As I've mentioned before, last summer I went on a 6-week trip through the Western part of Europe. We pretty much stayed in a straight line all the way from Amsterdam to Barcelona. The exception was Salzburg, Austria.
The main reason we chose Salzburg was because Vienna was too far off course for us and, I'll be honest, I wanted to go there because The Sound of Music was filmed there! Many other more obvious choices, like Switzerland and Italy were either too expensive or too inconvenient.
* By the way, I am going to be doing a few separate posts alllllll about my trip.*
Salzburg wasn't the place I was most excited to get to. I thought it would just be a city that would be lost as a hazy memory compared to all of the other big cities we were visiting.
But I can safely say that Austria was the most beautiful country we visited.
My Experience....
Salzburg
View of the Fortress from the Mirabel Gardens
What I loved about Salzburg is that it felt very untouched by tourists, well some parts did. Like I said, we stayed in a quieter area, about 15 minutes from the main shopping area/ center of the city. But even in that area, the average shop like H&M was in a rustic looking building.
In general, we noticed that Salzburg attracted an older crowd. We were among the youngest that I saw there (my boyfriend and I were 21 & 20, respectively). However, once I explored the city, i found it hard to believe that younger people wouldn't want to visit.
Obersalzburg
Obersalzburg is technically in Germany, but it is definitely a must when visting Salzburg as it is only about an hour away on the train. It is a day trip, and you don't really need to stay the night there.
It is home to the Eagle's Nest, which was a hideout/fortess (not to be confused with the fortress in the city of Salzburg), built for Hitler in World War II.
Getting to the Eagle's Nest was....interesting, if a little scary. Okay, a lot scary.
Like I said, it take about an hour to get to Obersalzburg from Salzburg, and the journey takes you through some beautiful, but desolate scenery. Again, adding the feeling that it is untouched by tourists (even though it's not!)
When you arrive in Obersalzburg, you then have to take a bus up to the Intercontinental Hotel, where another bus takes you up to the Eagle's Nest.
I know what you're thinking..... doesn't sound that scary, right?
Let me tell you, the 2 bus trips were some of the scariest experiences of my life. Even though I'm sure they were completely safe, the buses are full to the brim of people and making extremely tight turns round a bend that is barely walled off to a sheer 2,600 ft drop, at it's peak.
As scary as the experience was getting up to the Eagle's Nest, the views made it SO worth it. They speak for themselves.....
P.S. It's also a beer garden!
Recommendations.....
Hotels
We stayed at the Lasserhof Hotel in Salzburg. It was so quaint and cute, and I highly recommend it for a relatively inexpensive hotel close to the train station, as well as restaurants and the city center. It was very clean and well maintained every day for us. My only peeve would be that the air conditioning was non-existant, and we were there in June when it was 85 degrees outside. But that was my only complaint and nothing an open window couldn't fix. Other than that, I also recommend their breakfast. It was very plentiful and traditionally Austrian.
Restaurants
My boyfriend and I committed a cardinal sin in Salzburg... we ate at the same place twice, something we promised we wouldn't do while in Europe in the hope of trying new places. The restaurant was Italian, and we ate there on our first and last night due to laziness and convenience. It was along the restaurant strip I was talking about (don't know the name of the street), and it was good, but then again I love Italian food!
To try and make up for eating Italian in Austria, we ate at a restaurant where we couldn't read the menu and we picked blindly... it turned out amazing for me, I got sausage and sauerkraut.
But my boyfriend wasn't as lucky... he ended up with these crunchy dumplings that I wasn't a fan of at all.
We also ate at an Austrian pub-like restaurant, which was also on the strip!
Packing Tips
Since I went in the Summer, regular, bog standard shorts and t-shirt were okay for me. I didn't really dress up while I was in Salzburg because it's quite a casual place with minimal nightlife and/or find dining (that we were part of anyway). So the two tips I have beyond basics are....
- Good Walking Shoes
Honestly, I should have taken trainers. Salzburg and the surrounding areas are amazing for hiking but I wasn't able to do anything past walking on the rocky surface at the Eagle's Nest because I didn't have appropriate footwear. Silly me! I wore plimsoles, but they were definitely not ideal. I really recommend trainers to get the most of your experience!
- Cardigans & A Light Jacket
Again, this applies for the summer, to slip over your basics. It did rain one day while we were there and I was glad to have my leather bomber jacket (with a hood), and some simple cardi's to pop on when it got chillier at night.
Must-Do's
The Sound of Music Tour!
This is a 100% must for anyone who has seen/ loves the film. It is very surreal to see all of the places that it was filmed and to recognize buildings and streets from the movie. We were going to pay for a guided tour which was around 60-80 euros. However, we read a few reviews that said to just conduct your own. I downloaded an app on my phone that guided you to each stop. It did require some public transportation, but overall, we did get to see all the important sights from the movie and paid around 10 euros.
This is the house that was used as the exterior backside of the house in the movie. Think, the 'falling out of the boat ' scene.
Salt Mines
We visited the salt mines in Hallein, which is about 40 minutes away from Salzburg I believe. I think this is a must because it is so unlike anything I've ever done or seen before. It's scary, because you are so far underground, but it is so unique and interesting. HIGHLY recommend.
Half of the Hallein Salt Mines are in Austria, half in Germany.
Not to mention, they have these amazing slides to go deeper underground
Do It...Ditch It!
DO eat a sausage with sauerkraut
DO get a sausage from a street vendor (try the Munchner)
DO drink beer. Lots.
DO see the sights of The Sound of Music
DO go to a salt mine
DO visit the Eagle's Nest
DO go hiking
DON'T pay for a Sound of Music tour!
DON'T eat at the same place twice!
I witnessed the most amazing natural beauty in Austria, and it is one of the most stunning places I have ever been, if not the most stunning. I can't explain the feeling of standing almost 3,000 feet up and looking out on to the breathtaking landscape below.
Salzburg is a must in my book, purely because of it's beauty and uniqueness.
Sorry this post was so long. Please let me know if you'd rather I break these up in the future. Hope you enjoyed!
Jusqu'à la prochaine fois...
Jade
