\r\n Tickets to Salzburg <\/button>\r\n<\/div>\n\n\nEat<\/h3>\n\n\n\n Austrian cuisine takes the word \u201chearty\u201d to a new level, with meat in all its forms the star of the show. While some vegetarian options\u2014such as risottos and pumpkin soup\u2014are on most menus, carnivores are catered for royally here. Expect generous portions of Wienerschnitzel\u2014breaded pork, veal, chicken or even turkey\u2014along with the traditional Austrian tafelspitz, a hefty dish of boiled beef and root vegetables with a large dollop of horseradish. Tender chunks of goulash usually appear on menus too, borrowing from Austria\u2019s Hungarian neighbours.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Salzburg isn\u2019t exactly lacking in traditional restaurants where you can try all of the above, as well as delicious beefy soups and lighter consomm\u00e9s. For a cosy dinner, sit under the vaulted ceiling of Zum Fidelen Affen and tuck into their huge plate of grilled pork steak, or chicken that\u2019s been braised in dark beer. Along the same street, the pedestrianized Linzer Gasse, is the equally warm Gabler Br\u00e4u, where you can feast on venison stew or grilled river fish.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you\u2019re after more sophisticated takes on Austrian classics, head to the Imlauer Sky Bar. Here in this airy rooftop restaurant you can have delicate bowls of beef consomm\u00e9 with truffle ravioli, or a truffle pasta laced with mushrooms and garlic. When the weather warms up, tables are set on the roof terrace that surrounds the restaurant, and the city views are wonderful all year round. It\u2019s also one of the places to attempt to finish one of Salzburg\u2019s most famous desserts, the Salzburg nockerl. This enormous souffl\u00e9 has three mounds to signify the three mountains that ring Salzburg, so make certain you\u2019re dining with at least two other friends to help you finish it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Having a sweet tooth comes in handy in Salzburg, especially with all those tempting displays of Mozartkugeln everywhere. These balls of marzipan, pistachio and nougat are covered in chocolate and were first made by Paul F\u00fcrst. While other confectioners jumped on the bandwagon, you can still enjoy the original in the various F\u00fcrst caf\u00e9s and shops around the city.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
One of the most pleasurable things to do in Salzburg is to linger over a coffee and a cake\u2014preferably a rich, chocolatey sachertorte\u2014in a coffeehouse. Caf\u00e9 Bazar has relaxing views of the river to go with its selection of snacks and cakes, and in the centre of the Altstadt, Caf\u00e9 Tomaselli has been a popular Salzburg meeting point for 300 years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
After the sweet, it\u2019s time for the savory, preferably foaming steins of Salzburg beer in the cavernous Augustiner Br\u00e4u brewery. This enormous beer hall and brewery is a Salzburg institution: first you collect your ceramic stein and fill it up from the beer pumps, then head to the many food stalls offering everything from wurst to roast pork.<\/p>\n\n\n\nCafe Bazar offers tasty treats in the heart of Salzburg\u2019s Old Town. Credit: Cafe Bazar<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li>Salzburger Nockerl is a must-try dessert at Imlauer Sky Bar. Credit: Imlauer Sky Bar<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li><\/ul><\/figure>\n\n\n\nPlay<\/h3>\n\n\n\nThanks to its scenic location, Salzburg offers breathtaking views of water and the mountains beyond. Credit: Dimitry Anikin\/Unsplash<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\nAfter all that food, Salzburg offers many entertaining ways to work it off. You can join an official tour of The Sound of Music locations in and around Salzburg, but it\u2019s just as amusing to do it yourself. Start in the Mirabellgarten, the landscaped gardens in front of Mirabell Palace where Maria led the Von Trapp children merrily around the fountain singing \u201cDo-Re-Mi.\u201d Near Salzburg Cathedral is the atmospheric St. Peter\u2019s Cemetery, where the family nervously hid from the Nazis. Hike up the hill to the Nonnberg Convent where Maria \u2013 both the film and real versions\u2014was a novice nun.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ask any Salzburger about The Sound of Music and they\u2019ll tell you how much the film differs from the real story, and how the movie was never a hit in Austria. Discover this for yourself at the Sound of Music World, which is at the upper end of the main shopping street, Getreidegasse. Here you can find out the true story of the Von Trapp family without the many liberties taken in the film.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
While you\u2019re at the Nonnberg Convent, you can visit the Hohensalzburg Fortress and soak up sublime views of the city and the countryside. There\u2019s a funicular that takes you straight there if you don\u2019t want to trek up the hill. But once you reach the fortress, follow the locals as they stroll along the beautiful footpath that eventually leads to the fascinating collection of contemporary art at the Museum der Moderne overlooking the city.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You don\u2019t have to be a Mozart fan to enjoy a visit to his birthplace, which is in a handsome townhouse above a Spar supermarket, of all things, on the main shopping street of Getreidegasse. Mozarts Geburtshaus has recreated interiors of when the composer and his family lived there in the mid-18th century, and displays priceless artefacts and compelling details of what their lives were like.<\/p>\n\n\n\n