Lady’s Salzburg Travel Guide

Today I want to share my Salzburg travel guide with you. This city is one of the most magical places to visit in Europe, and it’s a must on any Austria itinerary.

Salzburg Travel Guide

After visiting sunny Brazil, I returned to the UK with just a week and a half to go until Christmas. I was ready to get back into the winter spirit, complete with snow. Lucky for me, I was off to Salzburg, Austria next.

London to Salzburg

I took the train to the airport on Saturday morning and met my group when I arrived. We sped through the check-in and security lines and soon found ourselves flying high above Europe.

The flight was a smooth one, and with an hour and a half on the plane, we had time for some celebratory champagne and bacon sandwiches before touching down at W. A. Mozart Airport in Salzburg.

There we were met with a beautiful dusting of snow as we tasted our first Mozartkugel chocolates. It was a great welcome to the city.

Salzburg Hotel

From the airport we drove to the city center, which was just 15 minutes away. Our hotel, the Imlauer Hotel Pitter, was located near the old town.

The rooms were spacious and the ensuite bathrooms were far superior to the pay-by-the-minute showers I used in a hostel on my first trip to Salzburg when I was a college student.

Salzburg Sightseeing Tour

After getting settled into our rooms, our Salzburg travel itinerary continued with a sightseeing tour. Our guide, Heidi, took us all over the city to show us the highlights.

Mirabell Palace in Salzburg

First we stopped at the Mirabell Palace with its beautiful gardens. The purple and yellow pansies looked perfectly happy among the manicured trees and gravel paths.

Salzburg Old Town

From there we walked to the old town, where we saw Mozart’s birthplace before taking a quick look at the oldest restaurant in Europe.

Dating back to 803, the St. Peter Stiftskulinarium restaurant had a labyrinth of small dining rooms on the ground floor and several stunning ballrooms one flight up.

Leaving the restaurant, our Salzburg tour continued with a walk through a courtyard that led to the famous catacombs.

High above them sat the stately Salzburg Castle. The stunning building dominated the night sky as low white light illuminated its medieval walls.

Our tour of Salzburg ended at the Baroque cathedral. The third one to be built on the site, it dated back to 1628 and was designed by architects and artists from Italy.

The building was beautiful both inside and out, and on that particular evening it was fronted by a choir singing carols at a Christmas market in the square.

Salzburg Christmas Markets

Like the Cologne Christmas markets I visited a few weeks ago, the Salzburg Christmas markets were impressive feats of festivity.

Rows of chalets packed the square in front of the cathedral as well as two adjacent plazas. They sold everything from ornaments and nativity scenes to bratwurst and Gluhwein.

We spent several hours exploring the Salzburg Christmas markets.

Starting with a hearty plate of sausages and sauerkraut, we worked our way through chocolate and Sachertorte before finishing up at a place that sold wooden Christmas tree ornaments.

Afterwards we made a quick stop at Furst, the original makers of Mozartkugel, to pick up some more treats.

Dinner in Salzburg

That evening our group had dinner near an ice skating rink in the old town. Our private dining room was festive for the season. We feasted on schnitzel and potatoes, and enjoyed plates of fresh cookies for dessert.

Salzburg Travel

The next morning we were up early to travel to Innsbruck, an even snowier, more Christmassy Austrian city. As our train pulled out of Salzburg station, we had gorgeous views of the castle, the cathedral, and the old town across the river.

From there we sped through snow-covered countryside beneath stunning white mountains. It was the perfect winter scene. I came to Austria wanting to get into the spirit of winter in Europe, and it proved the perfect place to do so.

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