The reason to come is the Burghausen Castle, a fortified chain of courtyards that stretches along the ridge for roughly 1,051 metres. Give it time: the best visit is not a single viewpoint but a slow walk from one end to the other, with detours into the City Museum, the State Gallery, and the small chapels and towers along the way.
Below the ridge, Stadtplatz is the town's public room, long and narrow, with the Salzach on one side and the castle cliff on the other. St. Jakob's Church anchors the lower town, while the Woehrsee on the far side of the ridge is the place to swim, picnic, or photograph the castle reflected in the water.