A perfect matchday in Salzburg

Before the whistle for kick-off in the stadium, when you'll be rooting for your team, the town of Salzburg has many highlights to offer beyond the pitch to get you in the mood for the match. 

For a relaxed day of football in Salzburg, we recommend travelling by public transport – i.e. train or bus. Your match ticket allows you to travel on all busses and trains of the Salzburg Verkehr transport association free of charge six hours before the start of the match and until the end of the day. This applies to the entire network in the Province of Salzburg, extending into Bavaria (bus line 260) or from Freilassing station in Bavaria (line S3); giving you plenty of time to get in the mood for the football match in Salzburg before kick-off. If you are travelling by car, your ticket allows you to park at the car park at the Messezentrum Salzburg – conveniently located directly off the A1 motorway – and take the bus into the town of Salzburg and afterwards the free stadium shuttle in the evening. This will save you the trouble of looking for a parking space around the stadium shortly before kick-off. 

Sightseeing in the Old Town before kick-off

Now that you journey is organised, we come to the enjoyable part of our pre-match tips: the historic Old Town with its many impressive sights is always worth a visit. You could seek divine assistance for your team at Salzburg Cathedral and pray for your desired result; or perhaps you would enjoy a stroll through the famous Getreidegasse or the magnificent view of the entire town from Hohensalzburg Fortress. If you're out and about with family or friends, a detour to the Mirabell Gardens might spark your interest – a Salzburg highlight and the perfect location for your shared match-day selfies. Speaking of selfies: the Arena Tours offer a look behind the scenes of the Red Bull Arena in Salzburg. Whether it's an individual tour, a group tour or a kid's and teens tour: sports fans can experience Salzburg's largest sports stadium from a different perspective with a guide. If you would like to buy some fan merchandise before the game, the south/east corner of the Red Bull Arena is the place to go: here you will find the "Bullshop", which has the right jersey or other fan paraphernalia for everyone.

Inside tips on eateries for football fans

We would like to provide our football fans with a few real inside tips on the best eateries and pubs to visit in Salzburg as part of their matchday. The Augustiner Bräu in Salzburg Mülln , also known as "Müllnerbräu" among the locals, is a popular meeting place for many football fans. There you can enjoy a hearty snack as well as beer in stoneware mugs and sodas to boost your energy for the 90-minute cheering frenzy at the stadium. If instead of a snack you would prefer some traditional Salzburg cuisine such as fried chicken or goulash with dumplings, the Bärenwirt or the Sternbräu are the places to go. Both venues are within walking distance of the public transport and stadium shuttle stops at Hanuschplatz. Or you pop into Glorious Bastards just around the corner from the Red Bull Arena, located directly in the EUROPARK Shopping mall. Burgers and steaks are very popular there – and of course: it's only about a 5-minute walk from there to the entrance of the Red Bull Arena. Also, this or Raschhofer's Rossbräu in the Alpenstraße in the south of Salzburg, are go-to places football fans who couldn't get a ticket for the Champions League games in the Red Bull Arena, to meet and follow their team's exciting games on large screens. Away-games are shown at the Bulls' Corner right next to the stadium. This is not possible during FC Red Bull Salzburg home-games, as the VIP area is located there.

Pre-game area at the Red Bull Arena

Many football fans make their way to the Red Bull Arena up to two hours before kick-off to meet up at the fan park which includes the Bullikidz-Arena with a childcare programme. At every home-game there is an extensive fringe programme for football fans there starting three hours before and finishing one hour after the match. There is also a football pitch for those who want to have a little kick-about before the match. One hour before kick-off, there is also the chance to get autograph from the players who drop by for an autograph session at the fan park at every home-game. A popular meeting place for Salzburg fans is also the Fanlokal including a gaming area on the east side of the stadium, where fan clubs also regularly organise public viewings of away-games. 

No matter how you plan your matchday in Salzburg: whether it's a sightseeing tour of Salzburg's Old Town, a snack at the Müllnerbräu or a guided tour of the stadium – we wish you lots of fun and an exciting match! 

• more information about the Red Bull Arena