Salzburg, Austria
Salzburg is one of Austria’s prettiest cities, nestled in the Alps and divided into Altstadt (Old Town) and New Town by the meandering river Salzach. Overlooked by the imposing 11th century Hohensalzburg Fortress, visitors flock to the city to be immersed in culture, history and music. Aldstadt, a UNESCO World Heritage site, is a labyrinth of cobbled streets, charming squares and plenty of baroque architecture. While in Salzburg, visit the iconic sites of Sound of Music or the birthplace of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, check out the panorama from the castle or have dinner on a rooftop restaurant with amazing views of the castle and river.
Salzburg is a very walkable city so put on comfortable shoes and be prepared to cover some miles.
Hohensalzburg Castle
The 11th century castle overlooks the stunning baroque buildings of Salzburg. Perched upon the Festung mountain, overlooking Aldstadt, the castle offers stunning views of the city. Building of the castle started in 1077 for Archbishop Gebhard and over the next few hundred years, the castle grew and morphed into what it is today. In the early 1500’s, a railway was built to bring supplies up to the castle. The line originated from the Nonnberg Abbey, rising on the East side of the castle, up a gradient of 65% to the castle courtyard. This is one of the oldest cable railways in the world. In 1862, the funicular railway was added on the North side, to transport people to the top. It has been updated substantially over the years and is the easiest way to get up to the castle.
Hohensalzburg is one of the best preserved medieval castles in Europe. Visitors can take the modern funicular up 99 metres (325 feet) or if you are feeling energetic, hike up the paved path. Which ever way you decide, the views are well worth the trip.
There are several exhibits and museums in the castle. The armoury contains suits of armour and weapons, while the castle displays the life of princely archbishops. Step inside St. George’s chapel or visit the Marionette museum.
See the model below for a 360 degree perspective of the castle.
You could spend several hours at the castle but if time is limited, I still recommend taking an hour out of your day to travel to the top for the views. The funicular runs every 10 minutes and admission includes entrance to the castle.
Sound of Music
Mention Salzburg to a Baby Boomer and chances are they will think of Julie Andrews running through Salzburg, playing in fountains, running through hedge tunnels and singing The Hills Are Alive with the Sound of Music. The movie revolves around a singing Austrian family, the Von Trapps, who emigrated to the United States as WWII escalated. Much of the movie is filmed in Mondsee, about 15 minutes out of town and although we didn’t have time, I hear it is worth a visit.
On our very quick visit to Salzburg, we visited several Sound of Music locations. Some scenes were actually filmed in Hollywood but were based on real places. We were able to see Mirabel Palace and gardens, along with the vine hedge tunnel, Residenzplatz and the fountain, St Peters Church and Cemetery along with the gated mausoleum where the family hid when being chased by the German soldiers, Domplatz, Kapitelschwemme fountain, Pferdeschwemme Fountain, and Nonnberg Abbey.
Enjoy the photo gallery.
Other things to do in Salzburg
Even though the sites listed above are famous for the movie, they are fascinating for everyone, however, there are other things to do. Eating and drinking is always popular and one of our favourite pastimes. We found Hotel Stein by a lucky accident and so glad we did. The rooftop restaurant provided amazing views of old town and the castle along with the river Salzach and was very reasonably priced. We had an amazing, relaxed dinner which was very welcome after the miles of walking we had done.
If you like chocolate cake you are in luck as Salzburg is home to Sacher hotel and restaurant where they serve Sacher cake using the original recipe from 1832. When Prince Metternich of Austria asked for a dessert for a special occasion, the chef was unable to fulfil the request due to illness, so his 16 year old apprentice, Francis Sacher, stepped in and came up with the now famous Sacher-Torte. Moist layers of light chocolate cake, filled with apricot jam and covered in shiny chocolate icing. We stopped in to see if it lived up to its name and I have to admit, this was not only the best Sacher cake, it was the best chocolate cake I have had. It looks rich and decadent but it actually light and very tasty. There are two other Sacher locations, one in Vienna and one in Parndorf. You can also purchase at the airport Duty Free.
We enjoyed walking through Altstadt and also through what is considered New town, although it is not really very new with both Mirabel Palace and Mozarts birthplace being built in the 17th century. Regardless, Old and New town are distinctly different and both worth a visit.
We drove by Mozarts birthplace but didn’t have time to stop. Other Mozart sights include a monument in Mozartplatz and the Mozarteum Foundation. Concerts can be found at various locations throughout the city but many have recommended the “Mozart Dinner Concert” at St. Peter Stiftskulinarium.
We had such a short time in Salzburg but managed to see so much. I wish we could have slowed down and really appreciated every sight but hopefully we will have an opportunity to visit in the future. Salzburg is a great base to visit many areas in Austria and Germany. Take a trip to Berchtesgaden to visit Hitler’s Eagles Nest, hop on a train for a day trip to Munich, Vienna or even Bratislava in Slovakia. Whatever you decide, historic Salzburg should be on your list.
