9 Best Sights in Salzburg, Austria

The Salzburger Marionettentheater is both the world's greatest marionette theater and a surprisingly sublime theatrical experience. Many critics have noted that viewers quickly forget the strings controlling the puppets, which assume lifelike dimensions and provide a very real dramatic experience. The Marionettentheater is identified above all with Mozart's operas, which seem particularly suited to the skilled puppetry. Their repertoire extends to Rossini (The Barber of Seville) and Strauss (The Bat), among others, as well as numerous fairy tales. The Sound of Music has also been performed here since 2007. For children, the theater recommends its one-hour afternoon performances, usually shortened version of their headline shows. All productions are accompanied by historic recordings and are subtitled in several languages. The theater itself is a Rococo concoction. The company is famous for its world tours but is usually in Salzburg during the summer and around major holidays.

While there's a choice of entrances to the Mirabell Gardens—from the Makartplatz (framed by the statues of Roman gods), the Schwarzstrasse, and Mirabell Square—you'll want to enter from the Rainerstrasse and head for the Rosenhügel (Rosebush Hill); that way you'll arrive at the top of the steps where Julie Andrews and her seven charges showed off their singing ability in The Sound of Music. This is also an ideal vantage point from which to admire the formal gardens and one of the best views of Salzburg, as it shows how harmoniously architects of the Baroque period laid out the city. The center of the gardens—one of Europe's most beautiful parks, partly designed by Fischer von Erlach as the grand frame for the Mirabell Palace—is dominated by four large groups of statues representing the elements water, fire, air, and earth, and designed by Ottavio Mosto, who came to live in Salzburg from Padua. A bronze version of the winged horse Pegasus stands in front of the south facade of the palace in the center of a circular water basin. The most famous part of the Mirabell Gardens is the Zwerglgarten (Dwarfs' Garden), which can be found opposite the Pegasus fountain. Here you'll find 12 statues of "Danubian" dwarves sculpted in marble—the real-life models for which were presented to the bishop by the Landgrave of Göttweig. Prince-Archbishop Franz Anton von Harrach had the figures made for a kind of stone theater below. The Heckentheater (Hedge Theater) is an enchanting natural stage setting that dates from 1700.

The Mozart family moved from its cramped quarters in Getreidegasse to this house on the Hannibal Platz, as it was then known, in 1773. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart lived here until 1780, his sister Nannerl stayed here until she married in 1784, and their father Leopold lived here until his death in 1787. The house is accordingly referred to as the Mozart Residence, signifying that it was not only Wolfgang who lived here. During the first Allied bomb attack on Salzburg in October 1944, the house was partially destroyed, but was reconstructed in 1996. Mozart composed the "Salzburg Symphonies" here, as well as all five violin concertos, church music, and some sonatas, and parts of his early operatic masterpieces, including Idomeneo. Take the informative audio tour for an introduction to the museum's interesting collection of musical instruments—like his own pianoforte in the Dance Master Hall—as well as books from Leopold Mozart's library, family letters, and portraits. Before you leave, take a peek inside the Mozart Audio Visual Collection, an archive of thousands of Mozart recordings as well as films and video productions, all of which can be listened to or viewed on request.

The Makartplatz—named after Hans Makart, the most famous Austrian painter of the mid-19th century—is dominated at the top (east) end by Fischer von Erlach's first architectural work in Salzburg, built 1694–1702. It was modeled on a church by Borromini in Rome and prefigures von Erlach's Karlskirche in Vienna. Dominated by a lofty, oval-shape dome—which showcases a painting by Johann Michael Rottmayr—this church was the result of the archbishop's concern that Salzburg's Neustadt was developing in an overly haphazard manner. The church interior is small but perfectly proportioned, surmounted by its dome, whose trompe-l'oeil fresco seems to open up the church to the sky above.

This final resting place for many members of the Mozart family, in the shadows of St. Sebastian's Church, offers a peaceful respite from the store-lined Linzergasse. Prince-Archbishop Wolf-Dietrich commissioned the cemetery in 1600 to replace the old cathedral graveyard, which he planned to demolish. It was built in the style of an Italian campo santo (sacred field), with arcades on four sides, and in the center of the square he had the Gabriel Chapel, an unusual, brightly tiled Mannerist mausoleum, built for himself; he was interred here in 1617. Several famous people are buried in this cemetery, including the medical doctor and philosopher Theophrastus Paracelsus, who settled in Salzburg in the early 16th century (his grave is by the church door). Around the chapel is the grave of Mozart's widow, Constanze, alongside her second husband, Georg Nikolaus Nissen, and possibly her aunt Genoveva Weber (by the central path leading to the mausoleum). According to the latest research, Mozart's father, Leopold, came to rest in the unmarked community grave here, too. If the gate is closed, enter through the back entrance around the corner in the courtyard.

To the south of the New City, and directly opposite the Mönchsberg on the other side of the river, Kapuzinerberg hill is crowned by several interesting sights. By ascending a stone staircase near Steingasse 9, you can start your climb up the peak. At the top of the first flight of steps is a tiny chapel, St. Johann am Imberg, built in 1681. Farther on are a signpost and gate to the Hettwer Bastion, part of the old city walls and one of Salzburg's most spectacular viewpoints. At the summit is the gold-beige Kapuzinerkloster (Capuchin Monastery), originally a fortification built to protect the one bridge crossing the river. It is still an active monastery so cannot be visited, except for the church. The road down—note the Stations of the Cross along the path—is called Stefan Zweig Weg, after the great Austrian writer and critic who rented the Paschingerschlössl house by the monastery until 1934, when he fled Austria. Continue along to the northeast end of the Kapuzinerberg road for a well-earned meal with a stunning 180-degree view from the garden of the Franziskischlössl. There are also luxurious suites here if you want to stay overnight (www.franziskischloessl.at).

In the same building as the Mozart Wohnhaus (Residence), this is an archive of thousands of Mozart recordings as well as films and video productions, all of which can be listened to or viewed on request.

The "Taj Mahal of Salzburg," Schloss Mirabell was built in 1606 by the immensely wealthy and powerful Prince-Archbishop Wolf-Dietrich for his mistress, Salomé Alt, and their 15 children. It was originally called Altenau in her honor. Such was the palace's beauty that it was taken over by succeeding prince-archbishops, including Markus Sittikus (who renamed the estate), Paris Lodron, and finally, Franz Anton von Harrach, who brought in Lukas von Hildebrandt to give the place a Baroque face-lift in 1727. A disastrous fire hit in 1818, but happily, three of the most spectacular set pieces of the palace—the Chapel, the Marble Hall, and the Angel Staircase—survived. The Marble Hall is now used for civil wedding ceremonies and is regarded as the most beautiful registry office in the world. Its marble floor in strongly contrasting colors and its walls of stucco and marble ornamented with elegant gilt scrollwork are splendid. The young Mozart and his sister gave concerts here, and he also composed Tafelmusik (Table Music) to accompany the prince's meals. The magnificent marble Angel Staircase was laid out by von Hildebrandt and has sculptures by Georg Rafael Donner. The staircase is romantically draped with white marble putti, whose faces and gestures reflect a multitude of emotions, from questioning innocence to jeering mockery. The very first putto genuflects in an old Turkish greeting (a reminder of the Siege of Vienna in 1683).

Candlelight chamber music concerts in the Marble Hall provide an ideal combination of performance and atmosphere.

Stretching south from the Neustadt and walled in on one side by the bare cliffs of the Kapuzinerberg, this narrow medieval street was originally the ancient Roman entrance into the city from the south. The houses stood along the riverfront before the Salzach was regulated. Nowadays it's a fascinating mixture of shops and nightclubs, but with its tall houses the street still manages to convey an idea of how life used to be in the Middle Ages. The Inneres Steintor marks the entrance to the oldest section of the street; here on summer afternoons the light can be particularly striking. House No. 23 on the right still has deep, slanted peep-windows for guarding the gate. House No. 31 is the birthplace of Josef Mohr, the poet of "Silent Night, Holy Night" fame (not No. 9, as is incorrectly noted on the wall).