Salzburg like a movie set. With its jewel box of churches, abbeys, and domes, Altstadt, a baroque-gone-mad city on the banks of a blue river, reclines at the base of wooded cliffs and transports you back in time by a thousand years.
The towering hilltop stronghold, the opulently gilded palaces and music halls where Mozart once played, the mountains that peep up on the horizon where Maria (Julie Andrews) made her whirling debut on The Sound of Music—everywhere you go, you can't help but glance up in awe.
It's all incredibly genuine, even if you have to pinch yourself. The word has spread that Salzburg has a lot going on, so don't expect to have these streets to yourself. Nevertheless, there are ways to find tranquility in this city, like taking a leisurely cable car journey up a mountain where the Alps unfold like a pop-up book or listening to Gregorian chorales at sunrise.
See our list of the best things to do in Salzburg below.
1.Hear nuns sing at daybreak
To hear the spine-tingling sound of nuns chanting Gregorian chorales at one of Europe's oldest operational abbeys, make your way up the steep Nonnbergstiege stairs as dawn breaks over the Alps and get at Stift Nonnberg by 6:45 a.m. The Benedictine monastery, which was established in 715 CE by St. Rupert, the patron saint of Salzburg, is closed except for its rib-vaulted cathedral, which has Romanesque murals.
It should come as no surprise if you feel like you've seen nuns waltz to mass at this abbey in The Sound of Music before.
Planning tip: Don't worry if you're not an early riser; the uplifting chorales are played again at 5:15 p.m. on weekdays, 5 p.m. on Saturdays, and 4:30 p.m. on Sundays.
2. View the city from above
The short but breathtaking stroll down the Hohe Weg (Festungsgasse) from Nonnberg to Festung Hohensalzburg instantly boosts the mood and provides a great overview of the city, with dress-circle vistas over the baroque Altstadt's rooftops, spires, and domes to the forested mountains beyond. It's quite amazing to walk up here, far above the din of the city and the ringing of church bells. Finish your stroll by playing around the 900-year-old clifftop fortress's museums, opulent staterooms, and walls.
3. Join the Augustiner Bräustübl for a drink.
The Augustiner Bräustübl, a division of the Munich-based brewery that is Germany's oldest, having been established in 1328, celebrates Oktoberfest every year. Since 1621, this monk-founded brewery at the base of Mönchsberg has provided Salzburg with raucous good times with its vaulted pubs and expansive beer garden that seats 1,400 people beneath the shade of chestnut trees. Visit the Schmankerlgang (deli stands) for substantial, beer-swigging fare like pork belly, Stelze (ham hock), and head-sized pretzels, then fill your tankard at the foyer pump. Beers range from wheat beers with an amber hue to somewhat hoppy lagers. Compared to other beer halls in the Altstadt, this one has a more genuine atmosphere and less visitors.
4. Join in with "The Sound of Music."
You know you want to, so come on. To want to get on a bike and peddle between movie sites with Fräulein Maria's Bicycle Tours, you don't need to be an ardent admirer of The Sound of Music or be able to hit the octave-leaping high notes like Julie Andrews. Sixteen Do-Re-Mi This half-day bike trip travels from palace to plaza, park to abbey, and includes all the classics, including Going on Seventeen, So Long, Farewell.
5. Scale all the mountains
Or simply the one. On the outskirts of the city, the 1973m (6473ft) Untersberg, which is perched on the German border, provides a good dose of mountain views. The rugged top is dotted with wildflowers and has hiking paths that lead to breathtaking views over the Tyrolean, Salzburg, and Bavarian Alpine ranges, as well as Salzburg and the Rositten Valley. In the winter, there is mild skiing up here, and in the summer, paragliders take off from the summit (hear the whoosh).
From the cable car's summit station, you can hike a few hours across a karst plateau to the Schellenberger Ice Cave across the border in Bavaria, or you can follow easy routes to lookouts like Geiereck (1805m; 5922ft) and Salzburg Hochthron (1853m; 6079ft).
6. Visit Mönchsberg for some art.
Named for the Benedictine monks of St. Peter's Abbey, Mönchsberg, also known as Monk Mountain, is a 504-meter (1654-foot) mountain with wooded cliffs that rise above Salzburg like a theater curtain. What about the views? As they frame the Altstadt with its stronghold on top, they are also really lovely. On sunny days, you can glimpse the Austrian and Bavarian Alps as you walk along paths that wind through meadows and forests to Augustiner Bräustübl.
The Museum der Moderne, a stunningly austere rectangular constructed from locally quarried Untersberg marble and ceremoniously placed on top of the hill, is the place to go if you enjoy modern art. You have the option of walking slowly from Festung Hohensalzburg or racing up here in the elevator. The gallery's schedule of exhibitions featuring art from the 20th and 21st centuries is excellent. Outside, you may see sculptures such as Blue Pearl - Skyspace by American artist James Turrell, an elliptical cylinder that is open to the sky and reflects the mountain's shifting moods, colors, lights, and weather.
7. At Schloss Mirabell, experience the Mozart groove.
Skip the tacky Mozart dinners and go to Schloss Mirabell if you enjoy Mozart but don't want to share his symphonies with a lot of other visitors. Intimate chamber music concerts are held in the Marmorsaal (Marble Hall), a sumptuous display of stucco, marble, and paintings in this fantastical 17th-century palace. Works by Mozart and other well-known composers, including as Vivaldi, Haydn, and Beethoven, are performed by internationally recognized ensembles and singers. Every day except Friday and Monday, concerts start at 8 p.m.
Planning tip: Make reservations far in advance because summer tickets are like gold dust.
8. Take in the Salzburger Marionettentheater's puppetry wonder.
At Salzburger Marionettentheater, which is classified as a UNESCO World Heritage site, where the crimson curtain has been raised on a miniature stage since 1913, you don't need to be five years old to experience awe. With its stucco decorations and chandeliers, the theater is as lavish as a full-size one. The puppeteers are among the most talented of their kind, and the costumes and backgrounds are incredibly detailed (believe us, you won't even notice the strings as these marionettes dance, swoop, and fly through the air).
9.Swan around the gardens of Schoss Mirabell
The centerpiece of Salzburg's baroque ball is Schloss Mirabell Palace, which was constructed in 1606 by Prince-Archbishop Wolf Dietrich to court his mistress, Salome Alt. The gardens, however, are what truly astound you. In 1690, Archbishop Johann Ernst von Thun used his green thumb to enchant them, saturating them with fountains, muses, parterres, and rose gardens while ensuring that the eye was always attracted to the majestic Festung Hohensalzburg.
Detour: Look for the Tänzerin sculpture as you walk around; it's a great place to take pictures of the gardens with the fortress in the background. The Pegasus statue, the steps, and the gnomes of the Zwerglgarten, where the young von Trapps learnt, will undoubtedly be familiar to lovers of the Sound of Music.
10.Cycle the banks of the Salzach
Cycling along the Salzach River's banks, which wind from city to meadow and mountain, is a delight, particularly during the summer months when the city is at its peak. Rent a bike and head south, passing the Volksgarten park as the riot of domes and spires in the Altstadt gradually disappears from view. You can temporarily elude the downtown crowds by going for a pedal here. Pack a picnic and plan to spend the afternoon there, maybe seeing Schloss Hellbrunn's magnificent summer palace and spectacular fountains or, if the sun is shining, heading south to Waldbad Anif.
Local advice: Enjoy a tranquil summertime pastime by swimming, kayaking, or wakeboarding in the cool turquoise waters of beautiful lake surrounded by woodland.
11.Saunter along Steingasse
The baroque Altstadt on the Salzach River's left bank receives all the attention, and while it is breathtakingly lovely, the summertime influx of tourists can be nerve-racking. On the other side of the milky-green river, Steingasse is, in our opinion, Salzburg's most picturesque street. In the Middle Ages, this narrow lane—whose cobbles were smoothed by numerous horse hooves and wagon wheels—was the primary north-south route between the city and Italy, notwithstanding how difficult it is to believe today. From here, salt was shipped to Europe and beyond from neighboring mines.
With its softly curved medieval townhouses in delicate fresco hues, this street is the type that throws Instagrammers into a state of rapture these days. They look especially picturesque in the morning sunlight or at evening when they are illuminated by lanterns.
Local tip: Keep an eye out for the memorial honoring Joseph Mohr, a well-known former resident who wrote the words to the hymn Silent Night shortly after the Napoleonic Wars ended.
12. Savor authentic Austrian cuisine at Bärenwirt
In Salzburg, there are many upscale restaurants with correspondingly high prices, but sometimes all you want is a boot-sized schnitzel that is cooked to golden perfection with a side order of history. This is exactly what Bärenwirt, a cozy, woodsy pub that resembles a hunting lodge and has been there since 1663, has to offer. The inn serves classic, heart-stopping dishes like beef goulash, Kasnocken (small cheese dumplings with fried onions), and Bierbraten (beer roast) with lashings of dumplings and sauerkraut, eschewing all the latest culinary fads. Get a table on the terrace with a view of the Salzach River if the weather permits.
Comments