10 things to see and do in Salzburg
Salzburg, Austria, is often referred to as the “heart of Europe” because of its location in the center of Europe. Many tourists visit Salzburg because it was the hometown of the world-famous composer Mozart and the filming location of the movie The Sound of Music. Here are some of the top attractions you should visit while in Salzburg.
Salzburg Super Saver: Hallstatt & Original Sound of Music Tour
Salzburg is a small city. With the exception of the Mirabell Gardens, all the sights are in the Old Town.
The walk from the train station to the old town is a leisurely one. As soon as you exit the station, there is a large square in front of you, and as soon as you exit the station, continue walking along Rainer str. on your left, which leads to the Mirabell garden on your right. Continue straight along this street until you reach the Zalzach riverfront and see the Staats bridge. Cross the bridge and you’re in the Old Town.
Salzburg Beer Museum (Stiegl Brauwelt)
Stiegl Brauwelt Museum ticket
The Salzburg Beer Museum is a brewery and museum dedicated to Stiegl, the most common beer found in Austria.
Stiegl is also famous for being the favorite beer of the great composer Mozart. Founded in 1492, the Salzburg Beer Museum has been welcoming visitors ever since, and exhibits the history and production process of Stiegl beer. When you buy a ticket to the Salzburg Beer Museum, you get a voucher, which you can show at the pub at the end of the museum to get a free glass of beer. Don’t forget to stop by the pub afterward to try a Stiegl beer.
Untersberg
A mountain on the border between Salzburg, Austria, and Berchtesgaden, Germany, offering panoramic views of the city of Salzburg and the surrounding mountains. Although two-thirds of Untersberg is in Germany and its highest peak, the 1,973-meter Berchtesgadener Hochthron, also belongs to Germany, it is more accessible from Salzburg, which is why it continues to be a popular destination for travelers.To reach the Untersberg observation deck, take the cable car Untersbergbahn, which opened in 1961, for about eight minutes. The houses get smaller and smaller beneath your feet, and you’ll marvel at the cool, open landscape, as well as the dizzying feeling of climbing up the rocky mountain.Once you reach the top, at 1,776 meters above sea level, you can walk up to the cross, where there are benches dotted around to look out over the densely packed city of Salzburg.In good weather, you’ll often see hikers on their way up. Untersberg is also known as the filming location for the movie The Sound of Music.
The viewing platforms are not equipped with barbed wire to protect the natural scenery, so be extra careful.
St. Peter’s Abbey
A five-minute drive from Barenwirt is where you’ll find St. Peter’s Abbey. St. Peter’s is a Romanesque building from around 700, making it the oldest church in Europe. As you enter through the large doors, you’ll be greeted by a colorful interior that’s much different from the outside. Inside, you’ll find colorful frescoes and columns with unique and ornate Baroque decorations. St. Peter’s is also famous for being the place where Mozart premiered his Mass in D minor on October 26, 1783. To commemorate this, Mozart’s D minor Mass is performed at St. Peter’s every July and August during the Salzburg Music Festival.
Residenzplatz Fountain (Residenzbrunnen)
The Residenzplatz Fountain is the largest fountain in the world, built in 1661 in the Baroque style. It is located in Salzburg’s largest square, Residenzplatz, hence the name Residenzplatz Fountain. The Residenzplatz Fountain is also famous for its appearance in the movie The Sound of Music. It’s the fountain that Maria, the main character of the movie, sings as she passes through the square. The fountain is surrounded by buildings such as the Residenz Palace, Salzburg Cathedral, and the state offices. If you have time, it’s worth exploring the buildings surrounding the fountain together.
Getreidegasse and the Mozart Geburthaus
This is Salzburg’s most famous street and main drag. The narrow, short street is so famous for its shop signs, which are uniquely shaped and ironworked to reflect the individuality of each shop, making it the kind of alley that reminds you of a typical pretty street in Europe.Originally created in the Middle Ages to help illiterate people recognize the shops, they have become an aesthetic item and are popular as an icon of the atmosphere of medieval towns in Europe.When walking down this street, don’t just pass by, but take your time and look at the signs one by one. You’ll see shoe shops, ice cream parlors, jewelry stores, bakeries, and more, along with the logos of modern stores like McDonald’s and Moncler.
After a short walk along Getreide Street, you’ll see a yellow building with a crowd of people. This is the famous Mozart house. On the ground floor of the building is a small supermarket, and if you take the stairs to the left, you’ll find the house. Mozart was born here on January 27, 1756, and his family lived here from 1747 to 1773. The museum displays Mozart’s childhood violin, concert violin, viola, piano, and more.Even if you’re not a classical music lover, you’ll recognize the name Mozart. Salzburg’s pride, the house where Mozart was born, is worth a visit.
Salzburg Cathedral (Dom)
First founded in 774 by St. Virgil, it was destroyed by fire in 1167 and rebuilt in the late Romanesque style by Archbishop Konrad III ten years later, giving it its current appearance.
Three numbers can be seen on the facade of the church: 774, the year the church was first consecrated by Bishop Virgil and Abbot from Ireland; 1628, the year the church was built by Archbishop Markus Sittikus after it was destroyed by fire and consecrated by Archbishop Paris Londron on September 25, 1628; and 1959, the year the church was rebuilt under the leadership of Archbishop Andreas after the difficult post-war situation, when it was destroyed by an air raid in 1944, and the first mass in the church was celebrated on May 1, 1959. Mozart was baptized here in 1756, and the organ inside the castle is remarkable for its 6,000 pipes.On the Dom platz in front of the church, the famous Christmas market (Christ-kindmarkt) is held every year before Christmas. The cathedral also houses the Dom Museum.
Hohensalzburg Castle (Festung Hohensalzburg)
Skip-the-line Fortress Hohensalzburg Castle Tour with Private Guide
Built in 1077, the castle was expanded around 1500 by Archbishop Leonard, and in 1618 by Archbishop Max, who gave it its present form.The castle is home to the Festung Museum and the Rainer Museum, both of which showcase the weapons and utensils used in the castle. In the Festung Museum, you can see various weapons and tableware used in the castle, and there is also a room with various torture instruments used to torture prisoners.The view of the city from the rooftop of the castle is amazing. The castle is a symbol of the city, serving as a city landmark that can be seen from anywhere in the city.
Mönchsberg Lookout (Mönchsbergaufzug)
The most famous viewpoint in Salzburg is Hohensalzburg Castle. But if you want to capture a panoramic view of Salzburg with Hohensalzburg Castle in the background, the Mönchsbergaufzug is the place to go.The Mönchsberg is a former art museum on a mountain. The MdM sign at the entrance to the elevator up the mountain stands for Museum der Moderne (Museum of Modern Art), which is a surprisingly modern building in Salzburg with galleries, restaurants, and open-air cafes. The museum and cafe are popular, but the highlight is the observation deck, which offers panoramic mountain views of Salzburg, as well as Hohensalzburg Castle in the distance, which stands like a protective guard over the town, making for a postcard-worthy photo.
Schloss Hellbrunn (Hellbrunn Palace)
This summer palace was built between 1613 and 1619 by Markus Sittikus von Hohenems, Archbishop of Salzburg, and is a bit different from other summer palaces. The “water garden”, as it’s called, is decorated with numerous fountains, where you can catch a glimpse of the archbishop’s antics. There’s also the Archbishop’s dining table (Fürstentisch), a large puppet theater (Großes mechanisches theater) with 200 hydraulically operated puppets dating back to 1750, and a garden grotto (Kronengrotte) with a crown (Kronengrotte).The garden can only be explored on a guided tour, which is conducted in both German and English. You can also see the glass steeple where Colonel Trapp and Maria sang I’m sixteen going on seventeen in The Sound of Music.
Monastery Beer in Salzburg
In the Mönchsberg neighborhood, there’s a brewery with a very long history. Monasteries and beer are an unusual combination, but when traveling around Europe, you’ll often have the opportunity to taste monastery brews, and Salzburg is one of them. The monastery dates back to 1621 and is quite large, consisting of an outdoor garden and four large halls.
Everything is self-serve here. You choose one of the 500cc and 1,000cc beer glasses on the shelves, pay for it, and they give you an order sheet. They also sell food to go with the beer, mostly grilled or fried food, but it’s a good meal and the prices are reasonable. You can take your beer and food to your seat and enjoy it. You can also buy heavy beer glasses that are designed to keep the beer cold for a long time.
