10things to see in Salzburg
If you are for the first time in Salzburg there are so many things to see, so that we will give you some suggestions of must see things in Salzburg
Discover the old town
No matter what time of the year you find yourself in Salzburg, go and discover the old city and its squares. Forget Google Maps and have the courage to take the not so well known streets, and just let yourself immersed in the unknown – will give you amazing insights into the local way of life. Enjoy the bridges, the squares, and the old buildings that seem to be there for an eternity (some of them were constructed during the Middle Ages).
Take a pause and listen to the Glockenspiel in Rezidenzplatz – there are 35 bells playing daily between 11 am and 6 pm.
After all, there’s no point rushing from site to site trying to see it all, you can travel slowly and enjoy the experience. Just let yourself be wondered by the unknown!
Discover the old cafe’s in Salzburg
It is said that Cafe Tomaselli is the oldest coffee house in Austria, its origins can be traced back to 1700. Here, the coffee is served in an old fashion way: on a small silver tray, and with a glass of water. They also have a large hand-crafted cake selection: strudels, Linzer Torte, Esterhazy Torte, Black Forest, Kardinalschnitte. Stop here after a full day and a strong coffee with a delicious cake was everything we needed. As they didn’t have Maria Theresia Cafe, my favorite, I took a Mozart Caffe (which is served with a little glass of Mozart liqueur) and a chocolate cake. At Cafe Tomaselli you don’t just order your dessert, you are waiting for a lady with a tray full of cakes to come and you pick yourself your favorite!
Fortress of Salzburg
The most iconic image for Salzburg is Festung Hohensalzburg, the 900-year-old fortress watching over the whole city. It can be reached by foot (a 15 minutes walk) or by the funicular. Also, the fortress is the largest intact fully-preserved fortress in Central Europe and have never been conquered.
Once on top, you can enjoy amazing views over the city and the surrounding area (for photography lovers, it’s a feast) and also the museums inside the fortress (access is included in the Salzburg Card, which I strongly recommend buying if you want to see more than one museum, you will save a lot of money).
Mozart’s Geburtshaus
You are int he city of Mozart. This great composer was born and raised here. He lived in two houses and both of them can be visited. The place were Mozart was born – the birthplace in the Getreidegasse, the most traditionally and where you will learn quite a lot about this musical genius. He also made his first compositions there already at 5years-old and you will see some objects that he used and belonged to his family. Later he moved to the Living house on the other side. Even if you would not be a fan of his music it is a must to see to learn also many other things of this person.
Again, the access is free with the Salzburg Card.
Mozart Wohnhaus it’s overwhelming with information and, unlike the house where Mozart was born, here you can have also a free audio guide. But again, don’t expect to find a house, but more a museum / a collection of objects with a lot of interesting stuff to find out about the composer and his family (here I discovered how Constanze, his wife, was involved after the Mozart’s death in promoting and advertising his work).
Don’t miss, in one of the rooms, the original Mozart’s fortepiano!
Palace of Mirabell
A great time to visit the Mirabell Palace is, obviously, during the warmer months, when you can deeply enjoy the marvelous blooming gardens. You can find here the Pegasus statue, the Dwarf Garden and also the stairs where Julie Andrews sang in the famous movie “the Sound of Music”.
The palace hosts the city hall nowadays and has one of the most beautiful room inside (free to visit if there is no concert or wedding going on).
In the garden you will see the flowers blooming during the summer time.
Hellbrunn Palace
for sure one of the most interesting palace and one of the most fun place to visit in the town of Salzburg. You can get there by car, bike (about 20minutes ride), boat, or public transportation (bus nr. 25 takes you there).
The palace was made by one of the prince archbishops to entertain himself and his guests and to also play some tricks on them. 🙂
The park around the castle is huge (about 60 ha) and it’s full of gardens, statues, lakes and alleys. I can imagine how this place looks in the spring. And, for good reason, the name “Hellbrunn” means “healing spring”.
Inside the park there is a theatre, a zoo, before christmas time one of the nicest christmas markets and the most important thing: The water spring fountains! A great fun place to be and to also get some water on you. A perfect refresh on hot summer days. The archbishop created this fun place and the water trick fountains still operate today!
St. Peter’s cemetery and the St. Peter’s abbey
It might sound strange, but I always like having a stroll along the narrow alleys of a cemetery. I think it’s a place where you can discover a lot about the people who used to live in the area, you get a new perspective on that place, and, besides that, it always has a quiet and peaceful atmosphere. So, on our first day in Salzburg, before climbing to the Festung Hochensalzburg fortress, we stopped for a moment in the St. Peter Cemetery.
That place is all about history and serenity, with well-kept graves, crypts, statues and marks, each of them telling a short story about the people laying there.
Salzbuger Dom
Salzburger Dom is a masterpiece of baroque art, whose origins are dating to 767! That is the place where Mozart was baptized and where, later on, he worked as an organist and composed some of his works.
Take your time to admire the beautiful details inside and let your mind have a couple of moments of serenity. The entrance is free, and in the summer are also free guided tours.
The Kapuziner Berg
This mountain is definitely the more quiet one, as it is not overcrowded and you can enjoy nature and great views.
If you are lucky you can even see some of the mountain goats within the city of Salzburg.
The reason for going up there is not the abbey but the great views. The hike to it is either from the Linzergasse up (steep street), or the steps from the Steingasse (about 200 steep steps). The hole up will take you about 10-15mnutes but it is definitely worth it as you have the best views over the old town of Salzburg.
A walk through the Steingasse
The Steingasse, on the opposite site of the old town of Salzburg is for sure one of the most interesting street. It is away from the big crowds and reveals all of its secrets during the evening when bars night clubs, etc open up.
Used as one of the former main traffic road it turned into one of the most quiet street that has many things to discover, great views and shows how Salzburg must have looked alike during the middle ages and walk back over the Mozart’s bridge (a construction from 1903) back to the old town.
We hope that the information is useful to you and are looking forward welcoming you at Salzburg. Be Special Tours Salzburg