Salzburg: 7 tips for a surprisingly lovely city

It’s been eight months already since I visited Salzburg (time flies!). It was the last stop before we drove back to the Netherlands after a road trip through the Balkans for 3,5 weeks. After three weeks of beautiful scenery, great food, fascinating culture and mostly friendly people, Salzburg had some big ass shoes to fill.

Initially the city was a bit disappointing… I think I was tired from such a long, intense journey. The constant heat. Seeing things on and on. On one day I got TWO eye-migraines consecutively. Also: the stately, somewhat sterile Austria is quite a contrast with the colourful, chaotic Balkans. I wasn’t really feeling it.

But now, eight months later, when I think back of my visit, only happy memories come back. I liked Salzburg. There was much to see in terms of culture and architecture, the weather was good and we did a lot of nice things. So if you love beautiful, cultural cities, maybe Salzburg is your place to be!

Are you contemplating getting a Salzburg city card? Read this post to see if it’s worth it for your trip!

Hohensalzburg castle

I’m a sucker for a good castle. In a previous life I was a princess, staring out of the window of the castle tower all day. True story. This is the castle that you can see from almost anywhere and it dominates the skyline of Salzburg. You can get there with a cable car and the castle is well maintained, as it is the largest completely preserved castle in Central Europe.

Mozart’s Birthplace

Although I enjoy classical music, I’m not really a hardcore fan. I honestly can’t for the life of me tell you which music is Beethoven or Mozart. But I DO love history, so visiting the birthplace of Mozart was very interesting! It was decorated like in former times and in each room a lot of information was displayed about the life of the good man. During my visit I had two eye migraines, which didn’t allow me to read much though :’). But what I read was very interesting.

Petersfriedhof cemetery

I get the idea that cemeteries are a theme on my travels, ha. But hey, this is where you often find beautiful stories. It is always a step back in time. This is right in the city center, where mourning exists in the middle of life. The beauty of the Petersfriedhof is that there are catacombs, which are built in a sort of cliff. Quite spooky, I loved it!

Old center

We stayed at the new center, and although there are many restaurants, the old town is really a lot of fun. There is plenty to do: shopping, food and sights. In the summer months there the squares are filled with activities. We looked at a display of an opera, free of charge, while the sun slowly set.

Dom of Salzburg

This is the gigantic cathedral which you see in the center of the town. I’m not much of a church-addict. I visit them regularly, but after a while they all start to look the same. The Dom of Salzburg was very beautiful though. Spacious, sleek and white, with beautiful decorations. Very clean and stylish.

Mirabellgarten

This is perhaps the most beautiful place in Salzburg, especially in the summer, when all the flowers are in bloom and the grass is bright green. From the Mirabellgarten you will have an amazing view of the castle. Besides it is a lovely place to wander around. We got here by chance, because it was not that far away from our hotel. It was beautiful weather and we wanted to go to a park, and this park was close. It turned out to be the most beautiful park of the city, haha. You will feel like princess Sisi, guaranteed.

Salzburg Marionettentheater

The most surprising night of our trip was perhaps the visit to the puppet theatre to Salzburg. I got a behind the scenes tour, and my inner child went crazy. I immediately recognized quite a number of fairy tales, and I was really amazed when I got an explanation of how the dolls were made. Days are spent on making the suit of only one doll. In the evening we watched a puppet show of Die Kleine Zauberflöte, an opera by – how appropriate – Mozart. It was really fun to be here. It was a spectacle watching lifeless dolls portray a super lively story!

We stayed at the Berglandhotel, a beautiful hotel with super spacious and stylish rooms. I could live there immediately. The buffet breakfast was fantastic, and the relatively far location from the center made sure you could walk off the collected calories.

What are your best tips for Salzburg?