Top things to do in Salzburg, Austria

In preparation for a trip to Salzburg in Austria, I asked for suggestions from other bloggers on the things that we might enjoy. Here are the tips I received on the top things to do in Salzburg which I’m passing on to you. Although you probably won’t have time to do everything on the list I hope you can try some of them.

The Hohensalzburg Fortress

Several people recommended the HohenSalzburg fortress or castle that sits on the hill overlooking the town. It was built in the 11th century and is one of the best preserved castles in Europe.

Apparently we either need to get on our sensible shoes and walk up or take the easier option and get the funicular to the top.

I’m thinking maybe we’ll get the best of all worlds and take the funicular up then walk back down.

Read about our visit to Hohensalzburg Fortress

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The trick fountains at Hellbrunn

Did I mention that my 14 year old son will be coming along? and so I the recommendation of the Trick Fountains at Hellbrunn sounded like family fun if the weather’s fine.

There are grottos and sculptures but the trick comes from the fountains that suddenly spurt up to soak the unwary. There’s a dining table where the unwelcome guest is in danger of being squirted at any minute, so we’ll be sure to pack our waterproofs for our picnic.

Eating out in Salzburg

The place that everyone talks about is the Sacher Hotel where you can sit on the terrace overlooking the river to eat your Sacher Torte.

I also had several great recommendations for the Steinterrasse cafe and bar at Hotel Stein where you can take your kaffee and kuchen in modern surroundings with a great rooftop view over the city.

For dinner perhaps the St Peter Skiftskeller for more formal dining in a series of elegant salon rooms, or the Sternbrau traditional brewery restaurant with different dining and garden areas. For something a bit less traditional I like the look of the restaurant and cafe at the Salzburg Museum der Moderne.

I’ve also heard good things about Hangar 7 with a gourmet restaurant, cafes and art space in a hangar with art and old aircraft. And of course I’ll be trying out all the Mozartkugeln or chocolate Mozart balls.

Read about our visit to Hangar 7 in Salzburg

The Sound of Music

For the film buffs and lovers of singing nuns, Salzburg was used as a location for The Sound Of Music, which apparently plays non stop in many of the hostels in Salzburg. The cheesy but fun thing to do is to take a Sound of Music tour, although you can also save money by doing a bit of research and visiting the film locations yourself.

The Salt Mines at Hallstatt

The salt mines at Hallstatt are among the oldest in Europe and the salt from these mines and others around the city was the foundation of the wealth of Salzburg’s prince archbishops.

Now you can take a guided tour and even slide down deeper into the mine. The pretty lakeside town of Hallstatt is also worth a visit.

The Eisriesenwelt ice caves in Werfen

The Eisriesenwelt ice caves are found at Werfen close to Salzburg and are the largest system of ice caves  in the world. You can take a the cable car up to the caves which are open from May to October (so they may not be open when we visit in April) As I’m looking more for spring sunshine than subzero temperatures, we may save this one for a rainy day, but it sounds fascinating.

The Countryside around Salzburg

Another recommendation was to get into the beautiful countryside around Salzburg and luckily we’re spending our final night on the shores of Wolfgangsee near Salzburg, where we hope to enjoy some fresh air and outdoor activities, perhaps cycling or hiking near the lake.

Read about our visit to Lake Wolfgang near Salzburg

The Salzburg Card

I’ve also heard that if you like to pack in a lot to a short visit as we do, that the Salzburg Card can be good value as it provides free use of public tranport, the fortress funicular and entrance to the major sites of Salzburg.

Keep an eye on the blog, and if you have any tips of your own please do leave them in the comments.

Photo Credits: Hellbrunn fountains by Tjflex2, Salzburg Castle by Adam39393, Ice caves by Inspiration Point Studio, Salt mine by Magic Ketchup, Krimmler waterfalls by Dorota h Hangar 7 by florian_aut, Wolfgangsee by Eric @Flickr

My thanks to the the Austrian Tourism Office UK for sponsoring* our trip to Salzburg and Wolfgangsee

* More info on my policies page

This article is originally published at Heatheronhertravels.com

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