Quote:
Salzburg highlights were the Mirabell Gardens, strolling on the Linzergasse, a candlelit dinner and chamber music performance in the Hohensalzburg fortress, and the fountain at the Kapitelplatz. In Bad Gastein, one of the most rewarding things to do is walk out along the Kaiser-Wilhelm-Promenade in the late afternoon. The promenade is paved and lit, so you can walk as little as 10 minutes or as long as two hours in order to find a nice place to stop and enjoy hearty local food and drink. Falling asleep and waking up are memorable experiences at the Ferienclub Bellevue because the nights are cool and you leave your windows open, making the sound of the waterfall that bisects the town t
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In Bad Gastein, one of the most rewarding things to do is walk out along the Kaiser-Wilhelm-Promenade in the late afternoon. The promenade is paved and lit, so you can walk as little as 10 minutes or as long as two hours in order to find a nice place to stop and enjoy hearty local food and drink.
Falling asleep and waking up are memorable experiences at the Ferienclub Bellevue because the nights are cool and you leave your windows open, making the sound of the waterfall that bisects the town the last thing you hear before falling asleep and the first thing you hear when you wake up.
Take advantage of the bus tours offered by the Bellevue, particularly the ones to the Salzkammergut (lakes country) and Grossglockner Alpenstrasse (the highest alpine highway in Austria). If you are up for spending more time and money, take them up on the day trip to Venice, although we did not go ourselves.
Hopping the train and making a day of it in Zell am See is a great way to relax. There is a promenade that goes most of the way around the lake, plenty of pleasant views, and lots of cafes where you can sit outside and enjoy coffee, beer or whatever you prefer while you take in the view of the mountains that surround the town.
Quick Tips:
From the US, it was much cheaper to fly into Munich and take the train to Salzburg than it was to fly straight to Salzburg. Coming back from Bad Gastein we took the train straight to Munich and spent an evening enjoying the cathedrals before flying back the next day.
The Stadtkrug at Linzergasse 20 was a pleasant place to eat on the right bank in Salzburg.
I recommend Fodor's German for Travelers tapes or CDs. A package includes the tapes/CD and a German phrasebook. Barnes and Noble has an "Instant German" pamphlet that went everywhere with me.
In the countryside, "Gross Got" was a common greeting -- I believe the loose translation is "God is Great" -- but that was not in any of the German tapes or phrasebooks that I studied.
Many shops and restaurants are closed in early May because it is the offseason, but there are bargains to be had at the shops that are open!
The Alpenstrasse had only opened the week we got there. If you want to be sure of going there, you might want to wait until later in May.
Best Way To Get Around:
Take the trains everywhere you can! They are clean, inexpensive, run exactly on time, and go just about anywhere you want to go. Buses will take you the rest of the way if you're going further off the beaten path.
In Salzburg, cough up the money for a taxi to take you from the train station to your hotel. We were technically within walking distance of the Pension Elizabeth, but were completely worn out by the time we got there. After 8 hours on a plane, an hour or two on a train, and 20 minutes of wheeling our luggage behind us we were about to collapse. We called a taxi when we were ready to leave for Bad Gastein!
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