Salzburg, Austria - September 2019
- chrissihuf
- Jan 4
- 3 min read
Brief History/Information (UNESCO World Heritage Site)
In 1996, Salzburg’s Old Town was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The state of Salzburg is in the country of Austria, and they speak German. The area was settled as early as Neolithic times due to nearby salt mines, which made the region wealthy and important for trade. The Hohensalzburg Fortress was built in 1077 to protect the city and remains one of Europe’s largest medieval castles. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was born in Salzburg in 1756, becoming one of the world’s greatest composers. In 1816, Salzburg officially became part of Austria.
What we did
When we left the castles, we were headed to our next stop… Salzburg. But of course we had to stop and smell the roses along the way!
We drove through the Bavarian Alps and stopped at Garmisch-This is where the 1936 Winter Olympics were held. What a beautiful town. Since this was just a short stop, we didn’t have time to explore, but next time we will! We ate at Kundenbeleg, walked around and shopped, had chocolate at Chocolaterie Amelie.
After about an hour in Garmisch, we drove to Salzburg, and checked into Hotel Krone 1512-it’s next to San Sebastián Church…that clanged and rang their bells. We enjoyed a nice evening just in the little old town.
The next morning, we drove to Berchtesgaden (aka: Eagles Nest). We parked at the Documentation building and got tickets for the 6,500 foot bus ride up. This was a scary drive, but thankfully only the busses are allowed to use the roads, so that made it a little better. It was a pretty drive, but it had some extreme drop-offs. After the bus ride, we had to walk in a tunnel to a bronze elevator and go up about 15 floors to where the amazing views are. We got to walk around and wander through the buildings, you can hike further up for more amazing views (you can pretty much see all of Salzburg 20 miles away). Instead of taking the elevator down, we decided to hike the path down. This was fun because we got to see some very fit army guys hiking up, and we got to see more views and nature. Once on the ground, we ate in Berchtesgaden at Bankhammer’s Bräustüberl/Hofbrauhaus Berchtesgaden… YUM!
We drove back to Salzburg, and got a chance to explore this adorable old town. We walked downtown, to the Hohensalzburg Fortress, Mozart's Birthplace (Geburtshaus) and childhood home, St. Peter's Abbey (Stift St. Peter), and Salzburg Cathedral (Dom zu Salzburg)… all of these were awesome and worth the visit. Later in the evening, we took a cab to a St Peter Mozart Dinner Concert dinner we had reserved at the Stiftskulinarlum Saint Peter (St. Peter's Abbey /Stift St. Peter) Europes oldest restaurant from the 800’s. This was an excellent three-course VIP meal and the opera was incredible!
Places of Interest
Hohensalzburg Fortress: One of Europe's largest medieval castles, offering panoramic city views.
Mozart's Birthplace (Geburtshaus): The yellow house on Getreidegasse where the composer was born.
Salzburg Cathedral (Dom zu Salzburg): A stunning Baroque cathedral with elaborate interiors.
Mirabell Palace & Gardens: Famous for its beautiful Baroque gardens featured in The Sound of Music.
St. Peter's Abbey (Stift St. Peter): A Benedictine monastery with a famous cemetery and catacombs.
DomQuartier Salzburg: A cultural complex connecting the Cathedral, Residence, and St. Peter's.
St Peter Mozart Dinner Concert - Highly recommend this amazing and delicious experience… splurge and get the VIP dinner (totally worth the VIP experience)
The places of interest below, due to time limitations we did not do, but worth mentioning:
Haus der Natur: A natural history museum.
Red Bull Hangar-7: Features aircraft, helicopters, and F1 cars.
Salzburg Marionette Theatre: (UNESCO World Heritage Site)-recognized traditional puppet shows.
Hellbrunn Palace: Known for its playful water features (Trick Fountains).
Schloss Leopoldskron: A beautiful lakeside palace, also featured in The Sound of Music.
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