Salzburg Things to Do

Imagine my surprise: I got on a train in Bratislava,Slovakia, bound for Vienna, Austria — the land of mountains and snow, high lakes and skiing skiing skiing! But out the window all I saw was flat land. As far as the eye could see, it was flat. And covered in wind turbines generating electricity. What was going on?

Innsbruck is arguably one of the most beautiful towns in Austria, situated as it is against the sheer cliffs of the Alps that rise from its northern edge. The town is a famous center for winter sports (it hosted the Winter Olympics twice), and is home to a number of charming museums dedicated to Tyrolean history and culture, as well as some brilliant examples of decorative baroque architecture. Older still is the peculiar but beautiful Golden Roof, built in 1500 for Maximilian I so that Archduke Friedrich IV and other Tyrolean sovereigns could have an appropriately regal spot from which to observe tournaments and festivals in the square it faces.

Tourists looking to stretch their legs while taking in the sites of Vienna can easily plot a course from one home or “haus” that was once the residence of a noteworthy figure from history or fiction to another (these structures are often home to relevant museums or honorific plaques, inscriptions, and other memorials). The following suggestions should help get you started.