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Dec. 2022 Salzburg trip reviews

We just got back from a short trip to Salzburg and wanted to pay it forward with some short reviews.

We stayed at the Alstadthotel Weisse Taube for two night. Wonderful hotel! Our room was not ready when we arrived in the morning, but they stored it in a separate room with the door closed. They gave us a map of the city, which we had been to before so we basically knew the lay of the land. The lobby had a very nice honor bar area with wines, sodas etc all beautifully presented. The hotel itself was literally just around the corner from the main area where the Christmas Market was. Our room was a triple, and very well laid out. It had a large entry area, which was great for some of our luggage and coats. Plenty of lighting and outlets, which is always appreciated, and windows that opened to cool the room off a bit. There was a shoe cleaning/shining ,machine by the door which we utilized. The bathroom was very spacious and had a nice heated towel rack. We did not eat breakfast at the hotel as it was 26 euro and we felt that was a bit much. We realized later that we probably should have opted for that though. Our room was $379 for two nights for a triple. We felt it was a very fair rate.

Our first morning, we were in a rush for breakfast as we had a tour to catch at 8:30. This is when we realized we should have opted for the hotel breakfast. We wandered town looking for just a quick bite, but nothing was open, not even Starbucks. We stumbled upon a hotel that had a breakfast available. It was also 26 euro, same as our hotel, but we were in a rush so said yes. OMG, what a spread they had! Sparkling wine, fresh orange juice as well as fresh raspberry juice, a 3 tiered platter with assorted meats/cheese/fruit/spreads, a basket of breads, cakes, you name it. The hostess was so friendly and understood our rush. The name of this place was Gasthof Goldgasse. Well worth the cost, and you could literally sit there for hours just eating breakfast.

One evening we had dinner at Zwettler's, which we enjoyed on a trip a few years ago. We had reservations, which are highly recommended. Dinner here did not disappoint. Between the 3 of us, we each had a beer and then shared a schnitzel and the 6 mystery dumplings. All was very good and more than enough food as we did not finish it all. The bill came to 44 euro.

The next evening, we ate at Johanneskeller. Again, reservations are highly recommended. This restaurant is on the other side of the water, but was a very short walk. You enter, but then it was a tad confusing as the restaurant was in the basement. We each had a glass of wine, a side salad, and then shared the spaetzel and the special of the day a rack of lamb with potatoes. The salads were excellent and we were thrilled to get some fresh veggies. The rest of dinner was so good too. The bill was 71 euro for the 3 of us. We commented that it was just a hair under what breakfast cost us;) Note, this restaurant is cash only.

One afternoon we did the Edelweiss Cooking School and did the apple strudel and cookie class. That was a lot of fun! This class was 49 euro per person, but allow a bit more as at the end you can purchase their little cookbook for 5 euro and drinks over lunch were a few euro each. The class itself was a lot of fun, and best of all, all of the prep was already done, so we were able to just get to the heart of making the items. While the strudel and cookies were baking, we were treated to a bowl of goulash and drinks and were able to chat with the other people. It was a wonderful time! Our daughter has already made the goulash and said it turned out excellent. I will be making the strudel for Christmas Eve dinner. They did send us with the leftover strudel and cookies, so be prepared.

Posted by
1968 posts

The one tour we did was Bobs Special Tours, the Sound of Music. We were picked up close to 9am at our hotel and tit ended at Mirabell Garden about 1pm. Our guide was Johnathon, how has been doing this tour for about 10 years. He was excellent! The tour for the 3 of us was 165 euro, plus we did tip at the end. We were in a small van, so 8 of us on the tour plus the guide. I won't go into all the tour details, but it was an excellent day! We did have time in Mondsee to wander the town a bit, get a bite to eat at the cafe (very good!) and go inside the wedding church. This tour does offer the option of adding on the same cooking class we did the day before, so that would be a fun full day. I booked ours separately as that was not an option when we booked.

We did go up to the fortress, which we did on a prior trip as well. Last time we did not go into the museums, but opted to do that this time and were not disappointed.

Posted by
3943 posts

Sounds like you got the most out of a quick visit! I also enjoyed the Bob’s tour in 2018 - it was a good day. And I am making note of the cooking class, since that sounds fun, too. I have been twice but a friend wants to go; so something different is good to know about.

Posted by
3961 posts

Another excellent trip report! Especially enjoy receiving recipes from cooking classes I’ve taken! The Goulash & Apple Strudel sounds amazing. Appreciate all your details. Bookmarking!

Posted by
2700 posts

I enjoyed your report! It brought back memories of when we went to Salzburg for the Christmas market around 7 years ago. It’s a lovely city and the market was nice. My only issue is that the nearby ice rink was blaring American teenybopper music. This was incompatible me! How about Christmas music or Mozart? I felt like Mozart must have been rolling over in his grave.

Posted by
1968 posts

Thank you all! The cooking school has a Facebook page, so you can see the recipes and how-to's there. It is Edelweiss Cooking School.

Carol--That was not the case this time at the ice rink. They were playing music, but I don't even remember what it was because you didn't hear it unless you were right at the rink.

I will try and get our Germany reviews done today.

Posted by
28 posts

Thanks for the great information. I have been to Salzburg 3 times but am going again in July. I have already booked my hotel but will try to go to breakfast at the recommended hotel. It sounds wonderful.

Posted by
1968 posts

Terry--Enjoy! I adore Salzburg and look forward to returning.