Workationing in an Alpine Wonderland
Experience a picture-perfect workation near the center of the Alps.
At under 3 hours from both Vienna and Munich, Salzburg's central location in Europe and the Alps makes it a perfect home base for a workation – one full of alpine meadows, mountains, and hearty cuisine.
Today, the city constantly tops lists of the best small cities in Europe, making it an ideal place to work remotely. Outdoors, the hills around the city truly do feel alive with the Sound of Music (especially as the movie was filmed here) and you'll quickly get swept up in the magical scenery and easily accessible countryside.
Salzburg is the perfect size for casual exploration, managing to find that sweet spot between too big and busy, or too small and sleepy. It means there are enough sights to fill your time between meetings, but not so many that you'll feel like you're missing out if you need to hop back on a call.
When you're ready for a screen break, there are easy strolls along the river, simple hikes through the surrounding hills, several cozy restaurants for a bite, and picturesque squares to roam around – or for a spot of people-watching.
There is an endless amount of family-run B&Bs and boutique hotels to settle into, with most offering everything you need for work, like fast wifi and business-friendly amenities. A great option is the Mozart Hotel, with a central/walkable location and laptop-friendly workspaces both in the rooms and in the hotel cafe.
When you want a change of scenery, check out Kaffee-Alchemie or 220GRAD, both cafes that are ideal for remote work, with comfy seats, strong coffee, and great wifi.
If you can extend your workation to include a weekend, there are several easy day trips from Salzburg. Beautiful lake towns, classic spa resorts, and of course, incredible mountain scenery are all close by, with Salzburg the perfect base for exploration.
Werfen
For Sound of Music fans, don't miss the town of Werfen, just an hour away from Salzburg by train. Here you'll find the slightly challenging but incredibly rewarding Sound of Music trail that takes you to the alpine meadow where the much-beloved "do-re-mi" musical number was filmed.
Once you've hiked the meadows, return to the adorable town and visit its enchanting castle too.
Badgastein
For more mountainous thrills, head to the Belle Époque-styled spa town of Badgastein – just under 2 hours from Salzburg. This town of spa resorts and waterfalls is worth a walkthrough for its Wes Anderson-esque architecture and forested hills.
If you want to take your visit to the next level, hop on the cable car to Stubnerkogel, or for adventurous travelers there are mountain suspension bridges and walkways to test your nerves.
That's just the tip of the (alpine) mountain peak in terms of day trips, other options include Hallstatt, Zell am See, and The Eagles Nest.
Just let us know and we'll start planning an alpine workation for you to this spectacular city.
Alex Roche
The director of program management at Origin, Alex has previous experience at Airbnb and Uber. When he's not bringing together teams in the product space, he's traveling as research for his own travel guide site, Booklet. Currently based in Amsterdam, he's visited 63 countries and lived on 4 different continents so far. He's always happy to talk about his three T's – travel, tea, and tiki bars.