Music

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City of
■ Mozart Dinner Concert in St Peter’s Cellar

From Mozart to the von Trapps, there’s no escaping Salzburg’s

musical heritage. With its beautifully-preserved centre and lots
to see beyond it, you don’t have to be music mad to enjoy a
visit – but it helps. Peter Ellegard sings its praises

V
isit the pretty Austrian ing different genres during the year. Hence – a traffic-free pedestrian precinct apart
alpine city of Salzburg its soubriquet, the Festival City. And even if from early-morning deliveries. Tour groups
and you will find it isn’t you’re not a particular fan, there are plenty swarm in front of the building like bees
just the surrounding hills of other things to do and see which make the round a honeypot, and the rest of the street
that are alive with the city a great escape for a long weekend. also throngs with visitors day and night with
sound of music, it is the There’s far more to Salzburg than its ancient buildings, quaint alleys and hid-
whole city itself. Mozart, of course, but the two are inextrica- den courtyards full of cafes and restaurants.
For Salzburg is not only where much of bly intertwined, as visitors soon discover. The cramped building houses numerous
The Sound of Music was set and filmed, but The imposing Hohensalzburg Fortress, exhibits including his original instruments,
it is also where Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart which stands guard on a clifftop high above letters and family portraits.
was born, in 1756. the ancient rooftops and church spires, may Mozart’s Residence, the family home
The whole city went Mozart mad three be the city’s most visited attraction, but the from 1773, is a more spacious affair in
years ago to celebrate the 250th anniversary next most popular sites are the two museums Markplatz and was where he wrote a num-
of the birth of its favourite son, with a year- set in Mozart’s homes. And even in the ber of his works. It has also been preserved
long series of concerts, operas, exhibitions fortress you can’t escape the maestro. as a museum to him.
and other events. For those with a real appetite for the great
But even though the celebrations are long Quaint alleys man’s music, you can choose from several
gone, the city is still one of the best places to Mozart’s Birthplace, where he lived for 26 themed dinner concerts during the summer
go if you love music. Salzburg has more years, is in the heart of the old city on its tourist season. The Mozart Dinner Concert
than 4,000 music and theatre events cover- historic, narrow main street, Getreidegasse offers a three-course dinner prepared from
Peter Ellegard

Peter Ellegard
Peter Ellegard

■ Hallstatt village ■ Old Town, Salzburg ■ Salzburg Cathedral

18 The Travel & Leisure Magazine July/August 2009

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ESCAPE to…
SALZBURG

city. Many of its magnificent architectural

landmarks were used, and you can take a
Sound of Music Tour to visit outlying vil-
lages, lakes and mountains where other
familiar scenes were shot.
Whether you are a fan of the musical or
not – and I must admit I am not – it is well
worth a visit to nearby Hellbrunn Palace,
one of the settings used in the movie. Its
ornate palace and beautiful gardens are a
delight for all ages, notably for the ubiqui-
tous fountains which spring many surprises
for the unwary. I won’t spoil the surprise,
other than to advise not wearing your
Sunday best and to visit on a warm day
when clothes will quickly dry. We made the
mistake of visiting on a rainy day…

Year-round appeal
Salzburg can be visited any time of year and
the experience will be just as enjoyable. Key
attractions are open year-round and there

Salzburg Tourist Office

recipes of the 17th and 18th centuries, served
in the Stiftskeller St Peter (St Peter’s Cellar)
– the oldest restaurant in Central Europe,
first mentioned during Charlemagne’s visit
in 803 – during the intervals of a recital by
musicians in period costume.
High on Mozart
My wife and I opted for an alternative din-
ner and concert in the 930-year-old
Hohensalzburg Fortress, dining on high
with stunning views across fields and ham-
lets to the nearby mountains, followed by a
Mozart performance in the elegant State
Rooms overlooking the city. A magical
experience, made even more special by
the glorious setting sun lighting up the
rooftops, cupolas and towers with
streaks of gold.
Salzburg’s more recent
Salzburg Tourist Office
claim to fame revolves around The Sound of
Music. A whole new generation of fans has
been created by the latest stage production
of the musical, currently touring Britain, and
the successful BBC series, How Do You
Solve A Problem Like Maria?, which made
Connie Fisher an overnight success, repris-
ing the role originally made famous by Julie
Andrews.
Based on pre-war events
which happened to the local von
Trapp family, the movie
was filmed in and
around the
are events in all seasons.
In winter, the rooftops twinkle with fresh
snow – a taster of what lies in store at the
many ski resorts less than two hours away –
and the 500-year-old Christmas Market
(Salzburger Christkindlmarkt) livens up the
Cathedral Square (Domplatz) in the heart of
the Old Town from late November with craft
stalls, choirs, gluhwein and roast chestnuts
and almonds. The annual 10-day Mozart
Week music festival (www.mozarteum.at)
takes place each January, featuring many
international artists.
Spring brings crisp days, flowers galore and

Salzburg Tourist Office

■ Mirabell Palace ■ Salzburg and the Salzach River

July/August 2009 The Travel & Leisure Magazine 19

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A day trip into Germany’s

Sound of Music country
Fans of The Sound of
Music can tour some of
the locations in the
countryside beyond
Salzburg used in the film,
which was based on the
real-life story of the
singing von Trapp family.
You can even sing along to
the music as the original
soundtrack is played
during the four-hour tour,
which visits the beautiful
Salzkammergut lake district.
Highlights include:
Leopoldskron Palace, the
front exterior of which was
used as the von Trapp family
home; Hellbrunn Palace,
notable for its trick
fountains; Fuschlsee lake,
featured in the film’s
opening sequence; the
pretty village of Gilgen on
the shores of Wolfgangsee
lake; and Mondsee
Cathedral, where the
wedding scene was filmed.
Longer tours also visit the
World Cultural Heritage
Site village of Hallstatt, by
Salzburg Tourist Office
lake, as well as the villages
of Gosau,Abtenau and
Golling, and the 9,855-foot
summit of Mount Dachstein,
Styria’s highest mountain.
Salzburg was founded on
the fortunes of salt, first
mined in the nearby
mountains by the ancient
Celts.The 450-year-old
Salzwelten Salzburg salt
mines at Bad Durrnberg
are open year-round and a
guided tour features a raft
ride on a subterranean salt
Bavarian Alps can include a
boat trip on Konigsee lake
to St Bartholoma chapel
and a visit to pretty
mountain town
Berchtesgaden with views
to Hitler’s Eagle’s Nest
mountain-top fortress
retreat.
A village north of Salzburg
has another musical claim
to fame.The boatmen’s
church of St Nicholas in the
village of Oberndorf was
where Christmas carol
Silent Night was first sung
in 1818.The town was later
moved upstream after a
devastating flood, but a
Silent Night Memorial
Chapel was built on the site
of the original church in
1937.A four-hour tour
takes in the chapel and
Silent Night Museum in
nearby Arnsdorf.
Zell am See is another
popular excursion.A five-
hour trip visits the lake-
side town and 11th century
Hohenwerfen Castle, with
a cable car ride up to the
Schmittenhoehe mountain
Peter Ellegard

the shores of Hallstattsee lake. summit.

trees bursting with blossom in and around the
city. And more music, of course. The Salzburg
Easter Festival (www.osterfestspiele-
salzburg.at) is an annual celebration of classi-
cal music and opera.
Summers are usually long and warm,
with the odd rainy day. Plus the avant-
garde dance festival, SommerSzene
(www.sommerszene.net), over 14 days
in June and July, which also features the-
atre, films and visual arts as well as music.
That is followed by the Salzburg Festival
(www.salzburgerfestspiele.at), the
city’s long-established music and drama
festival in July and August which includes
a concert broadcast on an open-air screen
in the city’s Kapitelplatz.
Autumn hints at the winter to come
with its cooler days (although October is
the driest month) and chilly nights, the
vivid reds and yellows of trees adding
splashes of colour to the city’s majestic
architecture. The Salzburger Kulturtage
(www.kulturvereinigung.org), a more
intimate version of the main Salzburg
Festival featuring a series of concerts,
opera and theatre, takes place in October.
Easy to explore
Salzburg is easy to explore, both on foot or
by bus – and the good-value
SalzburgerLand Card gives free entry to all
the city’s major attractions as well as free
travel on the city’s buses and the
Hohensalzburg Fortress cable railway.
The Salzach River cuts the city into two
halves and is spanned by bridges including
the pedestrian-only Mozart, Makart and
Mulln footbridges. The left bank comprises
the older part of the city where a Roman set-
tlement once stood.
Allow plenty of time to explore the won-
derful Old Town area in the heart of
Salzburg, designated a UNESCO World
Heritage Site in 1997. Most of it is a traffic-
free pedestrian precinct. I have spent hours
wandering through the labyrinth of streets,
alleyways and squares as well as venturing
into some of the many stately buildings
which grace the skyline.
Besides the Getreidegasse, other lovely
old streets to amble along, window shop or
gaze up at facades include Judengasse,
Goldgasse, Kaigasse, Linzergasse and
Steingasse. Their buildings cover the Middle
Ages, Romanesque, Baroque and
Renaissance periods, as well as elegant and
classical monarchy-era burghers’ houses.
You can also take in the Old Town sights on
a traditional fiaker horse and buggy.

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Salzburg facts
When to go
Any time of year is good to visit Salzburg,
with festivals and events throughout the
calendar. Be prepared for all weathers and
pack a brolly, sweater and warm jacket.

Getting there
British Airways (www.ba.com) and EasyJet
(www.easyjet.com) fly direct to Salzburg
from Gatwick during the summer. Ryanair
Peter Ellegard (www.ryanair.com) flies from Stansted.
Winter charter flights operate for skiers
■ Ornate rooftops
heading to nearby resorts.You can also fly to
nearby Munich, with services operated by
BA, EasyJet, Lufthansa (www.lufthansa.com) and Aer Lingus
(www.aerlingus.com) from London area airports.

Accommodation
There are a number of hotels in the old
part of Salzburg and across the Salzach
River.The Blaue Gans boutique art-hotel
(www.blauegans.at) makes an excellent
base.The oldest inn on the historic
Getreidegasse street, this stylish 74-room
design hotel is set in one of the city’s
oldest houses.

Peter Ellegard
Tour operators
Many operators offer short breaks to
Salzburg, including Kirker Holidays ■ Residence Square
(www.kirkerholidays.com), Inghams
(www.inghams.co.uk), Crystal (www.crystallakes.co.uk), First Choice
(www.firstchoice.co.uk) and Fregata Travel (www.fregatatravel.co.uk).
■ Salzburg has many fine, old buildings
Getting around/attractions
Grand edifices Salzburg is walkable, but it is worth
Squares include Residence Square investing in a SalzburgerLand Card. It
(Residenzplatz) with its ornate equine fountain, combines free entry to 190 sights and
Old Market Square (Alter Markt), University attractions in the city and neighbouring
Square (Universitatsplatz) and Mozart Square SalzburgerLand region, with free use of city
(Mozartplatz), which has a memorial to the buses and discounts off car rental, tours and
musical maestro and a tourist information office. cultural events. A six-day card costs 43
Then of course there are its grand edifices. euros for adults and 21.50 euros for
Besides the Cathedral (Salzburger Dom) and children, with 12-day cards costing 52 and
Peter Ellegard

Hohensalzburg Fortress, must-sees include 26 euros respectively. Buy it online at

the Residence Palace (Residenz), St. Peter’s www.salzburgerlandcard.com, or from
Abbey (Stift St Peter) and its fascinating ■ Hellbrunn Palace local information centres and some hotels.
cemetery, and Mirabell Palace (Schloss
Mirabell) with its romantic gardens on the Tourist information
right bank of the Salzach. This is one of the Salzburg Tourist Office (Salzburg city): www.salzburg.info
city’s most popular places for taking pictures. SalzburgerLand Tourist Office (Salzburg region): www.salzburgerland.com
But perhaps best of all is to relax with a coffee Austrian National Tourist Office: 0845 101 1818, www.austria.info
or beer in a street-side café/bar or beer garden

TL
and just let the world go by as you gaze out across
one of the world’s most beautiful cities.

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