Sheraton Salzburg (Lodging)
Address and Website: Auerspergstrasse 4, Salzburg 5020; www.sheratonsalzburg.com/en or you can access the Starwood link here.
Location: The hotel’s location was great. It was just across the river from old Salzburg and directly across from Mirabel Gardens/Palace. Mirabel Gardens is beautiful, and it offers views up to the castle as a backdrop. It was free to enter and a really nice place to walk through while headed to town (also a great location to snap some picture of both the castle and the beautiful rose bushes). One night while here, we went to a violin and piano concert in the Mirabel Palace. The venue was beautiful, and the violin player was amazing. The bridges into the tourist part of Salzburg are very nearby (another great photo shot is over the river from the hotel-side facing the town with the castle above it, especially at night when the castle and town is all lit up–or directly from one of the bridges). If you want to be in the center of the old town action, the hotel isn’t quite there, but it’s within easy walking distance.
Overall: Overall, I found the hotel to be a great choice for exploring the area. I didn't encounter any problems, and I would definitely stay again. It is part of the Starwood Preferred Guest program, so I was able to stay on cash and points. With this, I wasn’t paying much, but the hotel would probably have been worth what the rate at the time was regardless. The staff was pleasant, the room was clean, and the overall hotel common areas were well appointed.
Hotel Staff: I found the staff to be very friendly and helpful. We arrived early in the morning, and while our room wasn’t ready, the staff was night enough to store our bags for us, provide us a map, and head us in the direction that we wanted to go.
Room: Our room was nice, clean, comfortable, a decent size, and we found no issues with it or the hotel.
Augustiner Brewery (Bar)
Address and Website: Lindhofstraße 7, 5020 Salzburg; www.augustinerbier.at
Location: The brewery is located on the old town side of the map near the Müllernsteg Bridge–to the north of town. If you’re walking, look for Augustinergasse on your map–on foot, that is the street address you want (the address above is more for the car park area–they have a very large lot out back). (If you walk up from the direction of the river, it is a bit uphill.) It can be a bit of a hike to walk from the old town depending on where you’re staying, but we enjoyed it. From our hotel (above), it wasn’t too bad. We just walked across the Makartsteg Bridge (good picture of town from here at night), and then down along the water. Immediately after passing the Müllernsteg Bridge, head up the one-block street on your left. Then turn right onto Müllner Hauptstraße, walk up about 2 blocks, and turn left onto Augustinergasse. The brewery and beer garden will be on your right. For local bus options, see the website mentioned above, they give public transportation options and also driving directions.
Overall: Make sure you go out of your way to seek out the Augustiner Brewery while in Salzburg. They have an amazing beer garden (huge), a beer hall, and several food stands. Beer (like in most of Germany and Austria) comes in 2 sizes: a Liter (the norm) and a 1/2 Liter. I would visit again in a heartbeat!
Atmosphere: The atmosphere was the best thing about this place (except for maybe the beer). It had a huge outdoor beer garden of tables set under shady trees. Even in the cool October air, we wanted to sit outside and soak it in. There was also a gigantic indoor beer hall with multiple rooms and food stalls lining the hall. The atmosphere in there was pleasant and worth the visit if the weather isn’t cooperating, but the outside is definitely the highlight.
Bärenwirt (Restaurant)
Address and Website: Müllner Hauptstraße 8, 5020 Salzburg; www.baerenwirt-salzburg.at
Location: The brewery is located on the old town side of the map near the Müllernsteg Bridge–to the north of town. The restaurant was located only 2 blocks from the Augustiner Brewery on the way up from town. We walked there, ate dinner, and then headed up to the brewerey after. It can be a bit of a hike to walk from the old town depending on where you’re staying, but we enjoyed it. From our hotel, we just walked across the Makartsteg Bridge (good picture of town from here at night), and then down along the water. Immediately after passing the Müllernsteg Bridge, head up the one-block street on your left. Then turn right onto Müllner Hauptstraße. The restaurant is a block and a half up on your right.
Overall: We ate here two nights while in Salzburg and really enjoyed it both times. We originally went on the recommendatoin of our hotel concierge and he was spot on. The main entrees we tried were all delicious (traditional Bavarian cuisine for the most part). Also, they had a special while we were there–pumpkin cream soup–and that was excellent. We went back the second night just to be able to have it again. You can view their menu on their website; there are plenty of good options. The service was also very friendly and helpful. There was a slight language barrier, but we were able to easily work through it. Also, the desserts were delicious, save some room.
Atmosphere: The restaurant had a great little Bavarian atmosphere. It wasn’t very large, though, so I would go on the earlier side; they were full by the time we left both nights with a wait starting. They had the traditional light wooden wrap-around booths you see throughout Austria and Germany and had an airy, light feel. The only thing I would warn Americans about (in Germany and Austria in general) is that if you sit in a booth and there is still room, don’t be surprised if someone else is sat with you at your table. Available seats at a table are the same thing as an available table. Here, the second night the restaurant was full, and they asked us if they could seat a party of 2 with us (my husband and I)–many times, places don’t even ask–and we said of course. They ended up being 2 friendly gentlement (locals) that spoke a little bit of English, and we got to have a few minutes of pleasant conversation with someone from the area.
Chamber Music Concert at Mirabel Palace (Entertainment)
Address and Website: Mirabel Palace, Mirabellplatz 4, 5020 Salzburg; www.classictic.com/en/Special/Mirabell_Palace
Venue: The performance was in the Marble Hall of Mirabel Palace. It’s a great location (and was very convenient to our hotel). Good accoustics, a small enough venue to be intimate (no bad seats), and it’s the only way you can get to see the interior of the palace.
Performance: The performance consisted of a violin and piano duo playing pieces by Motzart. I’m not huge on classical music concerts, and I still really enjoyed it. The violinist was phenomenal. We had great seats (ended up right in the front row), but there were no bad seats in the whole venue. My husband seemed to enjoy it even more than I did. It was a great way to spend an evening while in Salzburg, and I definitely recommend it. There are often different performance options depending upon when you will be in town. Check the website above.
