Fodor's Travel Talk Forums - Trip Report New Years in Salzburg

Actually, the weather was terrible! Rain (sometimes VERY heavy rain) every day. Much cooler than usual yesterday and today. We were in Zell am See early yesterday and the temps were not much above freezing; there was a coating of fresh snow on the hillsides (not the very tip of the mountains, much lower down). On the postbus from Salzburg to Zell am See, we even saw a few flakes ourselves. Mixed with the rain, of course. I'm glad I decided to bring a warm coat along--we saw some tourists in lightweight spring/summer clothes and they were absolutely miserable.
The flowers (at least in places like Zell am See) are much later than usual this year. Tulips were still in full bloom; peonies were not close to blooming yet.
Nonetheless, we had an excellent time (we just got back an hour ago). We packed a LOT into our six days. The only two disappointments were Berchtesgaden (it was absolutely pouring with rain when I went there, a real cloudburst, so I simply caught the next train back to Salzburg) and Bad Gastein, which was nice but MUCH too steep for my mother.
Schloss Hellbrunn was a big hit; I loved the Folkmuseum, which got so few visitors they kept the door locked--I had to hunt down the "reception" guy to let me in and I had the place to myself. I really enjoyed touring the castle and the water fountains. The SoM gazebo was a bust, though, not worth seeing. No wonder it's stuck way down where the group tour buses come in.
We did get a few minutes of blue sky here and there; whenever that happened, our cameras clicked away at everything in sight!
I don't think we'll be going back over New Year's, though. Over the week-end portion of our trip, it felt WAY too crowded; can't imagine what it would be like there over a holiday!
P.S. Never made it to Goldene Ente--my mother was too tired from all the walking in the rain and cold to make forays to restaurants every evening, so we ate in the hotel several nights instead. Next time!