The Venue

S​alzburg Congress

Auerspergstraße 6,
5020 Salzburg,
Austria

Location Salzburg

May 19^th-22^nd 2025 will see the NAFEMS World congress return to the beautiful city of Salzburg, Austria once more. If you were with us in 2013, we look forward to welcoming you back. If you didn’t make it then, here is a second chance for you to see this magnificent city.

The river Salzach meanders through this picturesque city dividing it into 2 distinct parts, to the south of the river you have the UNESCO World Heritage Altstadt (Old Town) while the north of the river is where you will find the Neustadt (New Town). The Altstadt is the better known, stunningly photogenic of the two. This is where you will find many sites honouring Salzburg’s most famous son, the music composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart including the house where he was born (now a public museum), the Mozart Platz- the Altstadt’s main square- perfect for a wander and an alfresco coffee, and many more. It is in this part of the city that you can wander along the pedestrianised streets and take in the wonderful historic baroque buildings including the magnificent twin-towered Salzburg Cathedral, the grand Residenzplatz, and the delightful Schloss Hellbrunn (try and not get caught out by the trickster water features!). The Sound of Music was filmed at the Hellbrunn palace as well as at other locations in and around Salzburg and the city offers several tours for any fans of the 1960s classic film

Salzburg does of course sit at the foot of the Alps and what better place to truly appreciate this stunning location than from the terraces of the Hohensalzburg Castle. The castle dominates the skyline and towers over the city on its perch atop the Festungsberg mountain, but don’t be put off by this 500-meter elevation. If the 15-minute steep climb sounds like too much the glass funicular will whisk you up there in around a minute! The views from the terraces are stunning and well worth packing those walking shoes for. Of course, Salzburg is such an abundantly beautiful city, there are plenty of opportunities to enjoy beautiful views and experiences without making much effort at all.

One such gem is over the river in the city’s Neustadt (New Town); the gorgeous Mirabell Palace & Gardens. This place has everything for everyone. Horticulture your thing? check out the gardens. Music? the Marble Hall hosts the Salzburg Palace Concerts, including performances by the Vienna and Berlin Philharmonic Orchestras. Film? The gardens’ Pegasus fountain is the exact same one that Maria and the von Trapp children danced around in ‘The Sound of Music’. You don’t have to be into any of these things to appreciate just how beautiful this place is. The Neustadt is also home to the Mozart Residence as the Doppler Haus, birthplace of physicist Christian Doppler (turns out Mozart isn’t the city’s only famous export!).

The two sides of the city, Altstadt and Neustadt, are linked by the Staatsbruke bridge and it’s worth pausing on the bridge to take in the Salzach river running beneath it down into the valley. The bridge itself is actually in its 10th iteration, the others all failed. Bet the engineers of the day would have loved the simulation tools we have today!

If after all of these adventures you are in need of refreshment you will be spoilt for choice when it comes to the food this wonderful city has to offer. Does the idea of having dinner at the oldest restaurant in Europe excite you? Salzburg has you covered, just make a reservation at St Peter’s abbey. How about some Sacher torte at the Hotel Sacher? Yes please! The city abounds with eateries serving everything from bratwurst with sauerkraut, traditional Wiener schnitzel, and lesser-known dishes like local river fish and Austrian fried chicken (yes, really). Whether it’s sitting out on a terrace after a day at the congress with spectacular views of the city spread out before you, or in the baroque grandeur of a historic restaurant, you’ll be glad you came.