Exploring Salzburg

Salzburg is a beautiful little city nestled on the Austrian border near Germany. It has a long and colourful history, developed as a city from the salt mining trade as well as being the former seat of the Archbishop of Salzburg. The Old Town in Salzburg is quaint and cultural and yes, the scene of many filming locations for the classic movie: The Sound of Music (1965). It is also the former childhood home town of none other than Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.

The day we arrived, after walking in a few circles, we went to St Peters Cemetery as this was a location that inspired a pivotal scene in the Sound of Music.

It is an immaculately kept area and upon arrival you can clearly see how it inspired the set used in the film.

Old Town Salzburg, pictured below, is situated on one side of the Salzach river. As my hotel was on the opposite side of the river each morning I got to walk across and view this image of the town at sunrise. I believe that positioning yourself on the bridge closest to the Mirabell Gardens offers one of the best, unaffected angles in which to capture this city.

The Hohensalzburg Fortress is a beautiful historic site to visit as well as one of the most intact fortresses in all of Europe. You can choose to walk up to the Fortress or get a 1 minute train ride up to the top.

I recommend getting the early bird option for the Fortress site visit. For hopeful photographers this is the perfect time to go as there was little to no one wandering at the time which allowed for many beautiful photos. It is also impeccable watching the sun rise over the city. From the Fortress you have access to views of not only Salzburg but also the surrounding Austrian alps. As we were there in winter we were lucky to be able to view them on a relatively clear day.

The Fortress itself is a culmination of many hundreds of years of extensions. The original foundations of the Fortress itself are over 1000 years old. These have been added to multiple times as the Fortress was extended by the original Archbishop’s successors. The museum within the Fortress offers the opportunity to better understand the past history of Salzburg, with restored rooms and artefacts better offering an insight into stories of the area. If you are there in December, you also have the opportunity to attend the Christmas markets and sample some Gluhwein (adults only) and Christmas cookies.

The views from the Fortress of Salzburg are reason enough to make the trip to the top. In great detail you can study the city of Salzburg and in my case, ponder how, for a relatively small city, I still managed to get lost a few times.

We were very lucky that the day we chose to explore around Nonnberg Abbey was a day it was open to the public. Eager eyes will recognise this setting from the movie for when the children go to find Maria.

I had a strong desire to walk through the gates of the Abbey seen in the movie and I was lucky enough to be able to do so.

Salzburg may not be as large a city as Paris or London but that does not mean it is without things to see and do. It has many parks and museums and come Christmas time, a seemingly endless row of Christmas market stalls selling everything from Bubblegum flavoured schnapps to raspberry meringues. Beyond the city itself, Salzburg is a great location base for day trips up to the snow. It is also a great city in which to try as many schnitzel and strudel plates as can be found. The food served in European winter is comfort food goals and Salzburg has all the offerings you could want!