Salzburg: a few of my favourite reasons to visit

One of my favourite things to do is simply wander through the streets of Altstadt (Old Town). Getreidegasse is Salzburg’s famous shopping street. Cobblestone streets are lined with ornate pastel-hued shops from fairy-lit boutiques with wrought-iron signs swinging overhead, cavernous antique bookshops to the glittering windows of expensive watch purveyors.

Salzburg is renowned for its old-school coffeehouses where you can stop for a slice of apfelstrudel and a Melange, a Viennese cappuccino. Considered one of the greatest coffeehouses in Austria, Cafe Tomaselli on Alter Markt was founded in the 1700s and said to be Mozart’s favourite place for a slice of Sachertorte.

Boasting far-reaching views across Salzburg and the snow-dusted Alps, Hohensalzburg Fortress is a beautiful baroque castle which sits atop the city. Reached on foot or by funicular, it's well worth a visit, not least for the Instagram clout. Inside you'll find a fascinating treasure trove of history in the Fortress Museum and old puppets in the Marionnette Museum, however, my favourite is the Golden Chamber, which has Gothic wood carvings and a gold-studded ceiling imitating a starry sky.

EXPLORE SALZBURG WITH GH

Born in Salzburg in January 1756, the great Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart is Austria's most famous son. Visit his birthplace on Getreidegasse, a glorious yolk-hued townhouse which has been preserved as a museum, and see where the musical magic began. My favourite room was his collection of instruments, from his childhood violin to his fortepiano.

For true Mozart fans, you can double with a visit to the Mozart Residence on Makartplatz, another of the city's museums dedicated to the maestro.

My trip to Salzburg wasn’t just about feeding my Sound of Music obsession: it was also about feeding my stomach. In the song, Maria sings about schnitzel with noodles being one of her favourite things. Wiener schnitzel, breaded fried veal steak the size of a cape, is a typically Austrian dish, however, it's usually served with parsley potatoes and cranberry sauce rather than noodles.

Zwettlers Wirtshaus is a cosy Austrian gasthaus which has been sating Salzburgers schnitzel cravings since 1863. Feast on rib-sticking Austrian dishes like beef goulash and bread dumplings, Salzburg bratwurst and cider sauerkraut and, of course, Wiener schnitzel, all washed down with beer served in stone tankards. If there's still room, fit in some Salzburger Nockerl, a sweet baked soufflé found only in Salzburg.

A half-hour drive east of Salzburg on the border of Bavaria lies the Salzkammergut, Austria’s spectacular Lake District. Dotted with postcard-perfect mountains towns like Hallstatt and St. Wolfgang, and beautiful lakes, from Obertrumersee to Wallersee, the area is surrounded by the snow-dusted peaks of the Austrian Alps.

In the summer, Salzburgers flee the steamy city to hike in the mountains or cruise around the lakes. The mountain town of St. Gilgen is another stop on the Sound of Music tour, as the grassy banks overlooking Wolfgangsee is where the children first learned to sing Do-Re-Mi.

One of my favourite discoveries in Salzburg was the Augustiner Bräustübl Mülln, a brewery and beer hall founded by Augustinian monks in 1621. As Austria's biggest beer tavern, vast wooden barrels of beer are brewed by hand according to the traditional recipe and served to thirsty locals in big stone steins.

And do come hungry, as between the drinking halls is Schmankerlgang, an arcade of food stalls which sell hearty snacks like bratwurst, pretzels, schnitzel and whole roast chickens.

If there's ever a time to take up listening to chamber music, it's in the birthplace of Mozart himself. There are numerous classical music concerts held throughout the year, including during the famous Salzburg Festival each summer.

For a real treat, experience Mozart's music as if you were in the 1760 at a Mozart dinner concert. Held in the Baroque Room at St. Peter Stiftskellers, Europe's oldest restaurant, a candlelit supper is accompanied by his music played by Amadeus Consort Salzburg.

A city built on salt, Salzburg's salt mining history began with the Celts during the Bronze Age. A half-hour drive from Salzburg is Salzwelten Salzburg, a salt mine near Hallein. It offers a fun and immersive exploration of Austria’s salt mining history, starting with a ride on a mining train deep into the mountain.

Once inside, you cross the border into Germany through dimly lit tunnels as you learn the history of Salzburg's 'white gold'. I particularly enjoyed sliding down the wooden miner’s slides, which once whisked miners between salt caves.

Silent Night, the world's most famous Christmas carol, is forever connected with the small town of Hallein, a half-hour drive from Salzburg. The author, Austrian Roman Catholic priest Joseph Mohr, collaborated with local composer, Franz Xaver Gruber, and Silent Night was first performed on Christmas Eve 1818 in nearby Oberndorf.

You can listen and learn all about Gruber and Mohr's friendship and collaboration in the town's Silent Night Museum, a collection of music scores, instruments and manuscripts in Gruber’s former home. And on Christmas Eve, the town's residents gather to sing it by candlelight by his grave.

Experience the delights of Salzburg and The Sound of Music during Good Housekeeping's exclusive cruise along the Danube, which features a Julie Madly Deeply performance.

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