Early morning we took train from Salzburg back to Vienna. The ticket price was different depending on the departure time. The train was spacious and comfortable.
On the last day of our trip, we visited Schönbrunn Palace which was the former summer residence of the Habsburgs impresses with imperial ceremonial rooms and magnificent gardens. Maria Theresa, Emperor Franz Joseph, Empress Elisabeth and others once resided at Schönbrunn Palace. Schönbrunn Palace is a World Cultural Heritage site and Austria's most-visited sight.
The garden of Schönbrunn Palace is one of the most important baroque gardens in Europe. The park and gardens around Schloß Schönbrunn stretch across more than a square kilometre of city, with a mix of landscapes that echo the palace’s history.
Vienna State Opera is one of the world’s leading opera houses, known especially for performances of works by Richard Wagner, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, and Richard Strauss. It runs first-class productions of the very highest caliber and a different program every day: around 50 operas and ballet works per season, danced by the Vienna State Ballet. The variety of the operatic program is unparalleled anywhere in the world.
There are two ways to visit Vienna State Opera, either with a guided tour or attended a program run by the theater. We chose the latter. We did expect to fall sleep watching the performance but we just wanted to experience watching a performance in one of the top opera houses in the world.
Did you know Salzburg is the place where the hills are alive with the sound of music? We chose to do self-guided Sound of Music tour because we were short on time and wanted to save some money.
The UNESCO-listed Mirabell Palace and its gardens are one of Salzburg’s most important sights as well as a notable Sound of Music filming location. Built in the early 17th century as a ‘modest’ residence for Salome Alt, the mistress of Price-Archbishop Wolf Dietrich, it was a welcome reprieve from the crowded streets of the inner city.
Although a fire in 1818 destroyed much of the palace, the famous Angels Staircase, as well as the Marble Hall, remained unscathed. The surrounding gardens were designed later by Johann Bernhard Fischer von Erlach.
St. Peter’s Cemetery is one of the oldest still-existing cemeteries in Salzburg. Although there is evidence of ancient graves at the same location, the cemetery as it can be seen today only came into existence in 1627 with the erection of the arcades by Christoph Gottsreiter.
It is best known for its catacombs which tie in fluidly with the rocky backdrop of the Festungsberg. While no scenes were actually filmed at this location, the cemetery inspired the set which is used towards the end of the movie.
The Von Trapp family can be seen hiding here from the Nazis. It is, however, the final resting place of Franz Wasner, known as Max Detweiler in the movie.
The cost for today’s fine dining lunch in Salzburg could buy us 4 meals in restaurant out of Salzburg. Initially we wanted to enjoy a meal outdoor with a cave-like ambience just next to St. Peter Cathedral but it was closed due to rain and freeze. Nevertheless the indoor ambience was still amazing.
The nockerl here was little different with the one we had earlier in Golling. This one doesn't have jam inside but a separate cream with berry sauce was served. The texture of the nockerl also doesn't have much of the cakey texture.
Built in the Baroque style during the 17th century, Salzburg Cathedral is located in the heart of Old Town Salzburg - now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The house where Wolfgang Amadé Mozart was born on January 27, 1756. The Mozart family resided on the third floor from 1747 to 1773. Mozart was the seventh child of Leopold Mozart, who was a musician of the Salzburg Royal Chamber.
Hellbrunn Palace is an early Baroque villa of palatial size. It was built in 1613–19 by Markus Sittikus von Hohenems, Prince-Archbishop of Salzburg, and named for the "clear spring" that supplied it. Hellbrunn was only meant for use as a day residence in summer, as the Archbishop usually returned to Salzburg in the evening; therefore, there is no bedroom in Hellbrunn.
It is also famous for its jeux d'eau (watergames) in the grounds, which are a popular tourist attraction in the summer months. These games were conceived by Markus Sittikus, a man with a keen sense of humour, as a series of practical jokes to be performed on guests. Notable features include stone seats around a stone dining table through which a water conduit sprays water into the seat of the guests when the mechanism is activated, and hidden fountains that surprise and spray guests while they partake in the tour
The Untersberg covers an area of 70 km2 – one third lying in Austria, two thirds in Bavaria, Germany. The ride in one of the two spacious cable cars takes only 8 ½ minutes. The ride itself offers a breathtaking view over the town of Salzburg, the Berchtesgaden region and the Rositten valley. It was our last time seeing snow in the entire trip. Although running out of time, we still want to catch the last cable car ride up to have a short (about 15 minutes) panorama view since it was included in the Salzburg card anyway.
It was windy and freezing up at the summit of Untersberg. We returned to Augustiner Bier for beer to warm our body again before dinner.
We had traditional Austrian dinner at 'Bärenwirt' which is one of the oldest inn in Salzburg, where hospitality has been living since 1663. This place came highly recommended and famous for its beer too. We ordered Viennese Schnitzel (veal), boiled beef with vegetables and pasta in melted cheese. The total bill came out to be around 63 euro. The food was undoubtedly pleasant.
