Salzburg

Dr Hermann and Margarete Jedina picking flowers on a path in Salzburg, Austria, 1986, Slim Aarons/Getty Images

Salzburg is an Austrian city on the border of Germany, with views of the Eastern Alps. The city is divided by the Salzach River, with medieval and baroque buildings of the pedestrian Altstadt (Old City) on its left bank, facing the 19th-century Neustadt (New City) on its right. The Altstadt birthplace of famed composer Mozart is preserved as a museum displaying his childhood instruments. Scenes from the famous Sound of Music can be seen throughout the charming city.

STAY

HOTEL GOLDENER HIRSCH A Luxury Collection Hotel, which boasts more than 600 years of history and has hosted famous guests including Elizabeth Taylor and Luciano Pavarotti. The design evokes a quaint Austrian country manor, with antiques and patchwork carpets. Enjoy lunch or dinner in the delicious Austrian restaurant with a hunting lodge theme and waiters wearing dirndls and lederhosen. Getreidegasse 37; marriott.com/en-us/hotels/szglc-hotel-goldener-hirsch

HOTEL SACHER SALZBURG A member of Leading Hotels of the World founded by the son of Franz Sacher, who invented the famous Sacher torte, this classic grand dame has been receiving distinguished guests since 1866. Privately owned, it’s now managed by the fourth generation of the Gürtler family, which took over the property in 1988 and just refurbished rooms. Schwarzstraße 5/7, 5020; sacher.com/de/salzburg

HOTEL BRISTOL Across the river from the Altstadt with decorative rooms that range in style from Biedermeier to fin de siècle. Makartplatz 4; bristol-salzburg.at

DRINK | DINE

RESTAURANT TRIANGEL A traditional restaurant across from the theatre and the main watering hole for the musicians and opera stars. Wiener-Philharmoniker-Gasse 7; triangel-salzburg.co

M32 Designed by Matteo Thun, perched high up on Mönchsberg Hill, boasting fantastic views over the city. Am Mönchsberg 32; m32.at

GASTOF SCHLOSS AIGEN A country manor with an elegantly rustic interior, a chestnut-shaded courtyard, and delightful Austrian cuisine. Schwarzenberg-Promenade 37; schloss-aigen.at

CARPE DIEM Awarded one Michelin star and two Gault & Millau toques, this bar, lounge, and café with outdoor seating is set amongst the historic architecture of the famous Getreidegasse. Their unique concept of finger foods served in handmade waffle cones, such as beef tartare or cucumber-mango gazpacho, has proven a success. Hangar-7, Salzburg Airport, Wilhelm-Spazier-Straße 7a; hangar-7.com/de/cafe-bars-lounges/carpe-diem-lounge-cafe

ESSZIMMER A compact menu of contemporary Austrian cuisine served in a yellow-hued room with a fireplace. Müllner Hauptstraße 33; esszimmer.com

ZIRBELZIMMER Located within the Hotel Sacher serving the finest regional cuisine. Schwarzstraße 5/7; sacher.com/en/restaurants/restaurant-zirbelzimmer

CAFÉ TOMASELLI A great option for coffee, cakes, and strudel, open since 1705, and once frequented by Mozart. Alter Markt 9; tomaselli.at/de

ANDREAS HOFER WEINSTUBE A tavern serving up no-frills regional cuisine, like Knödelgeheimnis (bread dumplings cooked with sauerkraut and fried egg). Steingasse 65; dieweinstube.at

STEINTERRASSE Located on the half-covered wood-slat roof terrace of the Hotel Stein on the right bank of the Salzach. Giselakai 3-5; steinterrasse.com

ALCHIMISTE BELGE A Belgian beer bar popular with musicians from the Mozarteum conservatory, serving over 50 varieties like Kriek and Westmalle Tripel. Berg Str. 10; alchimiste-belge.at

CAFÉ BAZAAR On the right bank of the Salzach is a century-old Viennese-style coffeehouse with crystal chandeliers, wood paneling, and marble tabletops. The view of the river and Old City is as gratifying as the fare: perfectly poached eggs, paper-thin slices of honey-crusted ham, fresh-baked pastries, and phenomenal coffee. No surprise that the guest book, kept since 1927, includes Thomas Mann, Marlene Dietrich, and Arthur Miller. Schwarzstraße 3; cafe-bazar.at

HANGAR 7 Owned by the Red Bull mogul Dietrich Mateschitz and built to showcase his vintage aircraft. The complex also includes a contemporary art exhibition, live musical performances, and an upscale restaurant by chef Roland Trettl.Wilhelm-Spazier-Straße 7a; hangar-7.com

ART | CULTURE | ACTIVITIES

SALZBURG FESTIVAL The annual summertime Salzburg Festival brings world-renowned opera singers and musicians to the city for an impressive lineup of performances. The world-class productions feature costumes embellished by Swarovski crystals, which has partnered with the festival for years. salzburgerfestspiele.at

MIRABELL PALACE AND GARDENS The setting for many of Mozart’s early performances, several scenes from “The Sound of Music” and one of many Christmas markets. Originally constructed in 1606, Mirabell is a picture of Renaissance overachievement, with its grand Papagena fountain, the Orangerie housing paintings by Reubens and Bernini, and balustrades topped with 17th-century statues of Roman gods. salzburg.info/en/sights/top10/mirabell-palace-gardens

INTERNATIONAL MOZARTEUM FOUNDATION The world's leading institution for the preservation and dissemination of the cultural heritage of Wolfgang Amadéus Mozart. Coinciding with the composer’s birthday, the foundation’s Mozart Week draws many of the world’s best orchestras, operas, and conductors. Schwarzstraße 26; mozarteum.at/#first-section

SALZBURGER KUNSTEVEREIN One of the first Austrian associations to focus on the sale and exhibition of contemporary art. Today it includes exhibition space and 21 ateliers for working artists. Hellbrunner Str. 3; salzburger-kunstverein.at

PERISCOPE An artist-run gallery and project space. Sterneckstraße 10; periscope.at

HOHENSALZBURG FORTRESS Take the 19th-century funicular 322 feet up the Festungsberg mountain to the Hohensalzburg Fortress, one of Europe’s best-preserved medieval castles. Though many of the furnishings were nicked by Napoleon, the rooms themselves have held up remarkably. The ornate royal apartments of the Palace Museum are a highlight, but so is the view of the city and the Alps from the courtyard. Mönchsberg 34; salzburg-burgen.at

MUSEUM DER MODERNE A rectangular glass-and-white-marble structure that juts from a 19th-century water tower atop the Mönchsberg mountain. Glazed stairways open onto four floors of rooms housing 20th- and 21st-century works. Watch the sun set through the open roof of the American artist James Turrel’s 2005 “Sky Space” installation, before sitting down under a light fixture made of 390 antlers in the Matteo Thun-designed dining room of the restaurant M32, where you can feast on Mediterranean-inflected Austrian cuisine by Sepp Schellhorn. museumdermoderne.at

SALZBURGER LANDESTHEATRE The Salzburg State Theatre is a venue for opera, theatre, and dance, contemporary and older works, with resident companies of actors, singers and dancers. Schwarzstraße 22; salzburger-landestheater.at

MOZART’S BIRTHPLACE The birthplace of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart at No. 9 Getreidegasse. The Mozart family resided on the third floor from 1747 to 1773. Mozart himself was born here on 27 January 1756. He was the seventh child of Leopold Mozart, who was a musician of the Salzburg Royal Chamber. Getreidegasse 9; mozarteum.at

SALZBURG CATHEDRAL Salzburg Cathedral is the seventeenth-century Baroque cathedral of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Salzburg in the city of Salzburg, Austria, dedicated to Saint Rupert and Saint Vergilius. Saint Rupert founded the church in 774 on the remnants of a Roman town, and the cathedral was rebuilt in 1181 after a fire. Domplatz 1a; salzburger-dom.at

SCHLOSS HELLBRUNN Hellbrunn Palace is an early Baroque villa of palatial size, near Morzg, a southern district of the city of Salzburg, Austria. It was built in 1613–19 by Markus Sittikus von Hohenems, Prince-Archbishop of Salzburg, and named for the "clear spring" that supplied it. Fürstenweg 37; hellbrunn.at

ST. PETER’S ABBEY St Peter's Abbey, or St Peter's Archabbey, is a Benedictine monastery and former cathedral in the Austrian city of Salzburg. It is considered one of the oldest monasteries in the German-speaking area, and in fact the oldest with a continuous history since its foundation in 696. Sankt-Peter-Bezirk 1; erzabtei.at

SHOP

TRACHTEN STASSNY An exclusive Austrian traditional clothing boutique on Getreidegasse Street with beautiful dirndls. Getreidegasse 35; stassny.at

KNOPFERLMAYER An inconspicuous shop on the Rathausplatz with a world of buttons and crafts accessories unmatched by any other place. Rathauspl. 1; knopferlmayer.weebly.com

LANZ OF SALZBURG A heritage sleepwear brand with traditional flannel nightgowns and pajamas. Schwarzstraße 4; lanztrachten.at