Salt in Salzburg?! (Part 2)

There are many different places to see in Salzburg. It is probably best you visit the Old Town first, since you will need to go through the old town to get to Holhensalzburg Fortress. In the Old Town you will see a number of interesting shops with signs hanging from the buildings. Explore Old Town but be sure to look up at the buildings for signs of shops or building signs that has historical significance.

Mozart's birthplace is also located in Old Town, a yellow colored building that is five stories high, but Mozart's birthplace is three floors. It is located in Old Town along Getreidegasse after you cross Hagenauerplatz (The address is 9 Getreidegasse). Be sure to look up or there should be a bunch of tourist pointing their cameras at the sign that says Mozart's birthplace. The birthplace acts a museum that consists of many paintings of Mozart as a young prodigee and his brilliant parents. There are also violins that Mozart played and a pianoforte. Admissions to the Mozart's birthplace and museum is about 5.50 Euros for Adults and 1.50 Euros for Children. It opens from 9am to 6pm daily except from July to August which opens from 9am to 7pm. But the last admissions into the museum is 30 minuts prior to closing time. If you are in the mood for some Eine Kleine Nautchmusik" this is definitely a highlight. Mozart performed throughout Austria and Europe, but Salzburg will always be his first home.

The famous statue of Mozart is NOT actually at the birthplace and museum, rather it is located at Mozartplatz which is also where the Salzburg Tourist Information Center is located and the Salzburg Museum. Definitely get a map here at the to help you navigate through the city and through Old Town.

The beautiful (OK, what is NOT beautiful in Salzburg), Dom Salzburg which is the Baroque style Cathedral. The Cathedral dates back to the 8th Century and is definitely a highlight not to miss out on. When you go in, check out the front entrance of the Dom and look up. It is ornate Baroque style designs.

For a more Roman-Gothic look, you may want to go to the Franciscan church which is the oldest in Salzburg. It is a quick tour but you might want to have a seat and just admire the architecture and the five pillars which reaches to the top. This is definitely a Kodak moment.

More to come on Salzburg. Great places to see and we will focus the next post on the Sound of Music and the outdoorsy side of Salzburg.

Salt in Salzburg?!

Salzburg, the birthplace of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and scenes from The Sound of Music. The city of Salzburg is also famous for its Baroque style architecture and is well maintained and very quaint and lovely. Salzburg sits on the banks of the Salzach River at the northern boundary of the famous Alps. Salzburg means, "salt castle." The city's wealth was due to the mining of salt and transport of the salt on barges that uses the Salzach River, where tolls were collected for the transport of salt. Salt at one point in parts of Europe was a form of currency. There are old salt mines located in the city's outskirts for tourists to visit.

The famous landmark in Salzburg is the Holhensalzburg Fortress, which sits on the highest point in Salzburg. Going up to the fortress is a must as you get a panoramic view of the the city from its "old town" and Baroque architecture (the Old Town of Salzburg was declared in 1997 as a UNESCO World Heritage site). In addition to the view of the town and the Salzach River, you get a clear view of the Alps to the South and the rolling plains to the North. This is a must visit when you are in Salzburg and I strongly suggest you visit the Fortress first as you get the lay of the land. You can use the cable railway located on Festungsgasse. From January to April and October to December the Fortress is opened from 9:30am to 5pm and May to September is opened from 9am to 7pm.

You can easily get around Salzburg on foot or on bicycle. However, keep in mind some places you cannot ride the bike and must get off your bike and push your bike through the area.

Continue to follow my blog for more updates and will cover more on Salzburg tomorrow.