Small yet impressive: why you should never underestimate Salzburg as a destination
Whether it's coffee house culture, festivals or relaxing in nature: the charming small town of Salzburg is much more than just the city of Mozart and "The Sound of Music" filmig location.
23 November 2021
When you hear Salzburg, you usually immediately think of Mozart, the Salzburg Festival or "The Sound of Music". In any case, the city on the Salzach at the foot of the Eastern Alps is often associated with classical music and Austrian culture. However, the city nestled in the fantastic panorama of the surrounding mountain landscape can do much more and offers travellers the perfect conditions for a great city trip..
The jewel of Salzburg: The old town
It's not for nothing that Salzburg's city centre is usually bustling with tourists, as it is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Here you will find, among other things, the world-famous Getreidegasse, which is one of the most expensive and luxurious shopping streets in Austria and where Mozart's birthplace is located. There, visitors will find plenty of traditional shops where they can find one or the other nice souvenir or memorabilia. If you continue to stroll through the old town, you are guaranteed to pass by the Universitätsplatz, where there has been colorful market activity on the Grünmarkt for over 150 years. As the name suggests, people with a green thumb will be especially happy here, because here you can buy everything that grows.
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Not far from Universitätsplatz you will find the Wiener-Philharmoniker-Gasse, which leads you directly to the Salzburg Festival Hall, or the Brodgasse, where the famous Café-Konditorei Fürst has its home and where the original Salzburg Mozartkugel is still made today. Here, in the heart of Salzburg's old town, you will also find plenty of coffee houses that invite you to linger over a verlängerten and a piece of apple strudel. Last but not least, we pass the Alter Markt (old market) and reach the Residenzplatz, where not only the second largest marble fountain in Europe - the Residenzbrunnen - is located, but also the Salzburg Cathedral. Although the cathedral is worth seeing in itself, another highlight awaits visitors here: every day at 7am, 11am and 6pm, around 35 bells from the Salzburg Museum play well-known pieces of music from over 100 different musical pieces, including those by Haydn and Mozart. This is also where Salzburg's Christmas market takes place during Advent, which is considered the oldest and most beautiful in the world.
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Green recreation
Those who long for relaxing moments in green nature will also be happy with Salzburg as a travel destination. Just a few minutes' drive outside the city border, travellers will find a vast mountain panorama, lush forests and a multitude of lakes. Just right for those who want to switch off from the hustle and bustle of the city. How about a hike up one of the city's local mountains, the Untersberg or the Gaisberg, or a round of duck feeding at the green Fuschlsee?
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But you don't necessarily have to leave the city to find recreational areas in nature: On the opposite side of the old town, on the banks of the Salzach, you can enjoy a cosy picnic in the meadow on the riverbank. If you want to combine sightseeing with cosiness, you should pay a visit to Mirabell Palace and the Mirabelle plum orchard in bloom. Here you can sit and relax on a bench by the Pegasus fountain, read a book and watch people strolling. A special highlight here is the dwarf garden, where there are 16 little marble dwarfs. Those who have sufficiently regenerated in the green heart of the city can go directly to marvel at the impressive marble hall inside the castle, pay a visit to Mozart's residence or treat themselves to a snack in the famous Hotel Sacher.
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City of music
The fact that the world's most important festival of classical music takes place precisely in Salzburg is no coincidence, as the city has produced some famous composers such as Mozart, Haydn or Biber. That's why a diverse and top-class programme of plays, operas and concerts takes place here every summer as part of the Salzburg Festival, which also attracts some famous personalities to the city every year. Those who are not so fond of classical music will be happy at the Electric Love Festival (ELF): the three-day open-air music festival in the field of electronic dance music takes place every year on the grounds of the Salzburgring and is considered one of the largest festivals of its kind in Europe.
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Enjoy the view from above
Since Salzburg is located at the foot of the Alps, the city is surrounded by several hills and mountains from which you have a great panorama over the city. One of them is the Kapuzinerberg, where you can also find a monastery from the 17th century and a restaurant. More famous, however, is certainly the fortress mountain, on which the fortress Hohensalzburg is enthroned. It is one of the city's landmarks and can be seen on almost every postcard. Sports enthusiasts climb the many steps that lead up to the fortress, but don't worry: there is also a train that comfortably takes you to the top. From the fortress, you can enjoy a unique view of the city and its fantastic surroundings. If you haven't had enough yet, you can take a leisurely walk of about 20 minutes from the fortress across the Mönchsberg, which offers you charming views of the city's many buildings and turrets again and again along the way - after all, it's not for nothing that Salzburg, with its many churches, is also known as the "Rome of the North".
The best accommodations in the city center
Enjoy the panoramic view from the roof terrace of the Imlauer Hotel Pitter Salzburg
imlauer.com/hotel-pitter-salzburg/
Rainerstraße 6, 5020 Salzburg, Austria
+43 (662) 88 97 80
Adults-only at the luxury Hotel Stein
hotelstein.at/
Giselakai 3-5, 5020 Salzburg
+43 662 87 43 460
Boutique hotel in the heart of the city: Hotel Goldgasse
hotelgoldgasse.at/
Goldgasse 10-12, 5020 Salzburg
+43 662 845622
An urban hideaway in the middle of the city centre: The Arthotel Blaue Gans
bluegoose.at/
Getreidegasse 41-43, 5020 Salzburg
+43 662 842491
Luxury meets tradition at the famous Hotel Sacher Salzburg
sacher.com/en/salzburg/
Schwarzstrasse 5-7, 5020 Salzburg
+43 662 889770
