NEW YORK, NY.- Summer is when Salzburg, the compact Austrian city of medieval alleys, majestic Alpine views and just 150,000 residents, bursts to life. The century-old Salzburg Festival, a six-week celebration of classical music, opera and theater, is in full swing until the end of August, giving music lovers yet another reason to make a pilgrimage to Mozart’s birthplace. The neo-baroque Salzburg State Theater, one of the festival’s main stages, is fresher after a renovation, and more historic sites are undergoing renewal. What may well be Europe’s oldest restaurant is rejuvenated every year with stylish, contemporary decor. And a 17th-century palace, with a new restaurant offering contemporary Austrian dishes under the stars, shows how comfortably tradition and innovation coexist in Salzburg.
ITINERARY
Friday
4 p.m. | Walk off dessert
Start your weekend exploring the area on the right bank of the River Salzach. Sample Salzburger nockerl (13 euro, or $14), a light, custardy souffle filled with tart raspberry sauce, at Cafe Habakuk on the Linzergasse, a bustling street. It’s worth the 20-minute preparation time. Afterward, walk it off on the Kapuzinerberg, a tree-shrouded mountain that rises 2,100 feet above the Salzach. It’s a steep yet quick hike up a path named after Stefan Zweig, the writer who once lived here, to the Hettwer-Bastion, a lookout with a majestic view of the Festung Hohensalzburg fortress. From there, follow the stairs down to the Steingasse, a narrow 16th-century street. Poke your head into Antiquariat Weinek, a rare-book shop and gallery, even if you can’t afford any of its treasures.
6 p.m. | Alfresco art
“Sit on a chair,” and “lose track of time”: These are Serbian artist Marina Abramovic’s instructions to viewers of “Spirit of Mozart” — a nearly 50-foot-tall metal chair along with eight regular-size ones — beside the Staatsbrücke bridge. The installation is one of a dozen, by various artists, in Salzburg’s Walk of Modern Art, a free public art trail. Crossing the river, look for Brigitte Kowanz’s “Beyond Recall,” composed of illuminated, mirrored cubes, that commemorates the laborers whom the Nazis forced to build the bridge. On Max Reinhardt Platz, a square named for one of the Salzburg Festival’s founders, enter the white structure that houses German artist Anselm Kiefer’s “A.E.I.O.U,” a haunting work about the nature of time. Erwin Würm’s bronze sculptures of cucumbers nearby are in a decidedly lighter vein.
7 p.m. | Alpine flavors and views
Dine in a 17th-century palace with the Alps as your backdrop at Merkel und Merkel, a restaurant opened by a husband-and-wife chef team last year on a bucolic estate, about a mile south of the city center. Choose between three to six courses (64 to 94 euros) of Austrian and European dishes, including many classics. The changing menu might feature a hearty yet refreshing tomato-vanilla soup; local char served on a bed of fregola sarda, a beadlike Sardinian pasta; and a tender saddle of veal served with chanterelles and cauliflower puree. Getting through all the courses can take a while, but you’ll be glad to linger as dusk descends on the elegant grounds and the sky fills up with stars. Reservations recommended.
Saturday
9 a.m. | In Mozart’s footsteps
Before getting lost in the Altstadt (Old Town), visit Mozart’s birthplace, the apartment on the long Getreidegasse alley where the composer was born in 1756. See the miniature violin Mozart received at 6, intricate set designs from productions of his operas and an immersive installation exploring his “Jupiter” Symphony, his 41st and last. Admission 15 euros, or free with a Salzburg Card. Then, if you’re inspired by the locals in traditional Austrian wear, head to Salzburger Heimatwerk, a tailoring and dressmaking workshop for nearly 80 years. Its wares aren’t cheap (the dirndls are in the 1,000-euro range) but last a lifetime. If you need a pick-me-up, enjoy a “kaffee und kuchen,” or coffee and cake (about 5 euros each), at Tomaselli, an elegant coffeehouse since 1703, adorned with dark wood and oil paintings. Or visit 220Grad Rupertinum, one of Salzburg’s modern specialty cafes.
11 a.m. | A lost generation
Usually, visitors are lured to museums by their favorite artists. At the Museum of the Art of the Lost Generation, the walls are filled with works by painters you’ve never heard of. The small museum, opened in 2017, highlights early 20th-century German and Austrian-born artists whose careers were cut short when the Nazis came to power, and rescues their works from obscurity. Many were Jewish artists, or those whose modern styles were labeled “degenerate” by the Third Reich. The English-language catalog is beautifully illustrated with works you can’t find elsewhere. Admission is 14 euros.
Noon | Your schnitzel, your way
There are many places in Salzburg to enjoy a Wiener schnitzel, Austria’s national dish, but at Meissl & Schadn you can choose how you like the thin, breaded veal cutlet to be fried to golden perfection: in clarified butter, pork lard or vegetable oil. Schnitzels, including a baked celery version for non-meat eaters, from 22 to 26.90 euros. Sides are taken as seriously as the escalopes, too. In addition to classics like wild-cranberry jam, potato salad, cucumber salad and parsley potatoes, you can order your schnitzel to come with Wiener Garnitur, a condiment made from a mashed-up, hard-boiled egg, parsley, capers and anchovies (sides, 3.30 to 6.50 euros). If you have room for dessert, check out the exceptionally refreshing gelato at Moritz Eis (3.50 euros a scoop) directly across the street.
2 p.m. | Where wealth reigned
For well over a millennium, Salzburg’s prince archbishops wielded both spiritual and worldly power. At the DomQuartier (13 euros, or free with a Salzburg Card), a museum complex near Altstadt’s winding alleys, you can bask in the grandeur of the once-powerful rulers, whose reign ended with secularization in 1803. In the Residenz, the archbishop’s palace, stroll through the imposing state rooms, admiring the ceiling frescoes depicting the life of Alexander the Great. Enjoy the royal view from the outdoor balcony that connects the Residenz and the Salzburg Cathedral, whose cavernous nave you gaze down on from its organ loft. The Cathedral Museum, one of two ecclesiastical collections housed in the DomQuartier, includes a version of Hieronymus Bosch’s trippy and terrifying “The Temptation of Saint Anthony.”
4 p.m. | Your favorite things
For better or worse, “The Sound of Music,” the 1965 musical film set in Salzburg, rivals Mozart as the city’s best-known cultural export. Skip the themed tours and save your money by visiting many of the filming locations on your own, free. From the DomQuartier, it’s an easy walk to the eighth-century Nonnberg Abbey, where the real-life Maria Kutschera spent two years as a novice before she left to become the von Trapps’ governess. Back in the Altstadt, see the Pferdeschwemme, the distinctive 17th-century horse pond that the von Trapp children marvel at during a carriage ride in the film. Cross the river and continue to the impeccably manicured Mirabell Gardens, whose Pegasus fountain; dwarf garden, featuring stone gnomes; and hedge tunnel were all immortalized in a montage in the Oscar-winning film.
6 p.m. | A restaurant makeover
Understandably, St. Peter Stiftskulinarium, a restaurant that may be more than 1,200 years old, was showing its age about a decade ago. Under its current owners, the restaurant, which claims to have first been mentioned in documents in 803, gets a makeover yearly to keep things from getting stale. On warm evenings, sit in the outdoor arcade under domed vaults carved from a mountainside, amid a riot of plants, neon lighting and contemporary art. The dining rooms are beautiful, too, with features like elegant moldings, hardwood ceilings and floors, and walls painted deep green or blue. Try local dishes like tafelspitz — boiled beef served with horseradish and thick bread sauce — among others with Mediterranean and Asian influences, such as blackened tuna with sesame and wasabi. Mains, 25 to 40 euros.
8 p.m. | Attend a performance
Every summer, the Salzburg Festival turns the city into the world’s stage. One of the festival’s main venues is the Salzburg State Theater, a 700-seat playhouse whose jewel-box 19th-century, neo-baroque auditorium, adorned with gold leaf and red velvet, recently reopened after extensive renovations. Gaze up at the large crystal chandelier and a grand ceiling painting. Outside of the festival, the State Theater puts on roughly 400 performances each season, which runs from September through June. Fall highlights include Gioachino Rossini’s opera “Il Viaggio a Reims,” a ballet about Mexican painter Frida Kahlo and the 1960s musical “Hair.” (Tickets range from 8 to 88 euros.) There’s plenty to see in Salzburg year-round, too: Mozart Week in winter, along with the Salzburg Easter Festival and the Salzburg Whitsun Festival in spring, means you’re likely to find a great performance whenever you visit.
Sunday
9 a.m. | Hear a musical Mass
On Sunday mornings, liturgical music rings out from the Altstadt’s churches, many of which are within spitting distance of one another. These musical Masses are free and open to all, just take your pick. The vast Salzburg Cathedral was consecrated in the eighth century and achieved its current baroque form in 1628, while the Franciscan Church is defined by its slender steeple and Romanesque basilica. The 12th-century Stiftskirche St. Peter combines the architectural styles of various epochs, including Romanesque, Renaissance and rococo. These are inspiring surroundings in which to hear a Mass by Mozart, Haydn or one of their contemporaries, performed by the churches’ musicians. Remember to dress modestly. Consult the churches’ websites for full program information and precise Mass times.
Noon | Perfect farewell
If you don’t want to brave the steep staircases and sloping paths to ascend the Mönchsberg, the mountain that rises nearly 1,700 feet above the Altstadt, there are other options. A funicular and an elevator (12-euro round-trip ticket and 3 euros; both free with a Salzburg Card) will get you to the top, where you can wander wooded trails or gaze over the Alps from a shaded bench. Get a great view of the fortress from the Richterhöhe, a southwest lookout at the mountain’s peak. On the Salzach side, find the Stadtalm, a rustic hostel and restaurant next to a remnant of a medieval wall. Taking in a sweeping panorama of the city, with a beer or coffee at an outdoor table, is the perfect way to say farewell to Salzburg.
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KEY STOPS
The Altstadt, or Old Town, forms Salzburg’s nucleus, with excellent restaurants, cafes and traditional clothing shops lining its cobblestone, medieval alleys.
The Mönchsberg, the rock that looms 1,700 feet above the Altstadt, offers wooded paths and majestic city and Alpine views.
The stately and impeccably manicured Mirabell Gardens, which contain the Pegasus fountain, dwarf garden and hedge tunnel, is where Maria and the von Trapp children dance while singing “Do-Re-Mi” in “The Sound of Music.”
WHERE TO EAT
Café Habakuk, a traditional family-owned coffeehouse on the Linzergasse, a bustling street, makes a mean Salzburger nockerl, a big-yet-light souffle that is sweet and custardy.
Merkel und Merkel is a new restaurant within a 17th-century palace, with a husband-and-wife chef team serving impeccably prepared traditional dishes.
St. Peter Stiftskulinarium offers sophisticated dishes in elegant rooms and a courtyard with colorful and frequently changing decor.
Tomaselli’s, an 18th-century coffeehouse with dark wood paneling and oil paintings, is the grandest place to enjoy a “kaffee und kuchen,” or coffee and cake, in the Altstadt.
WHERE TO STAY
Hotel Auersperg, a short walk from the Linzergasse, offers understated luxury in its tastefully decorated rooms spread across two buildings. Highlights include a tranquil backyard garden, a spa with a generous outdoor terrace and an outstanding breakfast buffet. Rooms start at 245 euros (about $265).
The Keep Eco Rooms Salzburg, halfway between the main train station and the Altstadt, has stylish and sustainable accommodations with self-check-in and shared bathrooms. Some rooms have private showers. Its restaurant offers vegan and gluten-free options. Twin rooms start at 82 euros.
You can find short-term rentals in virtually every corner of Salzburg. If the pricier apartments in the Altstadt are out of your budget, consider staying in the Elisabeth Vorstadt, the district close to the central train station.
This article originally appeared in
The New York Times.
