indiancouple

We shall be reaching Salzburg on August 8th (Friday), after spending 8 days in Switzerland. We have slightly over a day in Salzburg, before we proceed to Vienna. We need your advise on what sights to pack in for the day.
We reach Salzburg at 7:30 to 8 pm in the evening on 8th. Could anyone suggest a nice place to have dinner and drinks (a place with some "character" or a nice view)? Please bear in mind that we are vegetarians.
On 9th August, we propose to buy a Salzburg card each, which would give us access to most sights. The question is, which sights should we pack in one day ? We would surely like to walk around the Alstadt area, visit Hohensalzburg by furnicular, visit the Mozart houses. Should we take the cable car trip to Untersberg, or is it too much time to waste ? What about the Schloss Hellbrunn (the trick fountains sound interesting)? We dont mind a few museums, but there seem to be too many to choose from !
We would certainly like to witness a concert performance that evening, especially since the Salzburg Festival will be on. Any chances of getting tickets at the last moment (not too pricey ones) ? We don't mind standing tickets.
We are prepared for a long day, but it is the only day we will have, as the next morning we have to leave for Vienna. We are booked at Hotel Bloberger Hof at salzburg, which has great reviews on Tripadvisor. Any one having experience with that hotel ?

AisleSeat

For a nice place to eat we like the St Peter Schriftskeller (sp) that is just next to the Soung of Music graveyard. The restaurant has been there since about 800 ad. No vew out the window but great food. I think they have different menus upstairs and downstairs. (more expensive upstairs).

Definately walk around the altstadt. See the castle and if the weather is nice you can have a beverage on the castle terrace with a wonderful view of the alps.

caroltis

I found that I enjoyed Mozart's House on Makartplatz more than his Birthplace on Getreidegasse. The House has an audio tour that I thought was excellent.

There is so much to enjoy by just strolling through the main areas. One of my favorite strolls was through the cemetery at the Monastery of St. Peter. And right next to the church is the Peterskeller - a neat place to have a meal.

If you are a fan of Sound of Music -it's great fun to see the famous locations where the movie was filmed: Mirabelle Gardens, catacombs, horse trough, etc. But taking the Sound of Music tour would definitely not be advisable for several reasons!

starfish1

In addition to the above suggestions, if you like beer I would add a visit to the Augustiner Bräustübl. Fun beer garden with a variety of foods at little stalls that you can buy. A nice place to rest your feet and relax.

tcreath

I second Stiftskeller St. Peters. The food is delicious and it's very atmospheric.

I think that you will find that you'll be able to see and do quite a bit in Salzburg in one day, as the the historic center itself is relatively compact and not very big. I can't comment on Schloss Hellbrunn as we did not visit. There are plenty of sites, but we had no problem seeing everything we wanted to see within one day and still had plenty of time to wander around and linger in cafes.

Tracy

bob_brown

I have two prime recommendations for Salzburg. One of course is the Festung, that fortress on the hill that overlooks the whole area.
The second one is the water display at Schloss Hellbrunn. If you go to the water display, have on something that can take a little water!

After my two prime recommendations, any of several churches are pretty inside.

We also enjoyed very much a tour of the Festspielhaus, the scene of the music festival from the Sound of Music. It is one of the few authentic aspects of that whole movie. We took a guided tour which allowed us to go back stage and see behind the scenes.

I found it interesting.

A fourth attraction, if you have time, is the Marionetten Theater.
The people who work those marionettes are magicians. I enjoyed just watching the way that the figures were manipulated.

Ingo

Agree on the Fortress Hohensalzburg. Go and see it! Also, a concert there in the evening might be enjoyable. Another tip for a concert is old St. Peter.

Skip Untersberg since it would take too long. Hellbrunn - it was closed in winter when I was there, so no personal experience. But IMO it also takes quite a while to get there and back plus sightseeing ... hm, I would probably skip it, too.

Cross the river and walk around the New Town instead. The Mirabell gardens are very beautiful. See the cemetery and Paracelsus grave at St. Sebastian. The house where Mozart lived is also on this side of the river - enjoyed it more than the house where he was born.

Fully agree that St. Peter and the cemetery plus the catacombs are worth to see. Pop into the Cathedral, but don't stay too long. One of the most impressive churches is the Franciscan church IMO.

Sorry, no idea about vegetarian restaurants. A recommendation for coffee: Café/Patisserie Schatz.

See my trip report for more details:
http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=35116123

I.

indiancouple

Thanks for all your comments and suggestions. Ingo, I went through your trip report; there you mention that the trip to Untersberg was most memorable. However, above you have suggested that we skip it (probably due to the time factor). How long would it really take, if we dont plan on doing any hiking ?
How about a cruise on the Salzach to Schloss Hellbrunn ? Worth it ?

Ingo

You still need two hours for the trip to Untersberg. And without some hiking it is not as memorable. Beside that, I had four nights in the city and *loved* the break from the busy streets ;-) - with only one day you are not as much in need of that as I was.

No idea about a cruise on the river - but I doubt it is a highlight.

Vttraveler

Schloss Hellbrunn would be a must for a family with kids because of the trick fountains and "mechanical theater"--probably more optional for adults, but fun. It really is not that far out from the city. We parked there, toured the Schloss and took a bus in to the center. I don't know what the boat trip is like--probably some nice views of the city

myredjag

Here's my idea on how to spend one day in Salzburg:
First, Walk through the Aldstadt (Old Town.) Here you could do the Mozart houses if you have a strong interest...otherwise skip Mozart.

Second, I would take the funicular up to the castle above Salzburg and tour. Fantastic views.

Three, after you get back to the bottom, I would take time to see the Dom (Cathedral) It will only take a few minutes and you will appreciate the beauty.

Fourth, I would head to St. Peter's Cemetery. A Cemetery? YES! Beautiful and some parts of the cemetery were in Sound of Music.

Fifth, cross the river and head to Mirabella Gardens. This was the location for some scenes in Sound of Music.

Sixth, (Optional) See the Festival House and Horse Bath.

Finally, top off the day with dinner. St. Peter's Skiftkeller is la great place for dinner. Downstairs, informal, but great food. It goes back to 800 AD. Upstairs, try an formal dinner and music. Much more costly.

If you are not dead tired, check on a concert for the evening.

JN

Hi again,
Am I correct that you have two nights and one whole day in Salzburg? If so, here's what I'd suggest:
1. First night eat at the restaurant Ährlich--which I'm told has excellent vegetarian and organic dishes. Maybe have a drink at the Hotel Steingaden rooftop terrace with awesome view over the Salzach and the fortress

2. Next day, go to Mirabell gardens, walk through the Altstadt and, particularly, Getreidegasse, the narrowest shopping street in Europe, have a coffee and mozart kugel at Cafe Furst--where those chocolate little babies were first concocted. Lunch--I'm not a vegetarian, so Ährlich is the only place I know. I love the Wilden Mann, Stieglbrau and Zipfer Bierstube, but don't think they have much vegetarian. The Blauegans hotel outdoor restaurant across from the horse baths might, though.

For dinner, take in the Stiftskeller St. Peter. They have a dinner and Mozart concert combo--which is great, but I don't know if the menu is sans-meat. If it's not, consider eating in the restaurant and seeing if you could either pay for the concert separately, or take in the excellent concert at Schloss Mirabel.

Next to Luzern, Salzburg is our favorite Euro city. You'll enjoy it.

TexasAggie

I eat a primarily vegetarian diet and we came across an awesome restaurant in central Salzburg on our trip last June. We are returning to Salzburg in May and will probably eat both dinners there.

Saran Essbar (Judengasse 10, 1 block from Mozartplatz).

Specialties seemed to be traditional Austrian cuisine, several vegetarian dishes (Asian emphasis but a lot of variety), Italian cuisine (some of the pastas were vegetarian), and meal-sized salads.

I believe they are open for lunch as well as dinner. I recall they close around 10pm. My parents and husband swore that the apple strudel they had at the restaurant was the best they had anywhere over the 10-day trip.

indiancouple

Great suggestions. Now we know exactly what to do in Salzburg. Thanks everyone for your inputs.

kmwhill

TexasAggie - I didn't know there was such a thing as a vegetarian Texas Aggie! Just joking with you, of course. I coached there for 6 years and loved it.

TexasAggie

Hi kmwhill,

Truth be told, I definitely ate more meat when I lived in Texas but I never was too fond on beef and pork. I moved to Colorado in the autumn of 2003, about a year after grad school, and my eating habits have gradually changed over the years. My lack of interest in steak and ribs still completely baffles all my relatives living in various parts of Texas though ;-)

caroltis

And I'll bet both of you have had your eyes set on a little piece of "longhorn"...right? I live in Austin and bleed orange but as the saying goes "some of my best friends are Aggies" (really!)

bachslunch

In one day in Salzburg, I was able to see the Hohensalzburg Fortress, Mozart's Birthplace and the Mozart Wohnhaus (a second Mozart house across the river from his birthplace), the Dom and its little museum, St. Peter's Cemetery, and the Mirabell Gardens, as well as walk leisurely down the Getreidegasse. I liked them all, and found most of all this was within easy walking distance from each other.

kmwhill

So is three full days there (four nights, arriving late) too long?

kygirl59

bachslunch,
What time did you start and end your day?
kygirl