Things to do in Salzburg
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Eisriesenwelt
Billed as the world’s largest accessible ice caves, Eisriesenwelt is a glittering ice empire spanning 30,000 sq m and 42km of narrow passages burrowing deep into the heart of the mountains. Even if it’s hot outside, entering the caves in any season is like stepping into a deep freeze – bring warm clothing and sturdy footwear.
A tour through these Narnia-esque chambers of blue ice is a unique experience. As you climb up wooden steps and down pitch-black passages, with carbide lamps aglow, otherworldly ice sculptures shaped like polar bears and elephants, frozen columns and lakes emerge from the shadows. A highlight is the cavernous Eispalast (ice palace), where the…
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Il Sole
The wood-fired pizza at this authentic trattoria is delicious. The smiley Italian owner starred on the German TV series DasTraumschiff (Love Boat), and the evidence is plastered all over the walls in the entrance.
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Fürst
Pistachio, nougat and dark chocolate dreams, the Mozartkugeln (Mozart balls) here are still handmade to Paul Fürst’s original 1890 recipe and cost €1 per mouthful. Other specialities include cube-shaped Bach Würfel – coffee, nut and marzipan truffles dedicated to yet another great composer.
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The Original Sound of Music Tour in Salzburg
4 hours (Departs Salzburg, Austria)
by Viator
The hills are alive with The Original Sound of Music Tour in Salzburg. Enjoy a day trip visiting the breathtaking landscapes and locations where the famous…Not LP reviewed
from USD$48.09 -
Schloss Hellbrunn
An archbishop with a wicked sense of humour, Markus Sittikus built the yellow-painted Schloss Hellbrunn in the 17th century as a pleasure palace and an escape vault from his functions at Residenz. The Italianate villa became a wild retreat for rulers of state who flocked here to eat, drink and generally be merry. It was a Garden of Eden to all who beheld its exotic fauna, citrus trees and trick fountains – designed to sober up quaffing clerics without dampening their spirits. Domenico Gisberti, poet to the court of Munich, once penned: ‘I see the epitome of Venice in these waters, Rome reduced to a brief outline.’
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Festung Hohensalzburg
Salzburg's most visible icon is this mighty 900-year-old cliff-top fortress, one of the biggest and best preserved in Europe. It's easy to spend half a day up here, roaming the ramparts for far-reaching views over the city's spires, the Salzach River and mountains. The fortress is a steep 15-minute jaunt from the centre or a speedy ride in the glass Festungsbahn funicular.
The fortress began life as a humble bailey, built in 1077 by Gebhard von Helffenstein at a time when the Holy Roman Empire was at loggerheads with the papacy. The present structure, however, owes its grandeur to spendthrift Leonard von Keutschach, prince-archbishop of Salzburg from 1495 to 1519 and the…
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Afro Café
Hot-pink walls, butterfly chairs, artworks made from beach junk and big hair…this afro-chic cafe is totally groovy. Staff keep the good vibes and food coming – think springbok in a sesame-coriander crust on lentils and lemongrass-zucchini cake.
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Pferdeschwemme
Designed by Fischer von Erlach in 1693, this is a horse-lover's delight, with rearing equine pin-ups surrounding Michael Bernhard Mandl's statue of a horse tamer.
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Mozarts Geburtshaus
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Salzburg's most famous son, was born in this bright yellow townhouse in 1756 and spent the first 17 years of his life here. Today's museum harbours a collection of instruments, documents and portraits. Highlights include the mini-violin he played as a toddler, plus a lock of his hair and buttons from his jacket. In one room, Mozart is shown as a holy babe beneath a neon blue halo – we'll leave you to draw your own analogies…
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Saran Essbar
Eat under the vaults or on the pocket-sized terrace at this Austro-Indian restaurant, run by the smiley Mr Saran. This is the only place in Salzburg where you'll find Bengali fish curry, schnitzel and strudel on the same menu.
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Stadtkrug Hallein
Tables fill quickly at midday at this bustling, wood-beamed Gasthaus. If it's warm, pull up a chair beside the trickling fountain on the square for an enormous schnitzel or plate of goulash.
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Mozart-Wohnhaus
Tired of the cramped living conditions on Getreidegasse, the Mozart family moved to this more spacious abode in 1773, where a prolific Mozart composed works such as the Shepherd King (K208) and Idomeneo (K366). Emanuel Schikaneder, a close friend of Mozart and the librettist of The Magic Flute, was a regular guest here. An audio guide accompanies your visit, serenading you with opera excerpts. Alongside family portraits and documents, you’ll find Mozart’s original fortepiano.
Under the same roof and included in your ticket is the Mozart Ton-und Filmmuseum, a film and music archive of interest to the ultra-enthusiast, with some 25,000 audiovisual recordings.
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Salzwelten
The sale of salt filled Salzburg’s coffers during its princely heyday. At Austria’s biggest show mine, you can slip into a boiler suit to descend to the bowels of the earth. The tour aboard a rickety train passes through a maze of claustrophobic passageways, over the border to Germany and down a 27m slide – don’t brake, lift your legs and ask the guide to wax for extra speed! After crossing a salt lake on a wooden raft, a 42m slide brings you to the lowest point (210m underground) and back to good old Austria. Guided tours depart every half-hour. Bus 41 runs from Hallein train station hourly on weekdays, less often at weekends.
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Salzburg Persönlich
On the 1st floor of the Salzburg Museum, Salzburg Persönlich offers fascinating insight into the characters that have shaped the city's history, including the alchemist Paracelsus and performer Richard Mayr; kids love to watch the birdie-style camera that takes nostalgic portrait shots you can send home by email.
Upstairs, prince-archbishops glower down from the walls at Mythos Salzburg, which celebrates the city as a source of artistic and poetic inspiration over the ages. Be sure to glimpse Carl Spitzweg's renowned Sonntagsspaziergang (Sunday Stroll) painting and the home-videos of Asian tourists giving their unique take on Salzburg.
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Burg Hohenwerfen
Slung high on a wooded clifftop and cowering beneath the majestic peaks of the Tennengebirge range, Burg Hohenwerfen is visible from afar. For 900 years this fortress has kept watch over the Salzach Valley, its current appearance dating to 1570. The big draw is the far-reaching view over Werfen from the 16th-century belfry, though the dungeons (displaying the usual nasties such as the iron maiden and thumb screw) are also worth a look. The entry fee also covers a falconry show in the grounds (11.15am and 2.15pm or 3.15pm), where falconers in medieval costume release eagles, owls, falcons and vultures to wheel in front of the ramparts. There is commentary in English and…
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Keltenmuseum
Overlooking the Salzach, the glass-fronted Keltenmuseum runs chronologically through the region's heritage in a series of beautiful vaulted rooms. It begins with Celtic artefacts, including Asterix-style helmets, an impressively reconstructed chariot and a selection of bronze brooches, pendants and buckles. The 1st floor traces the history of salt extraction in Hallein, featuring high points such as a miniature slide and the mummified Mannes im Salz (man in salt) unearthed in 1577. There is a pamphlet with English explanations (€2.50).
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Eagles Nest in Berchtesgaden Tour from Salzburg
4 hours 30 minutes (Departs Salzburg, Austria)
by Viator
Visit Kehlsteinhaus, better known as Hitler's retreat, the Eagles Nest, on this day trip to Bavaria. Journey through spectacular scenery along the Konigsee…Not LP reviewed
from USD$68.88 -
Mozart Concert and Dinner at Stiftskeller in Salzburg
2 hours 30 minutes (Departs Salzburg, Austria)
by Viator
Dine at the oldest restaurant in Europe, Stiftskeller St. Peter, while listening to the music of Mozart. Enjoy a delicious three course candlelit dinner,…Not LP reviewed
from USD$70.18 -
Salzburg Super Saver: Original Sound of Music and Salt Mines Day Trip
8 hours (Departs Salzburg, Austria)
by Viator
Salzburg Super Saver combines two half-day trips into one memorable day offering great value for money. Start the morning with a tour through the Bavarian…Not LP reviewed
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Stiftskirche St Peter
A Frankish missionary named Rupert founded this abbey church and monastery in around 700, making it the oldest in the German-speaking world. Though a vaulted Romanesque portal remains, today’s church is overwhelmingly baroque, with rococo stucco, statues – including one of archangel Michael shoving a crucifix through the throat of a goaty demon – and striking altar paintings by Martin Johann Schmidt.
Take a stroll around the cemetery, where the graves are mini works of art with their intricate stonework and filigree wrought-iron crosses. Composer Michael Haydn (1737–1806), opera singer Richard Mayr (1877–1935) and renowned Salzburg confectioner Paul Fürst (1856–1941)…
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Museum
Perched atop Mönchsberg, this white-marble, oblong-shaped museum stands in stark contrast to the fortress. The futuristic glass-and-concrete reels in art aficionados with its rotating exhibitions of 20th- and 21st-century works. While you’re up here, enjoy an espresso and fabulous views on the panoramic terrace of M32, or nip into James Turrell’s cylindrical Sky Space to while away the hours gazing up at the sky.
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Wasserspiele
Today, Hellbrunn attracts the giggling tourist masses in summer; most are here for the fabulously eccentric Wasserspiele. Be prepared to get very wet as you wander past stone lions, cherubs and statues that drench you with water when you least expect it. For a right good soaking, step inside the mother-of-pearl Neptune Grotto or gaze up to admire the 200 limewood figurines at the water-driven Mechanical Theatre. Tours run every 30 minutes.
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Schloss Mirabell
Prince-Archbishop Wolf Dietrich built this splendid palace in 1606 to impress his beloved mistress Salome Alt. It must have done the trick because she went on to bear the archbishop some 15 children; sources disagree on the exact number – poor Wolf was presumably too distracted by spiritual matters to keep count himself. Johann Lukas von Hildebrandt, of Schloss Belvedere fame, remodelled the palace in baroque style in 1721. The lavish baroque interior, replete with stucco, marble and frescos, is free to visit. The Marmorsaal (Marble Hall) provides a sublime backdrop for evening chamber concerts.
The flowery parterres, rose gardens and leafy arbours are less overrun…
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Burg Mauterndorf
The centrepiece of the village Mauterndorf is medieval Burg Mauterndorf. Dominating a rocky outcrop, this 13th-century castle was built by the archbishops of Salzburg on the site of a Roman fort. The castle now houses a regional museum and provides the backdrop for various cultural events. It is believed that in the Middle Ages the main road passed directly through the castle courtyard and tolls were extracted from road users.
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Original Sound of Music Private Tour
4 hours (Departs Salzburg, Austria)
by Viator
Enjoy a personalized day out including hotel transfers and your very own vehicle for 4 hours! Your driver/guide will meet you up at your Salzburg accommodation…Not LP reviewed
from USD$48.74