From ancient fortresses to toy museums – pretty Austrian city is fun for the whole family
THIS pretty Austrian city is fun for the whole family, says Lifestyle Editor Catherine Bennion-Pedley.
It’s now or never. I make a run for it out of the dazzling 17th-century grotto, but still get drenched in water from a gargoyle, much to the delight of my kids, Poppy, six, and Raffy, three.
We’re at Hellbrunn, a magical Italian-style garden designed to surprise (and soak) visitors, and it’s one of my favourite finds ever.
Family tickets cost £28.50 (Hellbrunn.at).
Bear necessity
I’ve skipped city breaks since entering the toddler years, but Salzburg is a revelation.
After a short ride on the number 25 bus, we explore Salzburg Zoo, where the kids take the slide into the goat enclosure and spot a huge variety of animals, including beautiful brown bears and snow leopards.
Family tickets cost £31 (Salzburg-zoo.at).
Gorgeous Hellbrunn is next door, where we refuel on sliced pancake beef broth, £4.70, and apple strudel, £5.50, at the cafe, before the brilliant tour of the trick fountains.
Everything else we explore on this mini-break is easily walkable from our base – the chic Gentle Hide hotel, which opened last summer.
Interiors are black, marble and brass, the breakfast buffet is beautifully curated and there are free espressos all day – it’s the kind of place we’d have stayed pre-kids, too (Gentlehidehotel.com).
Toy Story
We spend several happy hours at the Toy Museum, where the kids construct palaces, test marble runs, draw in the chalkboard caves and hit the surprisingly speedy slide.
Family tickets cost £8.50 (Spielzeugmuseum.at).
Opposite is Nur Coffee, serving “waffolinos” – cappuccinos in chocolate waffle cones – and I can’t resist the novelty, £7.20 (Nurcoffee.at).
But it’s boho Kaffee-Alchemie that really gets my vote for its specialty coffee, board games and a fabulously ornate sink for water-bottle refills (@Kaffeealchemie).
Wandering down Salzburg‘s medieval high street is a history lesson in itself, and hidden down one alleyway is Balkan Grill Walter, a tiny hatch famous since 1950 for selling hot dogs, £5.
The Haus de Natur museum also proves a hit – in the aquarium, the spotted garden eels entertain, while hands-on gadgets and a Mozart room exploring the science of sound fascinate us all.
Family tickets cost £38 (Hausdernatur.at).
On the goulash
One evening, we book a table on Bärenwirt’s terrace to sip local, handmade Augustiner-Bräu beer, £4.50 for half a litre, and tuck into beef goulash with a king-size dumpling, £15, and deep-fried chicken with zingy potato salad, £16.
Cheese gnocchi, £5, pleases the kids, while the giant, cloud-like Salzburger Nockerl – a sweet soufflé – is the perfect sharing pud, £16 (Felleis-knittelfelder.at/baerenwirt).
We also ride the cable car – £9.50 for adults, £4 for kids over six – up to Fortress Hohensalzburg to learn about the city’s historic battles (Salzburg-burgen.at), before later jumping into one of the kids’ highlights of the trip – a horse-drawn carriage around the Old Town, £45 for a loop.
A hop and a skip from our hotel is Superstanza, a buzzy Italian with excellent cocktails and flavoursome sausage ragu, £14 (Superstanza.com), while Mirabell Gardens, which starred in The Sound Of Music and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, make for the perfect post-dinner wander.
All in all, Salzburg has certainly offered more than a few of my favourite things. . .
BTW
Plan your trip at Salzburg.info.
Family rooms at Gentle Hide cost from £215 a night.
Flights from the UK to Salzburg cost from £34 return.