Gastronomy and music: A guide to the 2026 Salzburg Festival

Austria Tourism has unveiled a guide to the 2026 Salzburg Festival and the city's food and music travel highlights, timed to the 270th anniversary of Mozart's birth.

The Salzburger Festspiele runs for 45 days from July 17 to Aug. 30, spanning 19 venues across the city. This year's theme is "Liebe" (Love), inspired by the writings of French philosopher Roland Barthes. Highlights include outdoor performances at Domplatz and headline shows at the festival's main hall, the Großes Festspielhaus.

For those without tickets, the Siemens Fest Spiel Nächte offers a free alternative. Every evening, a large LED screen is set up at Kapitelplatz to broadcast opera and concert performances at no charge.

After the performances, the city's old town offers centuries of culinary history tucked into its alleyways. Kaffeehaus Tomaselli, which opened in 1700 and is considered Austria's oldest coffeehouse, was a regular haunt of Mozart and his father.

Directly across from Tomaselli stands Café-Konditorei Fürst, the birthplace of the Original Salzburger Mozartkugel, created in 1890. The chocolates, wrapped in silver foil with a blue pattern, are still handcrafted by artisans and are available only at select local stores, making them one of the city's most prized souvenirs.

St. Peter Stiftskulinarium, in operation since 803 and regarded as one of Europe's oldest restaurants, rounds out the culinary offerings. The venue hosts a Mozart Dinner Concert, where guests dine on dishes recreated from original recipes of Mozart's era while listening to opera arias performed live.