Six Salsburgs arrive in Salzburg
Salzburg's main station. Modern, efficient, well-connected. 20-minute walk or 5-minute bus to the Altstadt (Old Town). Luggage lockers available.
Salzburg's famous narrow medieval shopping street. Wrought-iron guild signs hanging over every shop — a tradition dating to the Middle Ages when most people couldn't read. Mozart's birthplace is at #9.
Getreidegasse 9. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was born here on January 27, 1756. Original instruments, family portraits, the room where he was born. Small museum, deeply historical.
Dominating the skyline from a hilltop — the largest fully preserved fortress in central Europe. Accessible by funicular (no climbing!). Golden Hall, medieval chambers, ramparts with panoramic views. Built 1077, expanded for 600 years.
The 'Do-Re-Mi' scene from The Sound of Music was filmed in these gardens. Baroque palace, rose garden, dwarf garden (yes, really), and a marble staircase considered one of the most beautiful in Europe.
The river dividing old town from new. Evening walks along the riverbanks with the fortress lit up above and the Alps behind. The name Salzach means 'salt water' — salt was shipped on this river for centuries.
Six Salsburgs arrive in Salzburg. The family name and the city name, separated by one letter and six centuries. 'Salz' means salt in German. Salzburg is the Salt Fortress. The Salzach is the Salt River. The mines are the Salzbergwerk — the salt works. And the Salsburgs just walked into all of it.
The train journey is a long one — 6–7 hours with connections — but each leg is scenic: Swiss farmland, Lake Zürich glinting between hills, then the Austrian Alps pressing in from both sides. Pack lunch for the train. The dining cars serve passable coffee.
Arrive Salzburg late afternoon. The Altstadt is immediately charming: baroque churches, narrow lanes, wrought-iron signs. Getreidegasse is the main artery — medieval shopping street where the guild signs hang over every door because medieval shoppers couldn't read. Mozart's Birthplace is at #9.
Evening: walk along the Salzach River with the Hohensalzburg Fortress lit up above. Dinner in the Altstadt. Try Salzburger Nockerl — a sweet soufflé shaped like three mountain peaks, doused in powdered sugar. It's absurd and delicious and Ricki will eat the whole thing.
Salzburg Old Town — near Getreidegasse
Two nights. The Altstadt is small and walkable. Budget €180–350/night.
Hohensalzburg Fortress: built 1077, expanded for 600 years, survived every siege. The funicular railway was installed in 1892 — originally powered by water ballast (a descending car's water weight pulled the ascending car up).
Sound of Music locations! Mirabell Gardens (Do-Re-Mi), the horse fountain (I Am Sixteen Going on Seventeen). Plus: Mozartkugeln — chocolate-covered marzipan balls sold in every shop. She will want seven.
Fortress funicular = no climbing. The Altstadt is flat along the river. Café Tomaselli (Salzburg's oldest café, established 1705) on Alter Markt — traditional Austrian coffee culture with pastries and newspapers on wooden racks.