Salzburg and its residents—or at least its tourism industry—are forever smiling to the tunes of Mozart and The Sound of Music. Thanks to its charmingly preserved old town, splendid gardens, Baroque churches, and Europe’s largest intact medieval fortress, Salzburg feels made for visitors. As a musical mecca, the city puts on a huge annual festival, as well as constant concerts. It’s a city with class. Vagabonds wish they had nicer clothes.
Even without Mozart and the Von Trapps, Salzburg is steeped in history. In about A.D. 700, Bavaria gave Salzburg to Bishop Rupert in return for his promise to Christianize the area. Salzburg remained an independent city (belonging to no state) until Napoleon came in the early 1800s. Thanks in part to its formidable fortress, Salzburg managed to avoid the ravages of war for 1,200 years...until World War II. Much of the city was destroyed by WWII bombs (mostly around the train station), but the historic old town survived.
Eight million tourists crawl its cobbles each year. That’s a lot of Mozart balls—and all that popularity has led to a glut of businesses hoping to catch the tourist dollar. Still, Salzburg is both a must and a joy.
While Salzburg’s sights are, frankly, mediocre, the town itself is a Baroque museum of cobbled streets and elegant buildings—simply a touristy stroller’s delight. Even if your time is short, consider allowing half a day for the Sound of Music tour. The S.O.M. bus tour kills a nest of sightseeing birds with one ticket (city overview, S.O.M. sights, and a fine drive by the lakes).
You’d probably enjoy at least two nights in Salzburg—nights are important for swilling beer in atmospheric gardens and attending concerts in Baroque halls and chapels. Seriously consider one of Salzburg’s many evening musical events (a few are free, some are as cheap as €12, and most average €40).
To get away from it all, bike down the river or hike across the Mönchsberg cliffs that rise directly from the middle of town. Or consider swinging by Berchtesgaden, just 15 miles away in Germany. A direct bus gets you there from Salzburg in 45 minutes.
A day trip from Salzburg to Hallstatt (the small-town highlight of the Salzkammergut Lake District) is doable, but involves about five hours for the round-trip transportation alone and makes for a very long day. An overnight in Hallstatt is better.
Salzburg, a city of 150,000 (Austria’s fourth-largest), is divided into old and new. The old town, sitting between the Salzach River and its mini-mountain (Mönchsberg), holds nearly all the charm and most of the tourists. The new town, across the river, has the train station, a few sights and museums, and some good accommodations.
Salzburg has three helpful TIs (main tel. 0662/889-870, www.salzburg.info): at the train station (daily June-Aug 8:30-19:00, Sept-May 9:00-18:00, tel. 0662/8898-7340); on Mozartplatz in the old center (daily 9:00-18:00, July-Aug until 19:00, closed Sun mid-Jan-Easter and Oct-mid-Nov, tel. 0662/889-870); and at the Salzburg Süd park-and-ride (April-Sept generally Tue-Sat 10:00-16:30 but sometimes longer hours, closed Sun-Mon and all of Oct-March, tel. 0662/8898-7360).
At any TI, you can pick up a free city-center map (the €0.70 map has a broader coverage and more information on sights, and is particularly worthwhile if biking out of town), the Salzburg Card brochure (listing sights with current hours and prices), and a bimonthly events guide. The TIs also book rooms (€2.20 fee and 10 percent deposit). Inside the Mozartplatz TI is the privately run Salzburg Ticket Service counter, where you can book concert tickets.
Salzburg Card: The TIs sell the Salzburg Card, which covers all your public transportation (including the Mönchsberg elevator and funicular to the fortress) and admission to all the city sights (including Hellbrunn Castle and a river cruise). The card is pricey, but if you’d like to pop into all the sights, it can save money and enhance your experience (€25/24 hours, €34/48 hours, €40/72 hours). To analyze your potential savings, here are the major sights and what you’d pay without the card: Hohensalzburg Fortress and funicular-€11; Mozart’s Birthplace and Residence-€17; Hellbrunn Castle-€9.50; Salzburg Panorama 1829-€3; Salzach River cruise-€14; 24-hour transit pass-€4.20. Busy sightseers can save plenty. Get this card, feel the financial pain once, and the city will be all yours.
By Train: The Salzburg station is a gleaming commercial center with all the services you need: train information, tourist information, luggage lockers, and a handy SPAR supermarket (daily 6:00-23:00)—plus a popular shopping mall that’s open on weekends. The transit info desk down the stairs from bus platform C has information on local buses.
Getting downtown from the station is a snap. Simply step outside, find bus platform C (labeled Zentrum-Altstadt), and hop on the next bus. Buses #1, #3, #5, #6, and #25 all do the same route into the city center before diverging at the far end of town. For most sights and city-center hotels, get off just after the bridge, at the fifth stop. For my recommended new town hotels, get off at Makartplatz (the fourth stop), just before the bridge.
Taxis don’t make much sense to get from the train station into town, as they’re expensive for short rides (€2.50 drop charge, about €8 for most rides in town).
To walk downtown (15 minutes), turn left as you leave the station, and walk straight down Rainerstrasse, which leads under the tracks past Mirabellplatz, turning into Dreifaltigkeitsgasse. From here, you can turn left onto Linzergasse for many of my recommended hotels, or cross the river to the old town. For a slightly longer but more dramatic approach, leave the station the same way but follow the tracks to the river, turn left, and walk the riverside path toward the fortress.
By Car: Mozart never drove in the old town, and neither should you. The best place to park is the Salzburg Süd park-and-ride lot. Coming on A-1 from Vienna or Munich, take A-10 toward Hallein, and then take the next exit (Salzburg Süd) in the direction of Anif. First, you’ll pass Hellbrunn Castle (and zoo), then the Salzburg Süd TI, before arriving at the parking lot. Park your car (€5/24 hours), get sightseeing information and transit tickets from the TI, and catch bus #3 or #8 into town (€1.90 single-ride ticket or €4.20 Tageskarte 24-hour pass, more expensive if you buy tickets on board, every 5 minutes). If traveling with more than one other person, take advantage of a park-and-ride combo-ticket: For €13 (€10 July-Aug), you get 24 hours of parking and a 24-hour bus pass for up to five people.
If you don’t believe in park-and-rides, head to the easiest, cheapest, most central parking lot—the 1,500-car Altstadtgarage, in the tunnel under the Mönchsberg (€14/day, note your slot number and which of the twin lots you’re in, tel. 0662/846-434). Your hotel may provide discounted parking passes. If staying in the new town, the Mirabell-Congress garage makes more sense than the Altstadtgarage.
Recommendations Skewed by Kickbacks: Salzburg is addicted to the tourist dollar, and it can never get enough. Virtually all hotels are on the take when it comes to concert and tour recommendations, influenced more by their potential kickback than by what’s best for you. Take any tour or concert advice with a grain of salt.
Music Festival: The Salzburg Festival (Salzburger Festspiele) runs each year from late July to the end of August.
Internet Access: A small Internet café is next to the base of the Mönchsberg elevator (€2/hour, daily 10:00-22:00, Gstättengasse 11). The city has several free Wi-Fi hotspots (one is in the Mirabell Gardens; info at www.salzburg-surft.at). Travelers with this book can get free Wi-Fi or use a computer for a few minutes (long enough to check email) at the Panorama Tours terminal on Mirabellplatz (daily 8:00-18:00).
Post Office: A full-service post office is located in the heart of town, in the New Residenz (Mon-Fri 8:00-18:00, Sat 9:00-12:00, closed Sun).
Laundry: A handy launderette is at Paris-Lodron-Strasse 16, at the corner of Wolf-Dietrich-Strasse, near my recommended Linzergasse hotels (€10 self-service, €15 same-day full-service, Mon-Fri 7:30-18:00, Sat 8:00-12:00, closed Sun, tel. 0662/876-381).
Cinema: Das Kino is an art-house movie theater that plays films in their original language (a block off the river and Linzergasse on Steingasse, tel. 0662/873-100, www.daskino.at).
Smoking Policies: Conservative Austria has been slow to embrace the smoke-free movement. By law, big restaurants must offer smoke-free zones (and smoking zones, if they choose). Smaller places choose to be either smoking or non-smoking, indicated by red or green stickers on the door.
Market Days: Popular farmer’s markets pop up in the old town on Saturdays and in the new town on Thursdays. On summer weekends, a string of craft booths with fun goodies for sale stretches along the river.
Morning Joggers: Salzburg is a great place for running. Within minutes you can be huffing and puffing “The hills are alive...” in green meadows outside of town. The obvious best bets in town are through the Mirabell Gardens, along the riverbank’s pedestrian lanes.
Updates to This Book: For news about changes to this book’s coverage since it was published, see www.ricksteves.com/update.
By Bus: At machines and Tabak/Trafik shops, you can buy €1.90 single-ride tickets or a €4.20 day pass (Tageskarte) good for 24 hours (€2.30 and €5.20 from the driver, respectively). To get from the old town to the train station, catch bus #1 from the inland side of Hanuschplatz. From the other side of the river, find the Makartplatz/Theatergasse stop and catch bus #1, #3, #5, or #6. Bus info: www.svv-info.at, tel. 800-660-660.
By Bike: Salzburg is great fun for cyclists. The following two bike-rental shops offer 20 percent off to anyone with this book—ask for it: Top Bike rents bikes on the river next to the Staatsbrücke (€6/2 hours, €10/4 hours, €15/24 hours, usually daily April-June and Sept-Oct 10:00-17:00, July-Aug 9:00-19:00, closed Nov-March, easy return available 24/7, free helmets with this book, mobile 0676-476-7259, www.topbike.at, Sabine). A’Velo Radladen rents bikes in the old town, just outside the TI on Mozartplatz (€4.50/1 hour, €10/4 hours, €16/24 hours, more for electric or mountain bikes; daily 9:00-18:00, until 19:00 July-Aug, but hours unreliable, shorter hours off-season and in bad weather; passport number for security deposit, mobile 0676-435-5950, www.a-velo.at). Some of my recommended hotels and pensions also rent bikes, and several of the B&Bs on Moosstrasse have free loaner bikes for guests.
By Funicular and Elevator: The old town is connected to the top of the Mönchsberg mountain (and great views) via funicular and elevator. The funicular (Festungsbahn) whisks you up into the imposing Hohensalzburg Fortress (included in castle admission, goes every few minutes). The elevator (Mönchsberg Aufzug) on the west side of the old town lifts you to the recommended Gasthaus Stadtalm café and hostel, the Museum of Modern Art and its chic café, wooded paths, and more great views (€2 one-way, €3.20 round-trip, normally Mon 8:00-19:00, Tue-Sun 8:00-24:00).
By Buggy: The horse buggies (Fiaker) that congregate at Residenzplatz charge €36 for a 25-minute trot around the old town (www.fiaker-salzburg.at).
Walking Tours—Any day of the week, you can take a one-hour guided walk of the old town without a reservation—just show up at the TI on Mozartplatz and pay the guide. The tours are informative. While generally in English only, on slow days you may be listening to everything in both German and English (€9, daily at 12:15, Mon-Sat also at 14:00, tel. 0662/8898-7330). To save money, you can easily do it on your own using this chapter’s self-guided walk (or download a free Rick Steves audio tour of my walk to your mobile device).
Local Guides—Salzburg is home to over a hundred licensed guides. I have worked with three who are art historians and well worth recommending: Christiana Schneeweiss (“Snow White”) has been instrumental in both my guidebook research and my TV production in Salzburg, and has her own minibus for private tours outside of town (on foot: €135/2 hours, €160/3 hours; with minibus: €220/4 hours, €350-400/day, up to 6 people; mobile 0664-340-1757, other options explained at www.kulturtourismus.com, info@kultur-tourismus.com). Both Sabine Rath (mobile 0664-201-6492, www.tourguide-salzburg.com, info@tourguide-salzburg.com) and Anna Stellnberger (mobile 0664-787-5177, anna.stellnberger@aon.at) are excellent guides and a joy to learn from; they charge similar rates (€145/2 hours, €185/4 hours, €275/8 hours). Salzburg has many other good guides (to book, call 0662/840-406).
Boat Tours—City Cruise Line (a.k.a. Stadt Schiff-Fahrt) runs a basic 40-minute round-trip river cruise with recorded commentary (€14, 9/day July-Aug, 7/day May-June, fewer Sept-Oct and March-April, no boats Nov-Feb). For a longer cruise, ride to Hellbrunn and return by bus (€17, 1-2/day April-Oct). Boats leave from the old town side of the river just downstream of the Makartsteg bridge (tel. 0662/825-858, www.salzburghighlights.at). While views can be cramped, passengers are treated to a fun finale just before docking, when the captain twirls a fun “waltz.”
▲▲The Sound of Music Tours—I took one of these tours skeptically (as part of my research)—and had a great time. The bus tour version includes a quick but good general city tour, hits the S.O.M. spots (including the stately home used in the movie, flirtatious gazebo, and grand wedding church), and shows you a lovely stretch of the Salzkammergut Lake District. This is worthwhile for S.O.M. fans and those who won’t otherwise be going into the Salzkammergut. Warning: Many think rolling through the Austrian countryside with 30 Americans singing “Doe, a deer...” is pretty schmaltzy. Local Austrians don’t understand all the commotion.
You have plenty of S.O.M. options: big buses (heavy on the countryside around Salzburg, cannot go into old town), minibuses (a mix of town and countryside), and bike (best for the town and meadows nearby but doesn’t get you into the foothills of the Alps). Guides are generally native English-speakers—young, fun-loving, and entertaining.
Of the many companies doing the tour by bus, consider Bob’s Special Tours (usually uses a minibus) and Panorama Tours (big 50-seat bus). Each one provides essentially the same tour (in English with a live guide, 4 hours); with Bob’s you pay a little more for being in a smaller group, while Panorama offers a more predictable, professional experience. You’ll get a €5 discount from either if you book direct, mention Rick Steves, pay cash, and bring this book along (you’ll need to show them this book to get the deal). Getting a spot is simple—just call and make a reservation. Note: Your hotel will be eager to call to reserve for you—to get their commission—but if you let them do it, you won’t get the discount I’ve negotiated.
Minibus Option: Most of Bob’s Special Tours use an eight-seat minibus (and occasionally a 20-seat bus) and therefore have good access to old town sights, promote a more casual feel, and spend less time waiting to load and unload. As it’s a smaller operation, the quality of guides can be mixed (my readers have found some of their guides gruff or rude), and they may cancel with short notice if the tour doesn’t fill up. Conversely, during busy times it can fill up early—calling in advance increases your chances of getting a seat (€45 for adults, €5 discount with this book if you pay cash and book direct, €40 for kids over age 6 and students with ID, €35 for kids ages 0-6—includes required car seat but must reserve in advance, daily at 9:00 and 14:00 year-round, they’ll pick you up at your hotel for the morning tour, afternoon tours leave from Bob’s office along the river just east of Mozartplatz at Rudolfskai 38, tel. 0662/849-511, mobile 0664-541-7492, www.bobstours.com). Nearly all of Bob’s tours stop for a fun luge ride when the weather is dry (mountain bobsled-€4.50 extra, generally April-Oct, confirm beforehand). While the afternoon tour leaves promptly, you’ll waste up to 30 minutes on the morning tour doing the hotel pickups.
For a private minibus tour consider Christina Schneeweiss, who does an S.O.M. tour with more history and fewer jokes (€220, up to 6 people, see “Local Guides,” earlier).
Big-Bus Option: Panorama Tours depart from their smart kiosk at Mirabellplatz daily at 9:30 and 14:00 year-round (€37, €5 discount for S.O.M. tours with this book if you book direct and pay cash, book by calling 0662/874-029 or 0662/883-2110, or online at www.panoramatours.com). Many travelers appreciate their more businesslike feel, roomier buses, and higher vantage point. As they do not pick up at hotels, you won’t waste any time making the rounds before starting the tour.
Bike Tours by “Fräulein Maria”: For some exercise with your S.O.M. tour, you can meet your guide (likely a man) at the Mirabell Gardens (at Mirabellplatz 4, 50 yards to the left of palace entry). The main attractions that you’ll pass during the eight-mile pedal include the Mirabell Gardens, the horse pond, St. Peter’s Cemetery, Nonnberg Abbey, Leopoldskron Palace, and, of course, the gazebo. The tour is very family-friendly, and you’ll get lots of stops for goofy photo ops (€26 includes bike, €18 for kids ages 11-16, €12 for kids under age 11, €2 discount for adults and kids with this book, daily May-Sept at 9:30, June-Aug also at 16:30, allow 3.5 hours, reservations required only for afternoon tours, tel. 0650/342-6297, www.mariasbicycletours.com). For €8 extra (€20 per family), you’re welcome to keep the bike all day.
Both Bob’s and Panorama Tours also offer an extensive array of other day trips from Salzburg (e.g., Berchtesgaden/Eagle’s Nest, salt mines, Hallstatt, and Salzkammergut lakes and mountains).
Bob’s Special Tours offers two particularly well-designed day tours (both depart daily at 9:00; either one costs €90 with a €10 discount if you show this book and book direct, does not include entrance fees). Their Sound of Music /Hallstatt Tour first covers everything in the standard four-hour Sound of Music tour, then continues for a four-hour look at the scenic, lake-speckled Salzkammergut (with free time to explore charming Hallstatt). Bob’s Bavarian Mountain Tour covers the main things you’d want to do in and around Berchtesgaden (Königssee, Hitler’s mountaintop Eagle’s Nest, Obersalzberg Documentation Center, salt mine tour). Although you can do all the top Berchtesgaden sights on your own, Bob’s makes it easy for those without a car to see these sights in one busy day.
I’ve linked the best sights in the old town into this handy self-guided orientation walk. You can download a free Rick Steves audio tour of this walk to your mobile device.
• Begin in the heart of town, just up from the river, near the TI on...
MozartplatzAll the happy tourists around you probably wouldn’t be here if not for the man honored by this statue—Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. (Many consider this to be a terrible likeness.) The statue was erected in 1842 on the 50th anniversary of Mozart’s death, during a music festival that included his two sons (making this event, in a sense, the first Salzburg Festival). Mozart spent much of his first 25 years (1756-1777) in Salzburg, the greatest Baroque city north of the Alps. But the city itself is much older: The Mozart statue sits on bits of Roman Salzburg, and the pink Church of St. Michael that overlooks the square dates from A.D. 800. The first Salzburgers settled right around here. Near you is the TI (with a concert box office), and just around the downhill corner is a pedestrian bridge leading over the Salzach River to the quiet and most medieval street in town, Steingasse.
You may see lots of conservative Muslim families vacationing in Salzburg. While there are plenty of Muslims in Austria, most of the conservatively dressed women you’ll see here are generally from the United Arab Emirates. Lots of wealthy families from the Middle East come here in the summer to escape the heat back home, to enjoy a break from their very controlled societies, or for medical treatment. Nearby Munich is a popular destination for hospital visits, and the entire family usually joins in for sightseeing and shopping.
• Walk toward the cathedral and into the big square with the huge fountain.
ResidenzplatzImportant buildings have long ringed this square. Salzburg’s energetic Prince Archbishop Wolf Dietrich von Raitenau (who ruled 1587-1612) was raised in Rome, was a cousin of the influential Florentine Medici family, and had grandiose Italian ambitions for Salzburg. After a convenient fire destroyed the town’s cathedral, Wolf Dietrich set about building the “Rome of the North.” This square, with his new cathedral and palace, was the centerpiece of his Baroque dream city. A series of interconnecting squares—like you’ll see nowhere else—make a grand processional way, leading from here through the old town. As we stroll through this heart and soul of historic Salzburg, notice how easily we slip from noisy commercial streets to peaceful, reflective courtyards. Also notice the two dominant kinds of stone around town: a creamy red marble and a chunky conglomerate (see the cathedral’s exterior wall). The conglomerate was cheap—actually cut right out of the town’s little mountain. As you wander, enjoy the pedestrian-friendly peace and quiet. After 11:00 each morning, barrier stumps go up around the perimeter of the old town, keeping traffic out.
For centuries, Salzburg’s leaders were both important church officials and princes of the Holy Roman Empire, hence the title “prince archbishop”—mixing sacred and secular authority. But Wolf Dietrich misplayed his hand, losing power and spending his last five years imprisoned in the Hohensalzburg Fortress. (It’s a complicated story—basically, the pope counted on Salzburg to hold the line against the Protestants for several generations following the Reformation. Wolf Dietrich was a good Catholic, as were most Salzburgers. But the town’s important businessmen and the region’s salt miners were Protestant, and for Salzburg’s financial good, Wolf Dietrich dealt with them in a tolerant and pragmatic way. So the pope—who allowed zero tolerance for Protestants in those heady Counter-Reformation days—had Wolf Dietrich locked up and replaced.)
The fountain (completed in 1661) is as Italian as can be, with a Triton matching Bernini’s famous Triton Fountain in Rome. During the Baroque era, skilled Italian artists and architects were in high demand in central European cities such as Salzburg and Prague. Local artists even Italianized their names in order to raise their rates.
• Along the left side of Residenzplatz (as you face the cathedral) is the...
New (Neue) Residenz and GlockenspielThis former palace, long a government administration building, now houses the central post office, the Heimatwerk (a fine shop showing off all the best local handicrafts, Mon-Sat 9:00-18:00, closed Sun), and two worthwhile sights: the fascinating Salzburg Panorama 1829 exhibit; and the Salzburg Museum, which offers the best peek at the history of this one-of-a-kind city.
The famous glockenspiel rings atop the New Residenz. This bell tower has a carillon of 35 17th-century bells (cast in Antwerp) that chimes throughout the day and plays tunes (appropriate to the month) at 7:00, 11:00, and 18:00. A big barrel with adjustable tabs turns like a giant music-box mechanism, pulling the right bells in the appropriate rhythm. Notice the ornamental top: an upside-down heart in flames surrounding the solar system (symbolizing that God loves all of creation). Twice-weekly tours let you get up close to watch the glockenspiel action (€3, April-Oct Thu at 17:30 and Fri at 10:30, no tours Nov-March, meet in Salzburg Panorama 1829, just show up).
Look back, past Mozart’s statue, to the 4,220-foot-high Gaisberg—the forested hill with the television tower. A road leads to the top for a commanding view. Its summit is a favorite destination for local nature-lovers and strong bikers.
• Head to the opposite end of the square. This building is the...
Old (Alte) ResidenzAcross from the New Residenz is Wolf Dietrich’s palace, the Old Residenz, which is connected to the cathedral by an arched bridge. Its series of ornately decorated “stately rooms” (Prunkräume) is well-described in an included audioguide, which gives you a good feel for the wealth and power of the prince archbishop. Walking through 15 fancy rooms (all on one floor), you’ll see Renaissance, Baroque, and Classicist styles—200 years of let-them-eat-cake splendor.
Cost and Hours: €9, daily 10:00-17:00, tel. 0662/8042-2690, www.residenz-salzburg.at.
• Walk under the prince archbishop’s skyway and step into Domplatz (Cathedral Square), where you’ll find...
Salzburg Cathedral (Salzburger Dom)This cathedral, rated ▲▲, was one of the first Baroque buildings north of the Alps. It was consecrated in 1628, during the Thirty Years’ War. (Pitting Roman Catholics against Protestants, this war devastated much of Europe and brought most grand construction projects to a halt.) Experts differ on what motivated the determined builders: emphasizing Salzburg’s commitment to the Roman Catholic cause and the power of the Church here, or showing that there could be a peaceful alternative to the religious strife that was racking Europe at the time. Salzburg’s archbishop was technically the top papal official north of the Alps, but the city managed to steer clear of the war. With its rich salt production, it had enough money to stay out of the conflict and carefully maintain its independence from the warring sides, earning it the nickname “Fortified Island of Peace.”
Domplatz, the square in front of the cathedral, is surrounded by the prince archbishop’s secular administration buildings. The statue of Mary (from 1771) is looking away from the church, welcoming visitors. If you stand in the rear of the square, immediately under the middle arch, you’ll see that she’s positioned to be crowned by the two angels on the church facade.
The dates on the cathedral’s iron gates refer to milestones in the church’s history: In 774, the previous church (long since destroyed) was founded by St. Virgil, to be replaced in 1628 by the church you see today. In 1959, a partial reconstruction was completed, made necessary by a WWII bomb that had blown through the dome.
Cost and Hours: Free, but donation prominently requested; May-Sept Mon-Sat 9:00-19:00, Sun 13:00-19:00; March-April, Oct, and Dec closes at 18:00; Jan-Feb and Nov closes at 17:00; www.salzburger-dom.at.
Visiting the Cathedral: Enter the cathedral as if part of a festival procession—drawn toward the resurrected Christ by the brightly lit area under the dome, and cheered on by ceiling paintings of the Passion.
Built in just 14 years (1614-1628), the church boasts harmonious architecture. When Pope John Paul II visited in 1998, some 5,000 people filled the cathedral (330 feet long and 230 feet tall). The baptismal font (dark bronze, left of the entry) is from the previous cathedral (basin from about 1320, although the lid is modern). Mozart was baptized here (Amadeus means “beloved by God”). Concert and Mass schedules are posted at the entrance; the Sunday Mass at 10:00 is famous for its music (usually choral; more info at www.kirchen.net/dommusik).
The paintings lining the nave, showing events leading up to Christ’s death, are relatively dark. But the Old Testament themes that foreshadow Jesus’ resurrection, and the Resurrection scene painted at the altar, are well-lit. The church has never had stained glass—just clear windows to let light power the message.
The stucco, by a Milanese artist, is exceptional. Sit under the dome—surrounded by the tombs of 10 archbishops from the 17th century—and imagine all four organs playing, each balcony filled with musicians...glorious surround-sound. Mozart, who was the organist here for two years, would advise you that the acoustics are best in pews immediately under the dome. Study the symbolism of the decor all around you—intellectual, complex, and cohesive. Think of the altar in Baroque terms, as the center of a stage, with sunrays as spotlights in this dramatic and sacred theater.
In the left transept, stairs lead down into the crypt (Krypta), where you can see foundations of the earlier church, more tombs, and a tourist-free chapel (reserved for prayer) directly under the dome.
Other Cathedral Sights: The Cathedral Excavations Museum (Domgrabungsmuseum, outside the church on Residenzplatz and down the stairs) offers a chance to see the foundations of the medieval church, some Roman engineering, and a few Roman mosaics from (Roman) street level. It has the charm of an old basement garage; unless you’ve never seen anything Roman, I’d skip it (€2.50, July-Aug daily 9:00-17:00, closed Sept-June, www.salzburgmuseum.at).
The Cathedral Museum (Dom Museum) has a rich collection of church art (entry at portico, €6, mid-May-Oct and Dec Mon-Sat 10:00-17:00, Sun 11:00-18:00, closed Nov and Jan-mid-May, tel. 0662/8047-1870), www.kirchen.net/dommuseum.
• From the cathedral, exit left and walk toward the fortress into the next square.
KapitelplatzHead past the underground public WCs (€0.50) to the giant chessboard. It’s just under the golden orb topped by a man gazing up at the castle, trying to decide whether to walk up or shell out €11 for the funicular. Every year since 2002, a foundation has commissioned a different artist to create a new work of public art somewhere in the city; this is the piece from 2007.
Detour across the square to the fountain. This was a horse bath, the 18th-century equivalent of a car wash. Notice the puzzle above it—the artist wove the date of the structure into a phrase. It says, “Leopold the Prince Built Me,” using the letters LLDVICMXVXI, which total 1732 (add it up...it works)—the year it was built. Return to the chessboard and face away from the cathedral. Look for the arrow pointing to the Stieglkeller; here a small road leads uphill to the fortress (and fortress funicular). To the right is a gate with a sign that reads zum Peterskeller. Walk through this gate, which leads to a waterwheel and St. Peter’s Cemetery.
It’s fair to say that Salzburg is glorious in great part because of its clever use of its water. The waterwheel is part of a canal system that has brought water into Salzburg from Berchtesgaden, 15 miles away, since the 13th century. Climb up the steps to watch the inflow and imagine the thrill felt by medieval engineers harnessing this raw power. The stream was divided into smaller canals and channeled through town to provide fire protection, to flush out the streets (Thursday morning was flood-the-streets day), and to power factories. As late as the 19th century there were still more than 100 watermill-powered firms in Salzburg. Because of its water-powered hygiene (relatively good for the standards of the time), Salzburg never suffered from a plague—it’s probably the only Austrian town you’ll see with no plague monument. For more on the canal system, check out the Alm River Canal exhibit (at the exit of the funicular).
Before leaving, drop into the fragrant and traditional bakery at the waterfall, which sells various fresh rolls—both sweet and not, explained on the wall—for less than €1 (Mon-Tue 8:00-17:30, Thu-Fri 7:00-17:30, Sat 7:00-13:00, closed Wed and Sun). From here there’s a good view of the funicular climbing up to the castle.
• Now find the Katakomben sign and step into...
St. Peter’s CemeteryThis collection of lovingly tended mini-gardens abuts the Mönchberg’s rock wall.
Cost and Hours: Cemetery—free, silence is requested, daily April-Sept 6:30-19:00, Oct-March 6:30-18:00; www.stift-stpeter.at.
Visiting the Cemetery: Walk in about 50 yards to the intersection of lanes at the base of the cliff marked by a stone ball. You’re surrounded by three churches, each founded in the early Middle Ages atop a pagan Celtic holy site. St. Peter’s Church is closest to the stone ball. Notice the fine Romanesque stonework on the apse of the chapel nearest you, and the rich guys’ fancy Renaissance-style tombs decorating its walls. Wealthy as those guys were, they ran out of caring relatives. The graves surrounding you are tended by descendants of the deceased. In Austria, gravesites are rented, not owned. Rent bills are sent out every 10 years. If no one cares enough to make the payment, your tombstone is removed.
While the cemetery where the Von Trapp family hid out in The Sound of Music was a Hollywood set, it was inspired by this one. Look up the cliff. Legendary medieval hermit monks are said to have lived in the hillside—but “catacombs” they’re not. You can climb lots of steps to see a few old caves, a chapel, and some fine views (€1.50, entrance at far end of cemetery, visit takes 10 minutes).
Stroll past the stark Gothic funeral chapel (c. 1491) to the uphill corner of the cemetery, and follow the high lane back to see the finer tombs in the arcade. Tomb #XXXI belongs to the cathedral’s architect—forever facing his creation. Tomb #LIV, at the catacomb entry, is a chapel carved into the hillside, holding the tombs of Mozart’s sister and Joseph Haydn’s younger brother Michael, also a composer of note.
• Continue downhill through the cemetery and out the opposite end. Just outside, hook right and drop into...
St. Peter’s Church (Stiftskirche St. Peter)Just inside, enjoy a carved Romanesque welcome. Over the inner doorway, a fine tympanum shows Jesus on a rainbow flanked by Peter and Paul over a stylized Tree of Life and under a Latin inscription reading, “I am the door to life, and only through me can you find eternal life.” Enter the nave and notice how the once purely Romanesque vaulting has since been iced with a sugary Rococo finish. Salzburg’s only Rococo interior feels Bavarian (because it is—the fancy stucco work was done by Bavarian artists). Up the right side aisle is the tomb of St. Rupert, with a painting showing Salzburg in 1750 (one bridge, salt ships sailing the river, and angels hoisting barrels of salt to heaven as St. Rupert prays for his city). Salt was Salzburg’s white gold, granting the city enough wealth to maintain its independence as a prince-archbishopric for an entire millennium (798-1803). On pillars farther up the aisle are faded bits of 13th-century Romanesque frescoes. Similar frescoes hide under Rococo whitewash throughout the church.
Cost and Hours: Free, daily April-Oct 8:00-21:00, Nov-March 8:00-19:00, www.stift-stpeter.at.
• Leaving the church, notice on the left the Stiftskeller St. Peter restaurant—known for its Mozart Dinner Concert. Charlemagne ate here in the year 803, allowing locals to claim that it’s the oldest restaurant in Europe. Opposite where you entered the square (look through the arch), you’ll see St. Rupert holding his staff and waving you into the next square. Once there, you’re surrounded by early 20th-century Bauhaus-style dorms for student monks. Notice the modern crucifix (1926) painted on the far wall. Here’s a good place to see the two locally quarried stones (marble and conglomerate) so prevalent in all the town’s buildings.
Walk through the archway under the crucifix into...
ToscaninihofThis small courtyard is wedged behind the 1925 Festival Hall. The hall’s three theaters seat 5,000 (see a photo of the main theater ahead on the wall, at the base of the stairs). This is where, in The Sound of Music, Captain von Trapp nervously waits before walking onstage to sing “Edelweiss,” just before he escapes with his family. On the left is an entrance to the city’s 1,500-space, inside-the-mountain parking lot; ahead, behind the Felsenkeller sign, is a tunnel (generally closed) leading to the actual concert hall; and to the right is the backstage of a smaller hall where carpenters are often building stage sets (door open on hot days). The stairway leads a few flights up to a picnic perch with a fine view, and then up to the top of the cliff and the recommended Gasthaus Stadtalm café and hostel.
Walk downhill through the archway onto Max-Reinhardt-Platz. Pause here to survey the line of Salzburg Festival concert halls to your left. As the festival was started in the austere 1920s, the city remodeled existing buildings (e.g., the prince archbishop’s stables and riding school) for venues.
• Continue straight—passing the big church on your left, along with popular wurst stands and a public WC—into...
UniversitätsplatzThis square hosts an open-air produce market—Salzburg’s liveliest, though it’s pricey (mornings Mon-Sat, best on Sat). The market really bustles on Saturday mornings, when the farmers are in town.
Public marketplaces have fountains for washing fruit and vegetables. Bear left around the church and you’ll find the one here—a part of the medieval water system. The sundial (over the fountain’s drain) is accurate (except for the daylight savings hour) and two-dimensional, showing both the time (obvious) and the date (less obvious). The fanciest facade overlooking the square (the yellow one) is the backside of Mozart’s Birthplace (we’ll see the front soon).
• Continue past the fountain to the far end of the square. Most of the houses on your right have nicely arcaded medieval passages that connect the square to Getreidegasse, which runs parallel to Universitätsplatz. Just for fun, you could weave between this street and Getreidegasse several times, following these “through houses” as you work your way toward the cliff face ahead.
Mönchsberg Cliff FaceLook up—200 feet above you is the Mönchsberg, Salzburg’s mountain. Today you see the remains of an aborted attempt in the 1600s to cut through the Mönchsberg. It proved too big a job, and when new tunneling technology arrived, the project was abandoned. The stones cut did serve as a quarry for the city’s 17th-century growth spurt—the bulk of the cathedral, for example, is built of this economic and local conglomerate stone.
Early one morning in 1669, a huge landslide killed more than 200 townspeople who lived close to where the elevator is now (to the right). Since then the cliffs have been carefully checked each spring and fall. Even today, you might see crews on the cliff, monitoring its stability.
Across the busy road are giant horse troughs. Cross the street (looking left at the string of Salzburg Festival halls again) for a closer look. Paintings show the various breeds and temperaments of horses in the prince’s stable. Like Vienna, Salzburg had a passion for the equestrian arts.
• Turn right (passing a courtyard on your left that once housed a hospital for the poor, and now houses a toy museum and a museum of historic musical instruments), and then right again, which brings you to the start of a long and colorful pedestrian street. (At this point you could take a short side-trip up the mountain via the elevator—Mönchsberg Aufzug.)
GetreidegasseThis street, rated ▲▲, was old Salzburg’s busy, colorful main drag. It’s been a center of trade since Roman times (third century). It’s lined with Schmuck (jewelry) shops and other businesses. This is the burgher’s (secular) Salzburg. The buildings, most of which date from the 15th century, are tall for that age, and narrow, and densely packed. Space was tight here because such little land was available between the natural fortifications provided by the mountain and the river, and so much of what was available was used up by the Church. Famous for its old wrought-iron signs, the architecture on the street still looks much as it did in Mozart’s day—though much of its former elegance is now gone, replaced by chain outlets. Some doorways might be marked with the message “20 + C + M + B + 13.”
As you walk away from the cliffs, look up and enjoy the traditional signs indicating what each shop made or sold: Watch for spirits, bookmakers, a horn (indicating a place for the postal coach), brewery (the star for the name of the beer, Sternbräu—“Star Brew”), glazier (window-maker), locksmith, hamburgers, pastries, tailor, baker (the pretzel), pharmacy, and a hatter.
On the right at #39, Sporer serves up homemade spirits (€1.60/shot, Mon-Sat 9:30-17:00, closed Sun). This has been a family-run show for a century—fun-loving, proud, and English-speaking. Nuss is nut, Marille is apricot (typical of this region), the Kletzen cocktail is like a super-thick Baileys with pear, and Edle Brande are the stronger schnapps. The many homemade firewaters are in jugs at the end of the bar.
After noticing the building’s old doorbells—one per floor—continue down Getreidegasse. At #40, Eisgrotte serves good ice cream (€1/scoop). Across from Eisgrotte, a tunnel leads to the recommended Balkan Grill (signed as Bosna Grill), the local choice for the very best wurst in town. At #28, Herr Wieber, the iron- and locksmith, welcomes the curious. Farther along, you’ll pass McDonald’s (required to keep its arches Baroque and low-key).
The knot of excited tourists and salesmen hawking goofy gimmicks by #9 marks the home of Salzburg’s most famous resident: 
Mozart’s Birthplace (Geburtshaus)—the house where Mozart was born, and where he composed many of his early works.
At #3, dip into the passage and walk under a whalebone, likely once used to advertise the wares of an exotic import shop. Look up at the arcaded interior. On the right, at the venerable Schatz Konditorei, you can enjoy coffee under the vaults with your choice of top-end cakes and pastries.
With your back to the pastry shop, go straight ahead through the passage to Sigmund-Haffner-Gasse. Before heading right, look left to see the tower of the old City Hall at the end. The blue-and-white ball halfway up is an 18th-century moon clock. It still tells the phase of the moon.
• Go right, then take your first left to....
Alter MarktHere in Salzburg’s old marketplace, you’ll find the recommended Café Tomaselli. On the other side of the fountain, look for the fun Josef Holzermayr candy shop, and, next door, the beautifully old-fashioned Alte F.E. Hofapotheke pharmacy—duck in discreetly to peek at the Baroque shelves and containers (be polite—the people in line are here for medicine; no photography). Even in our fast-changing, modern age, the traditional soul of Salzburg—embraced by its citizens—lives on.
• Our walk is finished. From here, you can circle back to some of the old town sights (such as those in the New Residenz, described next); head up to the Hohensalzburg Fortress on the cliffs over the old town; or continue to some of the sights across the river. To reach those new town sights, head for the river, jog left (past the fast-food fish restaurant and free WCs), climb to the top of the Makartsteg pedestrian bridge, and follow my walking directions.
▲▲Salzburg Museum—This two-floor exhibit is the best in town for history. The included audioguide wonderfully describes the great artifacts in the lavish prince archbishop’s residence.
Cost and Hours: €7, €8.50 combo-ticket with Salzburg Panorama, includes audioguide, Tue-Sun 9:00-17:00, closed Mon, tel. 0662/620-8080, www.salzburgmuseum.at.
Visiting the Museum: The Salzburg Personalities exhibit fills the first floor with a charming look at Salzburg’s greatest historic characters—mostly artists, scientists, musicians, and writers who would otherwise be forgotten. The Kunsthalle in the basement shows off special exhibits.
But upstairs is the real reason to come. Here you’ll see lavish ceremonial rooms filled with an exhibit called The Salzburg Myth, which traces the city’s proud history, art, and culture since early modern times. The focus is on its quirky absolutist prince archbishop and its long-standing reputation as a fairy-tale “Alpine Arcadia.”
From the Salzburg Museum, the Panorama Passage (clearly marked from the entry) leads underground to the Salzburg Panorama (described next). This passage is lined with archaeological finds (Roman and early medieval), helping you trace the development of Salzburg from its Roman roots until today.
▲Salzburg Panorama 1829—In the early 19th century, before the advent of photography, 360-degree “panorama” paintings of great cities or events were popular. These creations were even taken on extended road trips. When this one was created, the 1815 Treaty of Vienna had just divvied up post-Napoleonic Europe, and Salzburg had become part of the Habsburg realm. This photo-realistic painting served as a town portrait done at the emperor’s request. The circular view, painted by Johann Michael Sattler, shows the city as seen from the top of its castle. When complete, it spent 10 years touring the great cities of Europe, showing off Salzburg’s breathtaking setting.
Today, the exquisitely restored painting, hung in a circular room, offers a fascinating look at the city in 1829. The river was slower and had beaches. The old town looks essentially as it does today, and Moosstrasse still leads into idyllic farm country. Your ticket also lets you see the temporary exhibitions in the room that surrounds the Panorama, which is part of the Salzburg Museum, but with a separate entrance and ticket counter.
Cost and Hours: €3, €8.50 combo-ticket with Salzburg Museum, open daily 9:00-17:00, Residenzplatz 9, tel. 0662/620-808-730, www.salzburgmuseum.at.
The Mozart family lived here for 26 years. Of the seven Mozart children born here, two survived. Wolfgang was born here in 1756. It was in this building that he composed most of his boy-genius works. Today it’s the most popular Mozart sight in town—for fans, it’s almost a pilgrimage. Shuffling through with all the crowds, you’ll peruse three floors of rooms with exhibits displaying paintings, letters, personal items, and lots of facsimiles, all attempting to bring life to the Mozart story. There’s no audioguide, but everything’s described in English.
Cost and Hours: €10, €17 combo-ticket includes Mozart’s Residence in the new town, daily 9:00-17:30, July-Aug until 20:00, Getreidegasse 9, tel. 0662/844-313, www.mozarteum.at.
Visiting Mozart’s Birthplace: Start by walking to the top floor, where you enter the Mozart family apartment—furnished only with the violin given to him at age six. This section introduces Mozart’s family, shows you the room where he was born, tells of his wife’s and children’s fates after his death, and tries to explain his enduring fame. Next is an exhibition on his life in Vienna, and a room of computer terminals with a wonderful program allowing you to see his handwritten scores and hear them performed at the same time (Mozart’s Residence, across town, has the same terminals). The middle floor includes a room of dioramas showing stage sets for Mozart’s operas and an old clavichord he supposedly composed on. (A predecessor of the more complicated piano, the clavichord’s keys hit the strings with a simple teeter-totter motion that allows you to play very softly—ideal for composers living in tight apartment quarters.) The lower-floor exhibit takes you on the road with the child prodigy, and gives a slice-of-life portrait of Salzburg during Mozart’s time, including a bourgeois living room furnished much as the Mozart family’s would have been.
If I had to choose between Mozart’s birthplace (Geburtshaus) and his residence (Wohnhaus), I’d go with the birthplace, since its exhibits are more extensive and educational. If you’re truly interested in Mozart and his times, take advantage of the combi-ticket and see both. If Mozart isn’t important to you, skip both museums and concentrate on the city’s other sights and glorious natural surroundings.
Atop the Mönchsberg—the mini-mountain that rises behind the old town—is a tangle of paved walking paths with great views, a hostel with a pleasant café/restaurant, a modern art museum, a neighborhood of very fancy homes, and one major sight (the Hohensalzburg Fortress, perched on the Festungsberg, the Mönchsberg’s southern arm). You can walk up from several points in town, including Festungsgasse (behind the cathedral), Toscaninihof, and the Augustiner Bräustübl beer garden. At the west end of the old town, the Mönchsberg elevator whisks you up to the top for a couple euros. The funicular directly up to the fortress is expensive, and worthwhile only if you plan to visit the fortress, which is included in the funicular ticket.
Construction of Hohensalzburg Fortress was begun by Archbishop Gebhard of Salzburg as a show of the Catholic Church’s power (see sidebar). Built on a rock (called Festungsberg) 400 feet above the Salzach River, this fortress was never really used. That’s the idea. It was a good investment—so foreboding, nobody attacked the town for nearly a thousand years. The city was never taken by force, but when Napoleon stopped by, Salzburg wisely surrendered. After a stint as a military barracks, the fortress was opened to the public in the 1860s by Habsburg Emperor Franz Josef. Today, it remains one of Europe’s mightiest castles, dominating Salzburg’s skyline and offering incredible views, as well as a couple mediocre museums.
Cost: You’ll pay to enter the castle, whether you reach the castle on foot (the walk is easier than it looks), or, for a couple euros more, by funicular.
On Foot: If you walk up to the fortress (or walk over from the Mönchsberg, reachable either by stairs from Toscaninihof or the elevator from the west end of Griesgasse/southern end of Gstättengasse), you’ll pay €7.80 to enter (at the fortress gate), which includes entry to the fortress grounds, all the museums inside, and your funicular ride down—whether you want it or not. Within one hour of the museums’ closing time, the entry price is reduced to €4.
Via Funicular: Most visitors enter the fortress by taking a one-minute trip on the funicular (Festungsbahn). The lower station is on Festungsgasse, which is just off Kapitelplatz, behind Salzburg’s cathedral. The top end of the funicular is inside the fortress complex. Your round-trip funicular ticket includes admission to the fortress grounds and all the museums inside—whether you want to see them or not (€11, €25.50 family ticket). If you board the funicular within one hour of the museums’ closing time (i.e., May-Sept after 18:00 or Oct-April after 16:00), you pay only €7.80, or €6.40 if you don’t want to take the funicular down; this is a good deal if you only want a glimpse of the museums. After the museums have closed, the funicular continues to run until about 21:30 (later if there’s a concert) and costs €3.80 round-trip, or €2.40 one-way.
Hours: The museums in the fortress are open daily May-Sept 9:00-19:00, Oct-April 9:30-17:00, tel. 0662/8424-3011. The grounds of the fortress stay open and the funicular continues to run even after the museums close—usually until about 21:30 or 22:00, especially when there’s a concert (300 nights a year).
Concerts: The fortress serves as a venue for evening concerts (the Festungskonzerte), which are held in the old banquet rooms on the upper floor of the palace museum. A concert is a good way to see the fortress at its quietest.
Eating: The cafés to either side of the upper funicular station are a great place to nibble on apple strudel while taking in the jaw-dropping view.
Self-Guided Tour: At the top of the funicular, most visitors turn left. Instead, head right and down the stairs to bask in the view to the south (away from town) toward the Alps, either from the café or the view terrace a little farther along. (You’ll enjoy superb city views later on this tour.)
• Once you’re done snapping photos, walk through the arches into the fortress courtyard. Your ticket lets you into two exhibits: The first is a tour of the fortifications, while the second is a historical museum inside the “palace” in the fortress courtyard. The courtyards themselves offer a few other things to see, as well as great views in several directions. Go left (uphill). From here, you’ll make a clockwise circuit around the courtyard. The first sight you’ll come to, labeled #1, is the...
Fortress Interior: Here you get to see a few rooms in the outer fortifications. Only 40 people are allowed in at a time, usually with an escort who gives a 30-minute commentary. While the interior furnishings are mostly gone—taken by Napoleon—the rooms themselves survived fairly well (no one wanted to live here after 1500, so the building was never modernized). Your tour includes a room dedicated to the art of “enhanced interrogation” (to use American military jargon)—filled with tools of that gruesome trade. The highlight is the commanding city view from the top of a tower. In summer, there can be a long wait to get in.
• Continue uphill to sight #2—the fortress’s “palace” (labeled Inneres Schloß). Immediately inside, visit the...
Marionette Exhibit: Two fun rooms show off this local tradition. Three videos play continuously: two with peeks at Salzburg’s ever-enchanting Marionette Theater performances of Mozart classics (described under “Music in Salzburg,” later) and one with a behind-the-scenes look at the action. Give the hands-on marionette a whirl.
• Head down the hall and up the stairs following Festungsmuseum signs to the...
Fortress Museum (Festungsmuseum): The lower floor of this spacious museum has exhibits on the history of the fortress, from music to torture. One room explains how they got all this stuff up here, while another has copies of the pencil sketches for the Salzburg Panorama (described earlier). On the top floor are three pretty ceremonial rooms, including the one where the evening concerts are held. (Check out the colorfully painted tile stove in the far room.) The rest of the top floor is given over to the Rainer Regiments Museum, dedicated to the Salzburg soldiers who fought mountain-to-mountain on the Italian front during World War I.
• Exit the museum and continue on out into the...
Fortress Courtyard: The courtyard was the main square for the medieval fortress’s 1,000-some residents, who could be self-sufficient when necessary. The square was ringed by the shops of craftsmen, blacksmiths, bakers, and so on. The well dipped into a rain-fed cistern. As you enter, look to your left to see the well-described remains of a recently excavated Romanesque chapel. The current church is dedicated to St. George, the protector of horses (logical for an army church) and decorated by fine red marble reliefs (c. 1502). Behind the church is the top of the old lift (still in use) that helped supply the fortress. Under the archway next to it are the steps that lead back into the city, or to the paths across the Mönchsberg.
• Near the chapel, turn left into the Kuenburg Bastion (once a garden) for fine city views.
Kuenburg Bastion: Notice how the fortress has three parts: the original section inside the courtyard, the vast whitewashed walls (built when the fortress was a residence), and the lower, beefed-up fortifications (added for extra defense against the expected Ottoman invasion). Survey Salzburg from here and think about fortifying an important city by using nature. The Mönchsberg (the cliffs to the left) and Festungsberg (the little mountain you’re on) naturally cradle the old town, with just a small gate between the ridge and the river needed to bottle up the place. The new town across the river needed a bit of a wall arcing from the river to its hill. Back then, only one bridge crossed the Salzach into town, and it had a fortified gate.
• Go back inside the fortress courtyard. Our tour is over. Either circle back to where you entered and ride the funicular down, or go through the archway and down the stairs if you prefer to hike back to town or along the top of the Mönchsberg (see “Mönchsberg Walk,” later). If you take the funicular down, don’t miss (at the bottom of the lift) the...
Alm River Canal Exhibit: At the base of the funicular, below the fortress, is this fine little exhibit on how the river was broken into five smaller streams—powering the city until steam took up the energy-supply baton. Pretend it’s the year 1200 and follow (by video) the flow of the water from the river through the canals, into the mills, and as it’s finally dumped into the Salzach River. (The exhibit technically requires a funicular ticket—but you can see it by slipping through the exit at the back of the amber shop, just uphill from the funicular terminal.)
▲Mönchsberg Walk—The paved, wooded walking path between the Mönchsberg elevator and the fortress is less than a mile long and makes for a great 30-minute hike. The mountain is small, and frequent signposts direct you between all the key points, so it’s hard to get lost. The views of Salzburg are the main draw, but there’s also a modern art museum, mansions to ogle, and a couple of places to eat or enjoy a scenic drink.
You can do this walk in either direction. (To save a few euros—and the climb—visit the fortress last: Take the Mönchsberg elevator, walk across to the fortress, pay the reduced entry price at the fortress gate, see the fortress, then take the funicular down—included in your fortress ticket.) The Mönchsberg elevator (Aufzug) starts from Gstättengasse/Griesgasse on the west side of the old town (€2 one-way, €3.20 round-trip, normally Mon 8:00-19:00, Tue-Sun 8:00-24:00).
You can also climb up and down under your own power; this saves a few more euros (no matter which direction you go). Paths or stairs lead up from the Augustiner beer hall, Toscaninihof (near the Salzburg Festival concert halls), and Festungsgasse (at the base of the fortress).
Cafés: The elevator deposits you right at Mönchsberg 32, a sleek modern café/bar/restaurant adjacent to the modern art museum and a fine place for a drink or bite (they serve breakfast until 16:00). From there, it’s a five-minute walk to the rustic Gasthaus Stadtalm café, with wooden picnic tables and a one-with-nature allure. Next to the Stadtalm is a surviving section of Salzburg’s medieval wall; pass under the wall and walk left along it to a tableau showing how the wall once looked.
Museum of Modern Art on Mönchsberg—The modern-art museum, which features temporary exhibits, is right at the top of the Mönchsberg elevator.
Cost and Hours: €8, Tue-Sun 10:00-18:00, closed Mon.
The following sights are across the river from the old town. I’ve connected them with walking instructions.
• Begin at the Makartsteg pedestrian bridge, where you can survey the...
Salzburg’s river is called “salt river” not because it’s salty, but because of the precious cargo it once carried—the salt mines of Hallein are just nine miles upstream. Salt could be transported from here all the way to the Danube, and on to the Mediterranean via the Black Sea. The riverbanks and roads were built when the river was regulated in the 1850s. Before that, the Salzach was much wider and slower moving. Houses opposite the old town fronted the river with docks and “garages” for boats. The grand buildings just past the bridge (with their elegant promenades and cafés) were built on reclaimed land in the late 19th century in the Historicist style of Vienna’s Ringstrasse.
Scan the cityscape. Notice all the churches. Salzburg, nicknamed the “Rome of the North,” has 38 Catholic churches (plus two Protestant churches and a synagogue). Find the five streams gushing into the river. These date from the 13th century, when the river was split into five canals running through the town to power its mills. The Stein Hotel (upstream, just left of next bridge) has a popular roof-terrace café. Downstream, notice the Museum of Modern Art atop the Mönchsberg, with a view restaurant and a faux castle (actually a water reservoir). The Romanesque bell tower with the green copper dome in the distance is the Augustine church, site of the best beer hall in town (the Augustiner Bräustübl).
• Cross the bridge, pass the recommended Café Bazar (a fine place for a drink), walk two blocks inland, and take a left past the heroic statues into...
The bubbly gardens laid out in 1730 for the prince archbishop have been open to the public since 1850 (thanks to Emperor Franz Josef, who was rattled by the popular revolutions of 1848). The gardens are free and open until dusk. The palace is open only as a concert venue (explained later). The statues and the arbor (far left) were featured in The Sound of Music. Walk through the gardens to the palace. Look back, enjoy the garden/cathedral/castle view, and imagine how the prince archbishop must have reveled in a vista that reminded him of all his secular and religious power. Then go around to the river-side of the palace and find the horse.
The rearing Pegasus statue (rare and very well-balanced) is the site of a famous Sound of Music scene where the kids all danced before lining up on the stairs with Maria (30 yards farther along). The steps lead to a small mound in the park (made of rubble from a former theater).
Nearest the horse, stairs lead between two lions to a pair of tough dwarfs (early volleyball players with spiked mittens) welcoming you to Salzburg’s Dwarf Park. Cross the elevated walk (noticing the city’s fortified walls) to meet statues of a dozen dwarfs who served the prince archbishop—modeled after real people with real fashions in about 1600. This was Mannerist art, from the hyper-realistic age that followed the Renaissance.
There’s plenty of music here, both in the park and in the palace. A brass band plays free park concerts (May-Aug Sun at 10:30). To properly enjoy the lavish Mirabell Palace—once the prince archbishop’s summer palace and now the seat of the mayor—get a ticket to a Schlosskonzerte (my favorite venue for a classical concert).
• Now go a long block southeast to Makartplatz, where, opposite the big and bright Hotel Bristol, you’ll find...
Mozart’s second home (his family moved here when he was 17) is less interesting than the house where he was born, but it’s also roomier, less crowded, and comes with an informative audioguide and a 30-minute narrated slideshow. The building, bombed in World War II, is a reconstruction.
Cost and Hours: €10, €17 combo-ticket includes Mozart’s Birthplace in the old town, daily 9:00-17:30, July-Aug until 20:00, allow at least one hour for visit, Makartplatz 8, tel. 0662/8742-2740, www.mozarteum.at. Behind the ticket desk is the free Ton und Filmsammlung, an archive of historic concerts on video (Mon-Tue and Fri 9:00-13:00, Wed-Thu 13:00-17:00, closed Sat-Sun).
Visiting Mozart’s Residence: The exhibit—seven rooms on one floor—starts in the main hall, which was used by the Mozarts to entertain Salzburg’s high society. Here, you can see the museum’s prize possession, Mozart’s very own piano. Notice the family portrait (c. 1780) on the wall, showing Mozart with his sister Nannerl, their father, and their mother—who’d died two years earlier in Paris. Mozart also had silly crude bull’s-eyes made for the pop-gun game popular at the time (licking an “arse,” Wolfgang showed his disdain for the mores of high society).
The rest of the seven rooms feature real artifacts that explore his loves, his intellectual pursuits, his travels, and his family life. At the end, the 30-minute slideshow runs twice an hour, with alternating German/English narration (confirm times when you enter, English usually starts around :40 after the hour).
This museum offers the same computer program as Mozart’s Birthplace does, allowing you to see handwritten scores scroll along while actually listening to the same music.
• From here, you can walk a few blocks back to the main bridge (Staatsbrücke), where you’ll find the Platzl, a square once used as a hay market. Pause to enjoy the kid-pleasing little fountain. Near the fountain (with your back to the river), Steingasse leads darkly to the right.
This street, a block in from the river, is wonderfully tranquil and free of Salzburg’s touristy crush. Inviting cocktail bars along here come alive at night.
The kid-pleasing fountain where Linzgasse meets Steingasse marks an important intersection: where the road to Vienna (Linzgasse) hit the road to Italy (Steingasse). From here traders and pilgrims would look across the river and see the impressive domed University Church (modeled after Vienna’s Karlskirche) and know they were entering an important place. Heading up dank, narrow Steingasse, you get a rare glimpse of medieval Salzburg. It’s not the church’s Salzburg of grand squares and Baroque facades, but the people’s Salzburg, of cramped quarters and humble cobbled lanes.
Stop at #9 and look across the river into the old town; this is where the city’s original bridge once connected Salzburg’s two halves. According to the plaque (of questionable veracity) at #9, this is where Joseph Mohr, who wrote the words to “Silent Night,” was born—poor and illegitimate—in 1792. There is no doubt, however, that the popular Christmas carol was composed and first sung in the village of Oberndorf, just outside of Salzburg, in 1818. Stairs lead from near here up to a 17th-century Capuchin monastery.
On the next corner, the wall is gouged out. This scar was left even after the building was restored, to serve as a reminder of the American GI who tried to get a tank down this road during a visit to the town brothel—two blocks farther up Steingasse. Within steps of here is the art cinema (showing movies in their original language) and three recommended bars.
At #19, find the carvings on the old door. Some say these are notices from beggars to the begging community (more numerous after post-Reformation religious wars, which forced many people out of their homes and towns)—a kind of “hobo code” indicating whether the residents would give or not. Trace the wires of the old-fashioned doorbells to the highest floors.
Farther on, you step through the old fortified gate (at #20) and find a commanding Salzburg view across the river. Notice the red dome marking the oldest nunnery in the German-speaking world (established in 712) under the fortress and to the left. The real Maria, who inspired The Sound of Music, taught in this nunnery’s school. In 1927, she and Captain von Trapp were married in the church you see here (not the church filmed in the movie). He was 47. She was 22. Hmmmm.
From here look back, above the arch you just passed through, and up at part of the town’s medieval fortification. The coat of arms on the arch is of the prince archbishop who paid Bavaria a huge ransom to stay out of the Thirty Years’ War (smart move). He then built this fortification (in 1634) in anticipation of rampaging armies from both sides.
Today, this street is for making love, not war. The Maison de Plaisir (a few doors down, at #24) has for centuries been a Salzburg brothel. But the climax of this walk is more touristic.
• For a grand view, head back to the Platzl and the bridge, enter the Stein Hotel (left corner, overlooking the river), and ride the elevator to...
This café offers one of the best views in town. Hidden from the tourist crush, it’s a trendy, professional, local scene. You can discreetly peek at the view, enjoy a drink or light meal, or come back later to gaze into the eyes of your travel partner as you sip a nightcap (small snacks, indoor/outdoor seating, daily 9:00-24:00).
• Back at the Platzl and the bridge, you can head straight up Linzergasse (away from the river) into a neighborhood packed with recommended accommodations, as well as our final new town sight, the...
Wander through this quiet oasis. Mozart is buried in Vienna, his mom’s in Paris, and his sister is in Salzburg’s old town (St. Peter’s)—but Wolfgang’s wife Constanze (“Constantia”) and his father Leopold are buried here (from the black iron gate entrance on Linzergasse, walk 17 paces and look left). When Prince Archbishop Wolf Dietrich had the cemetery moved from around the cathedral and put here, across the river, people didn’t like it. To help popularize it, he had his own mausoleum built as its centerpiece. Continue straight past the Mozart tomb to this circular building (English description at door). In the corner to the left of the entrance is the tomb of the Renaissance scientist and physician Paracelsus, best known for developing laudanum as a pain-killer.
Cost and Hours: Free, daily April-Oct 9:00-18:30, Nov-March 9:00-16:00, entry at Linzergasse 43 in summer; in winter go around the corner to the right, through the arch at #37, and around the building to the doorway under the blue seal.
▲▲Hellbrunn Castle and Gardens—In about 1610, Prince Archbishop Sittikus decided he needed a lavish palace with a vast and ornate garden purely for pleasure (I imagine after meditating on stewardship and Christ-like values). He built this summer palace and hunting lodge, and just loved inviting his VIP guests from throughout Europe for fun with his trick fountains. Today, Hellbrunn is a popular sight for its palace, formal garden (one of the oldest in Europe, with a gazebo made famous by The Sound of Music), amazing fountains, and the excuse it offers to simply get out of the city.
Cost and Hours: €9.50 ticket includes fountain tour and palace audioguide, daily May-Sept 9:00-17:30, July-Aug until 21:00—but tours from 18:00 on don’t include the castle (which closes in the evening), April and Oct-Nov 9:00-16:30, these are last tour times, closed Dec-March, tel. 0662/820-3720, www.hellbrunn.at.
Getting There: Hellbrunn is nearly four miles south of Salzburg.
By Bus: Bus #25 leaves from the train station and from the Staatsbrücke bridge (2-3/hour, 20 minutes).
By Bike: In good weather, the trip out to Hellbrunn makes for a pleasant 30-minute bike excursion (see “Riverside or Meadow Bike Ride,” later, and ask for a map when you rent your bike).
Visiting the Castle: Upon arrival, buy your fountain tour ticket and get a tour time. Tours generally go on the half-hour. The 40-minute English/German tours take you laughing and scrambling through a series of amazing 17th-century garden settings with lots of splashy fun and a guide who seems almost sadistic in the joy he has in soaking his group. (Hint: When you see a wet place, cover your camera.) If there’s a wait until your tour, you can see the palace first.
With the help of the included audioguide, wander through the palace exhibit to the sounds of shrieking fountain-taunted tourists below. The palace was built in a style inspired by the Venetian architect Palladio, who was particularly popular around 1600, and it quickly became a cultural destination. This was the era when the aristocratic ritual was to go hunting in the morning (hence the decor’s theme) and enjoy an opera in the evening. The first opera north of the Alps, imported from Italy, was performed here. The decor is Mannerist (between Renaissance and Baroque), with faux antiquities and lots of surprising moments—intentional irregularities were in vogue after the strict logic, balance, and Greek-inspired symmetry of the Renaissance. (For example, the main hall is not in the palace’s center, but at the far end.) The palace exhibit also explains the impressive 17th-century hydraulic engineering that let gravity power the intricate fountains.
After the fountain tour you’re free to wander the delightful garden and pop out to see the gazebo made famous by the “Sixteen Going On Seventeen” song from The Sound of Music.
▲▲Riverside or Meadow Bike Ride—The Salzach River has smooth, flat, and scenic bike lanes along each side (thanks to medieval tow paths—cargo boats would float downstream and be dragged back up by horses). On a sunny day, I can think of no more shout-worthy escape from the city.
Perhaps the most pristine, meadow-filled farm-country route is the nearly four-mile path along Hellbrunner Allee; it’s an easy ride with a worthy destination (Hellbrunn Castle, listed earlier): From the middle of town, head along the river on Rudolfskai, with the river on your left and the fortress on your right. After passing the last bridge at the edge of the old town (Nonntaler Brücke), cut inland along Petersbrunnstrasse, until you reach the university and Akademiestrasse. Beyond it find the start of Freisaalweg, which becomes the delightful Hellbrunner Allee bike path...which leads directly to the palace (paralleling Morzgerstrasse). For a nine-mile ride, continue on to Hallein (where you can tour a salt mine—see next listing; if heading to Hallein directly from Salzburg, head out from the north bank of the river, i.e. the new town side, which is more scenic).
Even a quickie ride across town is a great Salzburg experience. In the evening, the riverbanks are a world of floodlit spires. For bike rental information, see “Getting Around Salzburg—By Bike,” earlier.
▲Hallein Bad Dürrnberg Salt Mine (Salzbergwerke)—You’ll be pitched plenty of different salt-mine excursions from Salzburg, all of which cost substantial time and money. One’s plenty. This salt-mine tour (above the town of Hallein, 9 miles from Salzburg) is a good choice. Wearing white overalls and sliding down the sleek wooden chutes, you’ll cross underground from Austria into Germany while learning about the old-time salt-mining process. The tour entails lots of time on your feet as you walk from cavern to cavern, learning the history of the mine by watching a series of video skits with an actor channeling Prince Archbishop Wolf Dietrich. The visit also includes a “Celtic Village” open-air museum.
Cost and Hours: €18, allow 2.5 hours for the visit, daily April-Oct 9:00-17:00, Nov-March 10:00-15:00—these are last tour times, English-speaking guides—but let your linguistic needs be known loud and clear, tel. 06132/200-8511, www.salzwelten.at.
Getting There: The convenient Salz Erlebnis ticket from Salzburg’s train station covers your transport and admission in one money-saving round-trip ticket (€24, buy ticket at train station, no discount with railpass; covers train to Hallein, then 11-minute ride on bus #41 to salt mines in Bad Dürrnberg, runs hourly, check schedules when buying tickets).
Hangar-7—This purpose-built hangar at the Salzburg airport houses the car-and-aircraft collection of Dietrich Mateschitz, the flamboyant founder of the Red Bull energy-drink empire. Under the hangar’s modern steel-and-glass dome are 20 or so glittering planes and racecars, plus several pretentious bars, cafés, and restaurants, all designed to brandish the Red Bull “culture.” To learn about what’s on display you can borrow an iPod Touch with English information, or get information on the iPads posted by each exhibit.
Mateschitz is Salzburg’s big personality these days: He has a mysterious mansion at the edge of town, sponsors the local “Red Bull” soccer and hockey teams, owns several chic Salzburg eateries and cocktail bars, and employs 6,000 mostly good-looking people. He seems much like the energy drink that made him rich and powerful—a high-energy, anything’s-possible cultural Terminator.
Cost and Hours: Free, daily 9:00-22:00, bus #8 from Hanuschplatz to the Salzburg airport, www.hangar-7.com.
Eating: At the hangar, the Mayday Bar serves experimental food, and Restaurant Ikarus features a different well-known chef each month. (Mateschitz’s recommended Carpe Diem cocktail bar, in the old town, is also Red Bullish.)
Each summer, from late July to the end of August, Salzburg hosts its famous Salzburg Festival, founded in 1920 to employ Vienna’s musicians in the summer. This fun and festive time is crowded—a total of 200,000 tickets are sold to festival events annually—but there are usually plenty of beds (except for a few August weekends). Events take place primarily in three big halls: the Opera and Orchestra venues in the Festival House, and the Landes Theater, where German-language plays are performed. Tickets for the big festival events are generally expensive (€50-600) and sell out well in advance (bookable from January). Most tourists think they’re “going to the Salzburg Festival” by seeing smaller non-festival events that go on during the festival weeks. For these lesser events, same-day tickets are normally available (the ticket office on Mozartplatz, in the TI, prints a daily list of concerts and charges a 30 percent fee to book them). For specifics on this year’s festival schedule and tickets, visit www.salzburgfestival.at.
Music lovers in town during the festival who don’t have tickets (or money) can still enjoy Festival Nights, a free series showing videos of previous festival performances, projected on a big screen on Kapitelplatz (behind the cathedral). It’s a fun scene, with plenty of folding chairs and a food circus of temporary eateries; schedules are posted next to the screen.
Salzburg is busy throughout the year, with 2,000 classical performances in its palaces and churches annually. Pick up the events calendar at the TI (free, bimonthly). I’ve never planned in advance, and I’ve enjoyed great concerts with every visit. Whenever you visit, you’ll have a number of concerts (generally small chamber groups) to choose from. Here are some of the more accessible events:
Concerts at Hohensalzburg Fortress (Festungskonzerte)—Nearly nightly concerts—Mozart’s greatest hits for beginners—are held atop Festungsberg, in the “prince’s chamber” of the fortress, featuring small chamber groups (open seating after the first six more expensive rows, €31 or €38 plus €3.80 for the funicular; at 19:30, 20:00, or 20:30; doors open 30 minutes early, reserve at tel. 0662/825-858 or via www.salzburghighlights.at, pick up tickets at the door). The medieval-feeling chamber has windows overlooking the city, and the concert gives you a chance to enjoy the grand city view and a stroll through the castle courtyard. For €51, you can combine the concert with a four-course dinner (starts 2 hours before concert). The downside: Hearing Baroque music in an incongruously Gothic setting is not ideal.
Concerts at the Mirabell Palace (Schlosskonzerte)—The nearly nightly chamber music concerts at the Mirabell Palace are performed in a lavish Baroque setting. They come with more sophisticated programs and better musicians than the fortress concerts...and Baroque music flying around a Baroque hall is a happy bird in the right cage (open seating after the first five pricier rows, €29-35, usually at 20:00—but check flier for times, doors open one hour ahead, tel. 0662/848-586, www.salzburger-schlosskonzerte.at).
“Five O’Clock Concerts” (5-Uhr-Konzerte)—These concerts are cheaper, since they feature young artists. While the series is formally named after the brother of Joseph Haydn, it offers music from various masters. Performances are generally chamber music with a string trio playing original 18th-century instruments. On my last visit, the concerts were still being held next to St. Peter’s Church in the old town—but they may relocate in 2014 (€12-15, mid-June-mid-Sept Tue and Thu at 17:00, no concerts in off-season, 45-60 minutes, tel. 0662/8445-7619, www.5-uhr-konzerte.com).
Mozart Piano Sonatas—St. Peter’s Abbey hosts these concerts each weekend. This short (45-minute) and inexpensive concert is ideal for families (€18, €9 for children, €45 for a family of four, Fri and Sat at 19:00 year-round, in the abbey’s Romanesque Hall—a.k.a. Romanischer Saal, mobile 0664-423-5645).
Marionette Theater—Salzburg’s much-loved marionette theater offers operas with spellbinding marionettes and recorded music. A troupe of 10 puppeteers—actors themselves—brings the artfully created puppets at the end of their five-foot strings to life. The 180 performances a year alternate between The Sound of Music and various German-language operas (with handy superscripts in English). While the 300-plus-seat venue is forgettable, the art of the marionettes enchants adults and children alike (€24-35, May-Sept nearly nightly at 17:00 or 19:30, near Mozart’s Residence at Schwarzstrasse 24, tel. 0662/872-406, www.marionetten.at). For a sneak preview, check out the videos playing at the marionette exhibit up in the fortress.
Mozart Dinner Concert—For those who’d like some classical music but would rather not sit through a concert, the recommended Stiftskeller St. Peter restaurant offers a traditional candlelit meal with Mozart’s greatest hits performed by a string quartet and singers in historic costumes gavotting among the tables. In this elegant Baroque setting, tourists clap between movements and get three courses of food (from Mozart-era recipes) mixed with three 20-minute courses of crowd-pleasing music—structured much as such evenings were in Baroque-era times (€54, €9 discount for Mozart-lovers who book direct with this book, nightly at 20:00, dress is “smart casual,” call to reserve at 0662/828-695, www.mozartdinnerconcert.com).
Music at Mass—Each Sunday morning, three great churches offer a Mass, generally with glorious music. The Salzburg Cathedral is likely your best bet for fine music to worship by, and many Masses are followed by a free organ concert (10:00 Mass, music program at www.kirchen.net/dommusik). Nearby (just outside Domplatz, with the pointy green spire), the Franciscan church is the locals’ choice and is enthusiastic about its musical Masses (at 9:00, www.franziskanerkirche-salzburg.at—click on “Programm”). St. Peter’s Church sometimes has music (at 10:15, www.stift-stpeter.at—click on “Kirchenmusik”). For more, see the Salzburg events guide (available at TIs) for details.
Free Brass Band Concert—A traditional brass band plays in the Mirabell Gardens (May-Aug Sun at 10:30).
Finding a room in Salzburg, even during its music festival (mid-July-Aug), is usually easy. Rates always rise significantly (20-30 percent) during the music festival, during Advent (four weeks leading up to Christmas, when street markets are at full blast) and usually around Easter. Unless otherwise noted, these higher “festival” prices do not appear in the ranges I’ve listed. Many places charge 10 percent extra for a one-night stay.
These listings, clustering around Linzergasse, are in a pleasant neighborhood a 15-minute walk from the train station (for directions, see “Arrival in Salzburg,” earlier) and a 10-minute walk to the old town. If you’re coming from the old town, simply cross the main bridge (Staatsbrücke) to the mostly traffic-free Linzergasse. If driving, exit the highway at Salzburg-Nord, follow Vogelweiderstrasse straight to its end, and turn right. Parking is easy at the nearby Mirabell-Congress garage (€15/day, your hotel may be able to get you a €1-2 discount, Mirabellplatz).
$$$ Altstadthotel Wolf-Dietrich, around the corner from Linzergasse on pedestrians-only Wolf-Dietrich-Strasse, is well-located (half its rooms overlook St. Sebastian Cemetery). With 40 tastefully plush rooms—a third of them in an annex across the street—it projects a big-hotel feeling, but has small-hotel prices (roughly Sb-€80, Db-€120, rates vary with demand, family deals, readers of this book get a 10 percent discount on prevailing price—insist on this discount deducted from whatever price is offered that day, non-smoking, elevator, free Internet access and Wi-Fi, annex rooms have air-con, pool with loaner swimsuits, sauna, free DVD library, Wolf-Dietrich-Strasse 7, tel. 0662/871-275, fax 0662/871-2759, www.salzburg-hotel.at, office@salzburg-hotel.at).
$$ Hotel Trumer Stube, well-located three blocks from the river just off Linzergasse, has 20 clean rooms and is run by the Hirschbichler family (Sb-€65, Db-€105, Tb-€128, Qb-€147; for best prices, email and ask for the best Rick Steves cash-only rate; breakfast with a personal touch-€7.50 extra, non-smoking, elevator, free Wi-Fi, look for the flower boxes at Bergstrasse 6, tel. 0662/874l, fax 0662/874-326, www.trumer-stube.at, info@trumer-stube.at; mom and daughter are both named Marianne).
$$ Hotel Goldene Krone, about five blocks from the river, is plain and basic, with 20 big, creaky, and well-kept rooms. Back-facing rooms are quieter than the streetside ones. Stay a while in their pleasant cliffside garden (Sb-€69, Db-€119, Tb-€159, Qb-€189, claim your 15 percent discount off these prices with this book, elevator, free Wi-Fi in common areas, Linzergasse 48, tel. 0662/872-300, fax 0662/8723-0066, www.hotel-goldenekrone.com, office@hotel-goldenekrone.com, Günther Hausknost). Günther also offers tours (€10/person, 2 hours, 5 people minimum).
$$ Hotel Schwarzes Rössl is a university dorm that becomes a student-run hotel each July, August, and September. The location couldn’t be handier. It looks like a normal hotel from the outside, and its 50 rooms, while a bit spartan, are as comfortable as a hotel on the inside (S-€46, Sb-€60, D-€76, Db-€92, Tb-€120, ask for Rick Steves discount, good breakfast, free Internet access and Wi-Fi in common areas, no rooms rented Oct-June, just off Linzergasse at Priesterhausgasse 6, tel. 0662/874-426, www.academiahotels.at, schwarzes.roessl@academiahotels.at).
$$ Institute St. Sebastian is in a somewhat sterile but very clean historic building next to St. Sebastian Cemetery. From October through June, the institute houses female students from various Salzburg colleges and also rents 40 beds for travelers (men and women). From July through September, the students are gone, and they rent all 100 beds (including 20 twin rooms) to travelers. The building has spacious public areas, a roof garden, a piano that guests are welcome to play, and some of the best rooms and dorm beds in town for the money. The immaculate doubles come with modern baths and head-to-toe twin beds (S-€37, Sb-€45, D-€58, Db-€72, Tb-€87, Qb-€98, includes simple breakfast, elevator, all bedrooms are non-smoking, free cable Internet in rooms, pay Wi-Fi in common areas, self-service laundry-€4/load, Oct-June reception closed 12:00-16:00—call to arrange key pickup if arriving after 21:00, Linzergasse 41, enter through arch at #37, tel. 0662/871-386, fax 0662/8713-8685, www.st-sebastian-salzburg.at, office@st-sebastian-salzburg.at). Students like the €21 bunks in 4- to 10-bed dorms (€1.50 less if you have sheets, no lockout, free lockers, free showers). You’ll find self-service kitchens on each floor (fridge space is free; request a key). If you need parking, request it well in advance.
These two similar hotels are about five blocks farther from the river on Rupertgasse—a breeze for drivers but with more street noise than the places on Linzergasse. They’re both modern and well-run, with free on-site parking, making them good values if you don’t mind being a 15-20-minute walk from the old town.
$$ Bergland Hotel is charming and classy, with 18 comfortable neo-rustic rooms. It’s a modern building, spacious and solid (Sb-€65, Db-€105, Tb-€125, non-smoking, elevator, pay Internet access, free Wi-Fi, Rupertgasse 15, tel. 0662/872-318, fax 0662/872-3188, www.berglandhotel.at, office@berglandhotel.at, Kuhn family).
$$ Hotel Jedermann, a few doors down, is simpler and larger. It’s tastefully done and comfortable, with an artsy painted-concrete ambience, a backyard garden, and 30 rooms (Sb-€65, Db-€95, Tb-€120, Qb-€160, non-smoking, elevator, cable Internet in rooms, Wi-Fi in common areas, free Internet access, Rupertgasse 25, tel. 0662/873-2410, fax 0662/873-2419, www.hotel-jedermann.com, office@hotel-jedermann.com, Herr und Frau Gmachl).
These three hotels are perfectly located near Residenzplatz. While this area is car-restricted, your hotel can give you a code that lets you drive in to unload, pick up a map and parking instructions, and head for the €14-per-day garage in the mountain (punch the code into the gate near Mozartplatz). You can’t actually drive into the narrow Goldgasse, but you can park to unload at the end of the street.
$$$ Gasthaus zur Goldenen Ente is in a 600-year-old building with medieval stone arches and narrow stairs on a pedestrian street in old Salzburg. Located above a good restaurant, most of its 22 rooms are modern and newly renovated—ask for one when you book. Ulrike, Franziska, and Anita run a tight ship for the absentee owners (Sb-€100, Db-€125; festival rates Sb-€125, Db-€160; extra person-€40, non-smoking, elevator, free Internet access and Wi-Fi, Goldgasse 10, tel. 0662/845-622, fax 0662/845-6229, www.ente.at, hotel@ente.at).
$$$ Hotel am Dom, across from the Goldenen Ente, offers 15 chic, upscale rooms, some with their original wood-beam ceilings (Sb-€100-180, standard Db-€120-260, “superior” Db-€140-280, rates vary with demand, air-con, non-smoking, elevator, free Internet access, cable Internet and Wi-Fi available, Goldgasse 17, tel. 0662/842-765, fax 0662/8427-6555, www.hotelamdom.at, office@hotelamdom.at).
$$ Hotel Weisse Taube has 30 comfortable rooms in a quiet dark-wood 14th-century building, well-located about a block off Mozartplatz (Sb-€69-94, Db with shower-€104-139, bigger Db with bath-€119-185, higher prices are during festival, 10 percent discount with this book if you reserve direct and pay cash, elevator, pay Internet access and Wi-Fi, tel. 0662/842-404, fax 0662/841-783, Kaigasse 9, www.weissetaube.at, hotel@weissetaube.at).
The Institute St. Sebastian, listed earlier, also has cheap dorm beds.
$ Gasthaus Stadtalm (a.k.a. the Naturfreundehaus) is a local version of a mountaineers’ hut and a great budget alternative. Snuggled in a forest on the remains of a 15th-century castle wall atop the little mountain overlooking Salzburg, it has magnificent town and mountain views. While the 22 beds are designed-for-backpackers basic, the price and view are the best in town—with the right attitude, it’s a fine experience (€19/person in 4- and 6-bed dorms, one double-bedded D-€43; includes breakfast, sheets, and shower; non-smoking, free Wi-Fi, recommended café, lockers, 2 minutes from top of Mönchsberg elevator, Mönchsberg 19C, tel. & fax 0662/841-729, www.stadtalm.at, info@diestadtalm.com, Peter). Once you’ve dropped your bags here, it’s a five-minute walk down the cliffside stairs into Toscaninihof, in the middle of the old town (path always lit).
$ Jugendgästehaus Salzburg, just steps from the center of the old town, is nevertheless removed from the bustle. While its dorm rooms are the standard crammed-with-beds variety—and the hallways will bring back high-school memories—the doubles and family rooms are modern, roomy, and bright, and the public spaces are quite pleasant (bed in 8-person dorm-€24; Db-€80-120; includes breakfast and sheets, free Internet access and Wi-Fi, The Sound of Music plays daily, bike rental-€10/day or €6/half-day, parking-€5/day, just around the east side of the castle hill at Josef-Preis-Allee 18; from train station, take bus #5 or #25 to the Justizgebäude stop, then head left one block along the bushy wall, cross Petersbrunnstrasse, find shady Josef-Preis-Allee, and walk a few minutes to the end—the hostel is the big orange/green building on the right; tel. 05/708-3613, fax 05/708-3611, www.jufa.eu/salzburg, salzburg@jufa.eu).
$ International Youth Hotel, a.k.a. the “Yo-Ho,” is the most lively, handy, and American of Salzburg’s hostels. This backpacker haven is a youthful and easygoing place that speaks English first; has cheap meals, 186 beds, lockers, tour discounts, and no curfew; plays The Sound of Music free daily at 19:00; runs a lively bar; and welcomes anyone of any age. The noisy atmosphere and lack of a curfew can make it hard to sleep (€18-21/person in 4- to 8-bed dorms, €21-22 in dorms with bathrooms, D-€60, Ds-€75, T-€66, Q-€75, Qs-€87, includes sheets, breakfast-€3.50, pay Internet access, free Wi-Fi, laundry-€4 wash and dry, 6 blocks from station toward Linzergasse and 6 blocks from river at Paracelsusstrasse 9, tel. 0662/879-649, www.yoho.at, office@yoho.at).
If you want plush furnishings, spacious public spaces, generous balconies, gardens, and free parking, consider the following places. These two modern hotels in nondescript residential neighborhoods are a fine value if you don’t mind the 15-minute walk from the old town. While not ideal for train travelers, drivers in need of no-stress comfort for a home base should consider these.
$$$ Hotel Rosenvilla, close to the river, offers 15 rooms with bright furnishings, surrounded by a leafy garden (Sb-€79-108, Db-€135-165, bigger Db-€145-199, Db suite-€168-255, higher prices are during festival, no elevator, free Wi-Fi, Höfelgasse 4, tel. 0662/621-765, fax 0662/625-2308, www.rosenvilla.com, hotel@rosenvilla.com).
$$$ Haus Arenberg, higher up opposite the old town, rents 17 big, breezy rooms—most with generous balconies—in a quiet garden setting (Sb-€85-104, Db-€135-159, Tb-€159-175, Qb-€165-185, higher prices are during festival, no elevator, free Wi-Fi, electric bikes-€12/day, Blumensteinstrasse 8, tel. 0662/640-097, fax 0662/640-0973, www.arenberg-salzburg.at, info@arenberg-salzburg.at, family Leobacher).
These are generally roomy and comfortable, and come with a good breakfast, easy parking, and tourist information. Off-season, competition softens prices. While they are a bus ride from town, with a €4.20 transit day pass (Tageskarte) and the frequent service, this shouldn’t keep you away. In fact, many homeowners will happily pick you up at the train station if you simply telephone them and ask. Most will also do laundry for a small fee for those staying at least two nights. I’ve listed prices for two nights or more—if staying only one night, expect a 10 percent surcharge. Most push tours and concerts to make money on the side. As they are earning a commission, if you go through them, you’ll probably lose the discount I’ve negotiated for my readers who go direct.
The busy street called Moosstrasse, which runs southwest of the Mönchsberg (behind the mountain and away from the center old town), is lined with farmhouses offering rooms. Handy bus #21 connects Moosstrasse to the center frequently (Mon-Fri 4/hour until 19:00, Sat 4/hour until 17:00, evenings and Sun 2/hour, 20 minutes). To get to these pensions from the train station, take any bus heading toward the center to Makartplatz, where you’ll change to #21. If you’re coming from the old town, catch bus #21 from Hanuschplatz, just downstream of the Staatsbrücke bridge near the Tabak kiosk. Buy a €1.90 Einzelkarte-Kernzone ticket (for one trip) or a €4.20 Tageskarte (day pass, good for 24 hours) from the streetside machine and punch it when you board the bus. The bus stop you use for each place is included in the following listings. If you’re driving from the center, go through the tunnel, continue straight on Neutorstrasse, and take the fourth left onto Moosstrasse. Drivers exit the autobahn at Süd and then head in the direction of Grodig. Each place can recommend a favorite Moosstrasse eatery (Reiterhof, at #151, is particularly popular).
$$ Pension Bloberger Hof, while more a hotel than a pension, is comfortable and friendly, with a peaceful, rural location and 20 farmer-plush, good-value rooms. It’s the farthest out, but reached by the same bus #21 from the center. Inge and her daughter Sylvia offer a 10 percent discount to those who have this book, reserve direct, and pay cash (Sb-€60-75, Db-€75, big new Db with balcony-€100-110, Db suite-€120-130, higher prices are during festival, extra bed-€20, 10 percent extra for one-night stays, family apartment with kitchen, non-smoking, free Internet access and Wi-Fi, restaurant for guests, free loaner bikes, free station pickup if staying 3 nights, Hammerauer Strasse 4, bus stop: Hammerauer Strasse, tel. 0662/830-227, fax 0662/827-061, www.blobergerhof.at, office@blobergerhof.at).
$$ Haus Reichl, with two good rooms at the end of a long lane, feels peaceful and remote (but may close in 2013). Franziska offers free loaner bikes for guests (20-minute pedal to the center) and bakes fresh cakes most days (Db-€60-64, Tb-€75-84, Qb-€92-104, higher prices are during festival, cash preferred, in-room tea/coffee, non-smoking, no Internet access, between Ballwein and Bankhammer B&Bs, 200 yards down Reiterweg to #52, bus stop: Gsengerweg, tel. & fax 0662/826-248, www.privatzimmer.at/haus-reichl, haus.reichl@telering.at).
$ Frau Ballwein offers eleven cozy, charming, and fresh rooms in a delightful, family-friendly farmhouse. Some rooms come with intoxicating-view balconies (Sb-€38-45, Db-€55-65, Tb-€75-85, Qb-€85-95, 2-bedroom apartment for up to 5 people-€95-110, higher prices are during festival, no surcharge for one-night stays, cash only, farm-fresh breakfasts amid her hanging teapot collection, non-smoking, free Wi-Fi, 2 free loaner bikes, free parking, Moosstrasse 69a, bus stop: Gsengerweg, tel. & fax 0662/824-029, www.haus-ballwein.at, haus.ballwein@gmx.net).
$ Helga Bankhammer rents four nondescript rooms in a farmhouse, with a real dairy farm out back (D-€48, Db-€52, no surcharge for one-night stays, family deals, non-smoking, no Internet access, laundry-about €7/load, Moosstrasse 77, bus stop: Marienbad, tel. & fax 0662/830-067, www.privatzimmer.at/helga.bankhammer, bankhammer@aon.at).
Salzburg boasts many inexpensive, fun, and atmospheric eateries. Most of these restaurants are centrally located in the old town, famous with visitors but also enjoyed by locals.
Gasthaus zum Wilden Mann is the place if the weather’s bad and you’re in the mood for a hearty, cheap meal at a shared table in one well-antlered (and non-smoking) room. Notice the century-old flood photos on the wall. For a quick lunch, get the Bauernschmaus, a mountain of dumplings, kraut, and peasant’s meats (€12). While they have a few outdoor tables, the atmosphere is all indoors, and the menu is not great for hot-weather food. Owner Robert—who runs the restaurant with Schwarzenegger-like energy—enjoys fostering a convivial ambience, encouraging strangers to share tables, and serving fresh traditional cuisine at great prices. I simply love this place (€8.50 two-course lunch specials, €9-13 daily specials posted on the wall, kitchen open Mon-Sat 11:00-21:00, closed Sun, 2 minutes from Mozart’s Birthplace, enter from Getreidegasse 22 or Griesgasse 17, tel. 0662/841-787).
Stiftskeller St. Peter has been in business for more than 1,000 years—it was mentioned in the biography of Charlemagne. It’s classy and high-end touristy, serving uninspired traditional Austrian cuisine (€14-26 main courses, daily 11:30-22:30, indoor/outdoor seating, next to St. Peter’s Church at foot of Mönchsberg, tel. 0662/841-268). They host the Mozart Dinner Concert.
St. Paul’s Stub’n Beer Garden is tucked secretly away under the fortress with a decidedly untouristy atmosphere. The food is better than at beer halls, and a young, bohemian-chic clientele fills its two troll-like rooms and its idyllic tree-shaded garden. Kasnock’n is a tasty mountaineers’ pasta with cheese served in an iron pan with a side salad for €9—it’s enough for two. Reservations are smart (€9-17 main courses, Mon-Sat 17:00-22:00, open later for drinks only, closed Sun, Herrengasse 16, tel. 0662/843-220, Bernard).
Zirkelwirt serves cheese dumplings and modern Mediterranean, Italian, and Austrian dishes, and always has a daily special (chalked on the board). It’s an old Gasthaus dining room with a medieval tiki-hut terrace a block off Mozartplatz, yet a world away from the tourism of the old town. While the waitstaff, music, and vibe feel young, it attracts Salzburgers of all ages (€9-14 main courses, nightly 17:00-24:00, Pfeifergasse 14, tel. 0662/843-472).
Café Tomaselli (with its Kiosk annex and terrace seating across the way) has long been Salzburg’s top place to see and be seen. While pricey, it is good for lingering and people-watching. Tomaselli serves light meals and lots of drinks, keeps long hours daily, and has fine seating on the square, a view terrace upstairs, and indoor tables. Despite its fancy inlaid wood paneling, 19th-century portraits, and chandeliers, it’s surprisingly low-key (€3-7 light meals, daily 7:00-21:00, until 22:00 during music festival, until 20:00 Nov-March, Alter Markt 9, tel. 0662/844-488).
Saran Essbar is the product of hardworking Mr. Saran (from the Punjab), who cooks and serves with his heart. This delightful little eatery casts a rich orange glow under medieval vaults. Its fun menu is small (Mr. Saran is committed to both freshness and value), mixing Austrian (great schnitzel and strudel), Italian, and Asian vegetarian, and always offering salads (€10-16 main courses, daily 11:00-15:00 & 17:00-22:00, often open later, a block off Mozartplatz at Judengasse 10, tel. 0662/846-628).
Vietnam Pho 18, fragrant with fresh cilantro, is where the Nguyen family dishes up Vietnamese noodle soups and other Asian standards in a six-table restaurant a long block from the cathedral (€8 main courses, eat in or take out, Sat-Thu 11:30-15:00 & 17:00-20:00, Fri 11:30-15:00, Kapitelgasse 11, mobile 0660-257-5588).
Bar Club Café Republic, a hip hangout for local young people opposite the base of the Mönchsberg elevator, feels like a theater lobby during intermission. It serves good food both outdoors and in (with both smoking- and non-smoking rooms inside). It’s ideal if you want something mod, untouristy, and un-wursty (Asian and international menu, €9-15 main courses, lots of hard drinks, open daily 8:00-late, trendy breakfasts served 8:00-18:00, Sun brunch with live music 10:00-14:00, music with a DJ Fri and Sat from 23:00, salsa dance club Tue night from 21:00—no cover, Anton-Neumayr-Platz 2, tel. 0662/841-613).
Afro Cafe, between Getreidegasse and the Mönchsberg elevator, is a hit with local students. Its agenda: to put a fun spin on African cuisine (adapted to European tastes). It serves tea, coffee, cocktails, and tasty food with a dose of ’70s funk and a healthy sense of humor. The menu includes pan-African specialties—try the spicy chicken couscous—as well as standard salads (€7 weekday lunch specials, €10-15 main courses, Mon-Sat 9:00-24:00, closed Sun, between Getreidegasse and cliff face at Bürgerspitalplatz 5, tel. 0662/844-888).
Carpe Diem is a project by the local Donald Trump, Red Bull tycoon Dietrich Mateschitz. Salzburg’s beautiful people, fueled by Red Bull, present themselves here in the chic ground-floor café and trendy “lifestyle bar,” which serves quality cocktails and fine finger food in cones. Upstairs is a restaurant boasting a Michelin star (restaurant closed Sun, otherwise whole place open daily 8:30-late, Getreidegasse 50, tel. 0662/848-800).
Riding the Mönchsberg elevator from the west end of the old town up to the clifftop deposits you near two very different eateries: the chic Mönchsberg 32 at the modern art museum, and the Gasthaus Stadtalm Café at the funky old mountaineers’ hut—each with commanding city views.
Mönchsberg 32 is a sleek, modern café/bar/restaurant overlooking Salzburg from the top of the Mönchsberg elevator. Even if you’re not hiking anywhere, this makes for a great place to enjoy a drink and the view (daily 9:00-24:00, closed Mon off-season, popular breakfast place daily 9:00-16:00, buy a one-way elevator ticket—they give customers a free pass to descend, tel. 0662/841-000).
Gasthaus Stadtalm Café, in Salzburg’s mountaineers’ hut, sits high above the old town on the edge of the cliff with cheap prices, good traditional food, and great views. If hiking across the Mönchsberg, make this a stop (€10-12 main dishes, €9-10 salads, cliff-side garden seating or cozy-mountain-hut indoor seating—one indoor view table is booked for a decade of New Year’s celebrations, daily 10:00-18:00, June-Aug until 23:00, hours are weather-dependent, 5 minutes from top of Mönchsberg elevator, also reachable by stairs from Toscaninihof, Mönchsberg 19C, tel. 0662/841-729, Peter).
Fisch Krieg Restaurant, on the river where the fishermen used to sell their catch, is a great value. They serve fast, fresh, and inexpensive fish in a casual dining room—where trees grow through the ceiling—as well as great riverside seating (€2.30 fishwiches to go, €7.50 self-serve main courses, salad bar, Mon-Fri 8:30-18:30, Sat 8:30-13:00, closed Sun, Hanuschplatz 4, tel. 0662/843-732).
Toscana Cafeteria Mensa is the students’ lunch canteen, fast and cheap—with indoor seating and a great courtyard for sitting outside with students and teachers instead of tourists. Choose between two daily soup- and main-course specials, each around €5 (Mon-Thu 8:30-17:00, Fri 8:30-15:00, hot meals served 11:00-13:30 only, closed Sat-Sun, behind the Old Residenz, in the courtyard opposite Sigmund-Haffner-Gasse 16).
Sausage stands (Würstelstände) serve the town’s favorite “fast food.” The best stands (like those on Universitätsplatz) use the same boiling water all day, which gives the weenies more flavor. The Salzburgers’ favorite spicy sausage is sold at the 60-year-old Balkan Grill, run by chatty Frau Ebner (€3; survey the five spicy options—described in English—and choose a number; takeaway only, steady and sturdy local crowd, daily 11:00-19:00, hours vary with demand, hiding down the tunnel at Getreidegasse 33 across from Eisgrotte).
Picnics: Picnickers will appreciate the well-stocked Billa supermarket at Griesgasse 19a, just across the street from the recommended Fisch Krieg Restaurant (Mon-Fri 7:15-19:30, Sat 7:15-18:00, closed Sun). The bustling morning produce market (Mon-Sat, closed Sun) on Universitätsplatz, behind Mozart’s Birthplace, is fun, but expensive.
Augustiner Bräustübl, a huge 1,000-seat beer garden within a monk-run brewery in the Kloster Mülln, is rustic and raw. On busy nights, it’s like a Munich beer hall with no music but the volume turned up. When it’s cool outside, you’ll enjoy a historic setting inside beer-sloshed and smoke-stained halls. On balmy evenings, it’s like a Renoir painting—but with beer breath—under chestnut trees. Local students mix with tourists eating hearty slabs of schnitzel with their fingers or cold meals from the self-serve picnic counter, while children frolic on the playground kegs. For your beer: Pick up a half-liter or full-liter mug, pay the lady (schank means self-serve price, bedienung is the price with waiter service), wash your mug, give Mr. Keg your receipt and empty mug, and you will be made happy. Waiters only bring beer; they don’t bring food—instead, go up the stairs, survey the hallway of deli counters, and assemble your own meal (or, as long as you buy a drink, you can bring in a picnic). Classic pretzels from the bakery and spiraled, salty radishes make great beer even better. For dessert—after a visit to the strudel kiosk—enjoy the incomparable floodlit view of old Salzburg from the nearby Müllnersteg pedestrian bridge and a riverside stroll home (open daily 15:00-23:00, Augustinergasse 4, tel. 0662/431-246).
Getting There: It’s about a 15-minute walk along the river (with the river on your right) from the Staatsbrücke bridge. After passing the Müllnersteg pedestrian bridge, just after Café am Kai, follow the stairs up to a busy street, and cross it. From here, either continue up more stairs into the trees and around the small church (for a scenic approach to the monastery), or stick to the sidewalk as it curves around to Augustinergasse. Either way, your goal is the huge yellow building. Don’t be fooled by second-rate gardens serving the same beer nearby.
Spicy Spices is a trippy vegetarian-Indian restaurant where Suresh Syal (a.k.a. “Mr. Spicy”) serves tasty curry and rice, samosas, organic salads, vegan soups, and fresh juices. It’s a namaste kind of place, where everything’s proudly organic (€6.50 specials served all day, €8 with soup or salad, Mon-Fri 10:30-21:30, Sat-Sun 12:00-21:30, takeout available, Wolf-Dietrich-Strasse 1, tel. 0662/870-712).
Biergarten die Weisse, close to the hotels on Rupertgasse and away from the tourists, is a longtime hit with the natives. If a beer hall can be happening, this one—modern yet with antlers—is it. Their famously good beer is made right there; favorites include their fizzy wheat beer (Weisse) and their seasonal beers (on request). Enjoy the beer with their good, cheap traditional food in the great garden seating, or in the wide variety of indoor rooms—sports bar, young and noisy, or older and more elegant (€10-13 main courses, Mon-Sat 10:00-24:00, closed Sun, Rupertgasse 10, east of Bayerhamerstrasse, tel. 0662/872-246).
Café Bazar, overlooking the river between the Mirabell Gardens and the Staatsbrücke bridge, is as close as you’ll get to a Vienna coffee house in Salzburg. Their outdoor terrace is a venerable spot for a classy drink with an Old-Town-and-castle view (light meals, Mon-Sat 7:30-23:00, Sun 9:00-18:00, Schwarzstrasse 3, tel. 0662/874-278).
For a fun post-concert activity, drop in on a couple of atmospheric bars along medieval Steingasse. This is a local and hip scene—yet is accessible to older tourists: dark bars filled with well-dressed Salzburgers lazily smoking cigarettes and talking philosophy to laid-back tunes (no hip-hop). These four places are all within about 100 yards of each other. Start at the Linzergasse end of Steingasse. As they are quite different, survey all before choosing your spot (all open until the wee hours).
Pepe Cocktail Bar, with Mexican decor and Latin music, serves Mexican snacks con cocktails (nightly 19:00-3:00 in the morning, live DJs Fri-Sat from 19:00, Steingasse 3, tel. 0662/873-662).
Saiten Sprung wins the “Best Atmosphere” award. After midnight, the door is kept closed to keep out the crude and rowdy. Just ring the bell and enter its hellish interior—lots of stone and red decor, with mountains of melted wax beneath age-old candlesticks and an ambience of classic ’70s and ’80s music. Stelios, who speaks English with Greek charm, serves cocktails and fine wine, though no food (nightly 21:00-4:00 in the morning, Steingasse 11, tel. 0662/881-377).
Fridrich, just next door, is an intimate little place under an 11th-century vault, with lots of mirrors and a silver ceiling fan. Bernd Fridrich is famous for his martinis and passionate about Austrian wines, and has a tattered collection of vinyl that seems hell-bent on keeping the 1970s alive. Their Yolanda cocktail (grapefruit and vodka) is a favorite. He and his partner Ferdinand serve little dishes designed to complement the focus on socializing and drinking, though their €12 “little of everything dish” can be a meal for two (€5-12 plates, Thu-Mon from 18:00 in summer, from 17:00 in winter, closed Wed, Steingasse 15, tel. 0662/876-218).
Selim’s Bar, with cozy seating both inside and out, has a cool, conversation-friendly atmosphere with mellow music (Mon-Sat 17:00-late, also open Sun in summer and during festival, across street from cinema at Steingasse 10, mobile 0664-433-844).
Salzburg’s train station, located so close to the German border, is covered not just by Austrian railpasses, but German ones as well—including the Bayern-Ticket.
From Salzburg by Train to: Berchtesgaden (roughly hourly, 1-1.5 hours, change in Freilassing, faster and prettier by bus—see below), Reutte (every two hours, 4.5-5.5 hours, quickest with changes in Garmisch and Munich), Hallstatt (hourly, 50 minutes to Attnang-Puchheim, 20-minute wait, then 1.5 hours to Hallstatt; also works well by bus—see below), Innsbruck (hourly, direct, 2 hours), Vienna (3/hour, 2.75-3 hours), Munich, Germany (2/hour, 1.5-2 hours), Nürnberg, Germany (hourly with change in Munich, 3 hours), Ljubljana, Slovenia (6/day, 4.25-5 hours, some with change in Villach), Prague, Czech Republic (8/day, 6.5-7.5 hours, 1-2 changes, no decent overnight connection), Interlaken, Switzerland (9/day, 7.5-8 hours, 2-3 changes), Florence, Italy (4/day, 8.5-9 hours, 2 changes, overnight options), Venice, Italy (7/day, 7-8 hours, 2-3 changes). Train info: Tel. 051-717 (to get an operator, dial 2, then 2), www.oebb.at.
To reach Berchtesgaden, bus #840 is easier than the train (almost hourly Mon-Fri, 6/day Sat-Sun, 45 minutes, buses leave across from Salzburg train station and also stop in Mirabellplatz and near Mozartplatz).
The bus trip to Hallstatt via Bad Ischl is cheaper, more scenic (with views of the Wolfgangsee), and no slower than the train via Attnang-Puchheim—but the bus trip isn’t covered by railpasses (bus #150 to Bad Ischl—Mon-Fri nearly hourly at :15 past the hour, fewer buses Sat-Sun, 1.5 hours, leaves from platform F outside Salzburg train station, also stops at Mirabellplatz and Hofwirt, tel. 0810-222-333, www.postbus.at; at Bad Ischl station, change to the train—25-minute ride to Hallstatt, then ride the boat across the lake—or continue by bus to the Lahn section of Hallstatt with a change in Gosaumühle).