Jun 28th, 2008 by Kwong Yee
Not being a fan of Mozart or Sound of Music, four nights in Salzburg seems a bit long. Actually, there were three full days, and we crossed the border for Germany on one of the days. Still, we seemed to have more time than we needed. There was only a few attractions that we really looked forward to see; there were actually more interesting attractions one hour driving away from the city (which is why Salzburg is a good starting point for travelling.) It might be a bit tourisy, but to be fair, Salzburg, especially the Old Town, is quite pretty, and I bet it’s even more enjoyable in dry warm weather.
Our apartment in Salzburg is not too bad. The main reason we chose this, other than reasonable price, was that it could house 5 people (originally we had more people to travel together) The apartment was indeed big enough for more people, but there was only one bathroom (and its water pressure is a little low, plus draining is a little slow,) so I was glad we had only 3 people. The owner was quite nice, meeting us in person at the apartment, and showing us around in the neighborhood.
As for eating, most places were fine, with a couple restaurants more stand out. It probably has more to do with the fact that we wanted to spend less, after we had our fancy dinner in Munich. Here is the list of places we visited:
Carpe Diem Finest Fingerfood (International, reviewed in Frommers) – It might be finest, definitely expensive for something that can’t really fill up the stomach (we thought this could be our dinner.) The fingerfood there is mainly the “cones”, so instead of ice cream, it is appetizer type of food (like chicken wing and catfish) Everything is nice, so the main problem is the portion and relatively the price.
Ganshof Gasthaus (recommended by the apartment owner) – This is one of the few restaurants that is close to our apartment. It serves mainly local people; we can tell because most people there do not speak English. There was one serving us spoke a little English. It was really a pub, and the menu was small, but food was decent, and price was good as well. It was just a little smoky, but it’s nice to have some local experience.
Mensa (University Canteen, reviewed in Lonely Planet) – Food is cheap and decent. It’s mostly students there, and it gets a little smoky as well. University is in Old Town, so this place is in great location.
Wasserfall Restaurant (Italian, reviewed in Frommers) – I like this restaurant the best in Salzburg. It’s not expensive, and food was great. The place itself is nice and comfortable. This place is in a busy business area, just across from the Old Town.
Zum Mohren (Austrian, reviewed in Frommers and Rick Steves) – It’s weird that we ended up ordering mostly Italian stuff at this place; maybe the Austrian dishes were more expensive. The decor inside is a little offbeat with some strange paintings and sculpture; it’s interesting nonetheless. It’s located in the middle of Old Town.
Pizzeria Il Sole (Italian, reviewed in Frommers) – Near the elevator to the Museum of Modernity, this place is slightly under the street level. Both the food and price are fine, it’s just the portion a little small.
Tags: austria, salzburg, Travel