Austria: 3 Cities You Must Visit At Least Once

“These walls were not meant to shut out problems. You have to face them. You have to live the life you were born to live.” – Mother Abbess, Sound of Music

Mother Abbess could not have been more right. After watching Sound of Music in a hostel situated in the hills of Salzburg, Austria, I felt alive somehow. I imagine that’s how most people feel after watching the feel good musical that seems to resonate with most generations. A year ago, I had no idea what the future would look like or how it would come together. I had just left a great coaching opportunity because I just didn’t feel like it was what I wanted to do anymore. So I made a fairly drastic decision to follow my heart toward the unknown. And it has led to more “living” than I have done in recent memory.

I landed in Austria less than two weeks after returning from Costa Rica, an experience that had absolutely blown the doors off my wanderlust and travel appetite. I was worried that somehow I wouldn’t be able to recapture that feeling, or that this trip would be a let down of sorts.

I could not have been more wrong. This experience in the shadows of the Alps, through corridors of ancient castles, and on subways below gothic cathedrals only furthered that desire to experience more of life and what this world has to offer. The places I saw, the food I tried, and most importantly the people I met made it a trip that I won’t soon forget.

I visited three areas of Austria during my time there and had incredible experiences at each one. Quite frankly, I’m dying to go back to each one for various reasons. Scroll down to see how to make the most of your time in Vienna, Salzburg, and Hallstatt!

VIENNA

Vienna was far more beautiful than any pictures I had seen prior to arriving! Situated in a more level and flat area of the eastern part of Austria, Vienna is a city where the Middle Ages meets Modernism. Home to one of the most efficient, easy to use public transportation systems in the world, I’d compare Vienna to Fenway Park or Wrigley Field. All of you baseball fans will know exactly what I mean. Fenway and Wrigley are the two oldest parks in the Major Leagues and are loaded with history, curses, and lore. But over the last decade or two, both have undergone major renovations that have managed to keep the historical feel while adding in some modern changes. It’s been a brilliant feat no doubt. That’s exactly how I felt while in Vienna. You will ride a U-Line subway several stories under the streets, walk up a few flights of stairs, and emerge into a plaza with the nearly 900-year-old St. Stephen’s Cathedral towering above you. Truly a beautiful paradox.

*Still can’t believe how big St. Stephen’s Cathedral was!*

Prior to arriving, I had made a list of places I wanted to see in Vienna. Cathedrals, palaces, and such were all on that list and I figured I’d have to be pretty efficient to even get to most of them. But I was wrong in the best way possible. Vienna is one of the easiest cities to explore on foot! While it’s the capital of a country, it’s not difficult to simply walk around the city and find nearly everything on your list in a single day! After just three hours of walking around the city, mostly to get my bearings, I realized I had crossed off all but a couple of items that were on my list!

There are plenty of cheap hostels in the area and the Wombats I stayed at was about a 2-minute walk from the U-Line station (just two stops from downtown Vienna)! It was in such a beautiful part of the city as well, with massive lines of old buildings lining the streets for miles with markets in the middle. I would absolutely encourage you to cross all the things off your list and take way too many pictures. But also plan a day to just enjoy the city. Walk around. Go down a random street. Get lost (only if you have offline maps). Find a food stand. Eat the best Austrian hot dog of your life. And just live.

SALZBURG

I loved my time in Vienna, and would go back in a heartbeat, but Salzburg was probably my favorite city I visited in Austria because of the people I met. Located right on the German border and in the shadows of the Alps, Salzburg is a much quieter city with similar beautiful clashes between the Middle Ages and Modernism. While I was at the hostel for three nights in Salzburg, I really only spent a day and a half in the city because of travel and another excursion I went on. But I managed to make the absolute most of it with some incredible people.

I had met a few Aussies in Vienna and wound up running into them on a random back street in Salzburg. A few hours later we were sharing drinks and laughing until we cried along with an Argentine and Brit. It was one of the most fun nights of my life that I can remember. We would end up sticking together for most of the next day exploring this beautiful city on foot.

*Two Aussies, me, and a Brit. Poor quality photo, high quality friends.*

Atop the hill in the middle of the city is the more than 900-year-old Hohensalzburg Fortress. I would encourage you to take a tour of the castle with audio to get all of the deets on the history of this building as it was pieced together over several hundred years. However, one of the absolutely most breathtaking parts of the tour, isn’t the tour itself. As you exit the lift at the top of the hill, you’ll walk towards an outdoor patio with a restaurant. As it comes into view, so does your first REAL full view of the Austrian Alps in all their glory. We had no idea this view was coming and stood speechless at it for some time. Pictures simply couldn’t capture it (even though we tried).

Following a morning castle tour, find your way to the building where Mozart was born. If you can’t find it, just ask. Everybody knows where it is. Once you’re there, there’s an outdoor restaurant in the middle of the plaza. We stopped here on a perfect day with perfect weather. It could not have been better.

We really didn’t have much planned for the rest of the day so we found our way to the monastery across the way from the castle and wandered up the path and found some benches to sit on. For the next hour or two we simply sat talking about life, cultural differences, and travels all while soaking in the sunset behind an immaculate view of the castle and the Alps. We were chillin’, but we were livin’.

HALLSTATT

If you don’t know Hallstatt by name, I’m sure you’ve seen pictures. Arguably the most photogenic city on this side of the universe, Hallstatt is actually a several-thousand-year-old salt mining village. Located deep in the mountains on Lake Hallstatt, the journey to get to this tourist town is almost worth it just in and of itself. From Salzburg you can take a roundtrip (bus, train, ferry) day trip for just €35. The full journey is about two and a half hours but you won’t be bored for any of it. Promise.

Once you arrive, it’ll take you roughly 20 minutes to walk from end to end if you take your time. It’s tiny. BUT. There’s so much to see. You’ll only need a few hours to really take in everything and get 20394857 pictures, so be sure to note the ferry schedule to return to the train!

I highly recommend just doing a day trip as prices to stay in Hallstatt can be pretty expensive. I would also encourage you to go in the morning as early as possible because once 11:30 hits, bus loads of tourists will be arriving. And I mean BUS LOADS. This is one of those towns that has absolutely blown up due to social media and has likely lost all of its privacy, for good reason. There are still locals who live here so be sure the staircase you’re walking down doesn’t lead to somebody’s kitchen!

While I didn’t take the tour, visitors can ride the lift up the mountain to see a salt mine that has been producing salt for thousands of years. For any history buffs, this is right up your alley.

Also… might have been served a pastry by Post Malone. Still under investigation.

A year ago I made a major change. And a few months ago, I decided to just go. To just live. Had I not made that decision for myself I would have missed out on pastries from Posty.

If you’re caught in a rut in life don’t be worried about making changes. Just do it. Don’t be passive to the point on missing out on living. You get one shot and you can also change again.