When planning our Croatian road trip, which we embarked upon from the UK, we added in a couple of stopovers along the way.

One of which was to the musical city of Salzburg in Austria.

Firstly, famous for the notable composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart & secondly for the setting of the Von Trapp family's The Sound of Music.

As a stopover destination we only really had a few fleeting hours of daylight to discover Salzburg. So we headed straight towards the Salzach River along Linzer Gasse.

Linzer Gasse is one of Salzburg’s many pedestrian streets, lined with intriguing little shops and boutiques.

The elegant shop signs tempting you along the way to the local delicacies & chocolates.

Before heading across the river, we wandered into the colourful Mirabell Palace Gardens, which was built during the 17th-century

The gardens which are relatively modest in there planting, are really quite striking. Your eyes are lead along to the imposing statues and the water features. All the while Hohensalzburg Castle staring down from the hillside beyond.

The avid Sound of Music fans may recognise the gardens from the scene of the song ‘Do-Re-Mi’. I fully understand if the Von Trapps are not quite your bag….

It’s now time to head to the Old Town, we cross over the Makartsteg pedestrian bridge, adorned with its love locks, to uncover the history amongst the lanes and Salzburg’s squares.

Salzburg is a very elegant city and a city that its residents appear very proud of.

The wonderfully kept Baroque buildings and the ornate shop signs that are on display throughout the streets are amazing.

Salzburg’s most famous son is without doubt Mozart, and evidence of this tastefully displayed throughout the city.

Mozart’s birthplace is quite a draw, along with his other residence while in Salzburg, but surely this is why we visit these places, to discover their history & past.

Although the weather wasn’t entirely on our side, we went exploring. Salzburg has some lovely squares & plaza’s or Platz as they call them, to relax in. One of which is Mozartplatz with its dedication to Mozart.

Just a short hop from here is Residenzplatz, a larger square adjacent to the cathedral and has a charming Baroque fountain as its centrepiece, which was built in 1661.

Wandering further through the archway into Domplatz, you are then greeted from the front of Salzburg Cathedral.

A Dom was founded on this site originally in 774, however, due to various reconstructions and damage suffered, the Cathedral was rebuilt entirely during the 17th-century in a Baroque style.

Through another arch to the south, you enter Kapitelplatz, from here, you get a fantastic view of Hohensalzburg Castle & its funicular railway.

Take a stroll around as there is a very impressive fountain which is slightly secluded. It was built during the 18th-century and was modelled on a Roman fountain.

Any trip for me wouldn’t be truly complete unless I visited a local cemetery.
 
This fascination I have with discovering local history while on our travels, draws us into St. Peter's Cemetery.

The intriguing churchyard is literally at the foot of Festungsberg mountain, in the heart of Salzburg Old Town with catacombs & crypts dug into the mountainside.

The wrought iron style of headstones is like nothing we've seen before, so we investigate, and with recent graves being added there must be a fascinating story behind this place.

Unfortunately, our visit to the very picturesque city of Salzburg was too short; it is certainly worthy of more time than we could give it.

Although a little touristy, Gary and I couldn’t resist the Zipfer Bierhaus. Gary chose the bratwurst fest with sauerkraut, and I had the schnitzel, washed down with a local beer.

Our accommodation while in Salzburg was at the Mercure Salzburg City.

We had a pleasant stay, however, the main reason we chose the hotel was that it had secure parking, and it actually had two car parks. One underground, and one next to the hotel, which was behind a barrier. They were both €13 a night; we chose the one next to the hotel as the underground car park looked quite tight for a larger car.

We would have preferred if the hotel were closer to the town. However, it was only about 10-15 minute walk back, and it was peaceful during the night.

Tempted to dance in the footsteps of the Von Trapp family? or discover Mozart's birthplace?

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