Salzburg: The Best Way of Seeing Everything is by Segway

There’s no avoiding it – cruising around the UNESCO protected medieval streets of Salzburg on a Segway will make you look like you’re part of a platoon of invading robotic soldiers.

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There’s no avoiding it - cruising around the UNESCO protected medieval streets of Salzburg on a Segway will make you look like you're part of a platoon of invading robotic soldiers. This juxtaposition of old meets new is probably why you’ll get a few angry and disgusted looks from locals as you sail past them.

Don’t worry though, as neither of these things actually matter. You’ll be having far too much fun to care, safe in the knowledge that seeing Salzburg by Segway is easily the best way of introducing yourself to this incredibly pretty city.


Segway Salzburg

At the time of writing, Segway Salzburg is the only company brave enough to offer Segway tours of Salzburg. Brave, because on the face of things, hoping aboard a Segway anywhere in the world is an extremely foreign concept to most people.

Also, offering such an option in a city that prides itself in its heritage is a ballsy move. Staff could only offer resigned sighs and apologetic smiles whenever they mentioned just how much Salzburg residents hate Segways.

Segway Salzburg offer two types of tours, a 90 minutes tour taking in the city centre and stunning mountain vistas, and a slightly longer 2 hour tour that adds a scoot around the old castle towers and walls.

We decided upon the longer tour. We had only arrived the day before and we wanted to get a feel for the city before we dived in deeper.

The self-balancing segway is easy to maneuver.
The self-balancing segway is easy to maneuver.

Our guide was Jonathan, a Swede who had set himself up in Salzburg a few years before. During the winter months, he would swap his Segway for a snowboard and head into the nearby mountains to help skiers and snowboarders get to know the slopes. For now though, he was our tour guide aboard a Segway.

Jade and I had been on a Segway taster session a few months before, so we were already well aware of just how easy riding a Segway was. To the initiated, a Segway with its two parallel wheels looks difficult to control and as if it could topple at any moment.

But failing to topple is a Segway’s primary function. After a couple of minutes of tuition, most find that they can trust the Segway to keep them upright. Providing riders don’t also trust it to steer them away from walls, curbs or people, most people find riding one is not only very intuitive, but tremendously good fun.


Jade makes adjustments to her helmet.
Jade makes adjustments to her helmet.

Our Tour of Salzburg

Once we’d had a quick practice, we set off to explore.

Within seconds, we were riding through the historic centre, surrounded by beautifully restored buildings housing shops and restaurants. Tourists and locals gazed curiously at us as we rode across Staatsbrücke, the city centre bridge spanning the fast-flowing blue-grey waters of the Salzach.

Our first calling point would be Mozartplatz, named after the famous Salzburg-born composer. A statue of the man himself stood proudly in the centre of the square surrounded by tourists taking selfies. The most important landmarks were pointed out to us by Jonathan, including Dom zu Salzburg, an impressive seventeenth century cathedral and Residenz Fountain, a large ornate fountain around which Maria sang “I have confidence in me” in The Sound of Music.

As we progressed around the city centre, Jonathan was keen to point out as many Sound of Music filming locations as possible, as the area is absolutely overflowing with them.

A statue of Mozart on Mozartplatz, Salzburg
A statue of Mozart on Mozartplatz, Salzburg
The River Salzach flows briskly through the centre of Salzburg
The River Salzach flows briskly through the centre of Salzburg
The pristine white facade of Dom du Salzburg, the city's cathedral
The pristine white facade of Dom du Salzburg, the city's cathedral

Our next stop put our Segways to the test as we climbed Festungsberg, a 542 metre high mountain, one of five in the city and on top of which Hohensalzburg Castle sits, one of the largest medieval castles in Europe. Despite the steep ascent, our nimble Segways ascended the mountain with ease.

We enjoyed the truly breathtaking panoramic views of the city below, but could have probably done without being stared at by a clearly furious local, annoyed at our sheer presence. We smiled back at him, half to appease his disgust, and half because we were just too happy aboard our Segways to care.

Next, we headed out to the suburbs and into the countryside. From here, we caught a first glimpse of Untersberg, a mountain we would later climb. For now though, we simply admired it’s craggy dominance over the neighbouring farmland.

Our tour continued around lake Leopoldskroner Weiher and the grounds of Schloss Leopoldskron, a rococo palace that provided the exterior shots of the Von Trapp mansion.

Schloss Leopoldskron, the mansion made famous in the film, 'Sound of Music'.
Schloss Leopoldskron, the mansion made famous in the film, 'Sound of Music'.
The two of us pose alongside Salzburg's city walls
The two of us pose alongside Salzburg's city walls
The mighty peak of nearby Untersberg
The mighty peak of nearby Untersberg

Finally, Jade, Jonathan and I wound our way through narrow cobbled alleyways up to the top of Mönchsberg, another of the city’s mountains. On top, we found more spectacular views of both the city and surrounding green fields and mountains.

From the start of our tour to the finish, we were convinced this was easily the best way of seeing Salzburg. Our battery-powered scooters effortlessly and silently scaled mountains, navigated busy cobbled streets and shot across wide open squares. Without them, seeing so much of Salzburg in the same length of time would have been completely impossible.


The offices of Salzburg Segway
The offices of Salzburg Segway

More Information on Segway Salzburg

Tours by Segway Salzburg run daily in July, August & September and on Wednesdays in April, May, June & October. For the most up-to-date information, head to the Segway Salzburg website.

Disclaimer: Segway Salzburg generously offered us a complimentary tour of Salzburg. This has in no way affected what has been written in this article. All opinions are those of the author.