Exploring Salzburg: A Fairy Tale City

Salzburg in Austria is a city that looks like it’s straight out of a fairytale. It’s full of character, charming with towering mountains and spectacular architecture. Salzburg captivates me. It’s known as the birthplace of Wolfgang Mozart and the backdrop for The Sound of Music. However, there is a lot more to this small city than classical music and The Sound of Music.

Getting Around ~

The best way to get around Salzburg is on foot. The cobblestone streets are filled with people. The city and the air are exceptionally clean. Public transportation includes bus, trams and taxis and they are efficient but the city is so small that it’s easy to navigate without getting on a bus or tram.

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Lodging ~

Gastehaus im Priesterseminar (Guest house in the seminary Salzburg) – The guest house is so peaceful and charming and it’s an active seminary. The location is great with easy access to the old part of Salzburg. This seminary has so much history. We stayed here for three nights. The staff was helpful and friendly. They have 47 rooms. We enjoyed their free included lovely breakfast sitting outside of the hallway overlooking the courtyard. There is a friendly cat Maxie came to visit us every morning. 

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 Attractions ~

Mirabell Palace and Gardens –

Explore Mirabell Palace and Gardens, just opposite the Old Town. The entrance steps and the round pond are where the end of the Do-Re-Mi sequence was filmed. Mirabell Palace was built in 1606 by prince-archbishop Wolf Dietrich for his beloved Salome Alt.

This was close to the B&B we were staying. The weather was warm with flowers in full bloom! The gardens are filled with marble statues. So many colorful flowers I haven’t seen before. There are lots of different areas and benches to sit around and relax. If you come early, you will find less tourist. This attraction is free. The palace’s interior are open during select hours. The garden are open year-round from 6 a.m. to dusk. There was an ice cream/gelato stand and it was priced reasonable and tasty. Truly a place not to be missed.

Hohensalzburg Fortress–

 A fortress atop Festungsberg hill, one of the largest medieval castles in Europe. It’s insane how gorgeous this place is, esp the view from the top. Salzburg Fortress is the biggest fully preserved castle in Central Europe, built in 1077.

You have the choice of making your way up there on foot, or riding the fortress funicular from the Festungsgasse. We took the funicular. The basic ticket includes Ascent and descent by Fortress funicular, entrance to fortress precincts, guided tour with audio guide in eleven languages ( look-out tower, salt storeroom, torture chamber, ‘Salzburg Bull’ – mechanical organ), Fortress Museum, Rainer Regiment Museum, Marionette Museum, and Alm passage. Adults € 12.20. Furthermore, the over 900-year-old fortress also serves as the venue for the famous Salzburg Fortress Concerts. You will love the magnificent views of the city and you could feel how fresh and healthy the air is. We had some snacks at the restaurant that overlooks the beautiful city.

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Mozart’s Birthplace ~

The house where Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was born on January 27th, 1756, includes the rooms once occupied by the Mozart family and a museum displaying numerous interesting mementos. Mozart’s Birthplace is one of the most visited museums in Austria.

Kapitelplatz ( Chapter Square) –

It is a spacious piazza in Old Town, between St. Peter’s Cemetery and Salzburg Cathedral. Take a walk here at Chapter Square, a place of concentrated activity in Salzburg’s Old City: statues, people playing a game of chess with oversized chess pieces, colorful sales booths and “Sphaera,” a work of art by Stephan Balkenhol.

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Getreidgasse –

This is an amazing Medieval shopping street with bunch of neat stores and eateries to visit.

Take the Salzkammergut Region: Hop-on and Hop-off Bus Tour

The highlights include

• Visit Mozart’s Village of St. Gilgen
• Discover all main sights of St. Wolfgang Village
• Experience the basilica of Mondsee (Sound of Music Wedding Church)

This gives you a tour of the city, lakes, mountains and surrounding area with audio guide. I found it very relaxing and convenient way to visit the area of Salzburg.

  If you’re travelling through Austria, it’s definitely worth stopping over for a day or two to see what this charming city has to offer.