Salzburg for under £100 a night
MUSIC lovers adore Salzburg. Mozart’s birthplace is a treat for lovers of classical music, with daily concerts and a big summer festival. Then there’s The Sound Of Music connection — the 1965 film about the Von Trapp family, starring Julie Andrews, was set here, making the most of the baroque architecture and alpine e scenery. Salzburg has a population of just 150,000 and is compact, interesting and easy to o explore over a weekend (whether r you’re a music fan or not).
Where to stay
Motel One Salzburg-Mirabell A FEW minutes’ stroll from the gardens of Mirabell Palace, Motel One is a well-priced hotel by the River Salzach. There are retro Sixties and Seventies touches throughout, including low-slung armchairs, while fake fires flicker on TVs in cosy rooms (ask for a river view). B&B doubles from £60 (motel-one.com)
Star Inn Hotel THIS one’s full name is a mouthful: Star Inn Hotel Premium Salzburg Gablerbrau. It’s in a great location in the old town, with smart little rooms, recently renovated, in a 500-year-old building. A tiny cocktail bar with pink seats adjoins the reception, and the jolly Gablerbrau pub is next door ( gablerbrau.at). Room-only doubles from £86; breakfast £14 extra per person (starinnhotels.com)
Hotel NH Salzburg City RELAX in the sauna after a hard day’s sightseeing on the Mozart and Sound Of Music trails at this 140-room hotel (pictured left) on a corner in the old town near Kapuzinerberg hill. Rooms are contemporary, with bold colour schemes. Breakfast buffets offer a good spread. B&B doubles from £87 (nh-hotels. com). Prices can fluctuate.
Where to eat
Café Wernbacher ELIZABETH Taylor and Richard Burton once popped into this Fiftiesstyle diner (opened in 1952), the interior of which has changed little over the years. Ruby-red velvet chairs and booths are scattered around a central bar and the menu offers schnitzels, steaks and salads. Drop by for a bagel and a coffee/tea for £7. It’s right by Mirabell Palace. cafewernbacher.at
Universitatsplatz market ON SATURDAYS there’s a great selection of market stalls selling juicy frankfurters, currywurst hot dogs, giant pretzels and schnitzel chicken for £3. The pretzels come in apple, chocolate, nut and ‘pizza’ flavours, as well as salted. If you go at 4pm when the stalls are closing, prices may be reduced. The market is near Mozart’s Birthplace museum.
Augustiner Brau Founded by Augustinian monks in 1621, this is Austria’s biggest beer tavern, with four halls plus a beer garden seating 1,500. Stalls selling ham hock, sausages, cheeses and bread line the corridors. A piled plate is about £10, while a half-litre of beer is £2.80. In the evening — and often earlier — songs are sung to the everpresent clanking of beer mugs. augustinerbier.at
Triangel NEAR Mozart’s Birthplace, Triangel is a small restaurant with booths that is popular with artists, writers and politicians. Waiters wearing lederhosen serve schnitzels and goulash while jazz plays and diners chatter. It’s a convivial spot. Expect to pay £28 for a steak. Fish soup and a glass of wine for £8.50 is better value. triangel-salzburg.co.at
Museum of Modern Art THE Museum of Modern Art’s main restaurant — with brilliant clifftop views — has pricey main dishes (about £24). Instead, have a drink in one of the cosy leather armchairs at the bar. A coffee is about £3.40, a beer about £4.50 and a glass of wine £4.20. museumdermoderne.at
How to get there
EASyJET has returns from Gatwick from £54 (easyjet. com); Ryanair has returns from Stansted from £30 ( ryanair.com); BA has returns from Gatwick from £60 ( ba.com). Buses number ten and two from the airport go to the city centre. The fare is £2.15; the journey time 15-20 minutes ( salzburg-airport.com).