When you think of Salzburg you probably picture classical concerts, the Sound of Music and churches galore. It’s one of the prettiest cities you’ll lay your eyes on and nicknamed the Rome of the North. Salzburg is nestled very close to the border with Germany in the north of Austria and a gateway to the Alps. I was in search of ‘lebensgefühl’ during my time in Salzburg, the unique feeling of life in Austria and learning about what this means here, especially during the summer time.
Salzburg is a wonderful city break with plenty to see and do. This is where Mozart learned to play music and began to compose. The city was created and moulded by prince-archbishops and churches to form the basis of the UNESCO World Heritage Site that covers the Old Town. You can easily cover the main sights in just 1-2 days but stay a while longer to enjoy it at a leisurely pace and take day trips out of the city. In this post, I’m going to share 12 ways in which you can discover Salzburg and lebensgefühl for yourself!
{Ad} This post has been written after a trip to Salzburg with the Austria Tourist Board and with the Salzburg Tourism Board. The post, photos, words and content have all been written by me (Cat Thomson) and are my own thoughts.
1. Join a free walking tour
One of the best ways to discover a city for the first time is to join a walking tour. Sometimes knowing where to start when you visit somewhere new can be a little overwhelming so a walking tour can really help with this. I joined a tour with the lovely Sonja from Free Walking Tour Salzburg. It was really interesting and a useful way for getting my head around the lay out and history of Salzburg. Joining a tour is the only way you’ll discover some of the more unusual facts about a city and Salzburg is no different. Your guide can point out little details and funny stories that would otherwise go unnoticed like where American soldiers got a tank stuck in the city on a night out…!
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2. Stroll through the Old Town
Once you’ve had a guided walk around Salzburg the next best way to discover the city is by taking a stroll at your own pace through the Old Town to soak it all in. Salzburg’s Old Town is a UNESCO World Heritage Site because of the preservation of its beautiful old buildings and stunning architecture. It doesn’t take too long to walk the historic streets around the Old Town so at the same time you can pop into the churches along the way (3. Admire the church architecture). Walk down busy Getreidegasse which is Salzburg’s most famous street and spot the ornate signs that jut out into the street advertising past wares.
At Kapitelplatz (Chapter Square) you find the funicular up to Fortress Hohensalzburg, a modern art installation called Sphaera and the ornate Chapter Fountain which was once a horse pond during the Medieval Period. Salzburg Cathedral is one of the most important (and most impressive) buildings in the city, built in the Early Baroque style and is where both Mozart and Jospeh Mohr (who wrote Silent Night) were christened. Pass from Kapitelplatz to Residenzplatz. This square is where the Salzburg Christmas market is held but in summer it’s a lovely spot to stop and admire the buildings that surround it. Or marvel at the Resident fountain which was commissioned by Archbishop Guidobald Thun who was a fountain enthusiast.
3. Admire the church architecture
If you see a skyline view of Salzburg it’s not hard to spot the countless church towers, domes and spires that dominate the cityscape and to realise that they have had a deep impact on the city. Such an impact in fact, that it’s given Salzburg the nickname ‘Rome of the North’. Salzburg’s history has always been linked to the church as it was founded in 696 when St Rupert arrived and founded the Benedictine Monastery of St Peter’s. Today, St Peter’s Abbey has an elaborate interior and mixes Rococo, Baroque, Renaissance and Gothic styles together – it’s a must see. The cemetery has many notable figures buried within its grounds including Mozart’s sister. The Catacombs are caves built into the cliff which, whilst eerie to walk through, give a rather impressive view over St Peter’s and the grounds.
I mentioned Salzburg Cathedral above and you can visit for ‘music at noon’ to enjoy a fabulous organ recital inside this magnificent space (tickets €9) or for a reduced cost at other times of the day. The Franciscan Church was built in Salzburg’s early days but it stands as a complete contrast to the Cathedral. Where the Cathedral shows off the city’s importance and pomp with its vast rounded domes, the Franciscan Church has a long thin, rather more austere, Gothic steeple and demonstrates the church for the people. Step inside for a moment to pause and reflect.
Other churches to include on your itinerary are the Collegiate Church, one of Austria’s most important Baroque churches which is frequently used as an art and music venue, and Nonnberg Priory. The priory became famous as it was here that the real Maria Kutschera (Maria of The Sound of Music) was a novice before being sent to be a governess. The nuns at Nonnberg Priory still sing Gregorian Chorals at 6:45am every morning.
4. Walk through Mozart’s history
Salzburg’s most famous son is Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart who was born in an apartment on Getreidegasse in 1756. Still to this day, Mozart is regarded as one of the most influential and greatest composers and musicians in the world. His work is regularly played in Salzburg and around the world and his best known work is probably The Marriage of Figaro. At the age of four he wrote his first composition and embarked on a European tour with his family at the age of seven playing in many prestigious venues.
It is amazing to walk these streets and consider where the great composer would have found his inspiration. In the Old Town you can visit Mozart’s Birthplace on Getreidegasse. You can also visit Mozart’s Residence on the other side of the river where he lived for around 14 years in the Dance Master’s House. Both Mozart’s Birthplace and Mozart’s Residence are included in the Salzburg Card (See 11) and both contain many interesting artefacts, letters and history about Mozart and his extraordinary family.
5. Find a viewpoint
After you’ve had your fill of exploring the streets of Salzburg then it’s time to treat yourself to a bird’s eye view of the city. I always love to find a nice high spot above a city to see the rooftops, spires, and squares from above; it’s a great way to put the city and its layout into perspective. Salzburg has a number of options to choose from. On the right side of the Salzach river you will find Kapuzinerberg, a 640m high hill covered in forests and walking tracks. You don’t need to go too far up to get some wonderful views to the Old Town and towards Hohensalzburg Fortress. Find photo 1 above here and photo 2 here.
On the left side of the river, take the elevator up to the Museum der Moderne (entrance to the elevator and to the Modern Art gallery free with the Salzburg Card – see 11. Use the Salzburg Card) and from the terrace outside you get the most incredible view. This was probably my favourite place to view the city because you see the Hohensalzburg Fortress as well as the river and Kapuzinerberg.
The other place to get an excellent view is by heading up to Hohensalzburg Fortress itself where you’ll find some incredible spots to photograph. The hill that Hohensalzburg Fortress is situated on is 506m high and offers 360° panoramic vistas beyond Salzburg and towards Bavaria!
6. Learn about the history of the prince-archbishops of Salzburg
While you’re up at Hohensalzburg Fortress then you should head into the exhibitions and museums to learn more about the history of the prince-archbishops of Salzburg. It was an archbishop (Gebhard) who built the Fortress in 1077 to protect the Salzburg principality and the archbishops from attack. In Hohensalzburg’s over 900 year history, it has never been taken by enemy troops – impressive! Take the panorama tour, visit the armoury house and learn at the fortress museum.
Back down in the Old Town you will find where the archbishops had their primary residence in Residenzplatz. On the east side is the New Residenz and on the west side is the Old Residenz. The Old Residenz was built to demonstrate the power, importance and wealth of the prince-archbishops and there was first mention of it in 1120. The Salzburg Card (See 11) covers access to the DomQuartier which includes the rooms of the Residenz as well as exhibits in the Cathedral and painting galleries.
The New Residenz was built in 1588 by Prince Archbishop Wolf Dietrich von Raitenau to accommodate guests and the glockenspiel was added in 1701. At one point there was a walkway built between the Old & New buildings so that Wolf Dietrich could walk between them without going outside amongst the people.
7. Learn to make apple strudel
What’s the first thing you think of when you think of Austrian dishes? I bet apple strudel is in the top three if not the first thing that comes to mind! In Salzburg, you can learn to make this classic Austrian pastry at the Edelweiss Cooking School. It’s a fun way to discover the culinary side to Salzburg whilst also tasting your creation at the end, and of course, there’s nothing better than a fresh slice of apple strudel! The teachers will walk you through making the filling, stretching the dough and rolling it up perfectly so that you can go home and recreate it for yourself. You’ll also make Salzburger Nockerl – learn more in 10. taste Salzburger Nockerl.
8. Spot The Sound of Music locations
The Sound of Music may have hit the silver screen in 1965 (nearly 60 years ago) but it seems to have a consistent appeal with many people visiting Salzburg purely to see the filming locations! If you want to enjoy a more extensive tour of places that were used for filming the musical then you can join a day trip that will take you out of the city into the countryside but there are some locations that you can easily find in Salzburg itself.
In section 3. Admire the church architecture I mentioned two places that are related to The Sound of Music. Nonnberg Priory was the actual priory where Maria Kutschera was a novice and the Catacombs of St Peter’s Church inspired the Hollywood set that was designed as the graveyard that the family hides in.
Mirabell Palace and Gardens feature heavily in Do Re Mi and you’ll spot the horse fountain, the steps and the athlete statues with an arm each outstretched at one entrance to the gardens. The Winkler Terrace (mentioned in 4. Find a viewpoint) is also spotted in Do Re Mi as well as when Maria leaves the Abbey singing ‘I Have Confidence in Me‘. ‘I Have Confidence in Me‘ also shows Residenzplatz as Maria splashes the water in the fountain. The horse fountain called Pferdescwemme is when Maria and the children sing ‘My Favourite Things’ and Mozartsteg is also spotted in this song.
9. Enjoy dinner accompanied by Mozart
I grew up playing the violin (for 13 years 👀) and so I am a fan of a classical music concert. I’m also a fan of dinner so what better way to spend an evening than to combine the two and enjoy a delicious three course meal whilst accompanied by a string orchestra and opera singers. St. Peter’s Stiftskulinarium is Europe’s oldest restaurant (the 1 didn’t fall off that sign above the door, it really has existed since 803) and in the evening, the Barocksaal banqueting hall hosts an intimate Mozart dinner.
For such a long time, a dinner concert is something that I’ve wanted to do and it was wonderful to finally make that happen. For it to happen in Salzburg, the home of Mozart is particularly special! The food was very tasty and based on 18th century recipes. Two opera singers joined the Amadeus Consort Salzburg to perform arias and duets from three of Mozart’s most famous operas: The Magic Flute, Don Giovanni and The Marriage of Figaro with an instrumental only piece – the first movement of A Little Night Music. The perfect way to finish off a day discovering Salzburg!
10. Taste Salzburger Nockerl
Whilst most locals have had Salzburger Nockerl only a handful of times, it is a culinary specialty from the city which you must taste if you’ve got a sweet tooth! Salzburger Nockerl is a sweet dessert that is somewhere between a meringue and a soufflé. The three peaks of the nokerl represent the three mountains around Salzburg and they’re served with a spot of tangy red jam at the bottom to balance out the sweet meringue. This was the dessert at the Mozart dinner – yum!
I also made some whilst learning to make apple strudel at the Eidelweiss Cooking School (7. Learn to make apple strudel) which was really fun!
11. Use the Salzburg Card
A great way to discover plenty of what Salzburg has to offer and saving money whilst doing so is using the Salzburg Card. The Salzburg Card is available to buy as a 24h, 48h or 72h pass and gives you access to many different attractions (and discounted entry to others and discounts in some shops / restaurants) as well as free public transport. This makes it really easy to get around the city even if it’s just hopping on a bus back to your hotel after a day of exploring!
For more information check out the Salzburg Tourism website here and to learn about which museums and attractions are free then take a look here.
12. Stop for a coffee
Cafe culture in Austria is very important with many different coffee places to choose from. Whilst Viennese Coffee Culture is primarily found in Vienna (of course!) you can find it in other cities across the country. In Salzburg, you can stop at a traditional coffee house such as Café Bazar, Café Tomaselli or Sacher Salzburg – Café Sacher. Alternatively, you can make a break at a more modern coffee shop serving flat whites and iced coffees like Ratio Coffee (featuring Australian sweet treats), My Mom’s Bakery or 220° which has three locations in the city.
Cat x
If you’re after more European city break inspiration then take a look at my other posts to help plan your itinerary!
