This post brings us to the end of our holiday travels through Prague, Vienna and Salzburg. From Vienna, we headed west and slightly south to the lovely Salzburg. The drive from Vienna to Salzburg takes about 3 to 4 hours depending on which route you take. A glimpse at Google maps reveals that the train will take you less time, between 2 hours 15 minutes and 2 hours and 45 minutes. Once you get to Salzburg you won’t need a car anyway, unless you want to get somewhere on the outskirts of town faster. Then again, you’ll need to factor in the costs of overnight parking somewhere.
The fourth largest city in Austria, Salzburg sits on the Salzach river, surrounded by the Alps. I think one of the most beautiful views of the Altstadt is from just down river, at night, when the fortress is lit up. We’ve only been to Salzburg twice now, but so far I think that is still my favorite view.
This time around we stayed at the Hotel am Mirabellplatz. Tidy, clean, and close to the Altstadt, it was a good spot for a last minute booking. The furniture in our room looked a little used around the edges, but it added character, and we weren’t there to hang out in the room anyway. Also, the bed was comfortable, and sometimes that’s all that really matters. They don’t have their own parking, but you park a block or so away in the underground public parking structure, and the hotel gives you a ticket so that you get a discount.
A view of the Festung Hohensalzburg from the Altstadt.
For a compact town Salzburg’s historical Altstadt certainly packs quite the punch. We shelled out for the 24 hour Salzburg Card (there are also 48 and 72 hour cards), and it only takes visiting a few different sites to get your money’s worth. I’d advise you to definitely go to the Festung Hohensalzburg. You can enjoy it thoroughly in a morning or an afternoon, leaving you time to see other things in the same day as well. There’s an audio tour in English (and 8 other languages) that is included in the ticket which gives you a nice overview of the history of the landmark. Plus, for those of us who grew up in countries that did not have castles, it gives you a nice idea of what a real fortress is like. In addition to all the great history, there’s the fact that it’s a darn good point to take photos from. You can get a 360 degree view of Salzburg while on the audio tour, so take advantage!
In addition to the tour there are a lot of small buildings to wander in and out of including a marionette museum, which was half “museum” and half an advertisement for the local marionette theater. We did not go, but my inner theater nerd would really like to check it out. You can find an English language version of their website here. They have a short video which shows their handiwork, and it looks very cool. But I’ve gone off on a tangent here. Back to the fortress! A note of advice on getting to and from the hilltop site, there is a funicular running up and back from the fortress. If you don’t get the Salzburg Card, it is still included in the basic admission price for the fortress. You can take the funicular up and down the steep hill if you’d like, or you can get your buns of steel on and walk up and down. Or, if you’re feeling really crazy, you can walk up and take the funicular down. It’s up to you!
The other time-intensive part of our visit was the Salzburger Residenz. This huge palace complex was the seat of the Archbishop of Salzburg for centuries, who was appointed by the Holy Roman Empire. It is a vast museum (yes, more history! More paintings!) that rambles through a sprawling complex including the Salzburg Cathedral with its towering dome. We still managed to get through all of it on the same day we visited the fortress. My advice would be to get an early start on the day, and not overindulge in the audio guide in the Residenz, as there’s a mind-numbing amount of information. This town’s rich with history, so I’d say take the time to see both the Residenz and the fortress during your visit if you can.
Soldiering on, we also made it through most of the Salzburg Museum. I really like this museum. In April of last year they had a very informative exhibit on how WWI affected Salzburg and the local area. This time they had an engaging exhibit on the history of music in Salzburg, which, for those of you who didn’t know already, is the birthplace of Mozart. It included samples of instruments and multiple video recordings of contemporary artists playing those instruments. It totally sucked me in! It also helps that they have some information in English via the audio guide. Unfortunately, my friend did not get to see all of what the museum has to offer as we were there late enough in the day to close the place down. The staff politely asked us to move along through the museum, and were kind enough not to smack us on the bottoms with the doors of various rooms as we found our way out, trying to sneak in last glances of things here and there.
All this walking around the cozy, cobblestone streets, site-seeing our little hearts out made us very hungry, and there were three places in particular that I think we all enjoyed. First, and foremost, is 220°. This one is my personal favorite. It is the kind of place you don’t want to tell anybody about because it is so good and you don’t want to have to wait in the long lines once the secret’s out. However, they have such good coffee and breakfast that their secret’s already out, so I can gush freely. They roast their own beans and sell them out of their cafe in the Altstadt. Their brewed coffee is delicious and worth the wait if you’re a fan of good coffee. They also have breakfast, so I e-mailed them ahead of time in German to reserve a table and they were happy to arrange it. This time of year they only have a few small tables, a short bar area, and a lounge area inside. It looks like they have some space for outdoor tables as well, weather permitting. The tables were all booked but they did have some lounge seats left which I happily accepted. Their breakfast menu, while not extensive, had varied and tasty options which made choosing difficult. For some reason all three of us got the hot millet cereal with fresh fruit and dates. Honestly, I think we were recovering from our meat and potato diet. The sight of fresh fruit was too good to pass up! It might sound like not the most inspiring dish, but it has had a lasting effect on the way I prepare oatmeal.
Another great spot for those who like beer and want to get out of the Altstadt is the Augustiner Bräustübl zu Mülln. This traditional beer hall is about a 20 minute walk from the Altstadt, on the same side of the river. You pick up a ceramic beer mug (there are two sizes to choose from: 1l or 0,5l), pay the cashier, present the dudes behind the counter with your receipt and beer mug of choice, which they then quickly fill for you. There are plenty of non-alcoholic beverages available as well for non-beer drinkers and children. Then you roam the rooms looking for empty spots at a table and politely ask the others at said table if they have room. Once you’ve staked out your spot, send someone out to get Schweinhaxe, or Wurst, or half a chicken from one of the counters surrounding the rooms. There’s plenty on hand, although I’d say the vegetarian pickings would be slim and pretty much limited to potatoes. But what fine potatoes they are!
If reserving your own table is more your style, then you could head over to Sternbräu, which is in the Altstadt proper. The place is huge and for non-German speakers, their wait staff does speak English. Or at least, the man who took our reservation in person the day before, our waiter for dinner, and the bartender later that evening, all spoke English. Also, I seem to remember them having English language menus upon request. This is a nice place for a more dressed-up version of traditional brewery fare. They have a tasty Wiener Schnitzel and the wait staff tries to be as accommodating as possible. For example, Herr Weißbier’s not a fan of potatoes. The Wiener Schnitzel he ordered came with a side of potatoes. He asked our waiter if he could substitute sauerkraut for potatoes. The waiter, looking somewhat disturbed, said something to the effect of, “to me, that is a horror…but I will ask.” He then delivered a plate of Schnitzel with sauerkraut. In retrospect, Herr Weißbier now realizes why the waiter considered it “a horror”, as it didn’t turn out to be such a good pairing, but we appreciated the accommodation all the same, as well as the waiter’s reserved sense of humor.
This brings me to the end of our adventures in the Czech Republic and Austria. We stopped in the Berchtesgaden area to see the Königssee and the Dokumentation Center at Obersalzburg on our way back to Munich, but that is another post altogether. Plus, I’d like to hit up the Dokumentation center here in Munich before I fill you in on those museums, which cover National Socialism and the rise of the Nazi era. I’ll be back next week. With what I’m not quite sure yet, but I’ll be here with bells on! Thanks for reading! Bis bald!
starting from scratch - munich 