Salzburg is a wonderful small city that is also a great walking city. Here you will find wonderful stores and boutiques, centuries old cafes and restaurants, gorgeous food shops, art galleries, beautiful churches, small tucked away passageways and beautiful squares. Some of the squares have outdoor markets selling food, flowers and local crafts. You never know what you are going to find as you explore. Make sure to visit the:
DOM Quarter: The Dom Quarter or Cathedral Quarter is located in the heart of the old town in Salzburg. Make sure to visit the Cathedral and then buy a ticket for the Palace and museums.
The Residenzgalerie in the Dom Quartier, at Residenzplatz 1, has some major works of art to explore, namely 16th – 19th century Dutch, Flemish, French, Italian and Austrian baroque art with works by Rubens, Rembrandt and Bruegel. There are temporary exhibitions as well.
Salzburg Residenz Palace: After visiting the Residenzgalerie, then visit the Palace and the State rooms which are beautifully decorated with frescoes, paintings, ceramic fireplaces, stoves and clocks.
The walk through the Cathedral museum and the Cabinet of Curiosities with its wonderful collection of stuffed animals, fossils, scientific equipment, works of cut rock crystal and ivory. You can end your tour in the Organ Gallery of the Cathedral.
Residenzkonserte: I attended a 45 minute concert in the Residenz Palace. The concert, with soprano and harpsichord, included works by Caccini, Johann Michael Haydn, Mozart and his father, Leopold Mozart. I really loved the pieces from the Marriage of Figaro and Don Giovanni. They have a focus on Mozart and the quality is excellent and perform in several venues.
Don’t miss the beautiful, Renaissance Salzburg Cathedral or Dom that was completed in 1628, with the towers finished in 1655. It has a beautiful baroque interior with a stunning dome adorned with frescoes.
Other churches to add to your list include the Franzishkanerkirche, the centuries old Franciscan church at Franziskanergasse 5 and Stifskirche St. Peter/St. Peter’s Abbey, where you can also attend Mozart concerts on Friday and Saturday evening. St-Peter-Bezirk 1.
Festung Hohensalzburg: This is the Salzburg castle or fortress that you must visit for wonderful views of the city. I took the funicular up and down. You can buy an all inclusive ticket that includes access to the museums and royal apartments. The apartments were really beautiful. Don’t miss the Prince’s rooms, the Golden Hall and the golden Chamber.
Museum der Moderne: There are several locations for this Museum de Moderne in Salzburg. The first is the Rupertinum, at Wiener –Philharmoniker-Gasse 9, launched in 1983. It is not far from the Cathedral. There is a permanent collection as well as temporary exhibitions. There is an attractive café attached to the building.
The second is up on the hill above the city in a beautiful contemporary building opened in 2004. You can access it by elevator. You can buy a ticket at the Rupertinum for the Museum der Moderne Monchsberg that includes discounted admission and a ticket to ride the elevator through the hillside both up and down. Make sure to check out the website for the current exhibition schedule. Monchsberg 32.
Don’t miss their cafe/restaurant/bar, Monchsberg 32, on the 3rd floor, with stunning views of the city and castle.
The Sound of Music in Salzburg: Celebrating the 50th anniversary of the film in 2015, you can take a tour when in town to see many of the sites where the movie was filmed.
For music there is the Salzburg Easter Festival, The Whitsun Festival in May, and the Salzburg Festival in July and August.