Salzburg
We spent several days in Salzburg, formerly known as the “Rome of the North” in terms of religious and architectural influences. Salzburg’s charm is around every corner as you meander through quiet plazas, beautifully manicured gardens, fountains, and catacombs built into the rock base of the mountain with a fortress castle. Although you can see much of the city in about two days, we enjoyed having a few additional days there
We also delighted at exploring Hellbrunn Palace, a 17th century summer home with famous trick fountains. It also had some of the most gorgeous, expansive parkland around, and a great playground with zipline, modern wooden play structures, and views. We had a rental car to get there due to our roadtrip through Austria, but Hellbrunn Palace is also accessible via bus.
Our visit coincided with the Salzburg Festival in mid/late July, so we enjoyed a few outdoor performances and made sure to catch a Mozart piano concert as well in his birth city. It’s also possible to visit Mozart’s birth home in the city and see an early piano, among other relics.
Another kid-friendly activity in Salzburg included visiting Redbull Hangar 7 (a collection of planes, race cars, and other motor vehicles owned by the Austrian founder of Redbull) and situated next to Salzburg’s airport. It’s good for about an hour’s visit, particularly if you have a transportation fan in the family.
Vienna
We took the train to Vienna, returning almost exactly five years after our first visit when Jacob was a baby. It remains one of our favorite European cities. Like the last visit, we stayed in the charming Josefstädt neighborhood and ate nearly all our meals at the Wien summer festival next to the Rathaus (City Hall), with eclectic, easy food offerings and the most refreshing Radlers around. We could easily spend a week in Vienna, as there’s so much to enjoy especially in lovely summer weather, but if you only have 2-3 days, you can also cover a lot.
Recreating some travel photos from Schonbrunn Palace (the summer residence of the Habsburg rulers from the 18th century) and the Volksgarten (people’s city park) five years later was quite amusing and nostalgic:
Other worthwhile stops in Vienna:
- Natural History Museum, with dinosaurs, fossils, anthropology, and much more to captivate kids and adults alike.
- Albertina Museum, the largest modern art museum in Central Europe.
- Hofburg Palace
- Stadtpark (another beautiful city park with small lakes, fountains, statues, musical performances, and more
- Naschmarkt – mixed indoor and outdoor marketplace with food stalls, cafes, and a bit more touristy souvenir shopping
- Memorial to Austria’s 65,000 Jewish victims of the Holocaust, located in Josefstadt neighborhood:
