"Salzburg" a Salzburg Travel Page by MishyM

Salzburg! Yes, I admit it, my main reason for going was my obsession with 'The Sound of Music'. I wanted to follow in Marias footsteps and frolic over the mountains singing. Unfortunately, I missed out of the Sound of Music Tour by 5 minutes. 5 minutes!!! I think my friends were very relieved, but this is now one of my life’s greatest disappointments, from which I have yet to recover!

That aside, I loved Salzburg. It was actually a lot smaller than I thought it would be, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t without things to do. I went in December, so to begin with they had their own Christmas markets, packed with delicious food, beautiful decorations, music and most importantly festivity! On the topic of Christmas, there were also a number of absolutely exquisite Christmas shops there. They are beautifully decorated and when you walk in you feel as though you have stepped into some magical gateway! There were just baskets and baskets filled with glass balls of every conceivable colour and shape, as well as wooden decorations and much much more. If you love Christmas decorations, I strongly recommend you visit these shops.

One of the good things about this city is it is a little less touristy than Vienna, so you experience more of the Austrian charm and culture. The train ride from Vienna to Salzburg was also wonderful, as you get to see lots of tiny little Austrian towns and countryside.

One of the nicest things in Salzburg is it's castle. Now before I begin on this, let me give you a little advice. There is a cable car to the top of the castle, you do not need to walk up the path of doom. I use the term path loosely, this was more of a vertical climb... well ok, one of my very fit sporty friends thought it was a walk in the park, but the rest of us almost died. If you do survive the climb, the view from the top of the castle is breathtaking, as you can see from the photos on this page. It allows you to see pretty much all of the entire city, and the surrounding mountains, and is well worth the journey up there. Plus you get to explore the castle itself, which is really lovely.

Other highlights of the trip were:
- The Salzach river in Salzburg – it is absolutely beautiful
- The ‘Old Town’ which is in the city centre – it is just packed with beautiful buildings
- One of my friends from Australia who had never seen snow before attempting to throw snowballs at me, and then having some random person walking down the street join in. This random person seemed to be an expert at snowball making and put us all to shame. We actually had to retreat to avoid death by snowball.

Salzburg is also the home of Mozart, and this is quite evident when walking through the city, you can even visit his house there!

Also, if you can’t get to Vienna and you still want to try the infamous Sacher Torte – fear not, you can! There is a Sacher hotel in Sazburg as well, with plenty of Sacher Torte for you to try.

The nightlife was actually quite good there. We just asked some people walking down the street where to go out, and they pointed us in the right direction. there were plenty of bars and pubs and we met lots of friendly people. I still don't understand why every irish pub you go into feels the need to play that 'we come from a land downunder' song though.... shortly followed by 'eye of the tiger'

No matter your age, or preferences, there are plenty of places to stay in Salzburg to make anymore happy. My friends and I stayed at a hostel, with a perfect view of the castle. It was lovely, clean and very friendly! There are alos a variet of lovely hotels and ever bed and breakfasts.

Salzburg is a charming city that really does give you a taste of Austrian culture and is rich in history, architecture and vertical climbs!