Mozart was born on 27 January 1756 in the Hagenauer House at Getreidegasse 9, and his family lived in the third-floor apartment from 1747 for 26 years before moving across the river to the house now called the Mozart Residence. The International Mozarteum Foundation opened a museum here in 1880, and it remains the most visited Mozart site in the world’s most Mozart-minded city. A visit of about an hour leads through the original rooms, including a reconstructed middle-class apartment of the period with 18th-century furniture and everyday objects, then on to cases of original documents, letters and family portraits, most of them made in Mozart’s lifetime. The instruments are the emotional centre: Mozart’s childhood violin and his clavichord. The first floor hosts a changing annual exhibition, and the museum follows his story from child prodigy and years of travel to his death in Vienna. This page links to the official Mozarteum page for the birthplace.
How to visit: the museum is open daily from 9:00 to 17:30, with last entry half an hour before closing, and shorter hours on 24 December and 1 January. Tickets are sold at the door and in the Mozarteum online shop, and a combination ticket also covers the Mozart Residence on Makartplatz, which is less crowded and tells the story of his adult years in Salzburg. The Salzburg Card gives one free entry to each house. Children under six go free, and there are family tickets.
What to expect: the rooms are small and the staircases narrow, so it can feel busy in the middle of the day, especially when tour groups arrive. The museum is not wheelchair accessible. An audio guide app and a text guide on your phone add detail, and wall texts accompany the exhibits. Dogs are only allowed if carried in a bag.
Making the most of it: come right at opening or in the last ninety minutes of the day, and look up at the facade from the Universitätsplatz side as well as from the Getreidegasse. Combine it with a concert in the evening, at Mirabell Palace or the fortress, to hear the music that made the house famous.
What to expect
The experience
A self-guided walk through the Mozart family’s apartment and exhibition rooms over several floors of a narrow old town house.
Best time
Right at 9:00 opening or late in the afternoon, when the tour groups have moved on.
How long
About an hour, a little more with the audio guide app.
Tips
Buy the combination ticket if you also want the Mozart Residence across the river, or use the Salzburg Card.
Quick picks
- Best for
- Music lovers and anyone who wants to stand in the rooms where Mozart spent his childhood.
- Families
- Older children enjoy the instruments and family tickets keep costs down; under-sixes go free, but strollers are awkward on the stairs.
- Couples
- Visit in the late afternoon, then walk the Getreidegasse to an evening concert.
- Pair with
- The Getreidegasse and old town, and a Mozart concert at Mirabell Palace in the evening.
- Time needed
- About one hour.
Good questions
Where exactly is Mozart’s Birthplace?+
At Getreidegasse 9 in the heart of the old town, in the yellow building with MOZARTS GEBURTSHAUS painted on the facade. The back of the house faces the Universitätsplatz market square.
What are the opening hours?+
The museum opens daily from 9:00 to 17:30, with last entry 30 minutes before closing. Hours are shorter on 24 December and 1 January.
Is Mozart’s Birthplace included in the Salzburg Card?+
Yes, the card gives one free entry, as it does for the Mozart Residence on Makartplatz. Without the card a combination ticket for both houses saves money.
Can you see Mozart’s instruments?+
Yes, the collection includes Mozart’s childhood violin and his clavichord. Portraits, letters and documents from his lifetime are also on show.
Is the birthplace accessible?+
No, the historic house is not wheelchair accessible and the stairs are narrow. The Mozart Residence across the river is the easier alternative.
