SALZBURG

Salzburg is one of my favorite cities I've ever visited: it's full of life, history, and creativity, and is easily walkable. When we visited Salzburg, we added a few extra days to the beginning of our MyWay Alps trip. Even if you stick with the regular 2-night exploration of Salzburg, you can fit in a lot! Basically, there are a few "categories" of things to choose from in Salzburg, depending on your interests:

* Sound of Music: Salzburg is famous for being the home of the small abbey (Nonnberg Abbey) where the real Maria Von Trapp stayed, as well as the filming location for the movie. We took a Sound of Music bus tour, visited Nonnberg Abbey (my favorite location of the entire MyWay trip), and walked through Mirabelle Gardens, where part of Do Ri Me was filmed.

* World War II History: By taking a bus ride an hour away, you can visit the Eagle's Nest, the infamous mountain retreat of Hitler. It's a sobering visit (one we didn't make this trip, but have in the past), and a historically significant site.

* Medieval/Royal Salzburg: Salzburg is famously known for its Hohensalzburg Fortress that overlooks the city from a tall butte. Not only a great landmark to orient yourself in the city (you can see it from nearly everywhere), but the historic "Old City" near the fortress is chock full of ancient buildings, ornate churches, and historic fountains. If you take the vermicular up to the fortress, there's also a museum and the best views of the city. A must-see if you're interested in this category is the historic St. Peter's monastery and cemetery/catacombs, a sprawling compound that both beautiful and somehow very easy to miss as it's nestled behind walls at the base of the fortress.

Modern Salzburg: Honestly, if you want a good look at Salzburg as it exists today, just load up your daypack, take your camera, and start walking around! We loved just hoofing it around and finding amazing bakeries or stores that sell candy--especially the Austrian favorite "Mozart Balls" or Mozart kugel. They're little chocolate truffles with almond or pistachio paste in the middle, and are delicious! We also explored small cafes, biergartens, Christmas shops, clothing stores, and great convenient stores (Spar is a grocery chain that's great to pop into for sandwiches, chips, or drinks). Just walking around the city, especially the Old City, can be a great way to observe and appreciate the local culture of Salzburg. Also make sure to buy some salt while you're there--Salzburg, (literally, "salt city,") is famous for it. We've been enjoying our Salzburg salt at home now for several months!

Salzburg highlights

My favorite things we did in Salzburg was definitely:

Visiting Nonnberg Abbey on the peak overlooking Salzburg (a highlight of the entire MyWay Alps trip for me). Make sure to use Google Maps, a local guide, or a new friend to find your way there!
The Sound of Music bus tour, where our guide took our group throughout Salzburg and into the countryside to visit real filming locations.

Mirabell Gardens----they were extremely beautiful, peaceful, and filled with historical, unique sculptures. The Gardens are also a great point of reference when traveling the city by foot.
Eating at Paste e Vino (a short walk from Mirabell Gardens). Delicious pasta, no matter what you get!
Walking along the tree-lined Salzach River in the Old City, especially in the evening after a yummy meal. (Just avoid walking in the bike lanes!)
Exploring the bus-accessible small village of Bad Ischl near Salzburg en route to Halstadt. We stopped in the small town and found an excellent museum that highlights the region's resistance/freedom movement during World War II (the Hotel Austria Museum). I loved the beautiful views the entire bus ride, and it was a unique perspective on the less touristy side of Austrian life.
Visiting the lake town of Hallstatt, which looks remarkably like photos of Norwegian fjords I've seen. Hallstatt is famous for being the filming location of a successful South Korean tv show, making parts of the town crowded with tv drama enthusiasts. In my opinion, though, it made it even more pleasant because people were so excited to be there.