Salzburg ~ Refreshing and Breathtaking

We stepped out of the train station, a few hours of relaxing train travel under our belts. Coming from the bustling and busy Vienna, we had a mysterious and beautiful view of Salzburg in our minds. The thought of taking a break from the big city for a bit of glorious nature was tantalizing. I couldn’t wait.

The first thing that I noticed upon reaching Salzburg was the air. It was clean and fresh, and I breathed slow and deep, letting it completely fill up my lungs. Salzburg is a relatively small city, and most of the residents enjoy riding bicycles as their main mode of transport. The lack of cars, combined with the close-by mountains (the “foothills of the Alps”), make this city a pleasant escape from more-polluted cities, and it brought to mind one word that would characterize my entire short trip to this Austrian heaven: Refreshing.

A few days in Salzburg was indeed a delight, as we stayed in an Airbnb apartment near the train station and took the local buses (included in the Salzburg Pass) or walked to our destinations. We wanted to see what this area and culture had to offer, and what makes Salzburg such a coveted travel destination. From peering out windows of a hill-top fort, to making our own mountain-top adventure; laughing like school children at the delights of the trick fountains at Hellbrunn Palace, to taking a river ride on the fast-flowing currents; we spent our days well and left Salzburg feeling refreshed and filled with many wonderful memories of this quaint Austrian city, the people that live there, and the monuments and history that fill them with pride for their city.

When people ask me how my trip to Salzburg was, there are several memories that come quickly to mind. I hope that these moments will inspire you to take your own short trip to Salzburg, and that you will create beautiful memories there, as did.

I stood on the mountain top, the world falling away beneath me and the wind whipping up and blowing my hair. I pulled my blue rain coat tighter around me, wishing that I had thought to bring a warm knit cap to keep my ears warm. They were starting to get very cold and numb, but that quickly slipped my thoughts as I stared at the glorious view below. The thin clouds made a layer beneath me, and I could see grey storms coming from far off. Spreading out from the mountain base were green fields and tiny farmhouses and roads that criss-crossed the land and made beautiful designs. Farther off, I was able to see the city center, spotted easily as the roads and buildings suddenly condensed together. It was breathtaking; this was my mountain-top experience. I was able to make this stand atop one of the foothills of the Alps thanks to the gondola ride at Untersberg, which was included in the Salzburg Pass. It was a moment I will remember forever, both for the freezing cold temperatures during the middle of summer, and for the amazing view that it gave me of our beautiful earth and the nature of Salzburg.

After the glorious view of Salzburg from atop the mountain, we walked from Untersberg to the nearby Zoo Salzburg. I have been to many zoos in my life, including the one at Schönbrunn Palace, so I was expecting a zoo in a small city such as Salzburg to be quaint but uneventful. I was very wrong! The zoo in Salzburg is close to Hellbrunn Palace, and most of it is out of doors. However, it houses some unique animals that were a treat to behold, and some that we could even pet (side-note: they are just goats. But they are really cute goats. ) We were amazed to watch a puma walk along its hillside habitat, and we giggled at the prairie dogs (they were quite a long way from home). A large exhibit of tiny monkeys, who could move back and forth between an inside area and their treetop garden, kept us mesmerized for a long while, and we oohed at the warthogs and their loud babies. This was a very unexpected highlight of my trip to Salzburg.

We set out from our apartment, map in hand, desperately trying not to get in the way of bicycles as we navigated the sidewalks and steered clear of the bicycle lanes. We were on a mission: to find a vegan cafe that we had looked up on the internet. After a short walk and only having to cross a few streets, we came upon it: Gustav. A storm was brewing and was just reaching us after its move across the mountains, so we ducked inside out of the rain and found a quiet table in this quaint cafe. It was lovely to eat from a delicious, vegan menu which was complete with local beers and sodas. The mismatched chairs and cheery interior of the cafe made it a delightful visit. *Make sure to try the French Toast at Gustav. Not there at breakfast? Order it anyway.

Above the city center of Salzburg sits a beautiful, white fortress. This is Hohensalzburg Castle. This fort housed prisoners and was a seat of power in the days before Austria was a country. Before venturing up to the fort, we grabbed delicious stuffed pretzels in a town square and then headed to the tramway. A quick up-hill journey put us out overlooking Salzburg, and even though it wasn't a mountain-top experience, it was a gorgeous view. That clean, fresh air was especially heady, and I found myself spending long moments just resting my arms on one of the many stone walls of the fort and day-dreaming over the peaceful, green view. Inside of the fortress, we walked upon old, stone stairways and explored the many exhibits of old weapons and housewares. An interactive exhibit on the history of the fort and the city was extremely educational and really helped me to understand the significance of Hohensalzburg and the long history this city has lived through.

I hope that you will enjoy your own adventures in Salzburg, Austria. Whether you are studying at the University of Salzburg for an Erasmus program, or visiting there from the many nearby cities, this is a wonderful and refreshing stop on your journey.

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