Sights

Festung Hohensalzburg
The 11th-century Festung Hohensalzburg (Hohensalzburg Fortress) is the high point (literally and metaphorically) of a visit to Salzburg, offering a stupendous northern city view from its 120m (400ft) elevation. The view to the south is of Alpine peaks, including the Untersberg, 1853m (6080ft). One of Europe's largest existing castles, it was never captured by an enemy. It takes about 15 minutes to walk up the hill from the old town or you can use the funicular adjacent to St. Peter's Cemetery. The funicular fare includes entry to the castle grounds from where you can enjoy the views, but it is worth paying an extra fee for the complete tour of the interior. Be sure to make your way around gruesome torture chambers, the lookout tower and impressive State Rooms, as well as two small museums. Below the castle on the eastern side, you can see the 1300 year-old Benedictine convent, Stift Nonnberg, the oldest convent in German-speaking lands. The real Maria, of The Sound of Music fame, was a teacher in the convent school. She was married to Captain von Trapp in its ancient church.

Mozart's Residence
The Mozart family lived in Mozart's Residence, Makartplatz 8, from 1773 to 1787. Most of the building was destroyed by a bomb in 1944, only preserving the portal entrance and the "Dancing Master's Hall".
In this house Wolfgang wrote symphonies, divertimenti, serenades, piano and violin concerti and a bassoon concerto, arias, masses and other sacred music from 1773 - 1780. He composed the "Re pastore" K. 208, began his "La Finta giardiniera" K. 196 and "Idomeneo" K. 366.

Mozart`s Birthplace
In Getreidegasse no. 9, is where the Leopold Mozart family lived from 1747 to 1773. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was born here on January 27, 1756. Today the rooms once occupied by the Mozart family house a museum.

Salzburg´s Cathedral
Salzburg's Cathedral is probably the city's most significant piece of church architecture and its ecclesiastical center. With its magnificent façade and mighty dome it represents the most impressive early Baroque edifice north of the Alps. Its origin is closely connected to the ecclesiastical principality's demeanour and growth. Destroyed by fire and rebuilt, enlarged and expanded, it bears witness to the power and independence of Salzburg's archbishops.

Old Town
A tour of the baroque old town is a fine way to acquaint yourself with the city. Declared a UNESCO World heritage site in 1996, the area is teeming with plazas, courtyards, fountains, churches and open-air markets. Domplatz, the adjoining Kapitelplatz, and Residenzplatz are usually bustling with street musicians, market hubbub and the sound of horses' hooves. Domplatz's huge Dom, was the first Italian baroque-style building constructed north of the Alps - check out the font where baby Mozart was baptised.
Not far from here is Stiftskirch St Peter, dating from 847. This abbey takes the cake for baroque ostentation and its interior is a feast for the eyes . For a quick mortality check, walk behind the church to see the catacombs, tunnelled into the rocks, which served as a sanctuary for the abbey's monks in the 8th century. At the Residenz you can witness the baroque luxury in which the archbishops lived while they preached about chastity and humility to their flock. Busy Getreidegasse is the main commercial street of old Salzburg, where many shops have distinctive wrought iron signs and where you'll find some interesting passageways and courtyards to meander through.

Schloss Mirabell
This palace in Mirabellgarten was built in 1606 by the Prince-Archbishop Wolf Dietrich for his mistress Salome Alt, who supposedly bore him 15 children. For her troubles he named it Altenau palace but after Wolf's forced abdication in 1612, his successor, Markus Sittikus von Hohenems, renamed it Mirabell. Baroque architect Johann Lukas von Hildebrandt remodelled the palace in 1727 but it was Robert Wise who fully realized its potential when he featured its attractive gardens resplendent with statuary, flowers and fountains in the 1964 film The Sound of Music.
Since there are no interior tours of the palace the gardens are the main reason for a visit and a great place to relax and snap harmonious photos. The palace now houses municipal offices but you can still take a peek at the lavish interior with its grand marble staircase, the same one that acted as a stage for the ensemble number for the Von Trapp kiddies', 'So Long, Farewell'. On a higher-brow note, Mozart once played instruments in the sumptuous banquet hall and today it's still used as a venue for concerts, especially during the Salzburg Festival and Mozart Week.