Salzburg, (Salz - salt, burg - fortress, will talk abt it later ) is one of the medieval picturesque Baroque cities of Austria bordering Germany , with a rich legacy of its ancestral rulers ’n nestled cozily among mountains, snow capped peaks, tingling lakes ’n rivers.
City Centre:
The city centre is scattered with historical abbeys , cathedrals, museums, turrets, opera houses, courtyards, art galleries ’n universities, roman statues flanked by wide plazas ’n ornamental fountians, belfries surrounded by impregnable castles overlooking the city.All the major tourist attractions are very close by ’n can be covered by foot .The city centre literally resembles to be some chipped away block of another artistic city Rome or Florence.
Hohensalzburg Fortress :This castle overlooking the city is one of the most visible ’n imp landmarks.This huge 11th century fortress spread for 14000 sq.m is one of the largest fortified bastion in Europe built by archibishops.The tour of this castle is aided by a self-audio kit that gives a good insight into the very interesting background ’n events thatz so imp in the historical chapter of this city over centuries.From the roof top of this fortress one can have a panoramic view of this charming city ’n its surroundings. This is a venue to some imp events ’n classical /opera concerts(Mozart style..) etc
Salzburg residence: Another one of the imp attractions .This was once the residence of a prince ’n Mozart used to reguarly perform here for him.15 state rooms , along with art gallery etc makes this an imp toursit attraction.
My personal recommendation wud be to cut down on visits to numerous museums , galleries etc ’n explore the breathtaking scenic beauty of the countryside for which Austria along with Swiss is so quite famous for .The experience of Salzburg is incomplete without exploring its surroundings.Another advice is always take a guided tour ’coz it provides u with lots of insight ’n helps u in understanding the finer points , history , importance ’n uniqueness of this geographical location else everything may seem to be just brick ’n mortar.Even tho’ these tours r quite expensive well its worth every penny (or is it euro).Some of which I highly recomemnd r as follows:
Sound of Music Tour:
U can visualise the romantic countryside of Salzburg , if u ’ve seen the movie(who hasnt ??) Sound of Music as this place forms the backdrop for this movie.This tour not only takes u to the places where some famous scenes/songs of this movie was shot, but also escorts u into surrounding traditional charming Austrian villages(dont ask me those names those r quite cryptic to remember) , sparkling crystal clear lakes ’n mountain district where one can have a glimpse ’n feel of the enchanting countryside.This tour also explains many trivias ’n behind the scene making of this movie, info abt the countryside etc ’n is quite an interesting 3.5 hrs long tour.Dont miss it!!
Filming location of Where Eagles dare ?:Castle Werfen
One of the main reason why I took this tour , was for the above mentioned , one of the all time gr8 Alistair Maclean novel based classic hollywood flick starring Clint Eastwood ’n Richard Burton.Remember those edge of the seat cable scenes ’n breathtaking view of the alpine landscapes ’n the castle which was the centre of the whole rescue back mission.Well this tour covers that mighty Hohenwerfen castle which is nearly 40+ kms from Salzburg.The view from this castle of the surrounding landscape is absolutely jaw dropping!!! TO keep my revu short lemme not get into the history of this castle now.There is even a birds of prey show , wherein all kinds of hunting birds r displayed in action i.e, they r made to latch onto the chunk of meat thrown over ur head ’n u can see audience screaming in fear as it pecks past whistling over ur head.The show ends with big falcons, vultures ’n eagles in action.
The 40 km ice caves tour also takes u into the deep caves where the seeping water thro’ crevices have solidified into layers of ice over centuries. At some places the thickness runs into 300 mts ’n some layers date back to centuries. As the season varies these crystalline ice takes various shapes ’n is quite a view.
AUSTRIAN ALPS:
Glosglockner glacier :is the highest peak (nearly 3800 m)among Austrian Alps ’n this range is a part of the huge Hohe Tauren national park.Unfortunately this lovely terrain isnt covered by most of those who visit salzburg as its nearly 100 kms away from this place ’n it takes nearly 1.5 hours to reach this park ’n another 1.5 hrs(ttoally 3 hours ) drive to reach the point to view this highest peak.But from the point u reach the park , the adventourous serpentine drive is one of the most unforgettable heavenly experience with that lingering freshness in the air ’n making way thro’ snow capped mountains, lush green flowery edelweiss(this flower is very unique only to this alpine region)meadows, tunnels, valleys , waterfalls, lakes , coniferous oak trees etc etc .This whole place is a perfect setting for our yash chopra kind offa mushy bollywood movies , heheh......ofcourse the hero(who else , me) had no aish by my side. There r numerous tour operators who can take u thro’ this route.I saw lots of bikers on my way who were racing thro these curves, that shud be one hell of a expereince .This route is open only in summer starting from May.There r various viewpoints at various hieghts along its way that provides info of the surrounding peaks ’n the vegetation .SOme 360 degress panoramic vantage views from Edelweissspitze ’n observtion terrace at Fischer Torl r spectacular.The final view point along this route is Kaiser-Franz-Josef-Hohe ’n Swarwoski observatory werein u will be standing just right in front with a majestic view of the highest peak ’n its long meltdown of glacial peak.
Kaprun’s skiing resort: However if u wud like to skii or just walk around in snow ’n have an awe inspiring views then u need to head for the Kaprun region just an hour drive at the foot of Hohe national park, wherein there r cable cars that takes u to the glacier peaks to all year long skiing ’n mountianeering resorts .My suggestion is instead of staying in salzburg ’n then travelling here , better plan for spending a day or two in one of these romantic villages in the Karpun valley as the first stop, explore the surrounding alpine region ’n then head for the city .I really luv the small floral wodden houses in these hilly parts resembles straight out of the fairy tale books .We stayed in a small holiday village called ’’Zell am See’’ meaning ’’cell at the lake’’ as this is situated along the shores of a big famous lake(which I heard ’ll be totally frozen in winters ’n small planes can land on it!!!) which is the hub for all kind of summer water adventure sports ’n there r hosts of accomodations ranging from camping to hotels to youth hostels etc .
To cut short, in all, if u r in Europe, never miss a chance to make it to Austria , its a piece of heaven on earth!!!!
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