I can think of so many attributes that could be used to describe the charming city of Salzburg, the capital of the province of Land Salzburg, one of the nine provinces in Austria.
Salzburg takes its name after the River Salsach that divides the city into 2 parts, Altstadt or the Old Town and the Neustadt or the New Town.
Altstadt with its stunning baroque landscape is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Don't miss the hundreds of locks on the railings!
Beautiful bridges go over the river connecting the old town with the new, the most prominent one being the Makartsteg Bridge.
The bridge is nicknamed the 'Love Lock Bridge' owing to the thousands of locks that lovers have put on its iron grills.
It's a belief that your lover will never abandon you if you put a lock on the bridge and throw away the key.
I have seen this on many bridges in many other European countries too. I was reading somewhere that the locks add to the weight of the bridges, causing concern to the relevant authorities. Whoever said love comes easy!!
Salzburg also boasts of being the birthplace of Mozart, his childhood home is now a museum.
The city was also the filming location for the iconic musical 'The Sound of Music, way back in 1965. Even after 58 years, the locale attracts tourists in the famous Mirabell Palace Gardens and at many more points in the city.
If you're planning a trip to Salzburg, then you should plan to keep at least 3 days to see the entire city including a day trip to Hallstatt, the quaint town known for its world-famous salt mines. This is an absolute not-to-miss attraction. I have made some pointers about a day trip to Hallstatt. Please click on the link below to continue reading -
To learn more about an exciting trip to the world's oldest salt mines, please click on the link below -
Some Basic Info about Salzburg
Most of the Top 10 attractions mentioned below barring the Hellbrunn Palace lie in and around the Old Town. That is to say, you can cover most of the city on foot.
Many tourists prefer to stay in the Old Town amidst all the hustle and bustle.
If you stay across the River Salsach in New Town, you can experience some amazing scenic beauty.
We were staying in a small residential village called Professorfeld with beautiful rolling landscapes all around.
I have not arranged the attractions in any day-wise itinerary since all of them are very close by. You can pick and choose what you wish to do depending on the number of days you have at your disposal.
If you buy the Salzburg card, then entry to all the museums in the city, public transport, funicular to the top of Hohensalzburg and the cable car at Untersberg is also included. There are many options to pick the card from.
Please check the official website of the City of Salzburg for more information. www.salzburg.info
Here's a list of 10 top attractions that you should not miss during a trip to Salzburg -
Altstadt, the Historic Centre of Salzburg and Residenz Platz
The Old Town in Salzburg is a bustling hub of activity. This is the baroque centre of Salzburg constituting the Salzburg Cathedral and the Residenz.
You can start your tour of the Old Town from Residenz Platz, an impressive square with a beautiful fountain at its centre, Residenz Fountain.
The fountain, with its ornate structure, is the biggest baroque fountain in Europe and oozes grandeur. The Residence Palace behind it was the residence of the Archbishop of Salzburg.
The town has beautiful buildings on all sides, the Residenz Palace, Rathaus or Town Hall with its tower and the Salzburgerdom, Salzburg Cathedral.
The bells of this impressive Clock Tower ring at 7 a.m., 11 a.m. and 6 p.m. each day.
My Tip -
The Old Town is a lively place that should be experienced during the day as well as in the evening when the lights come on.
See the Residenz Fountain closely. You will be enthralled by its intricate artwork. The sea horses at the base of the fountain with marine animals all around. The centre bowl is placed on the backs of four men with 3 dolphins in it.
The Town Hall is a beautiful Rococo-style* structure with a tower. You will have to really crane your neck in the narrow alley to see it all the way to the top.
The Clock Tower has paid tours only on Thursdays and Fridays that show its working mechanism and include climbing to the top to see the panorama.
DomQuartier
This is located right on the Residenz Platz.
This is the Residenz Museum, which was once the official residence of the prince-archbishops of Salzburg. You will see baroque-style staterooms and some very impressive paintings by European painters.
The highlight of your tour will be the glorious views one gets of the city of Salzburg from the top of the cathedral terrace.
The tour ends at St. Peter's Museum which displays very artistic masterpieces from St. Peter's Abbey, which I learnt later is the oldest monastery in the German-speaking part of the world.
My Tip -
After having seen the splendid Schoennbrunn Palace, Sisi Museum and the Belvedere Palace in Vienna, we decided to give this one a miss. As I keep mentioning in all my blogs, one needs to pick and choose which museums to see. We had shortlisted some iconic museums in our upcoming trip to Innsbruck, so we let this one go.
If you have the Salzburg Card, then entry to all these attractions would be included.
St. Peter's Abbey
Very close to the Residenz Fountain is St. Peter's Abbey. You can enter it for free to see the stunning architecture and marvel at the beautiful painted ceiling and the stunning altar.
My Tip -
One can see a true amalgamation of many architectural styles in the abbey, Gothic, Romanesque and Rococo. The original structure is almost 750 years old.
I wouldn't say that the abbey is spectacular but well worth a visit. A singer was playing an instrument when we entered, the atmosphere was very serene.
Salzburgerdom (Salzburg Cathedral)
This 17th-century cathedral sits imposingly in the centre of the Old Town. The large dome is accompanied by two twin towers with smaller domes on top. The very impressive exterior is complimented by highly ornate interiors.
This was the place where Mozart was baptised. The baptismal font in which his baptism took place is still present in the church.
Right at the entrance are 4 large pedestals with very impressive lifesize statues of 4 saints on them.
My Tip -
The cathedral is a religious place, so I feel charging 5 euros to enter it is a bit unfair. It is still an operational parish and when we visited, special prayers for Ukraine were organised.
It is undoubtedly a beautiful specimen of stunning architecture. There is an organ recital each day at noon, the church has 5 organs. We missed the recital but the cathedral itself is very alluring. If you plan to go, then go at noon. I've heard a lot of good things about the daily organ recital.
Sphaera on Kapitelplatz
As you step out of the Salzburg Cathedral, on your left is the Kapitel Platz.
It's another square in the Old Town known for its large golden globe called Sphaera with the statue of a common man in a shirt and trousers standing on it.
My Tip -
It's quite an intriguing piece of art created by the artist Stephan Balkenhol, loaned to the City of Salzburg in 2013, as per the placard displayed at the site.
What impressed me was the way this modern piece of art stood amidst all the old structures and buildings yet did not look out of place.
The figurative sculpture is open to interpretation by the viewers but is fascinating, nonetheless.
Mozartplatz
Walk back from the Kapitel Platz to the cathedral and then turn right to reach the most famous square in the Old Town, Mozartplatz.
A beautiful statue of Wolfgang Mozart stands in the centre of the plaza. Totally worthy of a photo opportunity.
There are lots of cafes and shops around, even a Christmas museum.
The entire area is great for walking and discovering the hidden gems of the Old Town.
Mozart Geburtshaus, Birthplace of Mozart on Getreidegasse
As you walk a few meters ahead, you will reach Getreidegasse, a narrow street in Salzburg, whose claim to fame is that it houses the birthplace of Mozart.
You cannot miss the street since you will see many tourists walking towards it.
The house of the prolific composer is No.9, Getreidegasse, on your left if you enter the street from Mozart Platz.
The house is now a museum showcasing some of the instruments he played in his younger days and his earlier life.
Getreidegasse is one of the oldest streets in Salzburg and the authorities have gone to great lengths to preserve its medieval flavour.
It has shops and boutiques selling high-fashion clothes and traditional costumes, steeply-priced, so window shopping is your best bet to wander on this vintage street.
My Tip -
Go to this museum only if you're a die-hard fan of Mozart and his music. We had been to the Mozart Concert at the Musikverein in Vienna earlier on in this trip. So, our expectations from a Mozart museum were really high.
But I found the museum a bit dull that didn't seem to do justice to its illustrious master.
One should go to this museum only if you have a Salzburg card. Paying 12 euros to see this museum looked like quite a waste to me.
The street, Getreidegasse, on the other hand, is magnificent. The look and feel is medieval which adds to its charm.
All signages have to adhere to certain norms to look like this...
Fortress Hohensalzburg
Very close to the Kapitel Platz, is the funicular station to go to the top of Salzburg, to Fortress HohenSalzburg. It's a short steep ride up to the hill where the fortress is located.
This 11th-century fortress is a tourist's delight.
I have written in more detail about our visit to the fortress in the link below -
Mirabell Palace and Gardens
Just about 11 to 12 minutes on foot from Getreidegasse, lies the Mirabell Palace and Gardens within the Historic Centre of Salzburg.
Prince-Archbishop of Salzburg Wolf Dietrich got it made for his beloved Salome Alt in 1606. No wonder, the palace with its delicately manicured gardens and fountains lend this palace a very romantic vibe.
The marble staircase at the entrance of the palace adorned with statues of cherubs is delightful.
The main attractions that you need to look out for are,
- Marble Staircase
- Pegasus Fountain
- Grand Fountain
- Hedge Theater
- Dwarf Garden
- Orangery
- Rose Garden
- Marble Hall
As you enter the gardens, you will see the Pegasus Fountain. If you've seen The Sound of Music, you will immediately recognize it since the iconic song Do-Re-Mi was shot here. I think the statues of two angels extending their hands into the sky near the tail-end of the gardens have also featured in the same song. I'll have to watch the film again to ascertain it though.
My Tip -
For some reason, we had a tough time looking for the palace, Google Maps kept taking us around the palace. So, remember, the main entrance to the palace is right next to the Landestheater.
The Palace is an operational office, open for visitors from 8 am to 6 pm daily. The Dwarf Garden and Hedge Theater are open only in the summer months.
Entry to the palace and gardens is free.
Don't forget to look for the Dwarf Garden. It's right across a small bridge. These grotesque yet funny statues are worth a watch.
The Marble Hall, hailed as the 'Most beautiful wedding hall in the world' should also be on your list. It was closed on the day we visited. The hall served as a ballroom for the archbishops and is now used to host classical concerts.
The River Salsach is very close by. You will have to walk for about 10 to 12 minutes to reach it and cross the bridge to reach the Old Town.
Hellbrunn Palace and Trick Fountains
Hellbrunn Palace is one of the most unique palaces that we have seen or anyone else, for that matter, could have seen, anywhere else in the world.
This beautiful baroque palace lies in the southern part of Salzburg. The palace is impressive with its beer gardens and a small beautiful water body.
The palace was made by the Prince-Archbishop of Salzburg, Markus Stittikus in the year 1613 as his summer residence and a palace of leisure. The palace has no residential quarters since it was never used as a residence. There is a museum and of course, the highlight of the palace, the trick fountains.
Groups of visitors are led through the trick fountains. An audio guide will guide you, the commentary tells us about the archbishop's keen sense of humour and the practical jokes he performed on his guests, who were oblivious to the water jets around them.
A tour of the gardens will leave you in splits of laughter as water sprays on you from the most unexpected of places at the most unexpected of places.
Apart from water jets, a water-operated theatre and small figurines are shown going about daily chores, all operated by a water mechanism.
My Tip -
It takes about 30 minutes to reach the palace from Salzburg Hauptbahnhof by bus number 25. The bus actually goes up to the Untersberg cable car point which is the last stop. Hellbrunn Palace is the second last or third last stop if memory serves me right.
I will not write too many details about the palace and the trick fountains, it would be a spoiler for you. The fun lies in experiencing the place unwittingly.
The museum and exhibition are also very informative with some beautiful artworks collected by the Prince archbishop and a peek into his life. One particular room in the exhibition that caught my attention was the sound spiral room.
At the end of the gardens, you will see the famous Gazebo that was seen in the film The Sound of Music in the song 'I am 16, running on 17...'.
There is a nice cafe in the gardens, but if you're in the mood for a picnic on the lawns, then bring something to eat. It's very quiet and peaceful out here.
There is a zoo in the palace complex also. If you're travelling with kids, then a visit to the zoo is always on your bucket list. I know it from experience.
Untersberg Mountain Peak and cable car
Untersberg is a mountain peak, a spur between the borders of Germany and Austria. Views from the peak are absolutely amazing. You can see the entire city of Salzburg from here, plus stunning scenery as far as the eye can see.
It's quite easy to go to Untersberg from Hellbrunn Palace. Just board bus number 25 again in the direction of Untersberg, which is the last stop on that bus route.
If you have a Salzburg Card, then cable car, to and fro, will be included.
My Tip -
Going to Untersberg was originally not part of our plan since our next stop from Salzburg was Innsbruck with a trip planned to Top of Innsbruck. But we left Hellbrunn and then suddenly decided to go to Untersberg. It was a clear day but by the time we reached there in the afternoon, the sky had turned grey and it started raining. We missed seeing the iconic views that are much talked about always.
Whew! It was a disappointment for us, but the cable car ride was good. So, if you plan to go to Untersberg, check the day's weather and hope to God that it doesn't rain.
The attractions in Salzburg don't end here, if you have the time and the inclination then you can also see the Red Bull Hangar-7, the Technology Museum and Haus der Natur, the Natural History Museum.
Another famous attraction is the St. Peter's Cemetery. This is a popular tourist site, also since it was the shooting site of The Sound of Music. This 17th-century cemetery lies at the foot of Festungsberg, the hill on which lies the majestic Hohensalzburg Castle.
These catacombs are the place where the von Trapp family hides while trying to escape.
While in Salzburg, you can also take The Sound of Music tour which takes you around the shooting sites of the iconic film in places like the Mirabell Gardens, Hellbrunn Palace, Schloss Leopoldskron (the von Trapp mansion in the movie) and the Nonnberg Abbey (the abbey where Julie Andrews lived in the movie).
All I can say is that Salzburg will never disappoint you, its stunning baroque buildings, the lively promenade along the Salsach River, the Old Town and its many wonders have something to offer everyone. So, what are you waiting for? Come to Salzburg and see for yourself!
On the fifth day, in the morning, we boarded a train to Innsbruck. It takes about 2 hours to reach Innsbruck. See you in Innsbruck on the link below -
Please do write to me if you ever visit Salzburg. Is there something I've missed?
* Rococo-style - Rococo is called the feminine version of baroque, its lighter, generally using pastel shades and curved, serpentine lines.
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