

Hotel Goldgasse used to be a 16th century coppersmith’s workshop. Original stone floors and remains of old frescos can be found in parts of the hotel. Bunny was happy to poke around a bit to get a feel of the old building. Somehow she still missed the communal rooftop terrace which is located on the fourth floor. Not that there would have been much use for it anyway in rainy March weather…

Don't go for the room views as the hotel Goldgasse doesn't really have any, with the exception of the Rooftop Suite which has its own balcony. Hotel Goldgasse does not have a spa either but who comes to Salzburg old town to be pampered in the spa?

Conclusions

All in all, Bunny was very happy with her short visit. Reading glowing online reviews in advance had made her expectations a bit too high, but Hotel Goldgasse is definitely a solid choice in Salzburg. And for sure the best location in town for the money!

Hotel & Villa Auersperg

On her second Salzburg visit, Bunny opted for Hotel & Villa Aeursperg. Hotel Goldgasse was fully booked (again) and she wanted to try something different in any case.

Before making the reservation, Bunny noticed on the hotel website that they offer great perks for direct bookings. So she sent an email asking for a quote, also slyly indicating that she would be staying on her birthday. The hotel’s reply was disappointingly general. No perks were offered and the quoted room price was higher than what Bunny had found online. 

That almost put Bunny completely off the hotel but luckily she persisted (reserving through booking.com) as her stay at Hotel and Villa Auersperg was a lovely experience.

First Impressions

Bunny choose to stay on the hotel side (she did not even visit the Villa) and received a very friendly welcome at the hotel reception. Lots of advice, recommendations and maps were offered to help her navigate Salzburg. She was also presented with a glass of sparkling wine which always helps first impressions…

She was then shown to the room and offered help with the luggage which she declined, as she sees luggage-carrying as useful strength training exercise, particularly when it is Mr. Bunny who is doing the carrying. 

Despite the friendly welcome, Bunny wasn’t overly impressed with the decor of the hotel. It was not bad, just a bit tired, old Austrian style, with carpeted corridors. Fortunately, once she got to her room, things improved a lot.

Room

Bunny had booked the smallest room (a small double room with garden view), in the hopes that she would score an upgrade, what with it being her birthday and everything. Not so fast. This is Austria, after all, so no room upgrade was offered, or requested by Bunny for that matter, and no birthday congratulations were extended. Oh well.

But the room was lovely! No carpets, phew. The 20m2 room felt big enough, with an eclectic mix of old and contemporary style of furniture. All amenities were there, a big TV, DVD player (movies available at the hotel reception at no extra charge) and CD player with a nice music selection. The room also had coffee and tea makers, with a nice selection of different teas and coffees. The minibar seemed well-stocked although Bunny refrained from raiding it this time.

The bathroom was compact but nice, with white tiles and special Auesperg toiletries, and plushy towels.

The garden room had an old-fashioned fan for those hot summer days in Austria, but no air-conditioning. This didn’t bother Bunny. Partly because the weather was miserable and partly because she doesn’t like air-conditioning to begin with.

Location

Although Auesperg is not blessed with such central location as Goldgasse, it is within an easy(ish) walking distance from the old town (10-15 minutes). The neighbourhood is pleasant and quiet. Don’t stay here if you are completely averse to walking though.

As a bonus, Hotel & Villa Auersperg has a lovely quiet garden.

If arriving by train, it is a short but zigzagging walk to the hotel from the main train station. A good tip if walking from the railway station is to follow signs to Schallmoos, especially if you have a heavy suitcase and want to avoid some stairs.

Lovely Spa

Bunny’s two visits to Salzburg have had something in common: atrocious weather. On her second visit, she got completely soaked and almost froze to death (despite it being August) whilst sightseeing so she was eager to try the sauna at Auersperg at the end of the day.

What a lovely place it was! A tranquil heaven, with a beautiful Asian inspired space, soothing music, Finnish sauna with a view over the rooftops of Salzburg, a steam room and an outside terrace for cooling off. The best thing was that Bunny was the only guest there! She felt like a queen.

There were also some drinks available (some for a charge on an honesty bar basis), fresh fruit, sunbeds and showers. The locker room downstairs had slippers and robes and a small changing room. The spa was small but perfectly designed, a perfect ending to Bunny’s day of sightseeing. Who comes to Salzburg to be pampered in the spa, right?

Breakfast

Breakfast was good but Bunny was pleased to learn that the breakfast area would be made bigger in upcoming renovations. She enjoyed her good coffee, fresh avocado and various other offerings at the breakfast table. Mr. Bunny went for eggs that could be ordered separately.

Conclusions

Bunny very much enjoyed her short stay at Hotel & Villa Auersberg. The price was right, the service was friendly and she didn’t mind the extra walking. And the spa was a surprising highlight!

Salzburg In a Nutshell

In general, Bunny finds Salzburg hotels overpriced. Unfortunately, that’s what happens when you’re popular. Staying either in hotel Goldgasse or Hotel & Villa Auersperg will guarantee you some value but there is no way of avoiding those big tourists groups overcrowding Salzburg at any time of the year. At least at Hotel & Villa Auersperg you can escape the crowds to their lovely garden…

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