High Drama in Salzburg

Salzburg is a stunning little town, situated in even more stunning surroundings. Everything about Salzburg is magically dramatic. From the moment your plane banks sharply to swoop around a snow-capped peak you know this. The Aldstadt on the southern bank of the shimmering Salzach is as harmonious a collection of cream facades and baroque styles as you could hope to imagine. The echoes of Mozart (the man and his music) chime from doorways. The Festung Hohensalzburg fortress looms high above town, visible from every spot. All around can be glimpsed proper Alpine mountains, the jagged pointy type, dusted with snow.

The ambiance of Salzburg is its joy. There are few 'must-see' sights. I suppose the main one must be the Festung hanging above, which can be reached by either a funicular or a breath-puffing ten minute climb. This castle, continuously expanded by the Archbishop-Princes kept Salzburg independent of encroaching neighbors until the time of Napoleon. From here, you have great views north over town, and south to the isolated Untersberg. Equally good views can be obtained walking down the wooded length of the Monchsberg hill upon which it sits. Across the Salzach, the Kapuzinerberg hill also gives birds-eye views of Salzburg, with the added benefit that you can see the fortress from here!

If you are a fan of classical music, there seem to be a plethora of recitals, concerts, and accompanied dinners in town, as well as two museums devoted to Salzburg's most famous son, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Composer of such famous works as The Marriage of Figaro, Cosi Fan Tutti, Don Giovanni, and The Magic Flute. Mozart is accorded legendary status in the town he left finally at the age of 24. If, however, like me, you don't care for the classics the concerts may well not appeal, and the museums fail to explain their composer's appeal either.

One final highlight must be the Stiftskeller St. Peter. Formerly the dining hall of Benedictine monks, the cellars you dine in here have served this purpose since 803 A.D. For a fancy splurge, or a romantic tête-a-deux this is the place to go. Just be careful what you are getting yourself into if you order the house specialty of Salzburger Knopferl!

Quick Tips:

Salzburg is generally an expensive town, but economies can be made. Instead of visiting the Festung Hohensalzburg, equally good views can be obtained by strolling along the Monchsberg or Kapuzinerberg hills. To get better deals on meals, take the time to step a bit away from main drag (the Aldstadt and Linzergasse north of the river). Following the river east from Mozartplatz soon takes you into student territory where the dining options are less fancy and better value. I can recommend the Cafe-Restaurant Posthof on Kaigasse. Outdoor seating, child-friendly (or should that read 'indulgent'?) staff, and a Stiegel, goulash and bowl of crisp, fresh bread for under €13. Another option is self-catering from supermarkets. The biggest chain is Billa, who have stores near the train station, just south of the Statsbrucke, and on Linzergasse opposite the Cordial Theater Hotel.

If you are going to pay out for anything, use the opportunity to get out of town and experience the natural wonders of the Salzkammergut. You can manage this independently, or for ease and convenience book one of the tours available from the tourist office on Residenzplatz. There are two main companies, but they both seem to offer identically priced (€35) and itinerary tours. The most famous is the 'Sound of Music' tour, taking you to the locations where memorable scenes were shot. I went for the 'Lakes and Mountains' tour, taking a journey into the heart of the Salzkammergut around picture-perfect Wolfgangsee.

One warning might be to respect the tourist seasons. Traveling in March, I found a reduced number of available tours, Schloss Hellbrunn shut, and the Residenz gallery closing suddenly without prior notice. Peak tourist times means there are more tourists, but also more to see and do.

Best Way To Get Around:

The main reason I visited Salzburg in the first place was the fact that flights there seemed cheaper than to anywhere else in Europe. From Manchester alone, there are direct flights from Thompson, SkyEurope (£26), and British Airways (£31). I chose BA over SkyEurope, simply because BA gets you in early in the morning, rather than mid-afternoon, well worth that extra fiver. Don't pay for a taxi from the airport. Leaving by the main exit cross over the road to the raised tram stop. The tram-bus is less than €2, and runs frequently to the main train station. From there it isn't far to anywhere in town, and a guidebook map can easily direct you.

The train station connects to a host of central European locales; trains run to Vienna, Innsbruck, and Graz in Austria. I traveled up to Linz, then struck north to Ceske Budejowice, and then Prague. If you are crossing any borders though, remember your passport!

Foot is the best way to travel the town. In fact you'll have a hard time negotiating the Aldstadt unless you are on foot or a bike. The funicular up to the fortress is ideal for children (or just the exhausted).

For such a theatrical and musical city the concept behind the Cordial Theatre Hotel, situated just where the pedestrianised Linzergasse ends, is perfect. When they say 'theatre-hotel', they "mean" 'theatre-hotel'. The restaurant is decorated with colourful opera pictures and the walls by the lift are covered with signed photos of what are presumably theatrical celebrities in Austria (about the only one I recognised was a certain Luciano Pavarotti - whether he has ever stayed here I don't know, but thankfully they've refilled the breakfast buffet since then!). As an added conceit all the rooms are named after composers. Walking down the corridor my excitement built as I passed famous names on the doors - Strauus, Tchaikovsky, Bizet, Offenbach. After whom would my room be named? Imagine my disappointment when I discovered that it was Gustav Albert Lortzing!

Now, I may have never heard of Lortzing, but exist he certainly did - Austrian playbills of his works shared the walls of my room with French theatre prints, a lovely way to continue the theme. The room has the usual amenities - double bed, cable TV, en suite, and a window that opens to a view of the brown and wooded Kapuzinerberg. What I particularly liked though was that the room actually did come complete with the kitchen sink. And a draining board. And two hob plates should I have decided that I wanted to cook.

The complimentary breakfast buffet is certainly enough to stem your hunger until late afternoon - coldcuts, scrambled eggs, bread and jam, fruit salad, croissants and cake, juice, tea, and coffees all featured. Give yourself thirty minutes longer than you might anticipate, and this will help to keep the lunch bills down in notoriously expensive Salzburg.

Speaking of expense, what are the rates like? Well, from the price list on the rear of my door, and also from chatting to a couple of other guests, I think the rooms are roughly €125 - 155 a night. I can only really say 'I think'. I did not pay that price. I booked a week in advance via one of my favourite sites www.venere.com where I have previously got good rates in Rome, Venice, and Verona. Here it worked out as €60 a night for a two night stay mid-week. And at those prices you certainly can't argue!

One last thing to mention is that as well as the usual bar and restaurant, this hotel also has a sauna. This is complimentary for guests, though they ask you give them thirty minutes warning to heat it up for you. Sadly I did not really have the time (or the shorts) to use this, but if I had known in advance I would have made sure that I did. I thought this was a lovely little touch, that summed up the hotel perfectly - everywhere they took that little extra care to enhance the experience of the paying guest.

It is always special when you visit a restaurant older than your grandfather. The Stiftskeller St. Peter is older than my country!

Attached to the Stiftskirche, and formerly part of the abbey, the restaurant is in the same arched brick vaults it has occupied since 803. It was once frequented by Mozart (but of course it was - he lived in Salzburg for over twenty years. About the only place that doesn't claim to have been frequented by young Wolfgang is McDonald's. Now Gluck, however, that's a different story...). Inside waiters stand grandly in their collarless green jackets. Candles flicker and the chairs are covered. The cutlery is shiny enough for you to see your face in.

Foregoing wine I went for a beer to drink. Having not been impressed with Stiegel I ordered a Radler, which was very refreshing and sweet. But then it would be - my phrasebook later told me 'Radler' is German for 'shandy'! Having only €50 left I totted up carefully. For starter a potato soup, livened up with truffle oil (€5.50). Just a splash of the oil went a long way and gave the dish a fab zing.

For the main course I went for succulent roast breast of pheasant, served with rosti and red cabbage in a sauce based on orange and (I think) thyme. The citrus kick really got the taste buds working, enabling me to savour the meat the way it was meant to be. And at €20.90 this was the equivalent price I'd be paying for a steak in a not-quite-so-haughty restaurant back in Blighty.

Polishing off the main course I felt that I still had room for a bit of dessert, and everyone had recommended the Salzburger Knopferl. It was on the menu €11.80, takes 25 minutes to prepare. I thought it was pretty dear, but went ahead and ordered. To give the waiter credit he did not crack a smile. Little did I know that I was walking into a trap!

Twenty-five minutes later, the Salzburger Knopferl arrives to the snickers and stares of the other diners. "Bon Appetit!" How can I describe it? Think of a dish roughly the same shape as the Sydney Opera House, and not much smaller either. Taste-wise it was composed of beaten eggs, sugar, and flour, served with a dark raspberry sauce, like the bastard offspring of a meringue and a baked Alaska. It was frothy, but heavy. Never before have I been defeated by pudding, but I had to stop after only consuming one of the three peaks of the dish for fear of suffering an infarction. Frankly, if this is what Mozart used to eat here growing up I'm not surprised he died so young!

The damage to my wallet was less - €45.40, or €50 with a tip. Not a bad price for a great meal in a wonderfully atmospheric setting. This is the place for a romantic meal, or just one to remember forever after visiting Salzburg.

Frauenbergers could be a perfectly decent restaurant if they would only make one change - ban smoking.

Located right on Linzergasse, heading north of the Salzach, the restaurant is conveniently located to catch the most of the passing trade. There are a cluster of restaurants nearby. I chose here because, while the menu might not have been radically different to those offered elsewhere, it seemed marginally cheaper (mains between €8 and €14).

Entering, the restaurant seemed a convivial place, full of chat. The clientele seemed to be mainly locals having a natter over a pizza or salad, a lager, and a cigarette. Unfortunately the low, white-washed cellar-type construction of the restaurant intensified the smoke.

Being in Austria, I decided not to have a pizza, but rather a full meal. Once I managed to attract a waiter (it took some doing - I even looked around to see if there was a counter I was meant to order at instead) I went for the roast pork with mushrooms, hash browns, green beans, and bacon in a port wine sauce. It is a good job that I'm a fan of strong flavours. I can safely say that the combination of the port with the salty bacon could have been too much for some. As it was I found it tasty and perfectly edible. I certainly didn't regret choosing it over the salmon. The pizzas that came to the neighbouring table did look appetising however - they must have been twelve inches across!

After a lovely main course, the dessert was a real let down. If there is one dish Austria is famous for, it is apple strudel. The disappointing limp piece of microwaved strudel I was served here (on its own without cream) would have been enough to put me off the dish for life, if I hadn't had hope that there was better out there. Definitely not worth the €2.90 I paid.

So, while the main course was right up my alley, the dessert and the service let the restaurant down something rotten. When you add in the omnipresent cigarette smoke hanging in clouds overhead, deadening my taste buds, and permeating my clothes to such an extent that I could not wear them the next day I suppose I would have to class this as a very disappointing venue for a meal. However, should smoking be banned, if they got a better waiter, and if they didn't get their strudel straight out of the deep freeze, I feel confident that Frauenberger's could turn itself around pretty satisfactorily.

The menu can be found at www.frauenbergers-restaurant.at/speise.pdf

The great white fortress of the Festung Hohensalzburg dominates the town like a castle on a cloud. The dramatic sight can be seen from most anywhere in town.

Salzburg withstood absorption into the lands of its hungry neighbours for centuries, and it was here that the powerful Archbishop-Princes had the seat of their temporal power. Construction started in 1077, and continued apace - almost each successive archbishop added further towers, circuit walls and bastions to protect themselves less against foreign aggressors and more against any possible uprising by the townsfolk below. As it was, its most serious test was in 1525 when rebellious miners unsuccessfully besieged the fort. Faced with the greater military power of Napoleon Bonaparte later, however, the fort was surrendered without a fight.

There is a funicular railway that climbs up to the castle. If, like me, you're cheap then the route up is free and perfectly walkable. The climb on foot takes ten minutes. At the top you are greeted by more steep slopes - I would hate to visit in an icy winter. At the gatehouse the entrance fee is €10 (€9.10 concessions, €5.70 if under 14, or €23.10 for a family ticket, which seems pretty reasonable). You can roam the courtyards and bastions, or join a free audio-guided tour which takes twenty minutes. This guides you through an exhibition about the Festung's construction and inhabitants, a prison cell, and up to the top of the keep's tower. From here you have unequalled views north over Salzburg, and south over an expanse of green towards the Untersberg. The contrast between the flat land and the sudden peaks is readily apparent.

Back inside, and past the 'Salzburg Bull' (a mechanical organ that used to waken the townsfolk early in the morning for another day at work - no wonder the archbishops lived in fear of angry mobs!). You are then free to visit other restored halls, and the armoury devoted to the military campaigns of Salzburger troops - with more emphasis on the First World War than on the Second.

A good way to end a visit to the castle is to head off along the length of the Monchsberg, the ridge upon which the fortress sits and which almost encircles the Aldstadt. There are outlying lines of defences along its length, designed to slow down any attackers (at the cost of the defenders' lives one presumes!) and guard the archbishops' vineyards. It is a nice rustic walk on a balmy evening, and easy to forget that you are in the heart of one of Europe's most famous cities.

I'm not sure the Festung lives up to the promise it shows when viewed from below. But you must visit. To walk the streets and constantly see the castle above looking over your shoulder but know that it was out of bounds would eat away at you. Though this would make you empathise with the Archbishops' subjects through the centuries to whom access was prohibited.

Salzburg is a town not short on churches. To my mind the Stiftskirche St. Peter, reached off Franziskanergasse is the most charming. Dating from the ninth century the church, once the haunt of Benedictine monks, remains small and plain - from the outside at least. Inside it has had one of the least intrusive baroque make-overs in town, and is not excessive in its ornateness. Mint-green ivy-like traceries winding up the walls and over the ceiling give it a cool ambience.

If the church is nice, the graveyard behind is wonderful. It is not a large plot of land, jammed in as it is between the walls of the church and the sheer rockface of the Monchsberg cliff, and with a burial chapel in the centre. However it is quiet and well-tended, a world away from the tourist throngs in the Residenzplatz. There are some lovely decorative tombstones in situ, or set into the church walls. There is also an entrance to the catacombs below (€1 / 0.70) - however, on my visit I found a sign stating that they were closed for a fortnight due to a holiday. The custodian's I hope, rather than the denizens'!

The graveyard also gives good views of the Festung Hohensalzburg above. I would recommend it as a restful 10-minute break from visiting all the other sites of Salzburg.

Salzburg may be beautiful, but it pales next to the scenery amidst which it is situated. To understand why Salzburg is so richly decorated you have to understand where that wealth came from - the natural bounty of the Salzkammergut region.

There are two main companies in Salzburg offering escorted trips around the region - Panorama Tours, and Salzburg Sight-Seeing Tours, both of whom seem to have identical itineraries for identical prices (€35 for three hours). I went for the 'Lakes and Mountains' tour offered by Panorama, booked it at the counter in the main tourist office on Residenzplatz, and arranged for them to pick me up from my hotel at 2pm.

Setting off on the tour there were five of us in a minibus. The driver was chatty, and proud to show off his hometown and region. We first headed up to the top of a 1,400m peak overshadowing Salzburg to the north. At the top we found evidence of snow, and cloud cover so thick that not only could we not see the town, we also couldn't see the TV transmitter aerial that stood next to us!

We cruised back through alpine villages dotted with barns large enough to shelter entire herds, and past the international HQ of Red Bull in Fuschl, an eye-catching confection of two glass pyramids floating in a reflective lake.

Reaching St Gilgen, birthplace of Mozart's mother, we had time to wander the lakeside town, admiring the architecture and the tufts of mist scudding across the Wolfgangsee. From May onwards the trip across to St Wolfgang would be made by boat, but instead we took the minibus (our drive up the mountain earlier and detour back down was to make up for the lack of sailing). St Wolfgang was an important pilgrimage (and tourist) centre. The beautiful Wallfahrtskirche (pilgrimage church) has a famous altar piece by Michael Pacher - not a triptych, more a quadriptych (?). On the top row, second from the left, you see Jesus resisting a ram-horned devil. Round the back there are great views across the lake to the twin-peaked Schafberg. Across the road I can recommend the Wallner cafe - a warming hot chocolate and a raspberry-topped torte cost me €5.80-ish. Otherwise there are plush alpine sports and clothing stores - perfect for those who've ever wanted your own dirndl!

The last stop on the church is Mondsee, famous for a tall yellow church (where the Baron marries Maria in The Sound of Music). Then its back to your hotel in Salzburg.

The three hours really sped by, and our guide was informative and entertaining. Frankly, the weather spoilt it, and made me somewhat unwilling to tramp around St Gilgen and St Wolfgang in the drizzle, so a dry day is far better if you are thinking of taking the tour. However, it was a great chance to see more of the region in ease and comfort - and I felt that the price gave value for money.

Salzburg's most famous son is a certain Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, as you will easily see - from the Mozart concerts liberally advertised around town, to the expensive Mozart chocolate balls sold in all the gift shops.

When it comes to classical music I am a notorious duffer. Previously my nearest experience of the great composer was playing his rival / nemesis Antonio Salieri in the play 'Amadeus' by Peter Shaffer, a work that - narrated from Salieri's envious view point - cannot be strictly relied upon to give a balanced opinion on "sh*t-talking Mozart with his botty-smacking wife". So whilst in Salzburg I resolved to learn more at one of the two museums devoted to Mozart.

Mozart's Geburtshaus (birthplace) is located at Getreidegasse 9 in the Aldstadt. I wandered through the Mirabell Gardens to the Mozart Wohnhaus (residence) on Makartplatz just north of the Salzach however. Entrance was €6 (a combined ticket to both museums would have been €10). With this you get an audio-guide packed with commentary and information, all keyed to the displays and exhibits upstairs. Indeed each painting, letter, sheaf of music, or display case seems to have its own individual entry.

The museum is undeniably interesting. Housed in the former 'dancing-master's house' that the Mozart family moved into once father (himself a musician) and prodigal son had made some money from their travels. While north of the river, the size of the building (it has its own parqueted ballroom), and its central location near the Schloss Mirabell speak of the family's success. The ballroom contains the exhibits of most immediate interest - shooting targets (Wolfgang was a keen rifleman), and the young Mozart's own piano. Past letters and portraits of patrons there are displays dedicated to Mozart senior, Wolfgang's sister, and his mother's death in Paris. Finally there a very tricky audio-visual map of Europe that narrates the travels of father and son, from Verona to London, from Paris to Pressburg (modern day Bratislava).

But did it teach me anything new about Mozart? Well, domestically it disagrees with the central premise of 'Amadeus' - that Mozart was haunted by the disapproving spectre of his forbidding father. Their relationship, from this museum, seems as close as any in those times. The audio guide does coyly hint at Wolfgang's 'amorous' nature though. However the museum only covers up until his departure from Salzburg at the age of 24. There is a lot left unsaid. Particularly the big picture - why is Mozart so feted? What made him such a genius? Or (and this is perhaps a different question) why is he regarded as such a genius? He was clearly a child prodigy, but why are his adult works so revered? In many ways, the disappointment was that the unspoken assumption was that by coming you already subscribed to the Mozart fan club, and did not need these background questions answered. Sadly, I did. And I felt that these answers would have made a visit much better.