My Trip to Salzburg - Austria

I reached Salzburg by high-speed train. Snowy mountains were visible all along the way. It was really a wonderful beauty. This line between Munich and Salzburg is covered only by a regional train. So you can easily come here with the Deutschlandticket, which is valid in Germany. As I moved a bit away from the center, the surroundings started to look a little better. Otherwise there were panel buildings like the ones over there, things I don't like at all. I headed towards Mirabell Palace and gardens. I want to share with you what is in the city through the eyes of someone who came here for just a few hours. I had a total of about 2-3 hours of time.

I reached the Mirabell Gardens. There were small horse statues and a mermaid was greeting visitors. Meanwhile on the opposite side, there is a castle. Quite a real castle. I climbed up there later, crossing to the opposite bank. The air temperature was almost 10 degrees.

If we come to why I specifically chose Salzburg when there were several other city options. It had the best weather. It's a great thing to be able to make flexible decisions based on the weather forecast and set off. That's exactly what I did. It was said that the weather would deteriorate over the next 10 days. While the weather was 10 degrees and there was no rain. For example, it was raining in Dresden, which I looked at. It would be both cold and rainy in the coming days. So I thought I wouldn't catch the joy of walking around so comfortably and looking at these pruned plane trees again.

If we don't count the station square, it's a really cute city. This expression might sound a bit strange. After all this is a large and wealthy city. Only its historical texture is small scale. Actually almost all historical cities are small scale, so it's the usual situation. I think the statues in the garden symbolize fairy tale creatures. They are probably based on local legends. Unfortunately there was a fountain that wasn't working. I'm sure it looks much nicer when the walls are covered in green rather than gray.

I was walking with a sweatshirt and a jacket on, but I got pretty warm. Unfortunately I had no space in my bag to stuff the sweatshirt because, for some reason I was carrying a laptop with me. Supposedly I took the computer with me because it was my working day. Not that I really needed to do a lot of things, but I was just carrying it just in case.

I moved towards the city center. My way was going to fall there in any case. While coming by train, I was following the points I had marked on the map. Even if it looks like an ordinary place, being in Austria feels uniquely nice to a person.

I walked up towards the Salzach river. I think the bridge ahead is also a touristy place because it has both a nice view and I saw padlocks hanging on it. The one in Cologne was also a huge bridge, but there was such a wind there that I couldn't enjoy it. The number of locks here is much less compared to over there. The ones in Cologne were lined up in four rows, whereas this place has remained quite modest.

To be honest the view wasn't very modest, though. One could cross over this bridge or walk along the bank. I decided to continue along the bank first. Then I came to a pedestrian street and then turned onto Getreidegasse street. We came to a pretty serious street, full of tourists and selling chocolates. Further ahead were the Mirabell Mozart chocolate shop and a SPAR supermarket.

It was quite a crowded street. There was a reason why people gathered here. Mozart's birthplace was here. On the way back, dropping by SPAR to buy some beer and sausages became a must. It's a really nice street. It looks Austrian style. Some of the wafers sold here are quite delicious. There are Mozart chocolates too, but there's no need to buy them from here. The exact same ones are also sold at Kaufland in Germany. You need to buy them when they're on discount. Normaly they're expensive. Still I like some of the varieties.

Further ahead there was a nice church. The elevator going down from the castle was also visible. The wind calmed down a bit. Luckily it wasn't as fierce as in Cologne. Narrow streets, delivery vehicles. I guess there isn't much on this street besides this church. A lovely street with expensive shops catering to wealthy visitors. Surrounded by carved rocks. Turning 180 degrees by the trash cans, I walked back toward SPAR.

Why do I act so inconsistently while walking around with a heavy backpack? Inside there's my water, chargers, power bank and laptop. And on top of that, I was going to buy beer. Because my time was limited. In reality I could have stayed until 6 in the evening or spent the night here, but I didn't want to waste money. Still the later I return, the later I arrive home. Even though Stuttgart is a safe city, I didn't want to be on the roads in the middle of the night. Because I am a bit of a rushed person, I run fast, see everything, take photos and enjoy the views.

It turned out that the SPAR market was a very small branch. The photos on the internet probably belonged to its other branches, so I left without buying anything. The variety was very limited.

I was faced with a tough choice again. It was also necessary to go up the hill to see the monastery. The side where St. Peter's Abbey is located is a prety magnificent structure. At least it looked monumental and nice. I was thinking that the earlier I went up the hill, the smaller the crowd would be. After all, this is the middle of the Alps. Instead of returning to the center, I decided to go via shortcut, lesstraveled paths. A place that looks quite old.

There was a fork in the road ahead. The sign points towards Old Town or Altstadt. I wanted to go up the hill, but this tunnel looked very tempting. It turned out to be one of the longest castle tunnels, 1 kilometer long. It was surprisingly warm inside. I came out the other side of the tunnel. There was another passage here. This tunnel was running completely parallel to the street I walked on just a moment ago. Where the tunnel exits, there is a wonderful square. A tower and another closed ornamental fountain caught the eye.

Tickets are sold for the funicular, but I decided to climb. I slowly started climbing and the views were getting better. Stiegl brand beer is sold in every market, but there is a special beer brewed by the monastery itself, which was what I actually wanted to find. Even from here, the view was very nice. If it weren't for the machines ahead, there would have been a great photo of the main cathedral in the center and the castle, but those cranes were ruining the view. The path I wanted to climb was actually right over there. The courtyard where we stood a moment ago was visible. The path is quite steep, not just a straight climb. Entrance to the castle is 12 euros.

In this case it makes more sense to climb the mountain on the opposite hill and watch the castle and the city from there. Why would entering the most important historical building of the city be 12 euros? It really is a massive castle. Putting the ticket office at the very top is a great marketing tactic, of course. After climbing all that way, you feel too lazy to turn back and just pay the money. On the lower parts of the castle, there is a tower that can be visited for free and a wonderful mountain view. Further ahead, there is a great viewpoint. The Alps were standing before me in all their majesty. Although the trees blocked the view a bit, the scenery was magnificent.

If you are going to spend time in Salzburg, you can use these walking trails along this mountain ridge. Real Alps rise on the opposite side. Literally a path between greenery and mountains. Further ahead are other remaining wall pieces from the castle. When they said the longest castle, they probably meant the walls extending along this line.

It was written that there was a viewing terrace 150 meters ahead, so I walked towards it. I reached the viewpoint they mentioned. The castle was very clearly visible from here. People were quietly enjoying the Alps. The pointed peak ahead looked great. Below the river was flowing. There was a complete valley view. There is an airport further ahead and a plane was taking off. Taking off against such a view must be a tremendous feeling. I'm glad I climbed up here. If I had gone inside the castle, I would never have caught this angle.

It was time to head down the hill toward the city center. Steep mountains on one side and a historical city on the other created a fantastic contrast. I took off the sweatshirt I was wearing. The weather was really nice. Salzburg is definitely a very cute, warm and peaceful city. A 2-3 hour trip is not even enough for this place. One should stay at least one night and do mountain hikes.

I went down towards Mozartplatz. The navigation gave a 41minute walking time, but my train was in 43 minutes. Plus I had to stop by the market. I was running down the mountain almost at a sprint. Finaly I reached the center, the square. Horse drawn carriages, stonepaved streets, historical buildings. It had a really enjoyable atmosphere. The souvenir shops here are a bit expensive. A box of 25 Mozart chocolates is around 10 euros. They can be found for half the price in regular markets.

It wouldn't do to come all the way to Salzburg and leave without seeing a statue of Mozart. I couldn't buy beer and sausages, but at least I saw the statue. This was Mozartplatz, meaning Mozart square. The street where his birthplace is located bears another name, while they deemed this square worthy of him.

In general there is an elite and wealthy tourist profile in the city. People shopping from luxury stores are in the majority. Order and politeness catch the eye throughout Austria, in Vienna, Innsbruck and Salzburg. The chaos in some of Germany's big cities isn't here.

I started walking towards the station now. Passing by the riverside, I caught my train. Even if only for a few hours, being able to cross into another country and visit such a wonderful city is a fantastic feeling. Salzburg definitely deserves to be visited again and for a longer period.