Salzburg is a magical place. This medieval city with its ancient walls, Gothic churches, and cobblestone streets is an absolute must for any traveler looking to explore this amazing part of Austria. Here’s my take on the best things to do in Salzburg.
Salzburg has everything you could ever want in a vacation destination: stunning scenery, rich history, great food, lively culture, and awesome people. With so much to explore in Salzburg, it can be hard to know where to start.
We went there with our family and spent 4 days in this wonderful city. It wasn’t long enough. Not even close. But then, what holiday is. So let’s have a look at what we saw during our stay.
Salzburg’s History
Salzburg is a city with a rich and colorful past. The city was originally a Celtic settlement dating back to 600 BC, when salt was discovered in the mountains surrounding the town. In the 12th century, Salzburg became an influential pilgrimage site, due in large part to the establishment of a Benedictine abbey in 1027. Around 1180, it became one of the most important cities in the Holy Roman Empire and remained so for over 300 years.
In 1502, Salzburg’s archbishop began to sponsor yearly religious plays at Christmas time called “Stiftspiele,” which would later become famous as “The Sound of Music.” In 1731, Archbishop Hieronymus von Colloredo established a military school in Salzburg for children from noble families across Central Europe. This is now known as Hellbrunn Palace and Gardens.
Salzburg has changed dramatically over its history but it has always been home to people who were drawn there by its magical charm.
But let’s face it. For most families these days, there’s 2 things that they associate with Salzburg. Mozart, and the movie, “The Sound of Music”.
What to see and do in Salzburg
Here’s a quick list of the highlights;
The Sound Of Music Tour
Castle Hohensalzburg
Mirabell gardens and palace
Helbrunn palace and gardens
Walk through the old town
The Sound of Music Tour
The Sound of Music Tour is a must-see for anyone visiting Salzburg. The tour takes you to the real-life locations made famous in the beloved musical and offers behind-the-scenes insight into the film’s production.
After exploring nearby lakes, mountains, and charming villages, take in scenes from the film with views of the “cliffs of Zell” and scenes from “Do-Re-Mi.” You will also visit such famous scenes as the von Trapp villa (now a church) and what remains of Nonnberg Abbey, which served as Maria von Trapp’s finishing school.
If you want an up close and personal look at one of Austria’s most influential films, this tour is for you.
Certainly, Jacqui really enjoyed her time here just from this. She has great memories of sitting with her mother watching this film every year. And to suddenly be up close and personal with the actual locations brought it all to life for her.
And to be honest I think it heightened the experience for all of us. The hotel we were staying at would play the movie most nights in the lounge. So, on the first night we duly watched it. Then over the next few days, got excited each time we found ourselves in the movie.
Castle Hohensalzburg
The castle absolutely dominates the city. It’s already set onto a hill, but then it just towers away even further.
The views from above are spectacular in every direction.
The castle also gives a great history of the city and region as well.
Mirabell Gardens and Palace
To be honest, I didn’t know that the palace, was a palace when we went there. I just thought that there was a beautiful old building next to the gardens. We were even able to walk around the ground floor and first floor.
It was largely empty, but the tiled floors and ornate ceilings were amazing.
It was only later when I realized that we’d been in a palace without realizing it.
The gardens are beautiful, without being overdone. By that I mean, if you’ve ever been to French gardens, they can be spectacular. It feels like every leaf has had special attention.
Well, Mirabell is a bit more relaxed. Still very lovely. And the photographers were certainly out in force all over it. But maybe the lawns need a bit of a trim, and not all the plants are quite the same height.
It was nice. We felt comfortable there. It’s also featured in the movie, so we took turns dancing up and down the steps at the end.
Hellbrunn Palace and Gardens
Holidays should be fun. And Hellbrunn made our holiday fun. In fact we laughed so hard that it started to hurt.
Normally palaces don’t do this, so I should probably explain.
The palace has with it a set of trick water gardens. Designed specifically to shoot water out from many different angles and surprise guests.
We thought that we could be smart about it and stand near the guide. But those guides know exactly where to stand. You could be standing right next to them and still cop a jet of water.
Sometimes from in front, sometimes from behind. And sometimes, you felt very special when it came from below.
All the fountains here are gravity fed, and the whole setup is a master class in engineering.
The palace itself is the kind I really like. That is to say, it’s a manageable size. With some of the world’s palaces, you’re left to ponder 1000 rooms or more. I find these to be overwhelming. Hellbrunn is more of a stately home, and it’d much easier to get your head around it.
As a bonus, the gazebo from the sound of music is now located in the grounds. We did our best version of “I am 17 going on 18” rendition. Turned out well I thought.
If you’d like to check out their website, click here.
Walk Through The Old Town
If I’m honest, we spent most of our time in the old town. We stayed in an area which is part of the new town, but just commuted by bus each day back to old town.
It’s always good to just spend some time wandering the same streets that have been there for 800-1000 years. I like to ponder who went before me and what they were doing.
The old town has been well preserved and not messed with. Sometimes people can get carried away preserving things and change their character completely. But, I think the people of Salzburg got this right.
The Salzburg Festival
Salzburg is home to one of Europe’s largest and most prestigious music festivals: the Salzburg Festival. Every summer, the festival brings together around 15,000 people to see performances from some of the world’s best musicians. The festival is a staple in Salzburg’s culture, having been running since 1920.
The festival features both classical and modern performances, drawing in musicians from all over the world to perform traditional Austrian pieces as well as recent compositions. As well as being nationally renowned, it also attracts international visitors who come to marvel at the performances and take part in this unique cultural experience.
The Food in in Salzburg
I find that the food in Salzburg is fairly similar to that of southern Germany. I suppose that’s not surprising really. It’s not like they’re a million miles away.
Lots of good hearty food to fill your belly and line your ribs.
The prices are good, and the portion sizes will keep you full. We went to a couple of places we had a few communication difficulties.
But they were still able to rustle up some spectacular food and we didn’t suffer bill shock at the end.
Getting Around
We had a car for our visit, as we were self-touring the region. It was a good way to see the outskirts of the city.
For within the city itself we mainly used buses. There were stops all over the place. Timetables and maps were well placed at each stop, and they were cheap.
We also took a tour bus and used one of the hop on/hop off buses.
To be honest, if we’d hadn’t had the car with us, it wouldn’t have mattered. We could have achieved everything we needed to do with public transport.
Final Thoughts
I’d love to back there and have a closer look. Mind you I say that about a lot of places, and sadly, time is a finite resource.
Still, with luck we’ll pass through again. You should try a visit as well. I’m sure you’ll have a great time like we did.
If you’re looking to tour this region, here’s a couple of posts that might help you out.
Cheers and happy travels