We have stayed 2 nights in Salzburg during our road trip while we were on our way to Slovenia. In this blog post I will share my highlights of the city of Mozart and 'The Sound of Music'. And if you are there, you should definitely try a Mozart Kugel! A great combination of nougat, marzipan and chocolate...
First we went to the Tourist Information Office on Mozartplatz to pick up our Salzburg Card which allowed us to use the public transport for free, and to visit all musea free of charge as well. So we left our car at the hotel and used their well organised bus network to move around the city. (The Skoda oldtimer below is not our car, but was standing in the city centre)
☞ Tourist Information Office: Mozartplatz 5
This is the perfect starting point to your Salzburg citytrip as Mozartplatz is in the heart of the historical city. From here we first went to St. Peter's Abbey & Cemetery because it would close at 18:00. I know it might sound a bit strange but this is one of the prettiest cemeteries I have ever seen.
After this it was time to try the local Austrian cuisine at Zum Zirkelwirt, a restaurant dating back from 1647! Here you can eat typical Austrian specialties like schnitzel (escalope) or goulash (which is actually form Hungary), but there are several options for vegetarians too.
I have tried the spinatknödel (spinach dumplings) for example with of course a local Stiegl beer. Are you a sweet tooth? Then you should try the kaiserschmarren, which is a shredded fluffy pancake with plum sauce on the side.
After dinner we started to explore the city on foot by visiting Kapitelplatz first. From here you can take the funicular up to the fortress. But we decided to visit the fortress the next day by walking all the stairs from another starting point somewhere else in the city, which was in our opinion a beautiful trail. I will tell more about this later in this blog.
At the Chapter Fountain on Kapitelplatz you will have a nice view on the fortress in the background. I took this picture from the stairs of the fountain where the horses could enter in the old days, as it was a horse pond back then.
On the other side of the Kapitelplatz stands the Cathedral and "Sphaera" the artwork by German artist Stephan Balkenhol.
If you are interested in Modern Art you might enjoy the Walk of Modern Art.
At the end of the day we went to the beautiful open air bar of restaurant St. Peter, but because the weather wasn't on our side we decided to find a spot inside somewhere else. But if we ever visit Salzburg again on a sunny (or at least not rainy) day we will definitely come back here.
Shortly it began to rain cats and dogs so we quickly went over to the very cosy Andreas Hofer Weinstube. This wine bar and traditional restaurant has been here for over 100 years and it still breathes the atmosphere of far flung days.
The next morning we've started the day with a walk through the Mirabell Gardens which some of you might recognise, because it was one of the most important shooting locations for the movie The Sound of Music. For the fans: there is even a (Fräulein Maria) bicycle tour which guides you within 3,5 hours along all the famous movie locations.
When you leave the exit of the gardens you can easily walk towards Mozart's Residence for a visit. In the background you see the fortress covered in snow, so we were happy to escape the cold for a while.
We all know Mozart (1756-1791) as a musical child prodigy who composed brilliant symphonies and operas. But did you know he was an experienced traveller as well? In his short life (he died at the age of 35...) he has traveled for 3.720 days which is over 10 years in total! One of his quotes is "Travel shapes you" and I couldn't agree more.
From 1773 to 1787 Mozart lived in this pink painted house, which was reconstructed after WW II. It is called Mozart Residence and is open to the public. Through original instruments, documents and portraits the museum gives an insight in his, and his families life in Salzburg. As it is not allowed to take pictures inside, I only took a picture of the entrance.
Afterwards we climbed the stairs of the Kapuzinerberg from where you will have a wonderful view over the heart of the old city.
Along the way up you will encounter some cute houses along the steep and winding little streets.
Before we crossed the river to visit Mozart's Birthplace we first roamed through some streets like the Steingasse which is one of the oldest streets in Salzburg with several buildings dating back to the 16th century.
Kaffee Alchemie was for us the perfect place to warm up with a good cup of AeroPress coffee. They purchase the (single origin) green beans from small coffee farmers for a fair price.
After being caffeine-recharged it was time to visit Mozart's Birthplace which stands in the middle of the city centre and is now a pilgrimage for thousands of classical music lovers from all over the world.
Because here Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was born in 1756 on the third floor, and lived here for the first 17 years of his life. You can admire some of Mozart's personal belongings like his own violin for example. As it is not allowed to take pictures inside I only took a picture of the front of the building, and a wallpainting of his portrait in the hallway.
On or way to the fortress we passed some great architectural masterpieces like the Siegmundstor Tunnel.
We took the stairs at the Clemens Holzmeister Stiege to walk up the the Hohensalzburg Fortress. During your climb you will get rewarded with this view, which you will miss if you take the funicular.
The Hohensalzburg Fortress was built as of the year 1077 and dominates the skyline of Salzburg. From here you will have an amazing view over the city.
Old ceramic heating stove inside the fortress.
We took the funicular down to visit the Cathedral with 3 amazing bronze doors which represents 'charity', 'faith' and 'hope'. Door 'hope' was my favourite:
You can tell the people of Salzburg really love Mozart because everywhere you look you can find his portrait on sweets, accessories and even in modern art.
Before dinner we wanted to drink one last cup of coffee at Favorite Kamer, but it was unfortunately their closing day. Next time I am in Salzburg, I will make sure to pay this authentic concept store and espresso bar a visit!
We ended the day and our trip to Salzburg at Pasta e Vino, a delicatessen with a daily changing menu. Everyday they make three different pasta dishes and offer a wide selection of antipasti and pairing Italian wine.
↓ Save this post on Pinterest ↓
Please note: this post is not sponsored.
Thank you Visit Salzburg for offering the Salzburg Card!