Halfway between Liechtenstein and Vienna, Salzburg was our primary destination for the first extended family trip since our arrival in Liechtenstein. While not as noteworthy as Vienna, Prague or Budapest or as trendy as Munich or Zurich. Salzburg was an excellent fit for our first long trip for a few reasons.
It is big enough to provide several days worth of tours and attractions to keep our family occupied.
It is in a part of Europe we hadn’t been to yet.
It is close to Berchtesgaden and the Eagles Nest which has been on my bucket list for years.
And at just over 4 hours drive time we can comfortably cover much of that distance during nap time.
Our first day in Salzburg we spent in the old town following one of the great self guided walking tours found in Rick Steves “Vienna, Salzburg & Tirol” travel guides. As always we can’t recommend these books enough! They truly are fantastic!
The tour starts north of the Salzach River where you cross the Mozartsteg walking bridge and head directly into the old town at Mozartplatz where a statue to Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart overlooks the daily proceedings. On the day we visited there was a marching band playing at the entrance to the old town so we stopped for a few minutes to watch them perform.
Mozart was born in Salzburg and lived with his family there until he was 17 but didn’t achieve fame in his hometown until after he left for Vienna despite having started playing and composing music at the age of 5 and traveling Europe alongside his sister Maria Anne as child prodigies playing for numerous aristocrats and royal courts.
From the Mozartplatz the tour takes you into Old Town Salzburg where you can visit the Salzburg Catherdral. Meander through the Kapitalplatz where a funicular can take you up to Hohensalzburg Fortress. Grab some fresh bread at a bakery attached to one of the town’s oldest functioning waterwheels (the bread is excellent by the way!). And wander through the cemetery of St Peter’s where one of the last scenes of “The Sound of Music” filmed. A short walk beyond the cemetery leads you to the Salzburg Festival Hall where the music competition in “The Sound of Music” was filmed. Generally only opened during events we unfortunately were not able to see inside on this trip, but still fun to see from the outside.
With the walking tour complete, we walked through the old town market streets and grabbed Brats, Pretzels and drinks for a mobile lunch while we searched for local street art to commemorate our visit. One of our favorite past-times when we visit someplace new is to collect a piece or two from a local artist. This time we found an amazing watercolor of the river and old town together. However, if you want to see it you’ll have to come for a visit 😁
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