When we were looking into day trips from Munich, the vast majority of our research was pointing us to Salzburg, Austria. We decided to add this day trip to our itinerary and it ended up being one of the highlights of the entire trip.

To preface this post, if you plan on visiting Salzburg and have not watched The Sound of Music yet, watch it. We had seen bits and pieces of the movie prior to booking the trip but had not watched it in its entirety until about a month before we departed. Not only did we love the movie, our 2- and 4-year old girls actually ended up loving it as well; in large part, due to all of the singing and dancing. You will find several references to the movie throughout this post.

We also highly recommend purchasing the Salzburg Card. For many of the attractions, you will either get free or heavily-discounted entry, as well as free transportation on public transportation (s-railways and S-Bahn excluded).

Mirabell Palace and Gardens

To ensure we got the most out of Salzburg, we departed Munich by train at 8:15 AM and left Salzburg the following afternoon. When we first arrived, we walked directly to Mirabell Palace and Gardens which was the shooting location in the Sound of Music where “Maria and the children dance around the Pegasus Fountain in front of the palace, singing the song ‘Do Re Mi’”.

Mozart Wohnung and Hagenauer Haus

A short walk from the palace, you’ll find yourself at the Mozart Wohnung which is Mozart’s “only surviving apartment” and is the “largest, most elegant and most expensive apartment that Mozart ever had”. It was fascinating learning about and walking in the steps of one of the most well-known composers to ever live.

Although we didn’t go inside, we also walked by Mozart’s birthplace, or Hagenauer Haus. At the time of this post, the museum is open daily from 9:00 AM-5:30 PM and is home of a collection of portraits and instruments.

Residenzplatz, Residenz Fountain, and Salzburg Cathedral

Next, we ventured over to Residenzplatz, which is one of the more popular attractions in Salzburg due to its history, as well as its notoriety from the “Sound of Music” when Maria splashes the water from the Residenz Fountain at the beginning of the movie.

Steps away from the square and fountain, you’ll find yourself at Salzburg Cathedral. Although the cathedral is beautiful from the outside, we highly recommend visiting. If you have the Salzburg Card, entry into the cathedral is 3€ for each adult and children are free. The cost of entry is well worth the experience; the interior of the church is adorned with beautiful paintings and sculptures.

Hohensalzburg Fortress

The Hohensalzburg Fortress is the biggest fully preserved castle in Central Europe. The true highlight of this fortress is the stunning views of Salzburg. We recommend taking the fortress funicular up to the fortress and take in the views of the beautiful city. Once at the fortress, you’ll find the fortress and marionette museums, as well as a beautiful church on site.

Boat Cruise

While you’re in Salzburg, take advantage of a boat cruise on the Salzach river. You’re not only given a history of all of the buildings lining the river, but you also get a view of the city from a different perspective.

Augustiner Brau

Before you wrap up your day, be sure to stop by the Augustiner Brau for a beer and some schnitzel. There is seating both indoors and outdoors. However, be sure to bring cash as they do not accept debit or credit cards. If you’re like us, you only have enough cash for chips but don’t fret! There’s an ATM one block away.

Haus der Nature

The next morning, we stopped off at Afro Coffee for a delicious breakfast and coffee before we headed to Haus Der Nature which is the museum of natural science and technology in Salzburg and also the highlight of the trip for our two tiny travelers. From skeletons to medicine to space travel to dinosaurs, you could easily spend an entire day at the museum. However, we sadly had to depart after only a few hours to leave the beautiful city of Salzburg and head back to our accommodations in Munich.

Makartsteg Love Lock Pedestrian Bridge

If you’re visiting Salzburg, don’t forget to bring your lock! Along this footbridge, you’ll find thousands of locks adorning the pathway. The Fortress Hohensalzburg makes the perfect backdrop when affixing your lock on the bridge to symbolize your unbreakable and eternal love.