Known for decades as the entryway to The Alps and birthplace of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, the Austrian city of Salzburg has over the last six decades also attracted tourists whose first brush with it came through the 1965 film “The Sound Of Music.”
While the permanent population of the city sits at just under 158,000 people, Salzburg is an incredibly popular tourist destination that recorded over 1.8 million international arrivals and 3.3 million overnight stays in 2025.
This type of disproportion brings significant strain to a historic town that dates back to the 11th century and was never made to withstand such a large number of visitors.
Salzburg puts in place summer travel ban on cars driving into Old Town
Along with a number of other measures meant to curb overtourism and preserve the its historic architecture, the city is now testing a summer driving ban that will place major restrictions on cars in the historic Old Town or Altstadt.
The restriction that was passed by the city council back in May and came into effect on July 1 caps the number of cars coming into the city at 1,000 per day during July and August. This means that most private vehicles without special permission to enter the city will need to park on the other side of the Staatsbrücke bridge over the Salzach River as their drivers and passengers take public transportation into the center.
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While they fill up especially fast during the summer months, some of the city’s Park & Ride lots are also located just across the river at a ten-minute walk from the Old Town.
To collaborate with the initiative, local park-and-ride lots will offer those who leave the car with them a day ticket that gives up to five people a day of travel on local public transportation for €7.50 ($8.55 USD).
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“We don’t want chaotic traffic situations like we saw last year”: Salzburg Mayor
Exceptions apply to residents with local license plates and commuters with a job in the city, emergency services, registered taxis, delivery vehicles, people with disabilities and hotel guests who will park on the property. Some local residents of nearby towns across the border in Bavaria are also exempted from the driving restrictions.
Anyone else caught driving into the city without being able to provide justification could be hit with a fine of €80 ($91 USD).
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Justification for the driving restrictions came down to the major traffic jams and gridlocks that were taking place all throughout Salzburg throughout the summer holiday period in 2025. Similar restrictions have already been tested by Italian cities like Rome and Pisa as well as the walled city of Dubrovnik in Croatia.
“We don’t want chaotic traffic situations like we saw last year,” Salzburg Mayor Bernhard Auinger said at a press conference last May in translation from German. “It is aimed at day trippers who travel by car from farther afield. It is important to me that residents of the central Salzburg area and business-related traffic are not affected by this.”
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