Salzburg, a small city in the western end of Austria, famous for its very musical former residents. For fans of the classical, you can go past mentioning Salzburg being the birthplace of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. For those with more of a contemporary (some, particularly the locals, say cheesy), folksy palette, it was also where the Von Trapp family singers, whose lives the musical theatre and movie The Sound Of Music were based, originated. The four of us made this the final destination of our 2-week sojourn by catching a 3-hour train west from the capital Wien.
Here are the points for Salzburg:
1 point goes to the Hauptbahnhof (Main Railway Station). This main station was reasonably old looking and in need of some repair work. It is only a small station, however, so it is difficult to get lost. You can catch international, intercity and suburban (S-bahn) trains from here. There is also a tourist information on one of the platforms where you can get free maps and other information of Salzburg.
2 points go to Mozartplatz. You can find a statue of Mozart here. This is also the start of Judengasse which leads directly to Getreidegasse (see 8 points) where you would see other Mozart-related museums and shops. To its south is the Dom Kirche where Mozart was baptised.
3 points go to the catacombs of St Peter Cathedral. Easily accessed through Kapitelpltaz, there is a waterwheel just outside St Peter’s. Its adjoining cemetery features many old tombs, some I saw dated from the 18th century. The most interesting part of this cemetery is its catacombs, which inspired Robert Wise to reproduce as a set for the scene where the Von Trapps hid behind tombstones while trying to escapes the Nazis in The Sound Of Music.
4 points go to Stift Nonnberg (Nonnberg Abbey). Located directly to the east of Festung Hohensalzburg (see 5 points), this was the actual abbey where Mario Augusta Kutschera resided before being sent to the Von Trapps as a governess and becoming the Captain’s second wife. The abbey itself is not very large and respect is requested when entering. You can, however, get a great south view of suburban Salzburg from just outside the abbey. It is also here where fans of The Sound Of Music would recognise the location for the final car chase scenes of the movie.
5 points go to Festung Hohensalzburg (High Salzburg Fortress). This is one of the largest fortress in Europe and sits atop the hill just to the south of the altstadt (old town). It features a mix of gothic carvings and torture implements. There is also an exhibition of the golden stube. Under ‘normal’ circumstances its north view apparently is to die for. Unfortunately when we were up there it was rather foggy so we couldn’t actually see that far, but we still got a pretty decent view of the altstadt. Though at 542m high, you can reach the festung by hoofing up flights of stairs that you can find on all sides of the hill. Alternatively you can pay €3-return and ride the festungbahn (fortress furnicular) from Hasengrabenbastei, though the ride literally only lasts for 30 seconds each way.
6 points go to Schloß Leopoldskron. This is one of a few filing locations for The Sound Of Music. Fans would no doubt recognise the huge man-made lake to the back of the house as well as the small pier and backyard of the house. It is, as it was during filming, a private property owned by Salzburg Global Seminar where entry is by invitation. The area surrounding the man-made lake is very pleasant for a leisurely stroll.
7 points go to Hellbrunn. This park and castle complex is a little outside of the city centre but is a stop for the Hop On Hop Off bus tour (see 10 points). Fans of TThe Sound Of Music would be directed to the glass gazebo where Ralf and Liesl sang ‘Sixteen going on seventeen’ and the Captain and Maria sang ‘Something good’. The gazebo was relocated here from Schloß Leopoldskron (see 6 points) when tourist numbers became too much.The rest of the park is also interesting, though the trick fountain requires an entry fee. There is also a zoo nearby.
8 points go to Getreidegasse. This is a very famous shopping street of Salzburg, situated in the altstadt part of the city. You can find all sorts of souvenir shops, antique shops, boutiques and eateries, with wrought-iron guild signs made to convey a sense of yester-era. You can also find the Mozarts Geburtshaus (Mozart’s birthplace) at #9.
9 points go to Schloß Mirabell (Mirabell Palace). Pretty much the only tourist attraction north of the River Salzach, it is a small-ish palace with an amazing garden attached. This is also where they shot several key scenes for The Sound Of Music, including the steps scene during Do-Re-Mi. Across the street you can find the stalls for the Panorama Tour and Salzburg Sightseeing Tour, both of with offer ‘Sound of Music’ packages. You can also find the Mozartuem and Marionettentheater (they provided the marionette for the ‘Lonely goatherd’ scenes of The Sound Of Music) to the south of the garden.
10 points go to the Hop On, Hop Off bus tour. There are many bus tours that do the tourist attractions of and around Salzburg, such as the 4-hour Sound of Music tours by Panorama as well as Salzburg Sightseeing. Most of these are guided tour that run around town in huge 50-seat buses and cost upwards from €40. The Hop On, Hop Off bus tour, though still go to the same attractions, allow you to literally hop on and hop off at your own leisure (at the designated stops of course). Each bus departs Mirabellplatz hourly and there are 11 stops all up, including out-of-towners like Schloß Leopoldskron where its backyard and the man-made lake featured prominently in The Sound Of Music (see 6 points). There is also an audio guide on board with 7 different languages to choose from so you wouldn’t miss a beat. For a 24-hour pass, it only cost us €20! (The cheapest was the 2-hour pass at €15, but that only equates to 1 stop) Every time you hop off, however, you’d have to wait an hour before the next one comes, though generally there is enough to see at each stop that an hour might not even seem enough at times.
And finally, 12 points go to Villa Trapp. No link to the movie The Sound Of Music whatsoever, this was the actual house where the real Von Trapp lived and grew up! Since fleeing OS during WWII, this house had undergone a few different uses, including as a regional Nazi headquarter. Post-WWII though, it was used by a missionary service and only until recently it was sold, renovated and opened as a boutique hotel. There are some original furniture and fittings like the staircase, but most had been given away during the post-war period. The owners of the hotel, however, are more than happy to give you a tour of the house, telling you stories about the Von Trapps and each room. One of our rooms, for example, was the bedroom of son #2, Werner. The hotel is a bit out of the way (in the suburb of Aigen, 5 S-bahn stops from Hauptbahnhof) but the local area is picturesque for short strolls or even a hike up the Alps!
Salzburg is a nice little boutique city where there are actually loads to see for a weekend trip. Next, I continue my post-submission escapade by venturing further into the Germanic sphere - in the beer capital of the world and the land of the sausage - München, Germany.
Here are the points for Salzburg:
1 point goes to the Hauptbahnhof (Main Railway Station). This main station was reasonably old looking and in need of some repair work. It is only a small station, however, so it is difficult to get lost. You can catch international, intercity and suburban (S-bahn) trains from here. There is also a tourist information on one of the platforms where you can get free maps and other information of Salzburg.
2 points go to Mozartplatz. You can find a statue of Mozart here. This is also the start of Judengasse which leads directly to Getreidegasse (see 8 points) where you would see other Mozart-related museums and shops. To its south is the Dom Kirche where Mozart was baptised.
3 points go to the catacombs of St Peter Cathedral. Easily accessed through Kapitelpltaz, there is a waterwheel just outside St Peter’s. Its adjoining cemetery features many old tombs, some I saw dated from the 18th century. The most interesting part of this cemetery is its catacombs, which inspired Robert Wise to reproduce as a set for the scene where the Von Trapps hid behind tombstones while trying to escapes the Nazis in The Sound Of Music.
4 points go to Stift Nonnberg (Nonnberg Abbey). Located directly to the east of Festung Hohensalzburg (see 5 points), this was the actual abbey where Mario Augusta Kutschera resided before being sent to the Von Trapps as a governess and becoming the Captain’s second wife. The abbey itself is not very large and respect is requested when entering. You can, however, get a great south view of suburban Salzburg from just outside the abbey. It is also here where fans of The Sound Of Music would recognise the location for the final car chase scenes of the movie.
5 points go to Festung Hohensalzburg (High Salzburg Fortress). This is one of the largest fortress in Europe and sits atop the hill just to the south of the altstadt (old town). It features a mix of gothic carvings and torture implements. There is also an exhibition of the golden stube. Under ‘normal’ circumstances its north view apparently is to die for. Unfortunately when we were up there it was rather foggy so we couldn’t actually see that far, but we still got a pretty decent view of the altstadt. Though at 542m high, you can reach the festung by hoofing up flights of stairs that you can find on all sides of the hill. Alternatively you can pay €3-return and ride the festungbahn (fortress furnicular) from Hasengrabenbastei, though the ride literally only lasts for 30 seconds each way.
6 points go to Schloß Leopoldskron. This is one of a few filing locations for The Sound Of Music. Fans would no doubt recognise the huge man-made lake to the back of the house as well as the small pier and backyard of the house. It is, as it was during filming, a private property owned by Salzburg Global Seminar where entry is by invitation. The area surrounding the man-made lake is very pleasant for a leisurely stroll.
7 points go to Hellbrunn. This park and castle complex is a little outside of the city centre but is a stop for the Hop On Hop Off bus tour (see 10 points). Fans of TThe Sound Of Music would be directed to the glass gazebo where Ralf and Liesl sang ‘Sixteen going on seventeen’ and the Captain and Maria sang ‘Something good’. The gazebo was relocated here from Schloß Leopoldskron (see 6 points) when tourist numbers became too much.The rest of the park is also interesting, though the trick fountain requires an entry fee. There is also a zoo nearby.
8 points go to Getreidegasse. This is a very famous shopping street of Salzburg, situated in the altstadt part of the city. You can find all sorts of souvenir shops, antique shops, boutiques and eateries, with wrought-iron guild signs made to convey a sense of yester-era. You can also find the Mozarts Geburtshaus (Mozart’s birthplace) at #9.
9 points go to Schloß Mirabell (Mirabell Palace). Pretty much the only tourist attraction north of the River Salzach, it is a small-ish palace with an amazing garden attached. This is also where they shot several key scenes for The Sound Of Music, including the steps scene during Do-Re-Mi. Across the street you can find the stalls for the Panorama Tour and Salzburg Sightseeing Tour, both of with offer ‘Sound of Music’ packages. You can also find the Mozartuem and Marionettentheater (they provided the marionette for the ‘Lonely goatherd’ scenes of The Sound Of Music) to the south of the garden.
10 points go to the Hop On, Hop Off bus tour. There are many bus tours that do the tourist attractions of and around Salzburg, such as the 4-hour Sound of Music tours by Panorama as well as Salzburg Sightseeing. Most of these are guided tour that run around town in huge 50-seat buses and cost upwards from €40. The Hop On, Hop Off bus tour, though still go to the same attractions, allow you to literally hop on and hop off at your own leisure (at the designated stops of course). Each bus departs Mirabellplatz hourly and there are 11 stops all up, including out-of-towners like Schloß Leopoldskron where its backyard and the man-made lake featured prominently in The Sound Of Music (see 6 points). There is also an audio guide on board with 7 different languages to choose from so you wouldn’t miss a beat. For a 24-hour pass, it only cost us €20! (The cheapest was the 2-hour pass at €15, but that only equates to 1 stop) Every time you hop off, however, you’d have to wait an hour before the next one comes, though generally there is enough to see at each stop that an hour might not even seem enough at times.
And finally, 12 points go to Villa Trapp. No link to the movie The Sound Of Music whatsoever, this was the actual house where the real Von Trapp lived and grew up! Since fleeing OS during WWII, this house had undergone a few different uses, including as a regional Nazi headquarter. Post-WWII though, it was used by a missionary service and only until recently it was sold, renovated and opened as a boutique hotel. There are some original furniture and fittings like the staircase, but most had been given away during the post-war period. The owners of the hotel, however, are more than happy to give you a tour of the house, telling you stories about the Von Trapps and each room. One of our rooms, for example, was the bedroom of son #2, Werner. The hotel is a bit out of the way (in the suburb of Aigen, 5 S-bahn stops from Hauptbahnhof) but the local area is picturesque for short strolls or even a hike up the Alps!
Salzburg is a nice little boutique city where there are actually loads to see for a weekend trip. Next, I continue my post-submission escapade by venturing further into the Germanic sphere - in the beer capital of the world and the land of the sausage - München, Germany.
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