When we decided to visit Salzburg, Austria during our summer in Europe, (a Sound of Music Tour was a must for us!) we knew we wanted to stay right in the heart of the old city center. (affiliate links are included in this post) We spent some time researching the best family hotels in Salzburg. Hotel Elefant Salzburg had wonderful reviews and so we decided to contact them about a family room. Booking accommodations in Europe can be somewhat overwhelming because so many of the hotels are small, family owned and not necessarily easy to contact.
Another thing that can be a bit confusing is figuring out exactly just how much space you will have. The bed sizes are different and things are described just a bit differently. We learned mid-planning this extensive family vacation, that many of the hotels in Europe offer family rooms…they aren’t usually advertised, but they are there. We found a family room in the Hotel Elefant Salzburg which ended up being more affordable than booking two separate rooms. Definitely call or email the hotel to check if you are traveling with your family. If you are looking to stay as a couple, the standard rooms are spacious and wonderful for two as well.
We emailed the Hotel Elefant Salzburg and they had a family room available for the dates of our stay so we booked. When we arrived we were pleased to see that the hotel was in a beautiful 13th century building that had been fully restored. Our family room had a king bed and a sleeper sofa that fit both of the kids, as well as a bathroom (on the small side, but just fine for the 4 of us), a desk and chair, Wi-Fi, TV, a window that looked down onto the narrow street below full of shops, and most importantly, air conditioning!! I believe that they have bigger family rooms available as well. This one fit our family perfectly, but if you are traveling with more than four people, ask about larger rooms. This room would be a little tight for a family of 5 or more.
I can’t believe that I barely took any pictures of our room! I failed miserably on that one! 😉 This was mid-way through our 3 months abroad and I obviously got lazy! 😉 Here is a not so great picture of the room with John sporting his new lederhosen that our friend in Salzburg gifted him. You can get a feel for the layout of the family room with the king bed, sleeper sofa, window, door into the bathroom etc. Plenty of room for the 4 of us. 🙂
Salzburg was surprisingly warm while we were in town, so it was very nice to have, especially being on an upper floor of an old building. Not all of the rooms in the hotel have air conditioning, so if it is something you would like (and I recommend it if you are traveling during the summer months) be sure to email or call and ask to confirm that your room has it.
The cost of Hotel Elefant Salzburg is very reasonable compared to others in the area and the location can’t be beat. Many of the other hotels in the city are a walk across the river. It was wonderful to be right in the heart of the Old Town and just a few steps from everything we wanted to see while we were in Salzburg. Hotel Elefant also has a small elevator…which is nice when you are lugging 4 people’s belongings up several flights of stairs. Many of the places we stayed throughout Europe had no elevator, or such a small elevator that we couldn’t even fit in it! (Our apartment in Paris had literally the tiniest elevator I have ever seen!) The price of our room at the Hotel Elefant included a continental breakfast each morning in the breakfast room on the second floor. Fruit, breads, cheeses, cold cuts, juice, coffee, tea…a great array of food to get your day started. We found it very common throughout Europe for most hotels to include breakfast. That is really a nice amenity…especially when traveling with kids. Sometimes it can be hard to get out early in the morning and find something for them to eat, so to have breakfast available downstairs is a life saver! The Hotel Elefant Salzburg also has a nice restaurant for evening meals if you wish.
We drove in to Salzburg and the Hotel Elefant has easy to access, off-site parking available. Parking is in a nice parking garage (spacious by European standards) just a short walk from the hotel. You will not need your car for most activities during your stay in Salzburg. If you are driving in, be sure to ask the hotel about directions and instructions for getting your car to the garage. Driving into old city centers can be a bit of a challenge, as many of them are pedestrian only zones, so make sure you are comfortable with the directions before you go. The Hotel Elefant is in a pedestrian only zone, so you will not be able to drive right up to the door and unload your bags, another thing to keep in mind when staying in these old European city centers.
If you are looking for the best family hotels in Salzburg Hotel Elefant is the answer! I hope you enjoy your stay as much as we did. I highly recommend this beautiful, family friendly hotel in the heart of Salzburg!
If you’re heading to other places in Europe, here are some more posts you don’t want to miss! You can check out our entire Europe Travel Gallery to see all of our posts and helpful info.
Tea at the Orangery | Riding Trains in Europe | Dublin Travel Guide | Paris Museum Pass | Best Family Hotel in Rome
Visiting Bruges | Staying Connected in Europe | Best View in Paris | Amsterdam Canal House | Borough Market
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Happy Travels!
Tammy