Salzburg, Austria

I am so excited to visit Salzburg! I am definitely the one who put this city on the list and I have to admit, my main reason for doing so is the movie “The Sound of Music.” I have loved the movie since I was a kid, when my little sister and I would perform all of the songs from the movie together in our living room. After watching the film time and time again, I decided that I had to visit the beautiful city of Salzburg one day. I have heard several times that the movie is purely an American thing and while “The Sound of Music” tours are offered in Salzburg to please American tourists, the movie isn’t a big deal to Austrians and other tourists visiting from around the world. While I would like to say that I am not going to be the typical American tourist singing and searching for every sight from the classic movie, I know that’s just not going to be possible. However, I am still very excited to see and appreciate what Salzburg has to offer apart from one of my favorite movies.

Salzburg is also the birthplace and former home of classical composer Mozart, who was born in Salzburg in 1756. Many sights around the city are related to Mozart’s life and music. While at first I was picturing Salzburg as a city swarming with Mozart fanatics and “The Sound of Music” lovers, the more I researched the city I realized that I think I am going to enjoy Salzburg even more than I originally planned. Pictures of the city look even more beautiful than I remember from the movie and the history in Salzburg goes much farther back than Mozart’s days.

In addition to The Sound of Music tour, which yes, we will spend one of our days in Salzburg on, here is a list of other top sights we plan to visit:

Hohensalzburg Fortress – Also known as “Salzburg Castle,” this castle/fortress (not quite sure exactly which one it is, looks more like a fortress to me) is the most dominant feature of the city’s skyline. The fortress sits above Salzburg offering great views of the city below it. It also features a couple of museums, but I am more excited to explore it and check out the view.


Hellbrunn Palace – Known for its gardens, "trick fountains" and the famous gazebo scene from “The Sound of Music” where Liesl sings “16 going on 17."


Hellbrunner Allee – I hope to take a walk down this charming alleyway which connects Salzburg with Hellbrunn Palace. Also off of Hellbrunner Allee is Schloss Frohnburg Palace, which was used for the exterior shots of the Von Trapp residence in the movie.


Salzburger Dom - The city's beautiful cathedral and one of Salzburg's top attractions.


Mozartplatz Square – A memorial to Mozart in the heart of the old town of Salzburg. Since I am not quite sure if we will have time to make it to the birthplace of Mozart, I would at least like to see the statue of the composer which stands in the middle of the square. Also in the square is the Salzburg Museum which exposes visitors to the history, arts and culture of Salzburg.

Residenz Palace - Once the palace of the Prince Archbishop of Salzburg, now a magnificent palace open to the public in the old town of Salzburg.

Mirabell Palace – The palace is famous for its flowers and gardens, for fellow Sound of Music lovers, Mirabell gardens is where Maria and the children sing “Do Re Mi” on the steps of the garden, around Mirabell's famous fountain and run through a hedge tunnel.


Before we leave Salzburg we will have to try a "Mozartkugel" or a "Mozart Ball," a delicious dessert made of pistachio, marzipan and a nougat core coated in milk chocolate. These treats are extremely popular in Salzburg!


And of course, after we have the chance to visit a German beer hall in Munich, we will have to visit an Austrian beer hall in Salzburg to compare! I hope to visit Müllner Bräu, or the Augustiner Brewery which is supposed to serve Salzburg's most delicious beer!


For more information on what to do and see in Salzburg, Visit-Salzburg.net has a lot of great information and is where I did most of my research on Salzburg!