Salzburg. Two miles from the old town, an hour and a half from the slopes.
A serious runway with an instrument approach, on the edge of a city that fills twice a year: once for the ski season and once for the Festival. The drive from it is short at both ends.
The airport
Salzburg at a glance
- CodesSZG / LOWSSalzburg Airport W. A. Mozart, on the western edge of the city.
- To the old townAbout three kilometresTen to twenty minutes by road. The German border is roughly two kilometres away.
- Runway15/33, 2,750 metresConcrete, with an instrument approach. More robust in weather than Innsbruck.
- TerminalsTwo, plus general aviationTerminal 1 year round, Terminal 2 for seasonal traffic, and a general aviation apron to the north.
- Aircraft hoursRoughly 06:00 to 23:00Commercial take offs and landings normally end at 22:00, with quieter aircraft able to land until 23:00.
- General aviationHandled by the airportBusiness aviation handling and a lounge are provided by the airport company itself.
- PeakWinter Saturdays, and the FestivalChangeover day in season, and the summer weeks when the Festival fills the city.
- RoadThe A1 and the A10Straight onto the motorway network, with Munich north west and the Tauern route south.
The evening limit is the thing to plan around in summer. A Festival performance that finishes late does not leave much room for a departure the same night, and your operator will tell you what is possible.
Transfer times
From Salzburg by road
| To | Clear roads | Winter Saturday or peak |
|---|---|---|
| Salzburg old town and the Festival halls | 10 to 20 minutes | 20 to 40 minutes |
| Fuschlsee and the Salzkammergut lakes | 25 to 40 minutes | 40 to 60 minutes |
| Zell am See and Kaprun | 70 to 85 minutes | 90 to 130 minutes |
| Kitzbuhel | 80 to 100 minutes | 110 to 150 minutes |
| Saalbach Hinterglemm | 80 to 100 minutes | 110 to 150 minutes |
| Bad Gastein | 70 to 90 minutes | 90 to 130 minutes |
| Munich | 1 hour 30 to 1 hour 50 | 2 hours to 2 hours 45 |
| Innsbruck | 1 hour 50 to 2 hours 15 | 2 hours 15 to 3 hours |
Realistic ranges, not promises. The A10 Tauern motorway is the pinch point on a winter Saturday and on Austrian and German holiday weekends, and the tunnels on it do not forgive an accident.
Why clients choose it
The alpine airport that behaves like a normal one
Salzburg sits on flat ground on the edge of the city, not in a valley, and it has a 2,750 metre concrete runway with a proper instrument approach. That combination is why operators like it: it takes a wider range of aircraft than Innsbruck, it cancels and diverts far less often, and it is a comfortable field to plan a winter season around. It is also the alternate that Innsbruck traffic most often ends up at when the Inn valley closes.
For Kitzbuhel the two airports are close to even on driving time, which makes weather the deciding factor rather than mileage. For Zell am See, Saalbach, Schladming and the Gastein valley, Salzburg wins on both. And unlike most ski gateways, Salzburg is a destination in its own right: a short drive puts you in the old town, by the Festival halls, or out among the Salzkammergut lakes.
The Festival
Six weeks when the city runs on its own timetable
The Salzburg Festival takes over the city from the second half of July into late August. Hotels are full months ahead, the streets around the Festspielhaus and the Domplatz are closed or crowded from late afternoon, and the arrival and departure of several thousand people at once, all within twenty minutes, is the whole transport problem in miniature.
Performances also run long. A late finish, an interval dinner and a drop-off point three streets from the door are all normal here, and the difference between a good evening and a bad one is whether somebody agreed the pick-up point in daylight. We do that in advance: a named street, a named chauffeur, a direct number, and a car that waits where it said it would rather than circling a closed square.
What we handle
Details that matter in Salzburg
A short drive at one end, a mountain road at the other, and two very different peak seasons.
- Flight tracking and a car timed to the real arrival, not the filed one
- Coordination with the airport's general aviation handling for private movements, including ramp access where permitted
- Winter tyres and chains as standard through the season on every vehicle
- Festival evenings planned in advance: an agreed pick-up street outside the closures, and a chauffeur who stays there
- Diversion cover for Innsbruck arrivals, with a car ready and a realistic road time to the resort
Coverage
Our cars, and cars we arrange
Odyssey owns its cars and employs its chauffeurs in London and Manchester. In Austria and southern Germany, cars are arranged through operators we know, with drivers who work these roads in season, and we say plainly which arrangement we are proposing when we quote. Aircraft and helicopters are arranged: see private jet charter and helicopter charter. For the resorts, see Kitzbuhel and the wider ski destinations.
Onward
Where Salzburg passengers go next
Resorts and places
Request a quote
Tell us the arrival
Date, flight number or tail number, passengers, luggage, and the hotel, chalet or hall. If the evening involves a performance, tell us the finish time and we will plan the pick-up around it. Nothing is booked or charged online.
Prefer to talk? +44 2030 048300 or WhatsApp, at any hour.
Questions people ask
About Salzburg transfers
Salzburg or Innsbruck?
Salzburg for Zell am See, Saalbach, Schladming and the Gastein valley, and whenever the weather looks marginal. Innsbruck for the Arlberg and the Otztal, and when you want the city of Innsbruck itself. For Kitzbuhel they are close to even.
Can we fly out after an evening performance?
Aircraft movements normally finish at 23:00 and commercial take offs earlier than that, so a late finish rarely leaves room. Ask your operator when you plan the trip. We will time the run either way.
How far is Munich by road?
Roughly an hour and a half in clear conditions, longer on a holiday weekend. It makes Salzburg a practical alternative when Munich is congested, and a sensible diversion plan.
Can you arrange the aircraft as well?
Yes. See private jet charter.
