The hills are alive with the sound of music......ok ok I'm getting ahead of myself! Can't contain the excitement of being where the story of Maria and the Von Trapps unfolded but will get into that in a dedicated section later!!!!
Day 1.
The drive from Vienna to Slazberg was an easy one- not very scenic as we took the highway to save time but still with nice views of the hills. After about a 3 hr drive with a couple of coffee stops along the way at cafes with average food but great views, we finally reached Salzberg early afternoon. I left my travel companions at their hotel in the newer side of the city and headed out to find my Air BnB in the older side. (The hotel concierge warned me that it was a side full of tourists and crowded but honestly I was happy to be in the middle of the action rather than secluded from it!)
I took a bus to cross the river which separated the sides as I didn't want to lug my baggage on foot but apart from this and the return journey, I walked everywhere.
From what I could make out, Slazberg was separated into old and newer sides by a long undulating river. This river has several bridges across it at various points to allow easy crossing and although they have public transport in the form of buses and taxis, I only ever walked when I was alone! On clearer days small coffee shops pop up along the river and it's a great place to just relax and watch life go by.
Views along the River
The Famous Love Lock Bridge- so many stories!
After checking into my super central accommodation, I met my friends for a late lunch on my side of the river. I took longer than expected to reach, even though the cafe was barely 10 mins away as I kept stopping to take photos of everything! The alleys and little streets were uber charming as were the myriad of boutiques and intimate eateries along them.
Streets and alleys, intricate signages, local stores
After a quick bite and some indulgent local pastries, we headed to the funicular to go visit the Fortress on the hill. On the way we passed the famous Mozartplatz and the Kapitelplatz (The platzs seem to all lead from and into each other so very easy to walk!)
The Mozartplatz
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart is one of the world’s most recognizable names and an Austrian superstar of the classical era. The prodigy was born in Salzburg, where his legacy continues to live on today. He is commemorated in the form of a statue at the center of the Mozartplatz which was unveiled on September 5, 1842 in the presence of his sons.
Mozart was born in the “Hagenauer Haus” at No. 9 Getreidegasse in Salzburg which today, is one of the most visited museums in Austria and is an absolute highlight for Mozart fans.
I was lucky enough to be staying mere steps away from this address and passed the home daily- a humbling experience for sure.
Motzartplatz Mozart's Birthplace/Home
The Kapitelplatz/ Chapter Square
Chapter Square is a hive of activity in Salzburg's Old City. It has a number of colorful sales booths with tourist trinkets but is dominated by the installation of a huge golden ball with a man standing on it which I later found out was called "Sphaera," a work of art by Stephan Balkenhol. No explanation of its significance but definitely eye catching.
It also has the beautiful Salzberg Cathedral on its southern side.
Kapitalplatz is also where you will get one of the best views of the fortress.
Sphaera and great Fortress views
The Cathedral The Horse Fountain behind the Cathedral
There is also a famous Horsepond here somewhere but we never came across it as I believe its a little secluded from the central square- look for it if you go and share your photos!
As expected we were too late to explore the fortress which closed by 5pm, but as it was the only time we had to visit, we decided to go up anyway and explore the outside and to see the lovely views. The funicular ticket is E.4.70 return but there is also a way to walk if you are so inclined- a steep climb and not for the faint hearted!( I know because we walked down and that was hard enough!!!!)
The Funnicular
The Fortress
View from the Fortress
We decided to walk down as this was the only way to visit the Nonnberg Abbey which was one of the places in The Sound of Music!!! It was a really steep walk for the first section but eased out a bit later so I advise wearing good grip shoes if you plan to visit. Don't know if it was the late hour or the weather, but apart from a handful of others we were the only ones on that path.
Nonnberg Abbey
After the Abbey( more in the Sound of Music section!) we strolled down the hill just enjoying the lovely views and the peace and quiet.
We reached the bottom at a location quite far from where we had started and after a local beer and dinner at a nearby restaurant, it was time to call it a night.
Edelweiss Beer
Day 2.
A full day trip was planned to the Dachstein Krippenstein which is a free-sports arena in the World Heritage Region of Dachstein Salzkammergut today (Dachstein is the name of a mountain range in the northern alps). Drive time from Salzberg is about 90 mins and the views along the way are beautiful so take the scenic route!
The Dachstein Krippenstein in winter is a ski resort and in summer offers various hiking trails and attractions. The main draws here are the Giant Ice Cave,The Mammut Cave, The Koppenbruller Cave and the 5 Fingers Viewpoint.
Access to the mountain is via cable car and tickets vary in price depending on what all you want to see.
Sadly for us the weather was terrible and visibility so poor, we couldn't head out to the 5 Fingers viewpoint which was on the top of my list. Still having come all the way we bought a Panorama ticket to go up the mountain.
One of our group unfortunately opted to stay behind which meant that although I would have loved to have visited the caves, we didn't, as it would take a few hours and she couldn't be left to wait so long - one of the few unfortunate pitfalls of travelling with others :/
I did however really enjoy the snowfall( my first!!) and even had a tiny snowball fight with one of my friends:)
On the drive back we went through Hallstatt which looks super pretty in the photographs online but we saw none of it due to the poor weather and rain.
The day having been mostly unsuccessful due to the spoilsport weather, we thought of driving to a nearby town of Bad Ischl and having a late lunch at a recommended cafe there, Konditorei Zauner. This, apart from the snowfall, was the best thing to happen all day! Located in a super cute little town, its a super busy cafe with chaotic service but the food was great and the pastries were superb! Definitely recommend a visit even if you have to divert from your path!!!
Bad Ischl
It was back to Salzberg from here and luckily the weather started clearing up a bit so we got some lovely views along the way and even sang along to the Sound of Music songs- great way to lift the spirits!!!!
Day 3.
Today was a slightly later start as one of our group was leaving to go back home so I decided, despite the gloomy rainy day, to visit the Mirabell Gardens before meeting up with the others for our days plans.
It was a lovely albeit wet walk across the bridge and I found the Gardens with not much trouble. One of the reasons I wanted to visit was because quite a few of the Sound of Music scenes were filmed here....yes I truly am a fan!
I wandered about the gardens taking lots of pictures but sadly didn't have enough time to enter the Palace for a look around. I did find out, however, that the Palace is today home to municipal offices as well as those of the mayor of Salzburg as well as being one of the most popular backdrops for romantic wedding photos!
Main Entrance The Central Fountain View of the Palace
Tunnel Walkway The Pegasus Fountain
View of the Fortress from the Garden The Palace, the Gardens and the Fortress
( The movie locations will be elaborated in a special section later!!)
On the way to meet my travel companions I stopped at a little cafe for a quick breakfast-
had to exercise enormous willpower to avoid the strudels which I love and have a simple coffee and pretzel!
After dropping our friend at the station, the 3 of us left headed out for another day out- this time to Kitzsteinhorn.
Today's drive was about 2 hours long and thankfully the poor weather cleared up which thrilled me no end- it meant we might have a chance to actually see something today!!
Again lovely views to enjoy and small cafes along the way serving delicious breads and pastries....and super friendly locals!
Wonderous Views!
Yummy Rest stops!
Kitzsteinhorn
Gipfelwelt 3000 features a National Park Gallery, Cinema 3000, Ice Arena(in season) and the "Top of Salzberg" panorama platform. The photo point and Cinema 3000 requires minimal walking and stairs but the rest is a fairly long and inclined walk away so be ready for this.
For those who are not able to walk too much there are restaurants where you can enjoy spectacular views at the Alpincenter which is after the 2nd cable car. There is also a ski equipment rental store at this level.
The views from the cable cars was beautiful enough but the vistas from the photo point and the "Top of Salzberg" were breathtaking. The National Park Gallery is actually a tunnel in the side of the mountain which takes you from the View point to the "Top of Salzberg" location so don't miss it. We almost skipped it as we weren't in the mood for a gallery but luckily we didn't. The walk along the gallery is a fairly hard one but there are resting spots for the panting and unfit- and the rewards are huge once you reach the end.
I wont even begin to try and describe the views you are blessed with on a clear day- I'll let my photographs speak for themselves!
Cable cars with views
Higher and higher we go.....
At the Photo Point and onto the Gallery
And we reached!!
Simply WOW
A "graceful" bit of fun and a well earned hot meal on the way down!
I still smile remembering the lovely day and thank God for giving us fantastic weather to enjoy it!
More gorgeous views on the way back to Salzberg too- this time focused on the quaint homes- house perfect! Next trip I wish to stay in one of these!!
Back home, dinner at a local and off to bed.
Day 4.
Back to Vienna today but I managed to grab a pretzel from one of the oldest and iconic stores in Salzberg for my breakfast! An amazing array of options, I went for the Hazelnut, my favorite! Yumm!
On the drive back, thanks to my awesome friend, we even squeezed in a super quick visit to The Hellbrun to see the gazebo from ........yup, The Sound of Music!!!
The Hellbrun
It was about a 15-20 drive from Salzberg and actually had more to see than we thought with a Palace,Trick Fountains, a folklore museum and a very extensive Park, but we had one mission- the Gazebo. Our search was military like in its precision and when we eventually landed up at our destination it was.......well a tad disappointing. Not only was the gazebo a lot smaller than I'd expected, it was also locked, so my dreams of leaping from bench to bench like Lisl were dashed:( ( A dream many share I assume which has led to the lockout in order to preserve the structure!!)
Still, to me, it was another piece added to my Sound of Music discovery puzzle and definitely
well worth the visit !
What little we saw of the Hellbrun park had the most amazing trees with the most brilliant fall colors and we had to stop and take some photos! Time permitting it would have been a great afternoon of exploring but we were a bit rushed and so had to hurry through.
After a quick hot chocolate at the coffee shop, we headed back to Vienna as we had a flight back home the next morning.
Hot choc with Palace view
*Just for your information the Gazebo and park are free to visit but the trick fountains, Palace and Folklore Museum are ticketed.
Austria for me was another example of why I love travelling Europe- idyllic landscapes, historic places, culturally rich, great food and sooo much to explore.
Between Vienna and Salzberg the choice would be difficult because while Vienna was more "refined" and cosmetically appealing, Salzberg grew on me with its more down to earth flavor- kind of like a showhouse vs. a lived in home!! Vienna had more places to visit, I think, while Salzberg had more character and was a great base for amazing day trips.
Luckily I got to visit both and hopefully my photos have inspired you to put Austria on your bucket list too!!