Salzburg Travel Guide

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Salzburg Travel Guide

Up until 1816, SALZBURG led a separate life to the rest of Austria, existing as an independent city-state ruled by a sequence of powerful prince-archbishops . An ambitious and cultured bunch, they turned the city into the most Italianate city north of the Alps. Spread out below the brooding presence of the Hohensalzburg fortress, the churches, squares and alleyways of the compact Altstadt today recollect a long-disappeared Europe. For many, Salzburg is the quintessential Austria, offering the best of the country's Baroque architecture, subalpine scenery and a musical heritage largely provided by the city's most famous son, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart , whose bright-eyed visage peers from every box of the ubiquitous chocolate delicacy, the Mozartkügel . Salzburg's captivation with Mozart is perhaps best reflected in the world-famous Salzburg Festival , a five-week celebration of opera, orchestral music and theatre that begins in late July, although there's a wide range of (not always Mozart-related) musical events on offer throughout the year. Souvenirs recalling the Salzburg-based musical The Sound of Music dangle round the city's neck like some bad-taste medallion, with coach tours and shows on the same theme providing an entertainingly lowbrow alternative to the more highbrow events.
Standing at the centre of a prosperous, economically booming region, Salzburg also represents Austria at its most conservative . Writer Thomas Bernhard, an acerbic critic of the postwar state who spent his formative years in Salzburg, called his home town "a fatal illness", whose Catholicism, conservatism and sheer snobbery drove its citizens to a state of terminal misery. The city certainly has a strong bourgeois ethos, easy to discern in the snooty cafés and refined restaurants of the city centre, and in a pre-Lent ball season that rivals that of Vienna. But if high culture and high society don't really turn you on, you can always take solace in the city's alternative nightlife or join the crowds at the football stadium - the local team, SV Salzburg, is one of the few outfits outside Vienna that enjoys a genuine mass following.
Salzburg is buzzing twelve months a year and there's not really a best time at which to come. Spring and summer bring a wealth of colour to the city's parks and the surrounding hills, and this period draws the biggest tourist crowds, although the Advent season (from the end of November through to Christmas) is an atmospheric and increasingly popular period. There's a Christkindlmarkt (Christmas market) in the square outside the cathedral, with stalls selling all kinds of handicrafts alongside irredeemable tat, and ad-hoc kiosks doling out sausage, Schmalzbrot (bread and dripping) and gallons of Glühwein, bringing an outdoor party atmosphere to the winter evenings.
Bearing in mind that there's no real low season here, accommodation tends to be constantly overpriced, oversubscribed or both. Once you've found yourself a place to stay, however, you'll find the city to be an easily manageable, hassle-free place to explore. The local bus and rail network makes Salzburg a convenient base from which to visit the lakes of the Salzkammergut to the east, and the historic towns of Hallein and Werfen to the south. It's also handily placed for much of southeast Germany: Munich is only ninety minutes away by train.
Salzburg's central ensemble of archiepiscopal buildings on the left bank of the river forms a tightly woven net of alleys and squares watched over by the sombre grey bastions of the medieval Hohensalzburg castle. The bulk of Salzburg's galleries and museums (including Mozart 's birthplace) are concentrated in this area, as are many of the city's cafés , ideal spots for observing the hordes of visitors that pulse through the streets. From here it's a short hop over the River Salzach to a narrow ribbon of essential sights on the right bank, where another of Mozart's residences, and the flowerbeds of the Mirabell Gardens , are the main draws. Both sides of the river add up to a surprisingly compact city centre, and you'll find you can cover a lot of ground in a single day, although you'll need much more time (probably two or three days) if you want to explore the city's sights in any great detail.

Eating And Drinking
There's no shortage of good restaurants in Salzburg, many of them dishing out traditional Austrian meat-based fare in atmospheric medieval town houses. Most of these are open for lunch and offer good-value two-course Mittagsmenüs as a way of attracting tourist custom - though, as is often the case in Austria, ethnic restaurants are best for an inexpensive midday meal. On the whole, prices are not unduly exploitative: an evening meal in Salzburg need not be any more expensive than in any of Austria's other urban centres. Phone numbers of restaurants where you may need to make a reservation are included in the listings. Remember that good sit-down eating doesn't just take place in restaurants: many cafés and bars provide full meals. Restaurants and cafés tend to close at around 11pm-midnight, while bars often continue serving food until 2am or beyond, although there's no hard and fast rule.

Cafés

For takeaway snacks , the best Würstelstand in town is bang in the centre on the Alter Platz, though there are others on F-Hanusch-Platz, and Platzl on the right bank of the river. Trzesniewski , Getreidegasse 9, has delicious, if dainty, open sandwiches, and is also the best place in town at which to pick up pastries; there's a small sit-down section at the back. Nordsee , with branches at Getreidegasse 11 and 27, is a reliable source of takeaway tuna sandwiches and other seafood. Billa, Griesgasse 21, is the handiest central supermarket.
Daytime drinkers and pastry nibblers are well catered for by Salzburg's many elegant cafés , which usually offer a sumptuous range of teas, coffees and alcoholic drinks, as well as snacks and full meals. They're often the best place at which to sample the two specialities for which Salzburg is famed - Salzburger Nockerl , a mound of sugary egg-whites and raspberries which has to be tried at least once, and the ubiquitous Mozartkügeln , the locally-made balls of chocolate-covered marzipan which are piled high in virtually every shop window in the town centre. Most of the Mozartkügeln sold in boxes and presentation packs are the gold-wrapped, mass-produced ones; connoisseurs prefer the silver-wrapped, handmade variety which are much richer in marzipan, and can be bought loose from Salzburg confectioners for around öS8-10/?0.58-0.73 each.
Night-time drinking venues are scattered throughout the town, although there are two well-travelled strips which traditionally attract sybaritic Salzburg youth. The Rudolfskai on the left bank is the main weekend boozing area for teen and twentysomething drinkers, with a string of bars pumping out loud techno music to a beer and tequila-sloshing crowd - great fun if you're in the mood for high-octane drinking and flirting. However bars here go out of fashion - and business - with alarming regularity. The area around Giselakai, Imbergstrasse and Steingasse, over on the right bank of the Salzach, has a clutch of designer bars attracting a slightly older clientele.
Bazar , Schwarzstrasse 3. Classic daytime coffeehouse with an interior which looks as if it hasn't been touched since the late fifties, and a nice terrace overlooking the Salzach. Breakfast pastries, cakes and full meals, all served by notoriously superior waiters.
Bio Terra , Wiener-Philharmoniker-Gasse 9. Intimate, arty and informal café housed in the Rupertinum art gallery. Good range of main courses, salads and soups. One of the best places in Salzburg for a vegetarian nibble.
Fischkrieg , Ferdinand-Hanusch-Platz. Combined café and fishmongers in a bright pavilion right by the river, offering anything from dainty smoked-salmon canapés to full grilled-fish meals, including excellent grilled squid (Tintenfisch), all at reasonable prices. Mon-Fri 8.30am-6.30pm, Sat 8.30am-noon.
Kaffehäferl , Universitätsplatz 6. One of the nicer small daytime cafés, with tables set out in a courtyard, and a short menu of reasonably priced lunchtime snacks, including Gefüllte Paprika (stuffed red pepper), tortellini, and quiche. Mon-Sat 9am-7pm, Sun 9am-1pm.
Tomasselli , Alte Markt 9. Most renowned of the city's daytime cafés, serving a bewildering array of cakes and pastries. Can be deluged by tourists, but the elegant belle-époque interior is dripping with atmosphere.
Restaurants
An Bing , Goldgasse 13. Chinese cuisine on the first floor of a city-centre building (so no outdoor seating); one of the cheapest Mittagsmenüs around, from about öS75/?5.48.
Bürgerwehr , Mönchsberg 19c. Restaurant of the Naturfreundhaus hostel, offering cheap, no-nonsense Austrian home cooking. Marvellous view of town from the wooden benches on its outdoor terrace.
Café Hartl , Kaigasse 15. Tempting range of reasonably priced pizzas, pasta and crepes, conveniently located just round the corner from Mozartplatz.
Casanova , Linzergasse, 23. Bright, modern and dependable pizzeria with a big list of inexpensive thin-crust pies. In addition, cheap pasta specials chalked up outside.
Gäblerbrau , Linzergasse 9. Elegant without being wildly expensive, a big hotel-restaurant with a range of familiar Austrian standards like Tafelspitz and Schweinsbraten in the öS140-160/?10.22-11.68 range, and a couple of vegetarian pasta or noodle options.
Resch & Lieblich , Toscaninihof 1 (tel 0662/843675). Good-value Austrian cuisine in a popular restaurant and wine bar next door to the Festspielhaus, its dining rooms carved out of the cliffs of the Mönchberg. Despite plenty of outdoor seating, it still gets crowded here, especially during the Festival, when it's a popular haunt for musicians and concert-goers.
Shakespeare , Hubert-Sattler-Gasse 12. Laid-back, mildly bohemian place just off Mirabellplatz, that functions as café, bar and restaurant, serving a range of vegetarian and Chinese main courses, as well as cheap daily specials. There's usually a cool jazz soundtrack, and dance-music events are held in the back room at weekends.
Soho , Steingasse 61 (tel 0662/878060). The menu is limited in this cosy, candlelit bar-restaurant, but the food - usually an Austrian-Modern European mix - is excellent. It's also a nice place for a drink.
Stadtkrug , Linzergasse 20. A popular barrel-vaulted, candlelit space offering trusty mid-priced favourites like Wiener Schnitzel and Tafelspitz . Daily set menus from öS130/?9.49. Always a few cheap Gröstl dishes (a Tyrolean staple made from grated potato fried in a pan together with onions and, usually, meat) on the menu, including one vegetarian option.
Sternbrau , Getreidegasse 34/Griesgasse 23 (tel 0662/840717). Rambling establishment built around a courtyard in the heart of the Altstadt, featuring traditional Austrian restaurant, Italian trattoria, lots of outdoor seating in a beer-garden atmosphere, and there are a couple of vegetarian options on both menus.
Stiftskeller St Peter , St-Peter-Bezirk 4 (tel 0662/841268). Medium-priced, traditional Austrian dishes in roomy, atmospheric surroundings, next to the Peterskirche. Abundant outdoor seating nonetheless tends to fill up quickly with tourist parties.
Weisses Kreuz , Bierjodlgasse 6 (tel 0662/845641). Specializing in Balkan food, on a cobbled street below the fortress. Dishes range from cheap spicy cevapcici (grilled mincemeat rissoles) to more expensive meat-heavy meals; there's usually also a three-course set menu from around öS150/?10.95. Closed Sun.
Zipfer Bierhaus , Universitätsplatz 19. Homely wood-furnished beer hall with the full range of Austrian staples and cheap lunchtime specials. A convenient bolthole from city-centre sightseeing.
Zum Fidelen Affen , Priesterhausgasse 8 (tel 0662/877361). Small, wood-panelled, pub-like place on the right bank of the river, which also does a good line in traditional Austrian cooking. Cheap prices, informal atmosphere and good beer make this an enduringly popular choice for local students, so it's often very busy. Wooden bench seating outside in summer.
Zur Glocke , Schanzlgasse 2 (tel 0662/845391). Homely Gasthof on the eastern fringe of the Altstadt, with inexpensive traditional food, plain decor, and an enthusiastic army of regular clients. Main courses in the öS150/?10.95 range include Salzburger Bierfleisch (beef cooked in beer) and trout. Closed Sun.

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