Last week I was lucky enough to snag another three day weekend. If it hasn’t become obvious to those of you who regularly read my blog, I have a bit of an addiction to traveling. Sometimes I need to take it down a notch and remember to appreciate the trip I just went on before trying to jump into another one. Living in Europe makes that difficult! I decided to go to Salzburg for a couple days because it’s only about a 3.5hr train ride away.
I actually ended up deciding the day of that I wanted to go, and booked my train and hostel in a matter of minutes. I had looked up options a few days prior, but didn’t pull the trigger until an hour before I was to catch the train. Sometimes last minute decisions are the best. I arrived in Salzburg around 3pm, which gave me enough daylight to get acclimated to the city for a few hours.
I dedicated my first afternoon to wandering the city, and the Hohensalzburg Fortress. The Fortress was built in 1077 and is the largest fully preserved castle in Central Europe. To access the fortress you can walk up a relatively large hill, or you can ride up in a Funicular. I’m always down for a walk, and I’m too cheap to pay for the easy way, so I walked up the hill and earned my view. The museum was closed when I visited, which I was more than ok with, so I only had to pay 4 euro to walk around the grounds.
The fortress was huge, and I spent about an hour walking around and appreciating the views. I can’t help but wonder what it was like living in castles like this when they were actively used by European royalty. I also wonder what the view was like back then. The view now is amazing, and provides an arial shot of the Salzburg Cathedral. The view walking up to the fortress was great too, and each twist and turn provided a different angle of the city.
Salzburg Cathedral dome and towers in the middle/right.
After I pretended I was Salzburg royalty I walked around the city for a while before it got dark. Near the hill up to the fortress is a gate that leads into St. Peters Abbey and Cemetery. Never have I ever seen a more beautiful cemetery in my life. It was small, but the effort the families put into each burial spot was amazing. This cemetery was the inspiration for one of the scenes in the Sound of Music, when the Trapp family fled through the cemetery to hide before fleeing to Switzerland.
More on the Sound of Music filming locations later.
Notice the dwelling in the wall of the cliff? Upper left.
Salzburg Cathedral dome in the back.
The dwellings in the cliff wall apparently served as both hermitages and burial sites. I didn’t discover the dwelling was accessible until after I left. There are stairs leading up to the dwelling, and the entrance is found at the foot of Mozarts sisters grave. Yea, the Mozart. Honestly I’m super bummed I didn’t know about the stairs leading up, looks like I’ll have to return!
From the cemetery I found my way to the Dom zu Salzburg, aka the Salzburg Cathedral. The large onion dome and two smaller towers in front of it are seen in a few of the above photos. The cathedral was destroyed and rebuilt multiple times by fires, but you’d never know by walking through the isles. It was beautiful inside, as are all European cathedrals. There is a lot of history inside the cathedral, but the one that resonated most with me was that Mozart was baptized in this cathedral.
Photo of a photo I was given for making a donation.
The rest of my first day in Salzburg was spent preparing for the following morning. Day one was a mere four hours in the city, but it was already off to a great start. I stayed at the YoHo Int. Youth Hostel, and it was very close to both the train station and the city center. I stayed in a four female dorm, and my first night there were three Koreans in the room with me. Thankfully they were very quiet, as I needed a good nights sleep for day two!
….to be continued!
Q: Can you make last minute decisions for an adventure, or do you need everything planned prior?
Blissfulbritt 
22 thoughts on “Salzburg, Austria – Pt. 1”
Julanne
I love the European cemeteries! When I visited my sister in Switzerland I spent hours at the one near her convent. It was so beautiful and so mesmerizing. And each plot so diligently tended to by family members.
Brittany
Diligently tended to – perfectly said!
Emily
Wow, this sounds like a great adventure! I agree that last minute decisions are usually the best. That’s typically how Hubster and I make our big life choices. 😂 I don’t like planning, and with a toddler, you have to be pretty flexible, so I prefer to live in the moment. 😊
I can’t wait to read about the rest of your trip!
Brittany
Living in the moment can be so hard for me, but I am pretty good and making impetuous decisions! 😂
Emily
I’m sure you’ll improve with practice. 😉 And you have ample opportunity, which is great!
Brittany
I do, I do indeed!
James J. Wilson
Dear Brit,
Thank you for the words and photos. Both are exceptional. You are a very talented world traveler! I admire your travels.
Love,
Papa
Brittany
Thank you, love you!
hyddyr
I am loving following your European adventures! I knew a woman who would decide same day to grab a plane and take off for a week or two back in the days when travelers could just show up at the airport with passport in hand and woosh off! I am not a big traveler but in Europe the quick ‘let’s to for three days’ is so much easier since so much is so close by. Thank you for your blog and your pictures and for taking me along with you while I sit at home quietly.
Brittany
Thank you for reading! Europe is indeed so fun when it comes to travel!
Amy
99.9% of the time, I want to put plans in place… REALLY detailed plans. (I’m an over planner by nature!) But every once in a while, I’m okay to do things on a whim. 😉 I love those scenes in the cemetery in The Sound of Music, so that’s really neat that the one you visited was the inspiration! I totally have a thing for ancient castles too. I would’ve tried to spend a whole day walking around those grounds! 🙂 Your travels always look so fun!!
Brittany
I can relate to planning most things, but somehow with traveling I am letting go and loving it. 😝
P
Last minute decisions that lead to awesome trips are the best…totally living vicariously through you rn !
Brittany
Last minute for the win!
James J. Wilson
Dear Brit,
Thank you for updating me on your great travel adventures. Love text and photos.
I wish you a blessed Easter time!
Papa
Brittany
Happy Easter to you too!! Love you lots.
gpavants
Wow, Brittney! Were you tempted to sing as you walked through the streets? What a chunk if history and film.
Thanks,
Gary
Brittany
I sang as I biked!! It was wonderful.
gpavants
My daughter thought that was cool. She loves The Sound of Music.
Brittany
Your daughter is a smart gal!
Josh dV
Really enjoying yourself I see! Live it up friend!
Brittany
I’m trying!