{"id":4200,"date":"2011-11-21T23:18:42","date_gmt":"2011-11-22T06:18:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/rivercruiseadvisor.com\/?page_id=4200"},"modified":"2023-06-12T10:14:25","modified_gmt":"2023-06-12T14:14:25","slug":"salzburg-austria","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/rivercruiseadvisor.com\/city-guide\/europe-city-guides\/austria\/salzburg-austria\/","title":{"rendered":"Salzburg, Austria"},"content":{"rendered":"

Salzburg, Austria<\/h1>\n
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The beautiful city of Salzburg is perhaps best known to North Americans as the setting of the movie The Sound of Music, and the birthplace of Mozart. Photo courtesy of Uniworld Boutique River Cruises<\/p><\/div>\n

History<\/h2>\n

As the fourth-largest city in Austria, Salzburg is famous for having one of the best-preserved city centers north of the Alps. A UNESCO World Heritage site, the city is notable for its baroque architecture, stunning natural beauty, and as the birthplace of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.\u00a0 But North American visitors are perhaps more likely to recognize this beautiful Austrian locale as the setting for the film, The Sound of Music<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Your River Cruise Ship Docks\u2026<\/h2>\n

Salzburg is usually offered as an overland excursion, typically when your ship is docked in Passau, Germany or Linz, Austria, depending on the itinerary. Because of the relative distance to be traveled from either port to Salzburg by motorcoach, a day here will typically be listed as an optional excursion, and can carry an extra surcharge.\u00a0 But the price can be well worth it for those looking to stray further into the Austrian countryside.<\/p>\n

When in Salzburg\u2026<\/h2>\n

Although you could happily spend your time in Salzburg strolling around its historic streets and squares, we\u2019ll get the obvious question out of the way first: yes, you can take a Sound of Music<\/em> tour here. But be mindful of your time here: if you\u2019re on an overland excursion, expect your day to be fairly full and regimented.\u00a0 Still, there\u2019s plenty of diversions in the town itself that can be wandered to and from easily:<\/p>\n

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  • Coffee! Beer! Gl\u00fchwein!<\/strong>\u00a0 No visit to Salzburg would be complete without sampling some of Austria\u2019s famous beers or sipping a delicious coffee in one of Salzburg\u2019s many cafes. River cruisers visiting during late November and early to mid-December can\u2019t go wrong with a glass of the local gl\u00fchwein<\/em>, or mulled wine.<\/li>\n
  • Schnitzel!<\/strong> Again, if your particular itinerary allows for it, find a restaurant that serves up traditional Austrian cuisine; you\u2019ll be glad you did.<\/li>\n
  • Mozart\u2026Balls? <\/strong>Inspired by the famous composer, these delicious chocolaty-treats were originally developed in Salzburg\u2019s Caf\u00e9 Furst, but today can be found in a wide variety of shops in several Austrian locales, including some grocery stores.\u00a0 Lest you burst into a shop and say, \u201cI\u2019m looking for your finest Mozart Balls\u201d, they are also known as Mozartkugeln. <\/em><\/strong>(it may also be best to do this before<\/em> the pint of Austrian beer.)<\/li>\n
  • Mozarts\u2019 Birth House<\/strong>. If you\u2019re still able to move under your own power after all that beer, schnitzel and chocolaty-goodness, why not head over to the birthplace of Salzburg\u2019s most famous son, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart? Located on Getreidegasse 9<\/em>, the house contains some fascinating memorabilia about the famous composer and his family, who resided here from 1747 to 1773.<\/li>\n
  • Schloss Hellbrunn<\/strong>. A very reasonable \u20ac8.50 gets you into the impressive Schloss Hellbrunn, a former summer palace surrounded by attractive gardens, cleverly designed fountains and even an on-site zoo.\u00a0 For families traveling to Salzburg, this is a must-see.<\/li>\n
  • The Toy Museum<\/strong>. Exactly like it sounds, the Toy Museum, or Spielzeugmuseum<\/em> houses a remarkable collection of traditional Austrian and European toys, as well as a long-running puppet show performed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. At \u20ac2.50 for adults and \u20ac2 for the little ones, it\u2019s a great stop on any family visit.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    River Cruisers Should Know!<\/h2>\n
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    • You\u2019ll find English and German spoken throughout Salzburg.\u00a0 It still pays to know some basic German phrases, but you\u2019ll find locals to be welcoming and forthcoming to English-speaking visitors.<\/li>\n
    • The Euro is the official currency of Austria. Other currencies can be exchanged at major banks and financial institutions.<\/li>\n
    • You can expect to spend about two hours in each direction transferring between Salzburg and your ship.<\/li>\n
    • The traditional Christmas song, Silent Night<\/em>, was first composed and performed in the nearby town of Oberndorf.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

      Salzburg, Austria History As the fourth-largest city in Austria, Salzburg is famous for having one of the best-preserved city centers north of the Alps. A UNESCO World Heritage site, the city is notable for its baroque architecture, stunning natural beauty, and as the birthplace of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.\u00a0 But North American visitors are perhaps more […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":23977,"parent":5660,"menu_order":4,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","template":"","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/rivercruiseadvisor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/4200"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/rivercruiseadvisor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/rivercruiseadvisor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rivercruiseadvisor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rivercruiseadvisor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4200"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/rivercruiseadvisor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/4200\/revisions"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rivercruiseadvisor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/5660"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rivercruiseadvisor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/23977"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/rivercruiseadvisor.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4200"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}