Things to do in Salzburg - My Vacation in Salzburg

Hi, my name is Francois and I am from Canada. I am an outdoor person, so I decided to ride my bike through Austria. This is the perfect way to get in touch with the Austrians. My first important German words were „Bitte ein Wasser“ (Water, please) and „Kann ich in deinem Garten mein Zelt aufstellen?“ (Can I set up my tent in your garden?).

Wondering what to do in Salzburg

One of my great stops on my trip was my visit in Salzburg. I came on a sunny warm spring day and met my friend Judith in a little café in an alley called Linzergasse. After coffee and a yummie Austrian Apple Strudel we did a litte Salzburg Sightseeing Tour. Judith knew exactly what to see in Salzburg. We went over to Mirabell Garden, crossed the Salzach River to the famous alley Getreidegasse. That is indeed a top Salzburg Attraction: It is a narrow alley, no cars, no neon signs, all shops have iron sign. This is how I picture a medieval street. Except there were lots of tourists.

There are many places to visit in Salzburg: The Fortress was great, Mozarts Birth Place, or just a hike up Mt. Monchsberg. That is a little hill right in the center of Salzburg and one of my top things to do in Salzburg. You have a great view onto the Old Town and over to the mountains. I was stunned how many churches Salzburg has.

Looking for outdoor Things to do in Salzburg

As mentioned before, I am an outdoor person, so we were looking for outdoor attractions in Salzburg. For the next day, we booked a tandem paragliding flight. This is a perfect way to escape the city and it is still close and no effort to get there. We decided to hike up Mt. Gaisberg and fly down. The hike took 2.5 hours for us but you can also take the bus all the way up. We met our two pilots Wolfgang and Paul, gave them our ticket and off we went to start prepare for our flights. Helmet, harness, lay out the paraglider and wait for the right wind to come. We ran a few steps and took off for an adventurous Salzburg Sightseeing. We saw the Fortress, the many churches, the river Salzach and the mountains around. And I saw how small and green Salzburg is. These were unforgettable moments and breathtaking views.

Other outdoor things to do in Salzburg that we were thinking of was stand up paddling or the via ferrata city wall, both right in the center of Salzburg as well. I will have to travel to Salzburg again.

Going on to the Sound of Music Tour

The next day, we cycled to Mondsee to do a bit of the Sound of Music Tour. Most popular and most spectacular: The Sound of Music Church right in the center of Mondsee. It is incredible inside and all in a light rosy color. If you know the Sound of Music story – I can definitely imagine getting married in such a beautiful church.

After strolling through Mondsee we cycled on through the stunning Sound of Music landscape along lakes and mountains. This is called the Salzkammergut Region, Judith told me. This is where the Trapp Family had their picnic and you see them driving along Lake Mondsee, Lake Fuschlsee and Lake Wolfgangsee.

Saying good bye to Adventures in Salzburg

I finished my Salzburg Tour and cycled on towards Vienna along the Danube. I improved my German skills to more than just asking for water and setting up my tent. Now I was able to introduce myself („Ich heisse Francois“), to say where I am from („Ich bin aus Kanada“) and to ask for a type of meat loaf popular in Austria („Bitte einen Leberkase“).

Enjoy your Salzburg Trip!

Francois

PS: For more information regarding Top Salzburg Attractions and Salzburg Sightseeing check out our Things to do in Salzburg.