Day 11 - Salzburg

7 Mar 2010

Our trip to Salzburg began with a train journey from Wien-Westbanhof (a few stops from Schwendenplatz U-bahn). There were frequent train services to Salzburg and after confirming with the Information counter, we boarded the 8:44 am train that was en route to Munich, stopping at Salzburg. No reservations were necessary.

The train journey was comfortable, as you can see us relaxing in our 'private' cabin. We also had some snacks and drinks on board and we saw some nice scenes along the way. Most of the land area were still covered with thick snow.

Chilling out in our private cabin

Beautiful houses as seen from our train cabin

Another beautiful scenery from our train cabin

We arrived at Salzburg at approximately 12.00 pm local time and it was freezing! As you can see, Joyce was in full winter gear.

Joyce @ Salzburg Hbf train station

There were quite a number of busservices from Salzburg Hbf to the city area. We took the wrong bus (well, probably the right bus, just wrong direction) from the terminal and we were told by the friendly bus driver to take the bus from the opposite direction. I can't remember which bus we boarded but I reckon it was bus no. 5.

We alighted somewhere near Mozartsplatz but unfortunately the tourist information office was closed on Sundays. I should have visited the tourist information office at the train station. We had to spend EUR 9.00 for a Salzburg guidebook (and map) from a souvenir shop.

Me and the statue of W.A. Mozart @ Mozartplatz

After a brief stop at Mozartplatz, we visited the Dom zu Salzburg, a cathedral that was dedicated to St Rupert and St Virgil (click here for the official website).

Dom zu Salzburg

Dom zu Salzburg (interior)

Our next stop after Dom zu Salzburg was Kapitelplatz, which in present times is essentially a square located at the foot of the hill where Salzburg's medieval fortress (Hohensalzburg) was built. In former times, Kapitelplatz was where a monastery once stood.

Kapitelplatz

Medieval Fortress

There are two ways of getting to the entrance of the fortress, by the funicular train (according to my guidebook, the transit time is one minute) or on foot. We chose the latter as we needed the exercise. The pathway to the top of the fortress was not steep but the snow and ice made it rather slippery. Quite a number of senior citizens also scaled the hill slopes to get to the fortress. We finally reached the summit after about 20 minutes.

Apart from admiring the view of Salzburg from the top, we visited the medieval museum and St George's chapel within the fortress' grounds. The views of Salzburg from the fortress were really beautiful and serene.

Salzburg - as seen from the fortress

Another view of Salzburg

I don't mean to sound too morbid, but the exhibits that caught my eye were the torture equipment used during medieval times. With such equipment (see below), I didn't think there would be a backlog of criminal cases.

Torture chair

St George's Chapel (St Georgs Kapelle) was a small late-Gothic chapel built in 1502. Although not as grand as the Dom zu Salzburg, the chapel evoked its own unique charm and tranquility.

St George's chapel (interior)

Marble reliefs of the Apostles

Mozart - Salzburg's famous son

After making our way down from the fortress, we walked towards Getreidegasse and visited Mozart's place of birth. It looked like a modern service apartment today.

Location map of Mozart's birthplace (Mozarts Geburtshaus)

Mozart's birthplace

Next on our visit list was Mozart's residence a.k.a. Mozart Wohnhaus (not to be confused with Mozart's birthplace), which was located at Makartplatz. Mozart lived here between 1773 and 1780. While we were on our way to Mozart's residence, a couple sought our help to take their photograph on the bridge across the Salzach river. They returned the favour by taking our picture.

On a bridge over the Salzach river

Mozart's residence

Mirabell Gardens

Our final stop in Salzburg was Mirabell Gardens, one of the most visited places in Salzburg. A few scenes from the movie The Sound of Music was shot on location at Mirabell Gardens. It would have been fantastic if the fountains were turned on (only in summer).

Joyce goofing around @ Mirabell

Another view of Mirabell Gardens

Scene from Mirabell Platz

After Mirabell, we had a late lunch and some really good cakes. The pastries in Austria are second to none.

Salzburg - Vienna

We took a leisurely walk to the Salzburg Hbf train station to get rid of the calories and managed to catch the express service back to Vienna. However, the train was crowded - likely because it was a Sunday. We almost couldn't get a seat, since we didn't hold a reservation. A bold young girl refused to give up the empty seat next to hers until a nice middle-aged fellow passenger ticked her off. We finally arrived in Vienna at about 9.10 pm.