First of all, sincere apologies for the delay in posting, but have had some severe work commitments since returning from Salzburg at the beginning of December.
We (my two sisters and I) stayed at the Weisses Kreuz from November 30-December 3, and were more than satisfied with our spacious triple room. The bathroom was modern and well-equipped, and the decor fresh. Our only complaint was the heat (probably because it was unseasonably warm) - we had to sleep with the windows wide open, but thankfully the area was very quiet.
As we didn%26#39;t arrive until 8p.m, I had reserved a table at the hotel for the first night. It was a good move - even as residents, we were unable to get a booking for the other two nights. We found the menu had plenty of choice, and the meals were appetising and good value, though we found the wine expensive. The service was friendly and attentive, but we found the staff quite brusque when we tried to make a reservation the following day.
When we ventured out the first morning, we were just commenting how few people were around when we found out there was a bomb scare, and the old city was cordoned off. The plan had been to spend Friday and Sunday exploring Salzburg and avoid most of the crowds by taking a coach trip of the surrounding area on Saturday - but as we couldn%26#39;t get into the city, we took to the coach for a Sound of Music tour on the Friday.
Our guide was very entertaining - and extremely cynical about the Sound of Music. We found him amusing, but I think die-hard fans of the film might have thought him annoying. The trip lasted four hours, but would have been better at six...we hardly had any time in the places we stopped, and I would gladly have paid a little more for a more leisurely experience.
One great tip from our guide was to have a drink at a hotel across from the old town on our return. I%26#39;m afraid I%26#39;ve forgotten the name, but it has a roof-top terrace where you can sit outside wrapped in blankets with plenty of gas heaters and gluhwein. The view is stunning, and we watched the sun go down there on two evenings.
The city is extremely compact, and we didn%26#39;t use public transport at all as everything was within walking distance. Yes, we walked a lot, but there was always a great cafe nearby to rest our weary feet.
The Christmas markets were everywhere, and Salzburg looked entrancing with all the festive decorations. It really was picture postcard stuff - despite the absence of snow - and put Prague, where we went at the same time last year, in the shade both in terms of atmosphere and sheer quality.
I%26#39;d been to Salzburg several times before, but always in summer. Seeing it in winter has sent in way up in my estimation, and my sisters, who hadn%26#39;t been before, are still raving about it. I%26#39;m sure we%26#39;ll be back!
Many thanks to all who answered my questions before the holiday - especially Roley.
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Glad to hear you had a good trip - though shame about the bomb scare (how bizarre!) Good to hear that the Weisses Kreuz is back in form - though I admit, I%26#39;ve always found the staff there a bit on the grouchy side too; I put up with it for the sake of the food!
I think the hotel you mean might be the hotel Stein. There is a cafe/bar up on the roof there overlooking the old town called the Stein Terasse - it%26#39;s lovely in summer and I can imagine the views are just as good in winter too. Though probably you wouldn%26#39;t want to sit out on the actual terrace in the winter months!
rol
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We are set to visit Salzburg between 3 - 6 Feb. and your report answered some of my questions. Thank you for that!
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Roley, you%26#39;re not the only one who thought the bomb scare bizarre - we spoke to several locals on the day, and they all apologised profusely, saying it was the first time anything of the sort had happened there. I never heard the full story, but the guide on our Sound of Music trip said he heard on the radio that the scare had been caused by a parcel left in a bank, which turned out to be harmless.
You%26#39;re also right about the name of the hotel with the rooftop terrace bar - the Hotel Stein. As I said in my report, the weather was unseasonably warm, so we weren%26#39;t really put to the test - but I think that with all the heaters and blankets (and gluhwein!) it would still be feasible in much colder weather.
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Rocksider, Which SOM tour did you take? I%26#39;m planning to take the smaller %26quot;Bob%26#39;s%26quot; rather than the larger %26quot;Panorama%26quot;. Hoping for a better experience than you had.
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We took the Panorama tour - booked through the tourist office. We enjoyed it, though as I said in the report, if you%26#39;re a Sound of Music fan you probably wouldn%26#39;t like the commentary.
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