There are always two sides of any story and this is the better part.
I wrote a few months back about my rather unpleasant experience in Salzburg and being a very responsible blogger and journalist, I wanted to share the goods and must-sees.
First of all, Salzburg has the brezel/brezen/pretzel game down. I mean, they have nutty ones, cinnamon ones, chocolate covered ones! I could not not have one, so I took the nutty one and I have to say, it wasn’t the best brezel of my life (considering the price) but for once, not bad.
Mozart is everywhere. Salzburg was where the famous and legendary composer was born, baptized and grew up. You can’t miss him, literally. Nor the building he was born. You can go inside and do a tour, but we didn’t because there was a really long line.
The Mozartkugel. Those small, round chocolate balls made of pistachio marzipan and nougat. It was created in 1890 by Salzburg confectioner Paul Fürst and yes, there is still a shop that is run by his descendants and if you walk around the city, you’ll see loads of people with the small paper bag with a big Fürst written on it. I tried a couple from different brands and to be honest, they were all absolutely delicious. But if you do want to try the original ones, head to Fürst.
The streets are lovely, especially Getreidegasse, and you can see the beautiful signs adorning the buildings and shops. Some are old, others obviously new like the ones by Zara and McDonald’s but they go perfectly well with the architecture and scenery. Something Germany and Austria does very well, I believe.
Kapitelplatz and the surroundings are a must, and even if you tried to avoid the square, it would be quite the challenge. It’s where you can find people walking their dogs, taking a stroll, taking photos of the beautiful surroundings, and like us, stopping for a short break.
It’s also where you can see the famous sculpture “Sphaera,” which shows a man on a big golden sphere. Created by German artist Stephan Balkenhol, it goes with the female version called “Woman in the Rock” located in Toscaninihof. Both of them are somewhat eerie, familiar and just interesting. But for us, it was a useful starting point of direction. There are numerous artworks around the city, so if you love art, keep your eyes peeled.
Stadtalm is a gorgeous location to enjoy the view of the city and traditional goods both sweet and savory. There’s a table surrounded by windows facing the city (inside the restaurant) and it’s breathtaking. I’m assuming you need to make a reservation to get that particular spot. The outside area also offers a view of the entire city and if you want, you can actually stay at the bed and breakfast to enjoy the food and view for a longer period of time. I can’t imagine waking up to that view.
A bit tired from the Austrian cuisine, which was quite similar to the German one, we opted for something different and ended up going for Mexican. The Burrito Factory doesn’t look like much to be quite honest, but it was really good, we ordered seconds, which is something that doesn’t happen often.
The highlight of my trip was this. One rainy night we headed to a brewery called Augustiner Bräu. It very much looked and felt like any other brewery in Munich, but the key difference was the cafeteria-style food layouts. There were small stalls selling different types of food; from simple snacks to full meals. It’s supposed to be representing traditional markets and this was really fun because it really is like a little village underground.
But it also has a richer tradition: It’s the biggest beer hall in Austria and it can fit more than 1,400 seats outdoor alone. Just a tip: you can order a beer from the counter but they also take orders at the tables. We were first timers so a bit disoriented and confused as to where to buy the beer, so there you go.
Another tip before taking seats: look out for the Stammtisch. Literally “a regular table,” these are reserved tables for a particular day, hour and you can easily figure out if a table is reserved by looking at the walls near the table. There are signs from almost every year from the 1970s by various people, clubs and meetings, such as tennis clubs, business clubs and social clubs. There was actually a table next to us which was reserved for such an occasion and it was written on the wall that it was reserved every Saturday from 1970. What. These “regulars” were meeting at that table, that hour for the past 40 years. Such a sweet tradition.
- Mozart’s birthplace
- Kapitelplatz
- Fürst
- Getreidegasse
- Stadtalm
- Augustiner Bräu
- Burrito Factory
- I do realize we didn’t do much dessert hunting, but there are many cafes and restaurants that offer the traditional Austrian and Salzburger desserts. Mozart Cafe was particularly busy and popular but I’ve heard mixed reviews. Like any other place in interest.
Read my blog post on my less favorite experiences of Salzburg, because it can’t be all rainbows and unicorns.
All photos by rachelsanghee.