Munich Airport to Salzburg: 175 km, ~1h 45min Drive (2026)

The drive from Munich Airport to Salzburg is one of the most straightforward cross-border routes in the Alps. At 175 km (109 miles), it takes approximately 1 hour 45 minutes on the A8/A1 motorway. Head south from the airport on the A92 to join the A8 (Salzburg Autobahn) heading east. The motorway runs directly to the Austrian border at Walserberg, where it seamlessly becomes the Austrian A1.

The German Autobahn (A8) is toll-free for cars. ASFINAG exempts the Austrian A1 between the national border at Walserberg and the Salzburg Nord junction from the vignette requirement, so you need no vignette to reach Salzburg on this route as long as you leave the motorway at or before the Salzburg Nord junction. You need one only if you continue on the motorway beyond Salzburg Nord or use other Austrian motorways or expressways. The 10-day digital vignette costs EUR 12.80 at the 2026 rate and can be purchased at asfinag.at before you travel. Vignettes are also sold at more than 6,000 outlets in Austria and abroad, but ASFINAG is offering the adhesive sticker for the last time in 2026: from 2027 only the digital vignette, linked to your number plate, is available.

This is a busy commuter and freight corridor, so traffic can build up, especially near the border. The Walserberg border crossing area sometimes has slowdowns, though there are usually no passport checks within the Schengen zone. Construction zones on the A8 east of Munich are common — check ADAC or Google Maps for current conditions.

The A8 between Munich and Salzburg passes through flat Bavarian farmland — pleasant but not spectacular. If you want to stop, Chiemsee (the 'Bavarian Sea') is visible from the motorway about 45 minutes before Salzburg. Exit at Bernau am Chiemsee for lake views, a ferry to King Ludwig's Herrenchiemsee Palace, or simply a lakeside coffee.

Rosenheim, about halfway, has a compact old town with Bavarian cafes and a pedestrian zone. It is a practical stop for fuel, food, and stretching after the first hour of driving. From Rosenheim, Salzburg is about 45 minutes.

Peak traffic on the A8 occurs on Friday afternoons (Munich commuters heading east), Saturday mornings (tourists heading to Austria), and Sunday evenings (return traffic). Midweek travel is consistently faster.

Salzburg's old town (Altstadt) is compact and largely pedestrianised, so you will need a parking garage. The Altstadt Garage beneath the Monchsberg is the most central (approximately EUR 20/day). Parking Mirabell near the Mirabell Palace is another option at similar rates. Both are well-signed from the motorway exit.

For a more affordable option, park at one of Salzburg's park-and-ride facilities on the outskirts (EUR 5–8/day) and take the bus into the centre. The P+R Salzburg Süd at the Salzburg-Süd motorway exit has good connections, but Tourismus Salzburg (salzburg.info) points out that the vignette requirement applies on the way there, so you need a vignette if you drive to it on the motorway. If you are staying in Aigen or Maxglan, on-street parking and hotel lots are more readily available.

For US and UK visitors: both Germany and Austria drive on the right. Salzburg's one-way system in the old town can be confusing — follow your GPS carefully and do not enter pedestrian zones. Speed cameras are ubiquitous on the Austrian motorway approach, with a strict 100 km/h (62 mph) limit enforced in the Salzburg area.