A sizeable sauna area, two spectacular waterslides and two outdoor thermal baths: Alpentherme caters to everyone. With 36,000 sq m (387,500 sq ft) of indoor and outdoor space, there is plenty of room for families, for those seeking peace and quiet and for sports and leisure fans. A visit to the Sauna World, with its indoor and outdoor cabins, and to the Crystal Lake is well worth it. In the summer, the large outdoor thermal lake is also open. And by the way, it’s within sight of our picturesque Weitmoser-Schlössl. alpentherme.com
Photo: Alpentherme Bad Hofgastein
More than just a museum. Salzburg was independent for over 1,100 years and ruled by a prince archbishop. The DomQuartier (cathedral quarter) takes you back to the Salzburg of the Baroque Age. You can view the state rooms of the prince archbishops, the Residence Gallery with its European paintings from the 16th to the 19th century, the Cathedral Museum, and the museum of St. Peter’s Abbey with its art treasures from 1,300 years of church history.
Our tip: View two of Salzburg’s main squares, Residenzplatz and Domplatz, from the terrace atop the cathedral arches, and climb up to the organ loft to see the inside of the Salzburg Cathedral from above. domquartier.at
Photo: SBSB
An easy walk through the zoo: Park at Hellbrunn Palace (paid parking) and enter the zoo through the palace grounds and the north entrance. You could spend hours with the ibexes, bears, otters, pandas, gibbons, capuchin monkeys, nandus, jaguars and canaries or in the Africa section with rhinos, Watusi cattle, zebras, lions and Cape penguins. It’s then just a short distance back to the southern exit, across the wooded Hellbrunn Hill, past the magical Stone Theatre and the late-Renaissance Monatsschlössl, and back to the palace park. salzburg-zoo.at
Photo: Zoo Salzburg
Hohe Tauern National Park is the largest protected area in the Alps at 1,836sq km (453,685 acres). 250 three-thousanders, nearly 350 glaciers, 1,000 mountain lakes and remarkable flora and fauna make for a fascinatingly diverse environment.
The National Park Centre in Mittersill illustrates these natural wonders in 10 different worlds that lead you on a hike from one to the next. You’ll definitely want to check out the 360-degree panorama cinema and take a virtual trip through the national park. nationalpark.at
Photo: Nationalpark Hohe Tauern
NATURE AND TECHNOLOGY MUSEUM IN SALZBURG
From prehistoric times to the future. Young and old can discover the most exciting aspects of nature and technology in Salzburg's most popular museum. The journey starts with dinosaurs and a world millions of years ago and ends with the achievements of space travel and the mysteries of distant galaxies.
In between, there’s an aquarium with different ecosystems (feedings on Mondays and Thursdays), a reptile zoo with terrariums that recreate the natural environment, and a science centre for kids to experiment. hausdernatur.at
Photo: Haus der Natur
The baroque city and its city mountains are world famous. But who’s seen the view from these mountains? If you want to experience great hiking in the city, the parking lot at Augustiner Bräu brewery in the Mülln neighbourhood is the place to start. Take the stairs to the right of the beer garden and walk up to Augustinergasse and along the road up Mönchsberg mountain. After the next staircase, walk through both stone gates, Monikapforte and Augustinerpforte, and immediately afterwards take a sharp left onto the narrow path. Below the castle-like Hotel Mönchsstein, the path continues along the mountain side. After a few meters, descend to the left using the stairs to Humboldterrasse, one of the best viewpoints of all (if you’re not scared of heights). Then walk back up and continue on the upper path. At the Museum der Moderne (1.4 km/0.87 mi, 30 min.), you’ll see the next popular view of the city. If you want to do a big loop, continue on toward Festungsberg mountain and Nonnberg Abbey (3.2 km/2 mi, 1 hour). Above Sigmundstor, the entrance to the tunnel through the mountain, and at the fortress are also great overlook points. To get back down into the city, you can take the Mönchsberg elevator at the museum, the Toscanini Staircase at the Festspielhaus, or the FestungsBahn funicular from the fortress, or walk down Festungsgasse or the Nonnbergstiege staircase). Make your way back to Augustiner Bräu through the Old Town toward the church in Mülln. www.augustinerbier.at
Photo: Salzburg Tourismus / Günter Breitegger