Salzburg at Christmas
Last weekend we took a day trip to the winter wonderland that is Salzburg, Austria. I had heard from so many people that Salzburg is their favorite city, and it completely lived up to our expectations.
Salzburg is only a 1.5 hour direct train ride from Munich, so we are already planning our next trip back! We were only there for one day, but there is so much to see and do that I would love to spend several days there.
We visited during the Christmas season so we focused on doing Christmas-y activities, but there is so much more to Salzbug. It’s Mozart’s birthplace and the setting for the Sound of Music. I would love to go back in the spring or summer and do a Sound of Music tour 🙂
We took a train out of Munich around 8am and were in Salzburg by 10am. I love riding the train! We passed cute towns in the countryside and it was snowing for most of the ride, which was so fun to watch.
The first thing we did when we arrived was walk along the river from the train station to the city center in search of coffee. We grabbed a table at Cafe Tomaselli and ordered two of their specialty coffees, an apple strudel, and a slice of cake. Cafe Tomaselli is right in the heart of Salzburg’s Old Town on the Alter Markt and has been run for over 150 years by the Tomaselli family!
Once we were fueled with caffeine and sugar, we were off to explore the city! The town itself is great for just strolling around with cobbled streets and elegant buildings. We started off in The Getreidegasse, the bustling heart of Salzburg’s Old City. This area was super crowded because it has TONS of shopping but it also is home to Mozart’s birthplace, which is available to tour.
We had read that the best view of the city was from the Hohensalzburg Fortress. You can take the funicular (cable railway) up there or you can walk up the Festungsberg hill. We decided to walk because it was actually pretty nice out and it was SO beautiful with the snow falling. It was such a nice walk with so many beautiful views.
When I found out we were moving to Germany, I did a ton of research on winter coats and after much research, this one was the clear winner. It hits below the knee and insulates all the warmth. I’ve worn it almost every day this winter and is hands down the best thing I brought with me to Europe! Coat is available here, scarf here, hat is on major sale and less than $7 here, jeans are here, and boots are here.
We felt like we were in a winter wonderland! After we had our fill of the gorgeous views, we made our way back down and decided it was time for some more sugar. We stopped into Cafe Mozart and filled up on hot chocolate and the famous Salzburg specialty, nockerl. Salzburger nockerl is a cross between a very light sort of soufflé and a soft meringue, served with berry cream, and topped with powdered sugar to represent Salzburg’s snowy peaks. It was delicious!
We spent the rest of the day exploring the different Christmas markets throughout the city and squeezed in a stop at Mirabell Palace and Gardens. One of the highlights at Mirabell Palace and Gardens is the beautiful Pegasus fountain.  In the Sound of Music, Maria and the children dance around the Pegasus Fountain, singing the song “Do Re Mi”.
On the train ride home, we both kept saying how much fun we had. We will be back!
Shop my outfit here:
