Exploring Salzburg, Austria’s Historic and Musical Charms for a Few Days
A few years ago we were lucky to spend a few days in Salzburg, Austria. I had heard great things about the city from several people, plus it's the birthplace of the Sound of Music, so childhood Sara would have been disappointed if we didn't go. The city is divided up into the Old and New Towns and our hotel was located in the older section. Salzburg is extremely charming, with Baroque architecture displayed on all of the buildings and the Alps surrounding you at every turn.
Salzburg Fortress view from town
Things to Do in Salzburg, Austria
Hohensalzburg Fortress
On our first full day, we got up early and headed out to visit the Hohensalzburg Fortress at the top of Salzburg. To get to the top, you take a funicular which whisks you up in about a minute. The Fortress itself is very cool, it was originally built in 1077 and has been adapted and added to several times over centuries, depending on what forces were necessary to keep out enemies. As it sits right on top of a mountain in the middle of the city, it is visible from almost everywhere you go. After touring around, we had lunch at an outdoor restaurant on the cliff of the mountain. As you can see, the views were breathtaking.
View from the Salzburg Fortress
Mirabell Gardens
After heading down the mountain, we walked over to the Mirabell Gardens, a beautiful park across the river in the New Town, and the area where they shot several of the "Do Re Mi" scenes from the Sound of Music. I channeled my inner Julie Andrews and took some cliche photos here, all of which I am too embarrassed to post.
Mirabell Gardens Salzburg
Salzburg Cathedral
On this particular 4 month European trip, we went to a LOT of churches. We made the joke that our days weren’t complete until we had stepped into an old Gothic or Neoclassical church. The Salzburg Cathedral turned out to be my favorite of all the churches we've seen so far, although it may be tied with St. Peter’s Basillica. It's overwhelmingly elaborate and decorated with such detail that it’s hard to imagine how it was even constructed. During World War II, a large bomb destroyed the dome and part of the cathedral and it took almost 20 years to restore and reopen it.
Salzburg Cathedral
Salzburg Tourist Attractions
Mozart’s Home
The legendary composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was born at No. 9 Getreidegasse in Salzburg and his family occupied the building for 26 years. His birthplace is now a museum that is open to the public and worth a visit if you are interested in classical music.
Augustiner Brewery
The Augustiner Brewery was founded and ran by ancient monks and features a traditional beer hall. You walk in, pay for a beer mug (you are given the option of two sizes - large or very large) and walk up to the man at the "bar" to get filled up. There were also several food vendors located inside the property where you can get traditional sausage, pretzels, sauerkraut, etc. I'm not sure if the beer was really strong or if the glasses were just really big, but I was definitely feeling it as we walked out of there.
Augustiner Brewery Salzburg
Salzburg Beer Hall
Sound of Music Tour from Salzburg
We had a few options for tours, but I had read that the tour from Bob's Special Tours was more intimate and less cheesy than the big bus tours. Intimate was right - there were only 2 other people on the tour, an older couple from Spokane, Washington. If I had done it over, I might have chosen the bigger bus tour, as I think it would be fun to sing along to all the songs with all of the other tourists. That being said, I did enjoy the tour and we were able to visit some spots in the countryside that the big buses aren't allowed to venture to. The tour starts off visiting the palace that was used as the back of the Von Trapp house. This was also where they filmed the boat scene where Maria and the children fall into the water. From there, we drove by the house that was used as the front of the mansion (it's a private residence so you can't visit) and the famous gazebo from "Sixteen Going on Seventeen." Our tour guide told us how the gazebo had to be moved several times and finally locked because too many people were dancing around in it and breaking their legs.
Von Trapp home in Salzburg
Sound of Music film house in Salzburg
Sound of Music Gazebo Salzburg
Our tour guide also took us to the nearby Salzkammergatt, or Lake District, where we stopped for apple strudel at a lovely restaurant overlooking the Alps. From there, we headed to the church where they filmed the wedding scene in the film. On the way, he informed us of the many differences between the real Von Trapps and the movie ones - the real Von Trapps didn't climb a mountain to Switzerland, they just hopped on a train to Italy. In fact, many of the plot points that were used in the film were purely for dramatic effect and the real lives of the parents and children were dull in comparison. Also, it sounds like Christopher Plummer was quite drunk through the entire filming process. When we returned to the town we checked out St. Peter's Cemetery and catacombs, an ancient cemetery in town where the Von Trapps hid from Rolf and the Nazis.
Salzburg to Hallstatt Day Trip
Hallstatt, a tiny village on the western shore of Lake Hallstatt, is precisely what you imagine when considering what Austria must be like, and it’s also a travel influencer’s dream spot. Alpine homes and church steeples border a crystal blue lake surrounded by prodigious mountains in all directions. While we spent a few days in Hallstatt, and I will write a separate post about our experience with the, um, Nazis we met there, but it is definitely worth it and doable as a day trip from Salzburg, and companies like Viator and Get Your Guide offer several options, including private and small group tours.
Best Restaurants in Salzburg, Austria
Carpe Diem
The first day we arrived was our 3rd wedding anniversary and we had reservations at a restaurant in town called Carpe Diem (quite fitting for a stop on our adventurous 3 month trip). The first floor of the restaurant is well known for bar snacks served in small, edible cones but we chose to go to the fancier restaurant upstairs. The food was wonderful and it was so nice celebrating the occasion in such a beautiful city.
Carpe Diem Restaurant Salzburg
Panorama Restaurant
After touring the fortress, it seems necessary to enjoy the views a little longer with a beer and a snack. We tasted a sausage sampler and shared a salad while gazing out at the nearby mountains and surrounding Alpine landscape.
Panorama Restaurant Salzburg
Gasthaus Wilder Mann
One night in Salzburg, we really wanted typical Austrian fare. We found it at Gasthaus Wilder Mann, where we had an amazing meal of goulash, pork sausages and dumplings.
Mariensaule Statue Salzburg