Salzburg in May ("Mai")

Salzburg is nice all around the year - yet every month has its specific attractions. In these "Salzburg around the year" articles, we try to highlight the most important reasons to come to Salzburg in this specific month. May is our personal favourite.

Weather in Salzburg in May

May is the month that the Visit-Salzburg.net-team recommends most dearly for travelling to Salzburg: The skiing season is over and the summer season hasn′t started yet. Tourists are relatively sparse (for Salzburg, that is), yet the weather is usually very stable, mild and nice with lots of stuff in bloom and often snow-white mountain tops to supplement the scenery.

The maximum temperature average reaches the summer level of 19 degrees, the minimum average some 7 degrees Celsius. Also on the summer-level are sunshine and rain: Salzburg in May enjoys six hours of sunshine per average day and a total of 13 days with rainfall. Bring light clothing and a light jacket for the evenings or a rainy day. Warmer clothing is only needed if you go to the mountains in the South.

Things to see & do in Salzburg: May

Most trees are in full bloom in May and some of the mountains in the surroundings become accessible again. The first of May is the Day of Labour and a public holiday in Austria. Whilst Vienna celebrates it as the a day of the working class, everybody non-socialist in Salzburg has more traditional approaches to this date. In the city of Salzburg as well as all villages on the countryside, you will find May pole ceremonies (Maibaumaufstellen). They are often supplemented with traditional brass bands and beer tents and the detailed procedures that lead to the erection of the maypole (pretty big things in Austria) vary from valley to valley.

Things to do & see in the surroundings: May

One event well worth visiting is the "Narzissenfest" or "Daffodil Festival" in the Styrian part of the Salzkammergut, the so-called Ausseerland. It takes place with a procession of carriages on boats that are covered in daffodils and carry sculptures made out of ten thousands of these flowers. The Narzissenfest of Altaussee is a big deal for both Austrians and locals and a great occasion to see the famous traditional costumes of the Ausseerland area.

The Eagle′s Nest or Kehlsteinhaus road opens in May - and so do a whole range of other seasonal tourist attractions. This is partly due to the melting snow and security reasons, partly because there simply are not many tourists in April and only towards the end of May, they flock into Salzburg in increasing numbers. If you are lucky, you will be in Salzburg during a couple of hot days - in which case the lakes in the north (Salzburg Lakes and Salzkammergut) become "swim-able".

Links

http://www.salzburg.info/
Website of the Tourist Information Office

back to general info