Salzburg, Austria

Salzburg, Austria, is the birth place of composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. A little over 2 hours by train from Vienna, Salzburg is a vibrant, high-class city. Rich in history, architecture, and museums, Salzburg is also known for music (both classical and modern) and, of course, beer. The historic center of town is a UNESCO World Heritage site and is filled with horse-drawn carriages and street performers. One thing to note if you are traveling on a budget, this City is expensive. Stores are high-end, restaurants are pricey, and accommodations will set you back. We addressed this by cooking primarily in our Air BnB, selecting just a few museums, and spending more time hiking urban parks and enjoying the streets and architecture by foot.

Things To-Do

Makartsteg Bridge: Also known as "Love Lock Bridge," this pedestrian bridge crosses the Salzach River. During our visit, there was a lovely market and art show along the pedestrian path immediately adjacent to the bridge.

Urban Hike: Starting at the Felixpforte gateway just outside our AirBnB is urban hike to the Kapuzinerberg, a 640 meter mountain. After passing the Capuchin monastery, make your way up to the top to the vista-point. Our photo of Prague Castle (right) is taken from the top of this city park.

Mirabel Palace & Mozart's Home: Built in 1606, and later redesigned in 1640, Mirabel Palace's Baroque architecture and lovely garden grounds are centrally located and accessible on foot. We stopped here on our way to see Mozart's home (not pictured here). Admission is free at the Palace. Mozart's birthplace and museum at 12 Euros per person is somewhat of an expensive couple of hours but if you love music history, it is worth seeing this museum's large collection of Mozart artifacts.

Fortress Hohensalzburg. This is the large medieval castle that dominates the skyline in Salzburg. Construction began in 1077 and thereafter went through several additions and changes throughout it's 900 year history. Admission is 12.9 Euros per person if you walk up the hill by foot, which we did. Admission is 16.30 Euros to add the funicular ride up and down the hill. The foot path leading up to the grounds is lovely. Once inside, the audio tour will take you through some interesting exhibits, including a medieval armor collection and a torture chamber for good old fashion shock value.

Saint Peter's Abbey, DomQuartier Salzburg, and Residenzplatz: By foot, we visited these three places, all of which provided a no-cost trip into history. Together, you will see baroque buildings, horse-drawn carriages, and beautiful frescos. The shaded grounds outside of Saint Peter's Abbey made for a nice picnic spot for lunch.

Where We Stayed

Air BnB Listing: This 2 bedroom apartment is on the top floor of a historic 14th century apartment house. It is centrally located in a beautiful neighborhood. Slightly off a main street and down a large alley (photo right), the apartment is nice and quiet. Right down the block is a full grocery store but smaller markets are close by as well (photo right).

Where We Ate

Augustine Monastery and Brewery. Founded by Augustinian monks in 1621. The brewery has an outdoor informal seating area where you can purchase beer (of course), and snacks or a meal at one of the many different food vendors. Brewery tours are also available. This casual stop was fun, relatively inexpensive, and has great beer.