As you have probably gathered by now, our tour is full of beautiful places! When we are close to one where we are not performing, we schedule a visit there! One of these places is Salzburg. Salzburg is the home of Mozart, and the location for the filming of “The Sound of Music”! This city is full of culture, and you will find most of it in the historic Altstadt, or “Old Town”.

In 1997, Salzburg's Altstadt was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in the category of cultural monuments worth preserving for future generations. This should speak for itself, and the Altstadt should be on every visitor's "to-do" list. Because the city center is not very big, you should be able to find your way around fairly easily.

Classic Salzburg is a feast for the eyes, with impressive buildings dating back to the baroque period dominating the scenery. Different epochs can easily be distinguished from one another, with Italian baroque features standing side-by-side with examples of Austrian individualism. Natural borders to the Old town are The Salzach River, and the Mönchsberg, a big rock face that used to protect the city's treasures from unwanted guests during the Middle Ages.

Salzburg's cathedral is without a doubt the main attraction in the Altstadt. It is flanked by two squares, the Residenzplatz (a good place to see open-air concerts during summer) and the Kapitelplatz (also used for concerts and theater performances). The nearby Residenz, the "new" Residenz, the Franziskanerkirche (Franciscan church) and the Kollegienkirche (Stiftskirche) of Saint Ruprecht are only a stone's throw away from each other. Towering above all these attractions is the Hohensalzburg Fortress on the Mönchsberg (Monks' Mountain).In the western part of the Old Town, you can admire the Kollegienkirche, Mozart's birth house, the two famous festival halls -Festspielhäuser -and the so-called “Pferdeschwemme", once a spot where horses could get a drink of water. The Getreidegasse, one of the most expensive streets in Salzburg, is also situated here, with the Church of St. Blasius at its western end.The area around the Mirabel Palace is pure Austrian charm. The elegant palace, which is situated on the northern side of the river, has a beautiful park, which is elegantly landscaped in the style of bygone centuries.

Fotocredit: Salzburg Tourismus, Günter, Breitegger