Salzburg: The Short List
Dom zu Salzburg
(Photo by Hunter Sawyer on 35mm film)
Altstadt
To see: Getreidegasse, Mozart’s birthplace (“Mozart’s Geburtshaus”), Mozartplatz, Residenzplatz (fountain from Sound of Music), Dom zu Salzburg, Kapitelplatz, Stift Nonnberg, Petersfriedhof, Felsenreitschule
To do: attend events if a festival is underway, take the cable car up to tour the Salzburg Fortress, fill your water bottle at the spring in Universitätsplatz
To drink: Spirituosen Sporer
To eat: pretzels from the stand in Kapitelplatz, anything from Stiftsbäckerei St. Peter (Salzburg’s oldest bakery, dating back 700 years), St. Peter Stiftskulinarium/Stiftskeller St. Peter (likely the oldest existing restaurant in Europe and perhaps in the world), Universitätsplatz farmer’s market, Café Fürst (Mozartkugeln, gelato, Esterhazytorte)
Just outside of downtown
To do: walk up the hillside of Mönschsberg to view downtown Salzburg, visit the Museum of Modern Art
To drink and eat: Augustinerbrau
Bridges over the Salzach River
To see: Makartsteg (love lock bridge), Mozartsteg
To do: sit along the river and enjoy the view, take a tour of the river via boat
To drink: coffee or chai from the “We love Coffee” stand at the end of Mozartsteg
New Town
To see: Schloss Mirabell, Mirabell gardens, St. Sebastian’s Cemetery, the birthplace of Christian Doppler
To do: hike up Kapuzinerberg
To eat: Café Sacher for Sachertorte, Alter Fuchs for Austrian specialties (my favorite menu item is the Spinatknodel), samples from the Bärenland gummy bear shop, Reyna Kebap
Greater Salzburg area
To do: visit Schloss Hellbrunn and its elaborate trick fountains (as well as the pavilion from Sound of Music), hike or take the cable car up Untersberg, visit the Salzkammergut/salt mine in Hallein, take a Sound of Music guided bus tour, travel to Königssee, visit the Red Bull museum
General tips for Austria
To eat: paprika snacks (Jumpy’s are my favorite), Almdudler (a mild herbal soda very similar to gingerale), any chocolate (but especially Milka), apple strudel, spaetzli/spaetzle, potato or cucumber salad, Wienerschnitzel, gelato, pretzels, and so much more
Some German vocabulary: Austria [Österreich], Hello [Hallo], Yes [Ja], No [Nein], Thank you [danke, danke schön, vielen dank], Please/You’re welcome [bitte, bitte schön], Excuse me [Entschuldigung], Street [Strasse, Gasse], Train [Bahn], Airplane [Flugzeug], Bathroom [Toilette, “WC”]