Hohensalzburg Fortress sells two main tickets. The Basic ticket (Basis in German) covers the funicular up and down, the courtyards and bastions, the Panorama tour and the museums. The All-inclusive ticket adds two things: the princely rooms and the Magic Theater. Both come in a cheaper footpath version for people who walk up, and that version still includes the ride down. In summer the fortress has also sold a short-hours Panorama ticket without the museums.
Below is what each ticket covers, how the funicular and the footpath compare, what is and is not step-free, the funicular closures announced for winter 2026 to 2027, and how much time to allow. We checked the fortress’s own pages on October 8, 2026. Hours, prices and inclusions change, so look at the fortress’s tickets page before you go.
What each ticket includes
Basic ticket
- The FestungsBahn funicular up and down
- The castle grounds: courtyards, bastions and the chapel
- The Panorama tour (the salt store, the dungeon, the lookout platform of the Reckturm, the wall walk and the Salzburg Bull, a horn organ from 1502)
- The museums: the Fortress Museum, the Rainer Regiment Museum, the Marionette Museum and the armory
It does not include the princely rooms or the Magic Theater.
All-inclusive ticket
Everything in the Basic ticket, plus the princely rooms (Fürstenzimmer, sometimes called the state rooms) and the Magic Theater. The princely rooms are the late Gothic apartments on the top floor of the central palace block. If those rooms are the reason you are going, this is the ticket you need.
Footpath versions
Both tickets come in a footpath version for visitors who walk up. They cover the same areas as their funicular twins and include the ride down on the funicular. You buy them online or at the ticket office on the footpath, in the second gate arch on the way up.
The summer Panorama ticket
This one is for the view. By the fortress operator’s 2026 press text and the city tourism board, it is sold only from May to September, between 8:30 and 10 a.m. and between 6 and 8 p.m. It covers the funicular up and down, the castle grounds and the Panorama tour, but no museums, princely rooms or Magic Theater. It is not on the online ticket page, so plan to buy it on site, and check before you rely on it in a new season.
Prices
Prices differ by ticket, by age and by whether you ride the funicular or walk up. Children aged 6 to 14 pay less, and the tourism board also lists reduced rates for visitors with a disability and for groups. We do not repeat them here because they change. The fortress’s tickets page has the current list.
Online tickets and the Salzburg Card
The fortress says tickets bought online are valid for six months and do not need to be exchanged. They save the ticket queue, but not every wait: the funicular and the museums have limited capacity, and the fortress warns there can still be waiting times on site. The Salzburg Card works directly as a ticket. The fortress lists the funicular up and down, the museums and the princely rooms as covered. The Magic Theater is not on that list, so ask if it matters to you.
Is the funicular included?
Yes, in the tickets sold “with funicular”, both ways. In the footpath tickets only the ride down is included. The funicular itself is run by Salzburg AG, not by the fortress, and keeps its own timetable. Its valley station is at Festungsgasse 4, a short walk behind the cathedral from Kapitelplatz. A car leaves about every ten minutes and the ride takes under a minute. The line has run since 1892, and its operator calls it the oldest funicular still in operation in Austria. The last ride down varies through the year and is posted at the top station.
Or walk up
The footpath starts right next to the valley station and climbs about 100 meters, partly on gravel, steep in places, with steps. The fortress gives the walk as 15 to 20 minutes on one page and about 30 minutes on another, so allow half an hour if you are not in a hurry. Wear good shoes. The fortress says the path is not barrier-free and not suitable for strollers.
The footpath enters the fortress by a different gate from the funicular. If you are using our tour, follow the signs from the courtyard to the FestungsBahn top station, where it begins.
Is there an audio guide?
Not from the fortress itself. Its own answer is that there are no audio guides; instead there are information boards in German, English and Italian, and some audio stations. At the Info Point, visitors with walking impairments can borrow tablets with a video tour of the indoor areas, and deaf visitors can borrow tablets with a sign-language video guide. From May to September the fortress has also offered a free 30-minute Quick-Tour of the outdoor areas in German and English, at 9:30 a.m. and 7 p.m., for anyone with a valid ticket.
If you would like stories rather than labels, our Hohensalzburg Fortress tour is one option. It is a self-guided audio tour you play on your phone, nine stops from the terrace by the funicular to the last bastion, about 80 minutes without the museum interiors. Every main story is told from a place the standard Basic ticket reaches, and an optional layer covers the princely rooms for All-inclusive ticket holders. Fortress admission is not included: you buy your ticket from the fortress as usual. How our tours work explains the rest.
Step-free access
The funicular is the only step-free way up. The fortress’s step-free entrance is the valley station at Festungsgasse 4.
At the top, by the fortress’s own account:
- The panorama terrace and the bastion by the top station are fully accessible.
- An elevator in the bell tower reaches the castle courtyard, the armory exhibition, the tavern, the Kuenburg bastion and the Marionette Museum.
- The interior of the fortress is not barrier-free. The Panorama tour, which leads up to the lookout platform of the Reckturm, is not among the places the elevator reaches, and the fortress says most museums cannot be reached with a stroller.
- Barrier-free toilets are next to the Info Point and in the fortress restaurant.
- Expect gravel paths, steep stone steps and bumpy paving in places. Strollers can be left at the Info Point, secured with your own lock.
Funicular closures, winter 2026 to 2027
The fortress has announced two maintenance closures of the funicular:
- November 9–13, 2026. The funicular is closed. The fortress’s opening-hours page says the walking path and outdoor areas stay open while the museums and indoor areas close, but its printed 2026 folder lists these as closing days, so check before you go.
- January 11 to March 14, 2027. The funicular is closed. The walking path, outdoor areas, museums and indoor areas stay open. The city tourism board describes the work as rebuilding for accessibility.
The fortress names the funicular as its only step-free way up, so plan on no step-free access during either window. The fortress also says no online tickets are sold during these periods. Dates can move, so check the opening hours page close to your visit.
How long to allow
Opening hours as published on October 8, 2026:
- January to April and October to December: 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- May to September: 8:30 a.m. to 8 p.m., with the museums, princely rooms and Magic Theater open 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.
- Easter and Advent weekends: 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. On December 24 the interiors close at 2 p.m.
Last admission is 30 minutes before closing. The outdoor areas stay open after the museums close.
For a rough plan: add the ride (under a minute, plus any queue in season) or the walk (up to half an hour) to the time at the top. Our own route through the courtyards, bastions and Panorama tour takes about 80 minutes. The museums and the princely rooms come on top of that, and we have not timed them, so leave a generous margin before the museums close.
Before you go
Choose the Basic ticket for the walls, the views and the museums, and the All-inclusive ticket if you want the princely rooms or the Magic Theater. Check the hours and the funicular closures on the fortress’s site, and bring sun protection: the bastions sit above the rooftops. When you come back down, the old town is at your feet. If you would like its story too, Salzburg Essentials is a self-guided walk through the streets below, and our Salzburg page gathers the rest of our planning notes.