On our recent trip to Austria, we spent a glorious 48 hours in Salzburg to visit the Christmas markets and to explore the city. This was my fourth visit to Salzburg and I thought I would be a bit bored however visiting during winter made me see Salzburg through a fresh pair of eyes and I wasn’t disappointed.
Remember: For all my travel tips for Salzburg with website links, go to the bottom of this post!
Once we had checked in at the Crowne Plaza we crossed the bridge with all the love locks…
…and headed into the Old Town to explore the Christmas Markets…
…nothing like supporting the local economy when travelling. We may have had a bit to eat as well…I won’t show you the photos of G eating a burger while I enjoyed the usual gluten free option available at Christmas markets…chips!
With our tummies full, we had a snoop inside Salzburg Cathedral…
…the ceiling is rather breathtaking…
…sit down, admire the ceiling and take a moment to reflect on life.
We had decided to head up on the funicular to the Fortress next which overlooks the city…
…if visiting Salzburg during winter you need to be aware that a number of attractions are closed so choose your dates wisely; would recommend visiting while the Christmas Markets are on!
I will be honest and say that we were all a bit disappointed with the Salzburg Fortress and didn’t think it was worth the money; the signage was appalling and just the overall flow and information didn’t really work for us but the views over Salzburg are just gorgeous so that was a nice little silver lining.
After enjoying the funicular ride back down…who loves a good old fashioned funicular ride?…I know Mrs D does…we’ve had a ride on a few over the years: Bergen in Norway, Hong Kong, Wellington, Athens to just name a few.
We had a wander around the shops; the quality of goods are exceptionally high and the prices reflect this accordingly in Salzburg and in Austria in general (buy quality and buy only once!)…
…can McDonalds and Zara please be forced to have pretty signs in front of all their stores in future…
The main shopping areas are rather photogenic in Salzburg!
We walked across the river to Hotel Sacher for cake as it was getting dark and rather chilly…
…Happy Birthday whoever was celebrating on November 29th (words that I can live by!)…
…I had a piece of gluten free cake just for you! They had two gluten free options on the day we visited so it’s good to see that there are choices available.
Waking up the following morning, we pulled back the curtains to be greeted by a blanket of snow covering the city and it was still falling…thank goodness we had visited the Salzburg Fortress the day before.
First stop was breakfast…I had located a great little cafe just around the corner from the Crowne Plaza that offered gluten free and vegan options and it was all rather scrummy.
With our bellies at bursting point, our first stop were the Mirabell Gardens which looked heavenly under the blanket of snow…
…this is one of the reasons why you don’t see many photos of me on the blog as G has a tendency of zooming in on my boobies just to annoy me (I could start a blog called Kelly and her Travelling Boobies!) however he had to behave as his mum was with us…
…it still took a few attempts and me pulling a Madonna vogue move to get him to straighten up the camera…
…and then a rogue snowflake happened…right on the tip of my nose…perfect timing snowflake…perfect timing!
We had a walk around the gardens, the winter roses were weighed down by the snow but oh so pretty…
…the statues were covered in white powder but still looked rather magical especially as it was still snowing….
…I felt like I was inside a beautiful snow globe…
…and a few ducks that weren’t brave enough to get their tail feathers wet.
G decided to throw a few snow balls at me…my Kiwi ninja skills can beat an Englishman any day of the week…I was taking photos and I still managed to duck.
We made our way to the Old Town again for a look around…popping into cafes to warm up with a cuppa to warm up our frosty hands…
…we visited a number of the same areas as the day before in the Old Town but they looked very different under a blanket of snow.
We headed back in the direction of the hotel for a loo break (have you had the misfortune to met my 90 year old bladder?)…
…the snow was still falling!
That afternoon we caught a bus to Schloss Hellbrunn which is a Palace that you can visit during summer however during the winter months it’s closed to visitors BUT they do hold a Christmas Market in the grounds…so we popped by to browse the stalls…
…visited a famous landmark (The Sound of Music is one of my favourite movies of all time!)…
…a photo without the open mouthed Wally…
…and then waited for a bus to take us back the Old Town where I bought Lisa some beautiful ribbons to use when she is sewing.
The following morning, we had a hearty breakfast at the hotel before jumping in a taxi back to the airport to pick up a rental car for our little road trip along Austria’s Romantic Road.
^^How great is the view from the hotel?
48 Hours in Salzburg is totally enough time if you are planning a visit during the winter months…the city is walkable, very compact and we didn’t feel rushed in this allocated time.
Travel Tips for 48 Hours in Salzburg, Austria
- A taxi from the airport should cost you no more than 15 euros
- The Old Town is a pedestrian only zone so if you have booked a hotel in this area then you will find that they may not be able to take you right up to the door if you arrive via taxi
- We stayed at the Crowne Plaza Salzburg The Pitter as we had a few IHG points to use up; I’m trying to be rather frugal at the moment. The rooms are lovely however we didn’t have the best check in experience…it was so bad that G actually complained. The hotel no longer sits under the IHG Brand and is now part of the Imlauer Hotel Group.
- Make sure you take comfortable shoes with plenty of grip especially if it is due to snow. I wrote a post on what to wear to the Christmas Markets however this is what I would advise if visiting any European city during the winter months.
- A donation is requested for entry into the Salzburg Cathedral (Dom) – address is Domplatz, Salzburg 5010, Austria
- The Salzburg Fortress (Festung Hohensalzburg) costs a staggering 15.50 euros per person and includes the funicular ride to the top. We didn’t think it was worth the money as it was lacking in directions, information and just plain old things to look at that you would expect for the price! Address is Moenchsberg 34, Salzburg 5020, Austria
- To visit Schloss Hellbrunn and the Sound of Music Gazebo, catch the Number 25 bus from the Old Town…you can buy tickets on the bus or from a newsagent prior to boarding. Address is Fürstenweg 37, 5020 Salzburg, Austria
- Hotel Sacher in Salzburg is probably Salzburg’s most luxurious hotel and located right across from the Old Town. The tea room is famous for it’s Sacher Torte, unfortunately they don’t make a gluten free option but it’s a nice place to stop for a hot drink and a piece of cake if you’re enjoying 48 hours in Salzburg.
- The Heart of Joy Cafe is open from 8am – 7.00pm / 8.30pm most days offering a great variety of gluten free and vegan food…I would recommend this cafe to anyone visiting the city. The address is Franz-Josef-Straße 3, 5020 Salzburg, Austria and is located a short walk from the Mirabell Palace and Gardens.
- Remember to take a spare battery or two for your phone and camera, the battery life is rather pants to say the least as they lose charge quicker in cold weather!
- Looking for more posts on Austria then why not check these babies out – A Christmas Market Guide to Salzburg and the Surrounding Villages, A City Break to Vienna, A Gluttons Guide to Eating Gluten Free Cake in Vienna, Exploring the Vienna Christmas Markets, Gluten Free Afternoon Tea at The Ritz Carlton Vienna.
xx
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