Even though the weather didn’t cooperate in the way I had hoped (grey clouds were ever-present), my stopover in Mozart’s birth city turned out better than expected. A lot in Salzburg revolve around Mozart. You can even visit the house where he lived, and see the piano he played. House of Mozart’s Birth, a big house with several floors, is located at Getreidegasse 9 and attracts curious tourists all year round. Except for boasting one of the most famous birth houses in the world, Getreidegasse is also an exceptionally pretty shopping street lined with boutiques, cozy cafés and beautiful arcades.
Another Mozart feature is the Mozartkuegeln, a delicious candy made of fine chocolate, hazelnut nougat, hazelnuts, marzipan and a caramel-resembling substance. Each Mozartkuegel is wrapped in foil and has a portrait of Mozart on the front. Just make sure you get the real deal instead of some cheap fake version.
One of the most appreciated parts of Salzburg is Mirabell Gardens, where Sound of Music was shot, but the old town (a ten minutes walk via one of the bridges) also offers many sights. I saw the Cathedral at the Cathedral Square, St Peter’s Abby with the Benedictine monastery at St-Peter-Bezirk, the Mozart Square and the fortress at Mönchberg above the city center. After a day of sightseeing in Salzburg, don’t miss Franz-Josef Kai along the river. A walk which is especially pretty in the evening.
As I love surprises of most kinds, my favorite part of the trip occured when I arrived to the family run Atel Hotel Lasserhof and the receptionist said they had a water leak in my booked room. Apparently he had both good and bad news.
“Always bad news first,” I said.
“As we are fully booked we can’t offer you another room at our hotel tonight.”
“And the good news?”
He smiled. “We have booked you a room at a nearby 4-star hotel we cooperate with, at no extra cost.”
Located at Rainerstraße 14, Hotel StieglBräu is one of the best Best Western’s I have stayed at. Warm and welcoming with kind and helpful service, spacious rooms, an extremely comfortable bed and a great location near Mirabell Gardens only ten minutes from the old town.
Since I hadn’t seen everything I wanted to see, saying goodbye to Salzburg was not easy. But I reminded myself the city will still be there and that I can return in the future.
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