After a cute drive from the site of the Neuschwanstein Castle in Füssen, Germany, we made a lunch stop in Hall, Austria, which is near Innsbruck, and then continued on to Salzburg. We would spend a full day plus several evenings exploring this delightful city. That said, two of the days were spent in day trips, one to Munich, one to Hallstatt. Join us as we continue down memory lane!

Day 1: Arrival in Salzburg

Monday, June 6, 2011

Afternoon and Early Evening

We arrived to Salzburg by car, parked at an underground garage, and checked into our apartment. After that, we started wandering the Old Town, on the opposite side of the river from where we were staying. We started seeing sights that we remembered from the Sound of Music movie, including this fountain. It is really quite lovely.

We then spent some time simply wandering around town. The crowds were pretty much non-existent.

As the sun started to set, we took a walk by the Salzach River.

What a nice introduction to Salzburg!

Our Evening

In the evening, we had my parents stay with the boys, while we went out to a cafe for drinks. If for no other reason, that is a great reason to have your parents along! There is simply no way to do something like that with toddlers in tow.

Day 2: A Full Day in Salzburg

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

Mirabell Gardens

Our morning started with a walk through the Mirabell Gardens, which also has an amazing view of the Hohensalzburg Fortress.

If you are familiar with The Sound of Music movie, you will quickly recognize that the picture above was taken from the site of where the von Trapp children learn the Do-Re-Mi song.

While in Salzburg, you really can’t miss a walk through the Mirabell Gardens. It will be crowded with other tourists doing the same thing, but it really is lovely.

Plus, there is plenty of room for the kids to burn off some excess energy.

I really liked the vine tunnel.

And the boys always enjoy the fountains!

Hohensalzburg Fortress

Our walk continued up to the Hohensalzburg Fortress, making sure to take the funicular to the top. This castle was built in 1077, stands high above the city, and is fully restored. If you are hosting a large gathering, you can even rent space to have a party!

The view of the city is amazing!

And the rook-like towers are pretty cool.

The boys really enjoyed a lot of the displays inside the museum.

The detail was quite nice and we really enjoyed our time spent here.

Our Afternoon and Evening

There was on and off rain in the afternoon, so we grabbed some kebabs to take back to the apartment and put the kids down for naps. After they woke up, we wandered a bit, hung out a bit, and ended up really enjoying our day.

In the evening, we had a simple dinner in the apartment, put the kids in bed, then Jeremy and I were able to go out for a bit on our own. That is one of the best parts of having grandparents with you on any trip. Without them, evening activities become much more difficult when traveling with young children.

Day 3: Day Trip to Munich, Germany

Wednesday, June 8, 2011

In the morning, we were expecting rain, but it was supposed to be a bit lighter in Munich, so we decided to head there for the day. You can read more about it in a separate post.

Day 4: Day Trip to Hallstatt, Austria

Thursday, June 9, 2011

On our last full day in Salzburg, we decided to take a day trip to Hallstatt. This is a lovely little town that brought me great joy. Simply soaking in the atmosphere was great! You can read more about it in a separate post.

Day 5: On to Switzerland

Friday, June 10, 2011

In the morning, we woke up early and were out the door by 7:00 am. Thus began our long drive to one of my favorite vacation destinations: Wengen, Switzerland, where we would spend a week hiking in the Jungfrau Region of the Swiss Alps.

Keep reading our travel blog for more adventures in Europe!

Here are some more blog posts from this trip: