The Austrian city of Salzburg is for the people who admire nature and have a keen eye for history. Salzburg is famous for its outstanding views as the city is surrounded by mountains and houses many Baroque architecture buildings. The city is packed with tourists all year long. Although, Salzburg is a small city as compared to Vienna but offers breath-taking scenic views and has a rich culture. Salzburg is the birthplace of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s, a famous Austrian composer that I’m sure you have heard of. The best thing about Salzburg is that all the famous places can be reached by walk and are located in the Old Town.
Outskirts of Salzburg, Austria
It is recommended to buy a Salzburg card for the tour of the city. It is cheaper in price as compared to getting tickets for each spot. The card covers the cost of public transport and the entrance fee of the museums and the tour of the Castle in Salzburg. The Old town of Salzburg was our first destination and it was packed with tourists. The exquisite buildings were to be gazed upon.
Salzburg’s Old Town
My husband and I headed to the old town of Salzburg from where we could reach the fortress of Hohen Salzburg. It is a visible landmark that can be spotted from miles away. This fortress dominates all other buildings and is a top tourist spot. You can get a ticket or use the Salzburg card for the funicular that takes you up to the fortress.
Salzburg’s Old town
A hot cup of coffee at this height is a blessing. You can get something to eat or drink from this snack shop when you reach the top of the fortress.
As you reach up, you are welcomed by a pretty spectacular view of the Alps. The panoramic view of the Old Town is as amazing where you can see the entire city from the top, divided by the beautiful Salzach River. Within the fortress are many other things you can explore, like the big courtyard, torcher chambers, the lookout tower, and the fortress museum. The enormous structure of the fortress always makes me wonder how it was constructed back in 1077.
We went on further to see the military museum of this medieval fortress which tells the history of the fortress showcasing the weaponry, armor, and other instruments used at that time.
A picture from the Fortress’s museum, Salzburg
A picture from the Fortress’s Museum, Salzbur
Not far away from the Castle lies one of the oldest burial sites known as the St. Peter’s Cemetery & Catacombs. It is another attractive site for the tourists, as it is beautifully decorated with monuments and paintings.
Petersfriedhof, Salzburg
Completely re-built in the 17th century is the heart of the city, Salzburg’s Cathedral. The exterior of the Church with big gates and statues of saints makes it very attractive, and as you enter the church it is so peaceful and people cannot stop to stare at the Baroque architecture of the church.
Opposite the Cathedral, you can visit the Residenz palace of Salzburg that was home to the Royals of Salzburg. The inside of the palace is preserved along with the possessions of the royals. You can take a guided tour and enjoy the artistic interior and take an inside look into their lifestyle.
Mozart’s Birthplace in the Old Town is a must-see attraction in Salzburg. Turned in to a museum, the belongings, musical instruments of the famous composer are displayed there.
On the next day, our plan was to first visit the Salzburg zoo and then the famous Untersberg Mountain. The bus ride from the old town takes up to 30 minutes to reach the zoo. We got there in the morning, so it wasn’t much crowded that was a plus. Salzburg zoo has more than 1000 animals. The zoo is divided into different sections, thus easy to find different species. The zoo looked beautiful covered in snow and was beautifully decorated for Christmas.
Cotton-top tamarin from South America, Salzburg Zoo
Alpaca from South America, Salzburg Zoo
Mountain lion from South America, Salzburg ZooFlamingos from South America, Salzburg Zoo
It was a delightful experience to visit the zoo. The construction of the zoo offers a natural habitat to all the animals accordingly.
As soon as we were done with the tour of the Zoo it started to snow. We rushed to the bus stop that is just 2 minutes’ walk from the zoo’s entrance and hopped on to the bus to reach our last destination of the trip. The bus dropped us near the cable car station from where it took us up to the mountain. While you’re in the cable car and as you go up you will experience magnificent views of the Alps that the city is surrounded with.
Cable Car ride to Untersberg Mountain
On an elevation of 1,972 m, the sight of the city cannot be explained. Everything looked so tiny and beautiful, bright and covered in snow. It was the first time that I had been to the top of a mountain, and I was in love with the landscape.
Untersberg Mountain, Salzburg
In the winter season, Untersberg Mountain is a popular spot for winter sports. You will get the sight of people skiing down the mountain.
I believe, 2 days were not enough to explore this spectacular city. I would love to go back to Salzburg and spend more time there.
Get yourself ready for a thrilling adventure and mark these spots to get a closer look into the fascinating city of Salzburg.