Preston Smith
I recently had the pleasure of visiting the beautiful city of Salzburg, Austria, for three weeks, and here I want to explain why everyone should visit this city once in their lifetime!
Salzburg is a beautiful city divided into the Altstadt (old city) and Neustadt (new city) by a river that flows through the city. It’s surrounded by soaring mountains on most sides, and the buildings remain both updated and beautifully antiquated. Everyone in the city is extremely friendly, and unlike in America, the culture is all about interaction and the connection between both people and people and nature.
If you’re going to visit this city, you have to start with a nature walk in Mirabellgarten. Situated close to the river, the garden remains gorgeous the entire year, and it’s maintained wonderfully by the city. It also is the home of Schloss Mirabell, an ornate palace whose ground floor is crafted as a map of the city. In the back of the picture, you can see the Festung fortress above the city.
This picture shows the view from the Festung fortress that overlooks the city. It’s a small hike to reach (there’s a lift available for a small price), but the view is so worth it. There are plenty of gorgeous photo opportunities at the fortress, and the history inside the fortress itself is breathtaking.
After seeing the city, you’re going to need a good meal – and Salzburg is not lacking in delicious food. The above photo is the classic Weinerschnitzel at Die Weisse, but in addition to classic German/Austrian foods, the city boasts authentic Italian food due to Italy being fairly close, while also possessing a strong Asian culinary influence. Regardless, though, everything is delicious and you won’t purchase a bad meal!
After you’ve eaten all of your authentic food, it may be time to visit Schloss Hellbrunn. This palace is a gorgeous yellow, and everything inside is packed with history. While you’re there, you can buy a ticket to participate in the palace’s Wasserspiele – the trick water fountains. You’ll go on a tour, where surprise water sprinklers will spray you from random directions. It’s a fun tour, especially on a hot day! From Hellbrunn, you can walk a short distance and hike a little bit to reach the Steintheater – a theater stage carved into the mountainside.
If you want one more adventure, you can travel a short distance to Hallein, a small neighboring city, where you can visit the salt mines that made Salzburg (Salz in German means salt) a rich city in the first place. Personally, his was one of my favorite places to visit. You can travel inside a mountain and down into the mines. Once inside, you take slides (as pictured above) deeper into the mountain, and you cross a lake inside the mountain via boat. It’s an entirely new experience.
The places mentioned throughout this piece are just a few of the things you can do/see while in Salzburg, but hopefully we’ve gotten you interested in visiting this city, or Austria in general! Outside of big excursions like this, every alley in the city holds something special, and you can get lost in the city for weeks and still not experience everything.
Have you visited Salzburg, or are you interested now? Comment below and tweet us @Fuzzable with all of your love for this country!
