GO SALZBURG:The Sound of Musicmay be its biggest tourist draw, but there's much more to this Austrian city of striking spires and sublime mountainscape than the comings and goings of the von Trapp family, writes LORRAINE COURTNEY
THE HOMETOWN of the real von Trapp family was also the setting for many iconic scenes in the magical musical. And while Salzburg may shine as one of Europe's prettiest cities, with its striking spires and sublime mountainscape, all of that pales beside the 300,000 annual visitors who cite The Sound of Music as its most alluring attraction.
But why visit right now? Well, Silent Night was written just down the road. Add snow falling on baroque angels, carriages with jingling bells, lots of Lebkuchen (a type of gingerbread), and you’ll feel as if you’re walking in a Christmas card. Straddling the Salzach River and wedged between steep hills, the city that grew rich on the salt trade has a dramatic backdrop of mountains.
First up, ride the funicular railway up to the great hulk of the 11th-century Hohensalzburg. The forbidding structure looms over the city and inside there’s the obligatory medieval torture chamber and also some rather unexpected opulence in the state rooms. The surrounding beech forests might offer some fleeting glimpses of chamois, but best of all are the ethereal views over Salzburg itself.
Salzburg’s best-known attractions are clustered in the dense Altstadt or Old Town. This is the city’s eternally beating baroque heart and has a palette of pistachio, butter-yellow and coffee-creams. The Getreidegasse twists through the area: a glittering, olde worlde street with finely-wrought vendors’ signs and exquisite shop fronts.
There are dazzling Swarovski gems on offer in many shops and, in case you have forgotten what century you are in, there’s a McDonald’s too, but it’s ever so secretively tucked away. Its golden swing-sign is encircled by a garland of wrought-iron ivy leaves and it masquerades as an 18th century tap-room.
Strains of Mozart are everywhere in the city and halfway along Getreidegasses stands a cute, yellow house overlooking a chocolate-box square. It bears the golden legend “Mozarts Geburtshaus” and yes, it was right here at number nine that the master was born and spent his childhood. It’s now a museum.
Further on, a kind of weathered Amadeus statue surveys the city from his pedestal high above Mozartplatz. The actual square is colourful and the perfect place to listen to the lilt of violins while you tuck into a slice of Sacher torte at one of the many cafes.
Salzburg offers some amazing dining settings that run the gamut from historic beamed cafes to medieval abbeys. And, an exciting new wave of chefs are reworking classical Austrian dishes. But first and foremost Austrians are mad about their coffee and the delightful Belle Époque Café Sacher is a fine place to have a cup.
Sacher torte is more a slice of history than a mere piece of cake. Back in 1832 Prince Metternich had some visitors over and sent an edict to the kitchen for a new dessert to be created in their honour. The head chef had pulled a sickie and so the order ended up with a 16-year-old apprentice called Franz Sacher. Young Sacher baked a chocolate cake of such intricacy that the host and his guests were astounded.
His torte was a light chocolate sponge split into two halves and soaked in an apricot jam before being coated in chocolate icing. Sacher didn’t disclose his recipe and went on to open the famous Hotel Sacher. To this day, only one man knows the recipe in full. Wash it all down with a Sacher coffee: an indulgent mix of black coffee, cream, and peach and chocolate liqueur.
Stiftskeller St Peter, dating back to AD 800, claims to be Europe’s oldest restaurant. It’s right in the centre of the Aldstadt and is housed inside a sprawling Benedictine abbey. You might choose to skip the Mozart dinner concerts, which take dinner theatre to soaring new heights, and nab a table in the wood-panelled dining room downstairs. Expect lots of Austrian delights such as roasted saddle of suckling pig with savoy cabbage followed by a delicious plum tart.
Music-lover or not, you should try to take in a concert in the Marble Hall of the Mirabell Palace. Listening to A Little Night Musicplayed by virtuoso musicians while gazing at trompe l'oeils decorating the ceilings, you will be transported back to the times, when child-prodigy Wolfgang performed in that very Marble Hall.
Be sure to take a breath of fresh Salzburg air in the strikingly familiar Mirabell Garden. Here is the pool Maria and the von Trapp kids ran around. "Doh, a deer, a female deer..." Alternatively, sing along as a Sound of Musictour takes you to the film's locations.
To escape the von Trapps and Wolfgang, it’s definitely worth tripping to Schloss Hellbrunn, a 17th-century pleasure palace, commissioned by Archbishop Markus Sittikus. The palace has some pretty frescoes, but it’s the fun-house gardens that are its standout attraction.
Sittikus was the ultimate prankster and in between the neoclassical statuary, follies and cascades, you’ll find a birdcall grotto that imitates the twittering of songbirds, trick fountains that might leave you soaking and a mechanical theatre. In the Neptune Grotto, the centrepiece satyr has eyes that roll back in his head as his tongue shoots out at you.
Salzburg has a typical Alpine climate, meaning long, snowy winters and short, hot summers. Summers are eventful and exciting with the Salzburg Festival. Winter is equally busy with ski shuttles ferrying snow bunnies to surrounding resorts. December brings a world of markets, Glühwein, and carolling. The wintery city is super atmospheric with its fountains snuggled under avant-garde glass casings and church bells echoing off baroque buildings.
Salzburg’s Christkindlmarkt is one of Europe’s oldest markets and there are even documents from the 15th century describing the fine crafts being sold by elderly women in front of the Salzburg Cathedral during Advent season.
Today, you’ll find a few dozen stalls ranged under the floodlit stage set that is downtown Salzburg. Comb them for quirky gifts such as carved baby angels, spun-glass birds and walnut shells with tiny mice nestled inside.
If you need a short, sharp dose of festive cheer, it’s very Christmassy in Salzburg.
Get there: Swiss Air (swiss.com) flies from Dublin to Salzburg via Zurich.
Salzburg where to . ..
Stay
Value: Muffin Hostel, Hegigasse 9, 00-43-66463-67635, salzburghostel.com. This hostel is spanking new and run by cheerful staff. It's only a 15-minute stroll from Salzburg's heart and the rooms are clean and cosy. En-suite twins from €26.
Mid-market: Hotel Altstadt Radisson, Judengasse 15, 00-43-66284-85710, radissonblu.com/hotel-salzburg. Stay the night for medieval cuteness meets uber trendy décor. The building was originally built in 1377 and the big picture windows offer the loveliest views over the Salzach river. Doubles from €140.
Upmarket: Schloss Mönchstein, 26 Mönchsberg Park, 00-43-66284-85550, monchstein.at. The gabled, ochre-hued Schloss is located just above the Altstadt. Rooms mix Biedermeier and rococo. The restaurant is fab and the conservatory bar is great for a drink as you gaze over Salzburg. Doubles start at €342.
Eat
Value:Café Sacher, 5-7 Schwarzstrasse, 00-43-6628-8977, sacher.com. Join Austria for a coffee as well as one of their sweeter hits: Sacher torte (the infamous chocolate sponge filled with apricot jam), Esterhazy (indulgent layers of sponge and cream) or a slice of spicy apfelstrudel at this Belle Époque institution.
Mid-market: Stiftskeller St Peter, 4 St Peter Bezirk, 00-43-66284-12680, stpeter-stiftskeller.at. No city cooks up more assured Austrian signature dishes than Salzburg (even the schnitzel tastes delicate here) and no city provides more atmospheric dining rooms. This restaurant dishes up the entire Austrian canon and is housed in a sprawling abbey.
Upmarket:Esszimmer, 33 Müllner Hautpstrasse, 00-43-66287-0899, esszimmer.com. A new wave of restaurants are recognising the beauty of the seasonal Austrian larder and tweaking tradition with contemporary renditions. Esszimmer is one such place where chef Andreas Kaiblinger cooks ambitious fare. The setting is beautiful too, with the Almkanal River almost flowing through the dining room.
Shop spot
Salzburg’s Altstadt Christmas market (christkindlmarkt.co.at) has a perfect postcard backdrop of medieval buildings. Browse the stalls selling pewter crafts, furry slippers, and loden coats while keeping warm with Lebkuchen, roasted chestnuts and almonds, sausages, and sweet mulled wine. Then comb the Getreidegasse for Mozart souvenirs such as CDs and Mozartkugel chocolates, 19th-century etchings of the city, and quality leather goods.
Hot spot
Your visit to “the city of Mozart” won’t be complete without attending a concert at the stunning Mirabell Palace (salzburger-schlosskonzerte.at). Or if you visit at Christmas, take in some traditional singing in St Andrew’s on Mirabell Square. Later on, there are plenty of watering holes in the Altstadt to sip a couple of Stiegl beers, and try Vis a Vis on Rudolfskai for some excellent cocktails.