Day 30-31/63, 2 days in Salzburg Austria
It was an easy ~3 hour train travel day from Munich to Salzburg, followed by a short walk from the train station to our hotel across the street from Mirabell Palace and Gardens. Check‑in was a new experience for us: everything done through a kiosk where you entered your information and provisioned your room keys.
Salzburg is a small city split by the Salzach River, with the Old Town on the left bank and the newer side on the right. The Old Town is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, added in 1996 for its blend of Baroque architecture, Italian Renaissance influence, and Alpine setting. It’s also Mozart’s birthplace — born here in 1756 — and his childhood home still draws about half a million visitors a year. Above it all sits Hohensalzburg Fortress, one of Europe’s largest fully preserved medieval castles. Salzburg is also home to St. Peter’s Stiftskulinarium, widely considered the oldest continuously operating restaurant in Central Europe.
With some time before our Mozart dinner concert, we set off to wander the city. Mirabell Palace and Gardens were right across the street, so that became our starting point. The gardens were beautiful and surprisingly not too crowded. From there we explored the right bank, grabbed a bite to eat, then crossed over into the Old Town to wander the narrow streets and squares. Eventually we made our way back to the hotel to rest before the concert.
The Mozart dinner concert ended up being one of the highlights of our time in Salzburg. A string quintet and two opera singers performed an abridged version of The Marriage of Figaro. It was entertaining, with fun audience interaction and playful moments between the singers.
For our last full day, we headed toward Hohensalzburg Fortress but stopped first at the Salzburg Cathedral. As we were leaving, we asked one of the attendants if they ever held organ concerts. He said they did most days at noon and kindly let us back in without buying new tickets. We were about twenty minutes early and found seats near the front on his recommendation. The organist played four of the cathedral’s five organs, ending with the massive one at the back. The cathedral itself is stunning — easily one of the prettiest we’ve seen anywhere in Europe.
After listening to the organs we continued up to the fortress. We chose to walk instead of taking the funicular (or Festungsbahn), and the road gets steep quickly. Inside the fortress we grabbed a quick bite in one of the courtyards, explored the various rooms and exhibits, and climbed a long spiral staircase to the top of one of the towers for a great view over Salzburg and the surrounding mountains.
On the way back into town, we walked through Friedhof St. Peter (Petersfriedhof), one of the oldest cemeteries in the region. Dating back to at least the 12th century, it’s part of St. Peter’s Abbey. The catacombs carved into the cliff above add to the atmosphere and make the whole place feel ancient and tucked away.
To wrap up our time in Salzburg, we headed to the rooftop restaurant at Hotel Stein and enjoyed a relaxing evening with views of the fortress, decent cocktails, and some food.
And now for a small rant: I really dislike large tour groups and cruise ships, and the commercialism they bring. Old Town is filled with high‑end stores — Louis Vuitton, Hugo Boss, and the rest. I don’t understand why you’d come to a place like Salzburg, or any interesting city, just to shop. And the influencer photo‑shooting everywhere, with no regard for anyone around them… social media has definitely changed the vibe in places like this.
On to Vienna…
Skooks & Laurie
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