Travel Timo: Hohensalzburg

Saturday, March 15, 2014

Travelling in the Salzburg

City of Salzburg is great city to visit in Austria for 4-5 days - much better than Vienna.

City of Salzburg

Get to Salzburg

If you cannot get direct flight to Salzburg - get direct flight to Munich or Vienna, and then travel to Salzburg via train.

Benefits to travel with train

Travelling in train is comfortable and easy from both cities
You can take all luggage you can carry into train
Travelling in cheap with train, cost only 25-40euros/person (one way).
Bus from airport to train station cost under 10e/person (one way)
You can stay couple nights in Vienna or Munich for fun.
Train departures once in hour at day time.

Things to remember with travelling with train

You can buy and print a ticket from ÖBB Route planner - compare prices too
You need to carry ID card with you - for example, passport
Choose railjet train if possible - those are the best and fast trains
2nd class is good
Luggage rack can be found from 2nd class's wagon - middle of wagon

From Munich or Vienna?

Munich is closer to Salzburg - 1h 30min journey with railjet train
Vienna is nicer city to visit than Munich - in case you want to stay couple nights in Vienna too - but 2h 30min journey with railjet train

Salzburg card is actually useful

Salzburg Card

Salzburg card is good buy, you can buy it from info posts of Salzburg - Salzburg card gives you free ride on local buses, one free ride on Hohensalzburg and it's museums, you can visit Geiereck mountain peak for free, and many museums.

72-hours Salzburg card cost 37euros in winter - and 42 euros in summer for adult.

Best sight seeing in Salzburg

Geiereck mountain peak on Untersberg Naturepark - great nature park, there is a walking path and lovely landscape views around. Read more about Geiereck on my blog text about Geiereck


Cable car	View from the Geiereck	Cross of Geiereck

Hohensalzburg Fortress - One of the largest fortress in the Europe. Read more from my blog text about Hohensalzburg and Hohensalzburg Museum


Hohensalzburg in the night	Street in the Hohensalzburg

Old town of Salzburg - Streets, Architecture and even shop signs are nice, just don't try eat in the old town restaurants.


Street	Old shop sign	Statue in old town

Views from Kapuzinerberg are nice - remember take a walk there too - it's free.


Hohensalzburg from Kapuzinerberg	City of Salzburg from Kapuzinerberg

Visit Hallstatt - Hallstatt is not part of the Salzburg but definitely worthy for at least one day trip - It's one of the best and beautiful places I ever seen... Read more from my blog text about Hallstatt.


Street	Iconic view of Hallstatt	Church

No point to do in Salzburg

Basilica Maria Plain

No need to go north side of the train station - unless you go to Basilica Maria Plain
Do NOT eat in the middle of old town restaurants - these are expensive with grumpy waiters
Skip modern museum - free with Salzburg card - total waste of time
Mozart museum - It's free with Salzburg card - Tempting to visit - probably everyone goes there anyways - nothing special to see unless you are true Mozart fan.

Travelling in the Fortress Hohensalzburg

If you are travelling in the Salzburg - Fortress Hohensalzburg is almost impossible to miss - and you should not miss it.

Fortress Hohensalzburg in the night

Funicular path to Fortress

First things to check

Get a Salzburg card - just getting to Fortress with funicular cost 11,30e (8,00e with footpath), but with Salzburg card you can do it once for free.
Normally - I prefer walking and hiking up - but going up with fortress funicular and walking down with footpath is actually good idea, because funicular and footpath are totally opposite locations in the fortress.
Fortress is large - there is few museums and things to do, if you try check them all, it might take quite many hours, perhaps even full day. Museums are also free with Salzburg card - once.

Landscape views from Hohensalzburg

When you come from Fortress funicular - there is two different landscape view - to old town of Salzburg and to backside view of the Salzburg.


Old town of Salzburg from Fortress	Backside view of Fortress

NOTE: Try to not miss the Old town of the Salzburg view from Fortress, if you see backside view of the fortress first, turn back, and try find the Salzburg view.

Entering into inside of Hohensalzburg

After viewing Landscape views - you get into Fortress, which is very interesting, outdoor streets are straight, wide and take you around the fortress.


In the Fortress	Main courtyard of Hohensalzburg

When you just keep walking around the fortress, you can see the well, cannon view to outside, little church and many other things...


The Well	Cannon view	Church

Museum Hohensalzburg

Fortress Museum is definitely worthy to visit at the same time, there is a lot information about fortress's daily life, weapons, kitchen, royal rooms and even the torture chamber.


Pistols in the Fortress Museum	Shame mask in the torture chamber


Royal toilet	Daily life item	The Private Chapel

Walking down from Fortress

Walking down from the Fortress is an interesting experience - walking down is steep and surprisingly long, the gate is strong and when walking down to outside - the fortress wall is just awesome - high and strong looking wall - impossible to capture.


The gate	Walking down is steep and long	Fortress wall is awesome

Travel Timo