Salzburg is on the border of Germany and is divided by the Salzach River.

It’s home to the world famous Red Bull energy drink which was created in 1987 by Dietrich Mateschitz who also founded the Red Bull Racing Formula One team.

Salzburg got its name due to the salt mines around the city. The city’s economy and architecture was shaped by the thriving salt trade.

Something unique to Salzburg is the mountain cleaner profession. Yes this is an actual job where they ensure the safety of the inhabitants of Salzburg. After a rockfall in 1669, 230 people lost their lives. Today, twelve mountain cleaners inspect over 300.000 m² to ensure that loose rocks are no longer a danger to anyone.

You can find the world’s oldest restaurant in Salzburg. St. Peter Stiftskeller was founded in 803 CE and is still serving Austrian cuisine over 1,200 years later.

Salzburg is best known for being the birthplace of Wolfgang Mozart, one of the greatest musical composers of all time.

Mozart Geburtshaus

Speaking of Mozart, you can visit the birthplace of the man himself at the Geburtshaus where he was born on January 27th 1756. It’s right in the heart of the old town. It’s one of the most popular museums in Austria.

The International Mozarteum Foundation originally opened a museum at the house back in 1880. It has been constantly developed and expanded.

The tour lasts about an hour. You go through what was at the time a middle class apartment, seeing everyday items and furniture from the 18th century, and cool displays such as the Mozart family tree on the wall. All the original rooms have been reconstructed to look as authentic as possible.

You’ll see the original birth certificates, letters and memorabilia documenting Mozart’s life. There are instruments including Mozart’s own violin and clavichord.

The Mozart family lived here for 26 years from 1747 occupying an apartment on the third floor. In 1773 the Mozarts moved to the house known as the “Mozart Residence” on Marketplatz Square.

Mozart’s Wohnhaus

Speaking of the Mozart residence, they lived here from 1773 after Mozart’s original house was deemed too small for the family and too small to host social gatherings.

Mozart stayed at the residence until 1780 when he left Salzburg for good. His family stayed until 1787 after the death of Mozart’s father Leopold.

It became known as the “Dance Master’s House” in 1713 after Lorenz Spockner offered dance lessons for the nobility in preparation for their life in court.

During World War 2, two thirds of the building was destroyed by an air raid. The part that had survived was bought by the International Mozart Foundation in 1955.

An office building was constructed on the site of the ruins, which the Foundation bought in 1989. After it had been demolished, the Mozart Residence was reconstructed true to the original building plan and reopened to the public in 1996.

In the exhibition you’ll see Mozart’s pianoforte and original documents and portraits. There are interesting facts about the history of the house, Mozart’s time in Salzburg and the life of his family including his Sister Maria Anna (aka Nannerl), who was a musical talent herself.

To see Mozart’s Residence and the exhibition takes around 90 minutes.

Festung Hohensalzburg

Hohensalzburg Castle sits on top of Festungsberg mountain towering above the city of Salzburg at 506m altitude.

Erected on behalf of the Prince Archbishop of Salzburg in 1077, the fortress stands at 250m long and 150m wide making it one of the largest medieval castles in Europe. It remains one of the best preserved medieval castles.

In over 900 years it has never been conquered by foreign troops. Its imposing walls and strategic location on the hilltop made it a impossible for potential enemies attacks.

You can explore the dungeons, museums, exhibitions and enjoy a panoramic view of Salzburg, You’ll spend around 90 minutes – 2 hours exploring the castle.

The castle has been accessible to the public since 1892. You can take the fortress railway from Festungsgasse for those who don’t fancy hiking up on foot.

Mirabellgarten

The Mirabell Palace and Garden are amongst Salzburg’s most popular attractions.

Built in 1606 by the Prince Archbishop Wolf Dietrich for his beloved Salome Alt, the name Mirabell is from two Italian words, mirabile (admirable) and bella (beautiful).

I briefly saw the garden from a side entrance, took some photos and didn’t think anymore of it. I didn’t realise how big it was until I passed through here on my last day. Luckily I had an evening flight and had time to explore and admire it.

I didn’t go in for a tour of the Palace. I probably could have made time for it but better not to risk the need to rush around to catch a flight.

The Palace houses the office for the Mayor of Salzburg and the administration. The Marmorsaal is considered one of the best venues to host weddings, and hosts concerts. Wolfgang Mozart and Nannerl Mozart have performed here.

I’ve been to my fair share of gardens throughout my travels, and there hasn’t been one that I can recall being more beautiful garden than Mirabell.

Hallstatt

Hallstatt is a village in the Salzkammergut region in the Gmunden district on the picturesque Hallstatt lake.

It’s a great spot for filming, part of James Bond: Spectre was filmed here.

Our tour guide gave us the option of doing a boat tour or going up the cable car to see a panoramic view. We only had time for one of the two with spending time in the village.

We did the cable car and panoramic view the day before on a day trip to Innsbruck so it was nice to do something we don’t often do for a change. The boat tour was €15 and lasted 45 minutes. Throughout it you have beautiful views of the village.

The village is lined with colourful alpine houses and alleyways with cafes and shops. It maybe so small you walk it in 5 – 10 minutes, but you could spend hours enjoying one of the most picturesque places in Europe.

Hallstatt is not only popular in the summer, it’s also popular in the winter for skiing, ice climbing and snowshoeing. It’s quieter compared to the summer months offering a peaceful experience.

Getting to Hallstatt by public transport is a mission. You need to take a combination of bus and train which takes over 2 hours, and then take a ferry from Hallstatt Station to the main part of Hallstatt village.

It was much easier and convenient booking a tour group to take us there. I booked a half day tour so we were back in Salzburg by the afternoon. We got the lowdown about Hallstatt from the tour guide as you’d expect.

One thing our tour guide did request, and apparently something that occurs more than you think, is not to just walk in the colourful houses. There are residents living there and apparently tourists assume they’re empty.

I can’t believe I’m writing this but don’t do this.

I wouldn’t have minded doing a full day tour but I couldn’t find anything when booking. This is why having a car rental is beneficial.

A trip to Hallstatt is a must if you’re in Salzburg.

I really enjoyed Salzburg.

There’s good day trip options, it’s got cool architecture, it’s easy to get around the old town to explore and the food scene is good.

If you solely coming to visit Salzburg, a weekend is enough at a leisurely pace.

Usually when people think of visiting Austria, they think of Vienna without giving anywhere else in Austria a second thought.

Salzburg is a place you should look to add to your itinerary when you come here.