Salzburg was one of the highlights of our honeymoon trip. The city became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1996 and is famous for being the birthplace of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. It's also the setting of a little film few have heard of called The Sound of Music (only one of my favorite movies of all time). The city was never on my list of places to visit but, I'm so happy Steve and I had the opportunity to go.
Salzburg is only a 90 minute drive from Munich, where we were staying during our time in Germany. Our day began with more rain but the entire drive to Salzburg, we prayed for sun. I was really hoping we'd be able to do a bike tour of the city and I was worried the rain would dash my hopes and dreams.
We parked the car in an underground garage, stepped out onto the street, and there in front of us was Frauline Maria's Bicycle Tour.
The Sound of Music Bike Tour
Thankfully the tour had room for two more people, and the tours take place rain or shine. There's typically one tour every morning at 9:30 but during the summer months (which is when we visited), they also offer an afternoon tour at 4:30. During the tour, we stop by all the major sites of The Sound of Music film, including:
- Nonnberg Abbey
- The Mozart Bridge
- Residence Square
- The Horse Pond
- Mirabell Gardens
- Frohnburg Palace
- The Gazebo
- Leopoldskron Palace
- St. Peter's Cemetery
We had such a fun, sprightly tour guide. She was from Spain but said she visited Salzburg five years ago and loved the city so much, she never left. I totally get it. Salzburg is special. There's something about the city that makes you feel a bit more creative, more romantic, and slightly nostalgic.
One of my favorite parts of the tour was when she played the film soundtrack from her iPhone speakers while we biked. The music brought back childhood memories of watching the film with my grandparents. The tour was the best 3.5 hours and certainly the most fun tour I've ever been on. 12/10 would recommend. When you've grown up a fan of The Sound of Music like me, it's a dream come true to bike through beautiful Salzburg with a group of lovely people who also love the film, belting out all the songs.
It wasn't until the tour ended and we were returning our bikes did Steve reveal that he had never actually watched the film from start to finish.
St. Peter
After the bike tour, we were on the hunt for lunch. Earlier on the tour, our guide had mentioned that we had passed by the oldest restaurant in Europe. St. Peter Stiftskulinarium dates back to 803 AD when Charlemagne visited the restaurant. Charle-freakin'-magne. Christopher Columbus, Johann Georg Faust, and Mozart are also said to have been served there. Hearing this made me geek out. Then, we walked into the restaurant and my Indiana Jones-loving mind was blown.
St. Peter was one of the coolest restaurants. The main floor of the restaurant, where we sat, was literally carved into the mountainside. The cavernous ceiling and walls made the restaurant feel very medieval. As someone who once wanted to major in medieval history in college, I was seriously nerding out and the entire time we were there, I essentially pretended like I was in a remake of The Last Crusade.
While one side of the restaurant made me feel like I was a Neanderthal, the other side felt completely modern and high-end. The servers were impeccably dressed, kind, and spoke English perfectly. The food came out beautifully plated and delicious.
If you ever visit St. Peter, you must check out the bathroom on the main floor. For such an old institution, its bathroom was downright futuristic. You press a button for the bathroom door to slide open. Then, you walk inside and find spotless amenities that are sleek and monochromatic. Totally unexpected at a restaurant that dates back to the Middle Ages.
Old Meets New
There is a busy shopping street in Salzburg called Getreidegasse. The street has been popular since the 12th century and is now packed with trendy stores, souvenir shops, and restaurants. There are also a few antique stores, which were my favorite to browse through. You can't get much more antique than Europe.
But, the wildest thing to me was seeing stores like Zara, Foot Locker, and H&M in these old, ornate buildings decorated with gold wrought-iron signs. The juxtaposition in Salzburg is surreal - a mix of old and new everywhere I turned.
