Salzburg's main station:  Click for location & city map...

Salzburg Hbf is the main station in Salzburg, used by almost all mainline trains.  Hbf simply stands for Hauptbahnhof, German for main station.  The station first opened in 1860 and was heavily renovated 2008-2014.  The main change has been the demolition of a large island platform in the middle of the station with many dead-end platforms facing Germany and more dead-end platforms at the other end facing Vienna.  It's been replaced by more through platforms, significantly increasing capacity, and the dingy passageway under the tracks has been replaced by a bright modern shopping mall with much better facilities, including new ticket offices for both ÖBB and Westbahn.

Station overview...

Salzburg is a through station (not a terminus) with a historic station building and booking hall on the northwest side of the tracks, closest to the city centre.  See a 3D plan of Salzburg Hbf at karteplan.com/.../salzburg-hbf-plan.jpg (please let me know if this link stops working).

Salzburg Hbf main entrance.  The forecourt has been pedestrianised.  Courtesy of Paul Nikolic.

Main hall, inside the main entrance, showing the start of the passageway under the tracks.  The passageway is at ground level as the tracks & platforms are raised on a viaduct.  Note the posters in the centre showing train departures through the day and which platform trains are due to use.  Courtesy of Paul Nikolic.

The ground-level passageway under all the tracks, with steps, escalators & lifts up to each platform.  On the left you can see a Spar minimarket.  On the right, the ÖBB ticket office.  Courtesy of Paul Nikolic.

Which platform for your train?

• The station has 9 mainline platforms, numbered 1 to 9 starting closest to the main station building on the western/city side of the station.

• There are lifts & escalator to all platforms, so no problem with luggage or if you have mobility problems.  There are no ticket gates or barriers, there's free, easy & open access between street, station hall, underpass & platforms. 

• TV screens in the main hall and located around the station show a list of departures and arrivals.  The yellow departure posters in the centre of the main hall tell you the planned platforms for all train departures throughout the day (The white posters show arrivals).

• See a plan of Salzburg platforms at karteplan.com/.../salzburg-hbf-plan.jpg (please let me know if this link stops working).

The platforms.  A new extended roof has been provided in the 2008-2014 renovations, but it incorporates the original arched trainshed roof as you can see here. Courtesy of Paul Nikolic.

Left luggage, ATMs, WiFi...

• There are left luggage lockers if you need to leave your bags, in the passageway under the tracks, level with platforms 6 & 7, in the area with the public waiting room, toilets & lost property office, see the luggage lockers page for opening hours & prices.

• There are ATMs in various locations, try the Spardabank in the passageway under the tracks near the steps up to platform 4.

• The station has free WiFi (select OEBB-station).

Ticket offices...

• The modern ÖBB (Austrian Railways) ticket office is in the passageway under the tracks, near the escalators up to platform 2/3.

• You'll find ÖBB (Austrian Railways) self-service ticket machines and DB (German Railways) self-service ticket machines in the passageway under the tracks.  If you want a Bayern Ticket, buy from the DB machines.

• There's a Westbahn ticket office in the passageway under the tracks, near the steps up to platform 6.

Salzburg Hbf ticket ÖBB office.  Courtesy of Paul Nikolic.

ÖBB 1st class lounge...

• There's a first class lounge with complimentary tea, coffee and (after 18:00) wine and free WiFi.  You can use the lounge with any type of 1st class ticket issued by ÖBB and its partner railways (DB, SBB, MAV, ZSSK and so on), domestic or international, or any form of sleeping-car (but not couchette) ticket.  This is a good place to wait between trains if you're travelling 1st class.  The entrance to the lounge is in the passageway under the tracks, between the escalators up to platforms 2/3 and 4/5.

• The lounge is open 05:45-22:00 Monday-Friday, 06:30-22:00.  You can check times at the Austrian Railways site www.oebb.at.

Somewhere to eat & drink...

• There are various food outlets & cafes around the station.

• There's a cafe-bar in the main hall, and an Anker cafe in the passageway under the tracks near the escalators up to platform 8.

• There's a Burger King in the northern end of the main station building, accessible from the forecourt.

• For a decent meal, there's a station restaurant in the main building, the Johan (www.dasjohann.com) serving typical Viennese meals, schnitzel,  cake & beer.  Its accessible from the station forecourt, the restaurant entrance is 50m to the right of the main station entrance as you face the station.  I haven't tried it myself, so let me know what you think!

• You might also consider brewpub Die Weisse (www.dieweisse.at) which also serves food, a 14-minute walk from the station, see walking map.

Supermarkets...

• There is a good Spar minimarket in the passageway under the tracks, on the left just as you walk from the main hall into the passageway, immediately after the steps up to platform 1.  It sells the usual range of food, sandwiches, beer & wine, the ideal place to stock up for a journey.

• There are more shops and a larger EuroSpar supermarket in the Forum 1 shopping mall, on the square in front of the station.  Walk out of the station and look to your right.

Hotels near Salzburg Hbf...

• For an overnight stop, hotels close to the station include the H+ Hotel, just outside the station entrance to the right.  It gets good reviews.  Also consider the nearby Salzburg Art Hotel and Austria Trend Europa Hotel, also with great reviews.

• For a longer stay, there are lots of hotels close to Salzburg old town.  At the top end, the lovely historic Hotel Sacher.  At the cheaper end, the Altstadthotel Weisse Taube is in the heart of the old town in a building dating from 1365, with great reviews.

• If you're on a budget you can book budget private rooms in a one-star hotel or backpacker hostel near the station using www.hostelworld.com.

Local transport:  Walking, taxis, trams...

• Walking:  It's easy to walk from Salzburg station to most locations in the city centre.

  Mozart's birthplace in Salzburg's old town is a 1.6km 21-minute walk from the station, see walking map. 

  Salzburg castle (fortress Hohensalzburg) is a 2.3km 31-minute walk from the station, see walking map.

• Taxis:  For a taxi fare calculator see www.taxifarefinder.com/main.php?city=Salzburg-Austria&lang=en.  Taxis are usually plentiful outside the station, although they are not cheap.

• Buses:  See www.obus.at.

More information...

• For more about the station's history see en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salzburg_Hauptbahnhof

• For more information about station facilities, see www.oebb.at.