Choose from 3 Fun Things to Do in Lower Austria
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Getreidegasse
Lose yourself in medieval-era Salzburg on a stroll through Getreidegasse. The atmospheric laneway is lined with upmarket boutiques and shops.
Getreidegasse is as historic as it is pretty. Harking back to Roman days, the thoroughfare has always been the city’s high street, connecting Salzburg to Bavaria.
The street is lined with beautiful medieval and Baroque buildings, built by rich merchants over the centuries. It was in one of these buildings that Mozart was born in 1756.
Practical Info
The Getreidegasse runs south of the River Salzach in the Old Town, heading east to Mozartplatz.
The only way to experience it is on foot, as the street is pedestrianized. Glance up while you walk, to admire the wrought-iron craft signs hanging overhead.
Address: Getreidegasse, Salzburg 5020, Austria
Hours: Open daily
Admission: Free
From $ 22
Mozart Geburtshaus (Mozart's Birthplace)
Two museums in Salzburg celebrate the life of genius composer and child prodigy Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Born in the city on January 27, 1756, he grew up in two different houses before turning his back on the city in preference for the bright lights of Vienna and beyond. Both are now museums.
The Mozart Geburtshaus (Mozart’s Birthplace) is located on Getreidegasse, the smartest street in Salzburg’s enticing Aldstadt. The massive townhouse itself dates from the 12th century, but by the 1750s it was divided into apartment and the Mozart family were crammed onto one floor. Mozart’s family lived in this surprisingly humble abode for 26 years before their precocious son hit the big time and started earning good money. This museum has recently has something of an overhaul and is much improved; the exhibition highlighting Mozart’s early life stretches over three floors and incorporates period furniture as well as the clavichord on which he composed The Magic Flute, family portraits – including one of Mozart at his piano painted by his brother-on-law Joseph Lange – his first, diminutive violin, strands of his hair and many of his original opera scores.
On the top floor of the townhouse, other members of Mozart’s family are featured, including his wife and family. Audio-guides are available in several different languages, including English.
Practical Info
The Mozart Geburtshaus is at Getreidegasse 9, easily accessible on foot. There are parking facilities nearby. Opening hours daily 9am-5pm (Jul-Aug 8pm). Tickets €10, aged 15-18 €4, children €3.50, families €21. Entrance is free with the Salzburg Card. Unfortunately the museum is not wheelchair accessible.
Address: Getreidegasse 9, Salzburg 5020, Austria
Admission: Adults: €10; Youth 15-18: €4
From $ 14
Dürnstein
Sitting on the Danube River in Lower Austria, Dürnstein is one of the most-visited villages in the Wachau Valley wine-growing region and is accessible from both Vienna and Salzburg. It's a charming mix of medieval and Baroque architecture, with labyrinthine cobbled lanes and pastel-hued houses with red-tiled roofs. Full of traditional Austrian restaurants and stores selling local vintages, it's the perfect lunchtime stopover on driving, cycling or walking tours through the valley. Often packed out by day "“ especially in summer "“ by night most visitors have left and the village reverts to its tranquil, romantic best.
Dürnstein Abbey perches right on the edge of the Danube, its stately blue Baroque tower is a local landmark. Although first mentioned as a nunnery in 1289, by the 16th century it had become an Augustine monastery and 200 years after that it was given its present Baroque facelift.
The ruins of Kuenringer Castle (also known as Burgruine Dürnstein), in which English King Richard the Lionheart was famously imprisoned on his way back from the Crusades in 1192, stand on a jagged promontory overlooking the town. According to legend, Richard's minstrel Jean Blondel rescued him from captivity and it is Blondel's name you will seen on several of Dürnstein's bars and hotels. It's a breathless 30-minute scramble up to the castle but rewarding for some of the best views along the Wachau Valley.
There are over 20 vineyards within stamping distance of Durnstein so the little town makes the perfect starting point for a day's trip through the vines or to an estate to tour the cellars; you can also get to sample some of the Wachau's crisp dry whites at the rustic little heurigen (wine bars) scattered around the region, although they are not open all year around.
Dürnstein Abbey perches right on the edge of the Danube, its stately blue Baroque tower is a local landmark. Although first mentioned as a nunnery in 1289, by the 16th century it had become an Augustine monastery and 200 years after that it was given its present Baroque facelift.
The ruins of Kuenringer Castle (also known as Burgruine Dürnstein), in which English King Richard the Lionheart was famously imprisoned on his way back from the Crusades in 1192, stand on a jagged promontory overlooking the town. According to legend, Richard's minstrel Jean Blondel rescued him from captivity and it is Blondel's name you will seen on several of Dürnstein's bars and hotels. It's a breathless 30-minute scramble up to the castle but rewarding for some of the best views along the Wachau Valley.
There are over 20 vineyards within stamping distance of Durnstein so the little town makes the perfect starting point for a day's trip through the vines or to an estate to tour the cellars; you can also get to sample some of the Wachau's crisp dry whites at the rustic little heurigen (wine bars) scattered around the region, although they are not open all year around.
Practical Info:
Dürnstein is one hour from Vienna and 2.5 from Salzburg; from Vienna trains from Franz-Josefs Station run to nearby Krems, then take WL1 bus to Dürnstein itself. Danube River cruises run hourly through the summer and stop at the riverfront quay. As Dürnstein is a pedestrian-only zone, there are parking areas for cars and bikes racks below the village.
Address: Dürnstein, Austria
From $ 98