Salzburg attractions include Festung Hohensalzburg, Cathedral of Salzburg, Getreidegasse shopping street, Mirabell and Hellbrunn palaces, and Eagle’s Nest.
Festung Hohensalzburg (hohensalzburgcastle.com) is a Medieval castle located on top of Festungsberg.
Construction work on the fortress began in 1077, and it was build and expanded over several centuries.
With a size of 250 meters (820 feet) in length and 150 meters (492 feet) in width, the fortress is one of the biggest fortified Medieval buildings in Europe.
Today, the fortress is a public museum, and you can visit the place through the year.
The most popular way to get to the hilltop where the castle is located, is to use a funicular (cable railway), taking you up to the castle in 2 minutes.
These funiculars depart every 10 minutes.
Salzburg cathedral (www.salzburger-dom.at), meanwhile, is a Baroque cathedral from the 17th century, famous for being the baptism church for W.A. Mozart.
The cathedral was completed in 1628 from plans by Italian architect Vincenzo Scamozzi.
When it was completed, the Salzburg cathedral was the most significant church north of the alps, and had a major impact on Austrian and Southern Germany’s architecture.
Getreidegasse, located within Salzburg’s old town, is one of the busiest shopping streets in the city.
Within the narrow pedestrian street, you can find shops selling, for example…
- fashion,
- jewelry,
- arts, and
- books.
There are also many cafes and restaurants within the street, for taking a breather when sightseeing.
While shopping and admiring the — UNESCO World Heritage site —Salzburg old town, you should also pay visit to Getreidegasse no. 9, where Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was born and lived until his 17th birthday.
Of the Salzburg attractions, Mirabell and Hellbrunn palaces are magnificent summer residences for the historical local rulers, Salzburg Archbishops.
These palace’s offer statues from ancient mythologies, entertaining details, providing a counterweight to the more military background of the Festung Hohensalzburg fortress.
Mirabell palace is the most popular attraction within Salzburg’s ‘new town’ district, and famous especially for its Baroque gardens.
These gardens were designed (in 1690) by the most famous historical Austrian architect, Johann Berhard Fischer von Erlach.
Hellbrunn palace (www.hellbrunn.at), on the other hand, which is located about 4 km from central Salzburg, was build as a summer palace for one of the most significant figures in Salzburg’s history, Archbishop Markus Sittikus, in 1619.
The palace is best known for its water gardens, including “jeux d’eau” — ‘trick’ fountains.
Finally, Eagle’s Nest (www.eagles-nest.de/en/index.php), located on the German side of Geiereck, was Adolf Hitler’s holiday villa, build for his 50th birthday.
The palatial house was constructed to one end of a mountain road, at the height of 1,834 meters (6,017 feet), to the top of Kehlstein mountain.
From the mountaintop, you can see wonderful panoramic views to the surrounding areas, including over the city of Salzburg and to the Königsee.
Today, the house contains a restaurant, serving foods from Bavarian culinary tradition.