May/June

May is indeed a merry month in Salzburg. Spring seems long past, and winter is a distant memory. The climate on the northern edge of the Alps can bring days reaching temperatures of up to 30°C but it’s the change between chilly nights, sunny and rainy days that enables nature to burst into bloom. This is the season of the famous "Schnürlregen" downpours [lit. raining in strings] – but the weather can change so quickly, and Salzburg always has a plan B.

The outdoor swimming pools traditionally open on 1 May, and many sights such as Hohenwerfen Fortress, the Eisriesenwelt caves, Hellbrunn Palace and boat rides up and down the Salzach are all popular features of the summer season. Salzburgers who had to do without their bicycles, however unwillingly, during the winter months can now dust them down. Salzburg is one of the most bicycle-friendly towns in Austria and can easily be explored from the saddle. One possibility is a guided Sound of Music cycling tour to Hellbrunn. The town never looks the same two days running. Tourists and day-trippers often return to Salzburg to see the UNESCO world heritage site.

The locals may head off to the ski slopes in winter, but now they spend every spare minute at the lakes. The Fuschlsee and Wolfgangsee are less than half an hour’s drive from the town. The Salzkammergut region, with the spa towns of Bad Ischl and Bad Aussee, is within easy reach. May is the perfect month for starting outdoor life. Various religious public holidays shorten the working week and allow families extended weekends. The Whitsuntide Festival, directed by Cecilia Bartoli, gives a foretaste of the festival season ahead, when international audiences and artists congregate in the town. The summer solstice on 21 June – the longest day and the shortest night of the year – is celebrated with bonfires on mountainsides around the region. Summer has now begun. The holidays are just around the corner. Street life starts up in earnest, with music and festivals, on balmy evenings in the beer gardens of the Müllner Bräu or the Stieglkeller, or cocktails with a view on Salzburg’s spectacular roof terraces.