When I booked my trip to Salzburg at the beginning of March, I wasn’t aware that Europe would become a giant sauna a few months later.

My travel dates happened to fall during the hottest days of June. The reason I booked a city break in the middle of summer was to attend an acoustic Bryan Adams “Bare Bones” show at the famous Festspielhaus, where the Salzburg Festival takes place.

Beat the heat in historic Salzburg

Here are five tips and tricks for surviving the heatwave in Salzburg as a traveller:

1) Book a hotel in the Old Town.

The location you choose to stay will depend on what you want to do, but if it's your first time in Salzburg, I'm sure you'll want to see the city's world-famous baroque architecture. On hot days, I recommend choosing a hotel close to the activities or sights you want to see, as every bus ride or long walk will be exhausting – the less public transport you use, the better. If you are exploring the Old Town in particular, it's an added bonus if you can reach your hotel easily and make stops to refresh during the day.

When booking your accommodation, make sure you check whether the hotel has air conditioning or not – something I didn’t consider when looking for a room in March. My hotel was located in a 700-year-old townhouse and the website didn't mention air conditioning, so I was worried that I would be boiling in June (luckily this wasn't the case!).

Tip: Before booking flights or concert tickets, check hotel prices in Salzburg and book well in advance. Salzburg is much more expensive than Vienna and prices skyrocket when there are several events on such as the Salzburg Festival. Although there were no additional events on my chosen date, I saw hotel prices for a single room ranging from €500 to €800 per night. I was lucky to get one of the last affordable rooms. I stayed at the Hotel Weisse Taube in the Old Town. Despite some horrific reviews showing mould in the bathrooms, I was pleased to find out that the rooms had been renovated. I also appreciated that there was a grocery store within a three-minute walk where I could buy cold drinks during the day.

Hotel Weiße Taube

I wasn’t aware that when you stay overnight in a hotel in Salzburg, you also get a guest mobility ticket which gives you free, unlimited access to all public transport. Unfortunately I had already purchased a 24-hour ticket by the time I received the mobility ticket.

2.) Plan your journey wisely.

I booked my trains to and from Salzburg with plenty of extra time to explore the city, but this turned out to be a bad idea. When it’s 38 degrees outside, you probably won't want to carry your heavy luggage through the summer heat for hours before you can check-in. Also, staying at the railway station is not a good idea, as the waiting room and the station itself are very hot. I decided to stay in a nearby shopping centre called Forum, which wasn't the nicest place, but at least it was air-conditioned. This helped me pass the time before check-in. I also booked an earlier train home to escape the heat. If there are any unoccupied lockers at the railway station, you could also store your luggage there. The only downside is that you have to travel back to collect it, as the station is a bit outside the city centre.

I would also recommend checking where the buses are departing from and how far you need to walk to reach your destination beforehand. Since cars are not allowed in some parts of the Old Town, the Google Street View is also not working properly. It's better to plan everything at home in the shade than to have to figure out where to go or get lost in the heat.

From the railway station, the O-bus lines 3, 5 and 6 go to the Old Town. I used the “Mozartsteg” bus stop to get to my hotel. To get back to the railway station, I had to cross the river and use the “Salzburg Mozartsteg/Imbergstraße” bus stop to catch buses 160, 170 or 175.

Bear in mind that not all public transports have air conditioning and that ÖBB trains often tend to be delayed. Sometimes they have very old train sets where it is very hot. This is especially true if you board the vehicle well before departure, as the air conditioning (if available) will not be on yet.

3.) Your choice of clothing matters.

As someone who is pale and always wears black, I had to rethink my summer travel wardrobe to survive the heat. I spent most of my time trying to pack as lightly as possible and choosing the right clothes.

Choose natural fabrics such as cotton or linen and light colours (black can get really hot – I've experienced this far too often). There are also innovative cooling fabrics that promise a cool touch, sweat-wicking properties and quick drying. Choose looser shapes to avoid the unpleasant feeling of tightness. When it’s very hot outside, I can’t stand wearing a bra, so I opted for a lightweight base layer covered by a thin, loose-fitting blouse. As hot weather can easily turn severe, it's also important to have a raincoat with you. I have a very lightweight one with UV protection that I can also potentially wear in hot weather.

I was pleasantly surprised by the AIRism collection from Uniqlo. I wore two of their very light tops and they dried quickly.

4.) Get a fan.

Not just someone who cheers you up and carries your heavy luggage out of love and excitement for you, but also a handheld fan and – if possible – a portable neck cooler. A friend from France recommended the latter to me; it was a game changer as you always get fresh air when it's really hot and stagnant – plus you don't need to hold it yourself. As these USB-powered neck coolers are noisy, it's also good to have a handheld fan with you in case you go to very quiet places where the noise might be disturbing.

Don't forget to reapply your sunscreen every two to three hours and wear a hat. It is especially important to drink a lot in these temperatures. Whenever I walked past a grocery store, I bought a new drink to stay hydrated.

5.) Adjust your program.

Of course you would like to see as much of the city as possible because you never know if you'll come back, but it's better for your health to adjust your program. Even switching to indoor activities, like visiting museums, isn’t always the best idea because those buildings often don't have air conditioning. It’s best to check reviews from recent visitors to see if they mentioned anything about the heat in the rooms.

The best time for sightseeing is early in the morning, which also has the benefit of allowing you to explore the city on your own. I didn't sleep well, so I went for a walk at 5 a.m. I was pleasantly surprised that no one was up and I had all the city and sights for myself. I was most impressed by St. Peter's Abbey and cemetery, which looked amazing in the morning light.

In the evening it is still sometimes very hot, but at least the sun isn't shining directly on your body. During the day you can use a shadow map app (normally used mostly by photographers) to find out if there’s shade on the streets.

It's also a good idea to come up with new plans. Some people recommended going swimming in the Almkanal, which is a bit outside the city center. I also spotted a woman sitting on a bench under a shade-giving tree, writing in her journal, which looked so lovely and stayed in my mind. As long as you don't do anything too physically demanding, you should be fine. Spending a few hours in the sun is okay as long as you can take a cold shower and recharge afterwards. Your body is under constant stress when it’s that hot, so give it enough rest.

If you're traveling to a city during a heat wave, I wish you a safe journey! If you have any other ideas for staying cool while traveling, feel free to share them in the comments :-)