Salzburg has a continental climate but because of it's proximity to the mountains the city also at times experiences an Alpine influenced climate. Summers are warm and enjoyable; however rainy days are quite regular. Winters are cold with temperatures lingering just above or below freezing point so plenty of snow can be expected.
January is typically the coldest month and July the warmest. It is a city with four distinct seasons and moods. The attraction of Salzburg has an exquisite way of changing with the seasons; a writer once privileged Salzburg with the words "it is always beautiful, and, whatever the season, one always thinks that it is the one which most enhances the city's beauty".
Because Salzburg is very much "alive and buzzing" twelve months a year; there's really no particular fitting time to travel to the city. Spring and summer bring a wealth of colour to the regions, parks and surrounding hills, and this period draws the major tourist crowds. The period from the end of November through to Christmas is also an increasingly popular period when skiers descend on the entire country and Salzburg too affords little escape from snow lovers passing through.