Salzburg is a very small town. At just under 70 sq kms, you can pretty much see the whole town on your feet. We had to simply walk down a few meters to reach the right bank of River Salzach. The historical Salzburg beckon at you from the left bank. You simply have to cross over the Love Lock bridge to get to the other side –
Love Lock Bridge: Unlike the one in Paris that has stopped people from fixing those love locks, you can still attach padlocks Makartsteg Bridge as a proof of your love for your partner! The reason we’d, however insist, is to simply stand there and absorb the beautiful town. Flanked by beautiful hills on one side and the historical town on the other, this is the Salzburg you had so dreamt of visiting all these years.
Historical Salzburg: Starts from the left end of the Love Lock Bridge. No sooner do you step in that you are transported to a different world, a world of beautiful architecture, sculptures, frescos, music. While every city/town in Europe has music in their streets, the alleys and streets of old Salzburg is particularly special. For, Salzburg is where the music wizard, Mozart, was born. You will find him everywhere…..
The old town is a treasure trove for history buffs and people who love trivia. You only walk, walk and walk here to discover every little and big landmark of the place. Pause every once in a while to study a building better, or a fresco, or a fountain….Then there is —
- Mozart Platz where music flows non-stop and his house which has been transformed into a museum.
- The Salzburg Cathedral, or the Dom zu Cathedral, right behind the Mozart Platz, is another of Austria’s most magnificent churches what with is Baroque interiors, spectacular organ. Remember, this is the church where Mozart had been baptised. But obviously…
- The Dom Platz, the square right in front of the Cathedral, is another fascinating place. As we loitered around clicking pictures there, I couldn’t but help be awed by the over bearing building around me and the thought that the place must have been witness to so many turning points in Austria’s history. Bang opposite the Salzburg Cathedral is the Residenz Palace, the erstwhile residence of the archbishops of Salzburg. And on the left hand side is St Peter’s Abbey, the oldest area of Salzburg.
- Walk up from the left of the Salzburg Cathedral to go up to Hohensalzbug Fortress. The ticket counters are downstairs, and you will have to take a funicular up to the fortress. The Fortress, once one of Europe’s fiercest and replete with history, has now been turned into a museum. Pick up the audio guide from the counters for a wonderful tour of the place. The terrace of the Fortress offers some awesome view of Salzburg. On a good sunny day you can see far into the horizon with their snow-capped hills…absolutely mesmerizing…
- Once back at the foot of the fortress, we suggest, you walk past the Residenz Palace up to the other end, St Marcus Church. A slow stroll will take you past a lot more churches captivating in architecture and the tales they have to tell….
- Tour of the above took us the whole day and by the time we crossed the Love Lock bridge once again and walked up to the Schloss Mirabell, our legs were almost giving in. Thankfully, the day was still bright and clear. And so we rested in the Mirabell Gardens for a long time before we took a tour of it and got into the photo-clicking spree again…
- By the way, do not miss the shops that sells Easter eggs. You will go absolutely berserk trying to choose what you want to carry back home
A tip for Salszburg sight-seeing — DO NOT MISS having lunch at the Restaurant zur Festung Hohensalzburg at the Hohensalzburg Fortress. Irrespective of what you eat or drink out there, the view is astounding! The entire Salzburg lies in front of you while you sip that glass of chilled white….! An absolute must!
It had been a long day and a memorable one at that…for, Salzburg had been a dream since, obviously, childhood — Sound of Music! We, however, did not go for the Sound of Music tour thinking it would be too trivial….the history of the town was more tempting….
But, hey, this wasn’t an end to our day in Salzburg – we had the evening in front of us. And we had booked ourselves for the Mozart Dinner Concert at Stiftskeller at St Peter. All about that in the next post….
P.S: For a complete Austria itinerary and tour details, read — A Perfect Summer Holiday in Austria