5 Reasons Going to Salzburg was the Perfect Spontaneous Decision (Salzburg, Austria)
We spent the afternoon in Lake Bled, Slovenia, which offered some very impressive views, especially from the hilltop castle. However, as night was setting, Bri and I felt like our energy was fading with the daylight. Slovenia in the tourist off-season is really the off-season, so there was not a lot going on, and many of the hostels and hotels were, in fact, closed. So the idea of heading to Salzburg Austria was a sporadic decision, which isn't exactly all that different from usual. Though, perhaps this was wildly sporadic.
We took out our map of Slovenia to do a little pondering and noticed that in the northwestern portion of the map, there was a little arrow that noted that Salzburg was two-hundred-some-odd kilometres from the border. We looked at each other, cancelled our hostel for the night, called the rental car company to get the okay, and then hit the road. The night was approaching, and we headed for the border, full speed ahead. The fog? Treacherous. The map? Non-existent. The car? Petite. The decision? Worth it. One hundred percent. If you’ve only got two days, this Salzburg itinerary might help as well.
Here are five reasons that the spontaneous decision to go to Salzburg was right on the money.
1) The Elevated Viewpoints
At a certain point, you just think to yourself, "All right, this is getting a bit ridiculous." The historic central European beauty I found in Salzburg is only rivalled by a few cities for me, and easily in the same tier as Prague, Vienna, or Budapest. Yet, only Prague has the same compact centre where you cannot help but come across important sight after important sight. When Bri and I started the engine on our VW Polo and headed towards Salzburg, I could not have imagined the viewpoints afforded by this city.
We took the elevator in the Modern Museum (found in the Old Town, though the title of "Old Town" just may apply to the whole city) to the top and got out. We walked along the hillside that looked over the city until we reached the castle on the other side. It took about 30 minutes, and I recall being struck again and again by the city's beauty.
The historic city center of Salzburg has been a designated UNESCO World Heritage site since the mid-nineties. A day trip to the city is certainly exciting, but to experience all the city has to offer, you definitely need more than just one day.
2) The Beer, The Food
The order in the above title is quite intentional. The food is a nice heavy fare that I happen to be fond of, but it is the beer that I truly adore. Turkey, in general, doesn't have the greatest beer on offer, so peering behind the bar to see the likes of Stiegl, Ottakringer, Egger and Murauer on tap was encouraging. True to the Central European standard, Austria brews some fine beers. We actually took a stop at the Stiegl brewhouse when we were in Salzburg, and it was a stop I would make again. A fresh Stiegl is something worth enjoying.
I should add that anyone who knows me understands my nearly unparalleled passion for schnitzel. Salzburg is a fine place to find yourself with a passion such as that. As you can imagine, I took full advantage.
Don't get me started on the coffee. If you've read about my Turkish breakfasts, you'll know that I appreciate a good coffee. The European coffee house is something that really sets Salzburg apart from its North American corporate cookie-cutter counterparts. Multiple centuries-old coffee and roast houses dot the older section of the city. Adorned with wood panelling and marble inlays, the traditional hot drinks you'll find here taste as rich as the atmosphere. You really cannot leave the city without whiling away an hour with a hot cuppa.
To use some adjectives that aren't often applied to this city, Salzburg was both refreshing and scrumptious, as evidenced by the photos below.
3) The Historic Charm
In my opinion, Salzburg is really as charming as it gets, especially in the winter months. It's just such a pleasant, safe, comfortable place to be. Being such a small, compact city, there aren't many places that aren't worth being in. Everywhere feels important. There are cities I can think of that desperately try to promote what little history may have occurred, and then there are cities like Salzburg which don't have to try at all, they just have to quietly preserve said history. It doesn't take much imagination to feel like you're walking in the shoes of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, whose music and talent originated here. The echo of your steps on the cobblestones surely couldn't sound that different than his did way back when.
The streets are enchanted with cobblestones and the like; the large striking castle, Hohensalzburg Fortress, sits on the imposing hilltop overlooking the city. There are innumerable palaces and imperial gardens (including Mirabell Palace, its formidable marble hall, and the adjacent Mirabell Gardens) and the impressive Salzburg Cathedral. Stretching over the Salzach River, the central pedestrian bridge (with innumerable "love locks") is the gateway to it all. People have been impressed with this city for a very long time, and that certainly won't change in the future - it's that palpable historic charm.
4) The Walkability Factor
I mentioned before that Salzburg is very compact - and this undoubtedly has a huge influence on how walkable it is. However, it's more than that. There are opportunities to walk above the city on its well-marked paths and further opportunities to get outside the city and go for long strolls. The thought of public transportation never even crossed my mind because I always felt that wherever I was walking was well within reasonable boundaries. On TripAdvisor, the number one activity should just say "walking." It's the best way to see the city, whether you're in the heart of it or well above it, and enjoy the breathtaking views.
Whether you decide to take a walk or take one of the city's eco-friendly trollies, getting around Salzburg is painless. You could easily arrive at the main train station and not require a rental car to get around. And if you pick up a Salzburg Card, you can not only get free and fast entrance to all of the main tourist attractions, modern art galleries and museums, but your public transit is also included.
5) Christkindl Markt (The Christmas Market)
My affection for Salzburg's Christmas Market runs deep. The market has been a staple in Salzburg (and, I understand, the markets run Austria-wide) since at least the 15th century. It's a whole city effort, with central squares occupied with stalls that sell mulled wine, Christmas ornaments, sugared pastries, and...well, everything that you could ever want as far as Christmas markets go.
Of course, this is a limited time. The market runs for about a month and a half, starting from the middle of November until, naturally, the end of December, before the new year. We were lucky to be there while it was on, another validation of our spontaneous choice to head in this direction.
If you have to choose a different time of year, I recommend finding a summer date so that you can join the Salzburg Festival - a five-week music festival in July - one of the world's most important festivals for opera, music and drama. I understand you haven't seen a Mozart concert until you've seen one in Salzburg (and I hope to go one day). The numerous concerts offered over the five weeks of this festival would definitely make your trip worthwhile if you're a music fan.
I don't think I've ever regretted making a spontaneous decision when it comes to travel, even if things didn't work out perfectly. When I was first backpacking, I would plan things meticulously, scared I would miss something along the way. Ironically, by doing that, I was missing something - the element of chance and spontaneity. It's important to be able to wake up somewhere and say, "Yeah, I want to spend another day here," or even, "I love this place; I'm staying for the week." You can't do that if you've booked ahead at a hostel in a different city. Recently, I've been booking my accommodation a few hours before arrival on the day of, and it's worked out even better.
It's also a largely underrated feeling not to know where you'll be resting your head the following night. In this case, asleep in Ljubljana the night before, I had zero idea I would be sleeping in Salzburg the following night. All I knew was that Bri and I were going to drive to Lake Bled, Slovenia and go from there.
I like a bit of support when it comes to travel (downloading an Ulmer offline map on my iPhone and having a guidebook in my pack somewhere), but I never want that structure to be debilitating. My passion for travel is intrinsically linked to my passion for the unknown, of curiosity itself - and it's excursions like this that kindly inform me that it's a path worth following.