A 900-year-old clifftop fortress above the Salzach valley — with the daily birds-of-prey flight show, the Austrian Falconry Museum and the full castle tour. Booked for you, confirmed by email.
Reserve your ticketsEvery ticket includes the full castle tour, the daily birds-of-prey flight demonstration and the Austrian Falconry Museum. The only choice is how you reach the fortress gate: ride the panorama lift, or take the walking path up through the woods. Children's tickets cover ages 6–14; under-6s enter free with a paying adult.
Fortress lift up & down · ages 15+
€39
Fortress lift up & down · ages 6–14
€25
Walk up on foot · ages 15+
€33
Walk up on foot · ages 6–14
€21
“The falconry show was extraordinary — a golden eagle passing right over our heads with the valley behind it. Booking ahead meant we walked straight in.”
“We took the train from Salzburg and had our tickets on the phone before we left. The castle tour and the bell tower were a hit with our two boys.”
“Rode the lift up, watched the birds, wandered the ramparts for the views. Everything ran on time and the confirmation email had the show times for our day.”
5 min audio guide
A quick primer before you climb to the gate — the story, the falcons and the best way to plan your day.
Included free with every booking — no extra audio-guide fee at the gate.
Fortress Hohenwerfen stands on a rock 155 metres above the Salzach valley, guarding the narrow pass between the Tennengebirge and the Hagengebirge. Archbishop Gebhard of Salzburg began building it in 1075, during the Investiture Controversy, as a sister to the great fortress above Salzburg city. For more than nine centuries it served as a stronghold, an arsenal, a hunting seat and a feared state prison.
Today the fortress is best known for its birds of prey. The Austrian Falconry Museum is housed within the walls, and its falconers send eagles, falcons, kites and vultures wheeling over the ramparts twice a day — a tradition of Alpine falconry that draws visitors from around the world. Film-lovers know the silhouette too: Hohenwerfen starred in the 1968 war film Where Eagles Dare and appears in the countryside of The Sound of Music.
A visit takes in the full castle tour — the interior state rooms, the armoury, the fearsome bell tower and the dungeons — alongside interactive exhibitions on the 1525/26 Peasants' War and the fortress's own long history. You can ride the panorama lift up to the gate, or take the walking path that climbs through the woods for the classic approach.
We are an independent concierge booking service. We are not the fortress operator; we secure your official admission the moment you confirm and send it straight to your inbox, so you arrive with everything in hand and skip the ticket-desk queue on the day.
Hohenwerfen Castle Tickets is an independent concierge service. We are not affiliated with the fortress or its operator. We book your official admission on your behalf and deliver it by email; the ticket price reflects our booking service.
Plan your visit
Every ticket includes the full castle tour with access to all interior rooms and the bell tower, the daily birds-of-prey flight demonstration, the Austrian Falconry Museum, and the exhibitions on the 1525/26 Peasants' War and the fortress's history. The only difference between tickets is how you reach the gate — by panorama lift or on foot up the path.
The With Lift ticket includes a round trip on the fortress's panorama lift, which carries you from the base station up to the castle gate and back. The Footpath ticket is for visitors who prefer to walk up the fortress path through the woods — about a 20-minute climb. Everything inside the fortress is identical for both.
Hohenwerfen is a seasonal attraction, open from 1 April to 2 November 2026 and closed for the winter. In April, October and November it is closed on Mondays (except public holidays). If you are travelling outside these dates, the fortress will not be open — please choose a date within the season.
The flight demonstrations run daily at 11:15 and 15:15. During the high-summer weeks of 20 July to 21 August there are additional shows at 14:15 and 16:30. Each lasts about 25 minutes and runs in most weather, though it can be shortened or paused in storms. We list the times for your date in your confirmation email so you can plan your visit around a show.
Your booking confirmation arrives by email the moment your payment goes through, with your reference and everything you need for the day. There is nothing to collect at a counter and no queue to join.
No. Fortress Hohenwerfen is open-admission — your ticket is valid for the whole of your chosen day, so you can arrive whenever suits you within opening hours. We simply suggest timing your visit around one of the flight shows.
Most visitors spend 2.5 to 3 hours at the fortress to take in the castle tour, the Falconry Museum and a flight show at a comfortable pace.
Werfen is about 40 km south of Salzburg, roughly 40 minutes by car on the A10 motorway or by regional train to Werfen station. From the village it is a short walk to the lift base station, or a 20-minute climb on foot up the fortress path.
Yes — the falconry show and the armoury are firm favourites with children. Children's tickets cover ages 6–14, and under-6s enter free with a paying adult. Note the interior tour has steps and cobbles, so it is not suitable for prams.
The panorama lift reaches the fortress gate, but the interior guided tour includes steps, narrow passages and cobbled surfaces and cannot accommodate wheelchairs or prams. The courtyards and the flight-show arena are more accessible than the interior.
Yes — the castle tour, museum and exhibitions are all under cover. The flight show runs in most weather but may be shortened or paused during storms for the birds' safety.
Yes. The castle tour and exhibition materials are available in English as well as German, and your concierge confirmation is in the language you book in.
Get in touch with our concierge team as early as you can and we will do everything we reasonably can to move your date, subject to the fortress's availability within the open season.
All bookings are final. If the fortress cancels — for example, if it closes unexpectedly — you receive a full refund. Because the castle tour, museum and exhibitions are all indoors, a rained-off flight show is not grounds for a refund, as the rest of the visit goes ahead.
No. We are an independent concierge booking service, not the fortress or its operator. We secure your official admission on your behalf and deliver it by email, which saves you the ticket-desk queue and lets you book in your own language and currency ahead of your trip.