must do in salzburg
 

i will spend 3 days in Salzburg...what is recommended? any other places to go not so far away?
many thanks!

Panoramatours.com and viator.com sell excursions from Salzburg. It will give you an idea of what's around. You can book from them or do the same thing on your own. Great town!!

The first thing to know about Salzburg is that it is the birthplace of Mozart. You will not be able to escape Mozart so you might as well join the fun. You can visit the apartment where he was born and lived during his early years. It's near Mozartplatz.

You can also visit the apartment where he lived when he was a little older and making more money.

Both museums are interesting in their own way.

Salzburg has a fortress, the Hohensaltzburg. You can either ride the funicular up to it - or if you are up for a hike you can walk up the hill.

The TI is right on Mozartplatz. You can book tours and concerts there. We went to the Mozart Dinner concert and enjoyed it. I wish we had gone to the Marionnette performance of the Magic Flute.... next time!

You can book the "Sound of Music" tour, a salt mine tour, and others at the TI.

Also visit Mirabelle gardens - there might be a musician playing there so you can get a concert in the park for free.

Walk along the Salz River - or rent a bike. I think there are some boats that take tourists up & down the river too.

Have a pastry and some hot chocolate at Cafe Tomaselli. The hot chocolate is much richer than the US version.

The Salzkammergut, a nearby area of hills and lakes, is pretty. The obvious tourist town is Hallstadt, a cute little place tucked between lake and hillside with a waterfall in the middle of town.

Just wandering the Altstadt is fun. And several of the churches are interesting (we did an audio guide of one that kept talking about the Wirgin). Also- it seems to me there used to be a very interesting old fashioned pharmacy.

Salt mines at Hallein
Ice cave at Werfen (wear a coat!)

ttt

I will rate my top attractions in order of remembering them:

1. Hohensalzburg -- that fortress on the hill

2. Festspielhaus -- where the Salzburg Music Festival is held IF!! you can get a guided tour backstage.

3. Schloss Hellbrunn and the Wasserspiele - the trick water fountains. Don't bother with the inside of the house unless you are overwhelmed with curiosity. I went in and was underwhelmed by the time I got out.

The water tricks are superb, however. Just prepared to get a little wet. We went on a rainy day, so it did not matter. We were dressed for the rain.

4. The Marionetten Theater. Sit close to the stage for the best views of the marionettes. I saw Die Zauberflöte, or the Magic Flute. If another one is available, I would suggest it.

5. Wander about the old town. It is not very large.

To be avoided: The Sound of Money Tour.
To me it was a ripoff, and an egregious one at that. I recall nothing good about it. My memory: We got took!

1-Hellbrunn the tricky fountain, my kids and us had so much fun going thru the tour trying to stay dry and watching people got wet...
2-Mozart Dinner Concert at Stiftskeller St. Peter. It's only about 30Euro per person, well worth the money. Make sure to go 1 hour early to get the best seat.
3-Castle Hohenwerfen in Werfen. The setting is so pretty and it's only about 20 mins drive from Salzburg center.
4-you have to see the Marionette show, it's just terrific.

Get away from the Mozart hype. Take the 1.5 hour ICE train to Munich for the day.

What is the ICE train to Munich? Anyone have more info?

Interesting that this year old thread has resurfaced.

ICE is the InterCity Express, the newer high-speed trains. The regular trains are just fine but take about a half hour longer. You can find the schedules here:
http://bahn.hafas.de/bin/query.exe/en

Save some money to Munich and purchase a Bayern Ticket. Up to 5 people can travel on the same ticket for about 27 Euros. There is a DB Ticket machine at Salzburg Hbf. You have to take regional trains, but will save a LOT of money, especially if you return to Salzburg the same day.

Hi EC,

Get the Salzburg card.

www2.salzburg.info/sehenswertes_281.htm

((I))

I too would skip the Sound of Music tour if you are only going to be there 3 days - it takes up too much time and isn't particularly significant.
Definitely see a puppet show at the Marrionette Theater.
Attend a Mozart concert in the evening at the Hohensaltzburg - it was a true highlight.
Explore the cemeteries on both sides of the river.
Tour through both Mozart houses.
Rent a car for a day and explore the smaller towns surrounding Salzburg.