The hills are alive

The romantic Austrian city of Salzburg is perfect for musically inclined travellers.

I was interested in the classical music of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, who is Salzburg's favourite son, born there in 1756.

My family was more fascinated by The Sound Of Music, the film made here in 1965. A compromise was reached: I would hear a concert featuring Mozart's music and we would all go on the popular Sound Of Music tour.

Salzburg, Austria's fourth largest city and the capital of the Salzburgerland state, has one of the world's bestpreserved city centres. Wander through what is known as the Altstadt (Old Town) to discover history around every corner.

Tourists flock to Salzburg in winter to admire its snow-dusted landscape and to ski in the surrounding mountains.

I found that joining a Sound Of Music tour was also one of the best ways to explore Salzburg's mountains and lakes as we visited several key sights including picturesque Mondsee.

Box office tour

After settling onto the coach to the strains of music from the film, our affable guide Peter soon grabbed our attention with a barrage of information about the famous film and love story. Firstly, I was surprised to learn that the Austrians have no interest in The Sound Of Music apart from grossing excellent profits by showing visitors locations where the film was made.

The film about the flight of the musically inclined Von Trapp Family from Nazi-annexed Austria is something most Austrians would prefer to forget.

Interestingly enough, the half-day tour is the most popular tour with foreign visitors. Several city and surrounding locations were used as film backdrops.

While we drove past some, others include extended stops and inspections. While the film's director took some cinematic licence, many places visited are authentic and based on Maria Von Trapp's autobiography, The Story Of The Trapp Family Singers.

We passed the Hohensalzburg Fortress, standing guard high over Salzburg, and were reminded by our guide to visit here for its panoramic vistas. Our first stop was Schloss Hellbrunn, once the summer palace of the Salzburg Archbishops and which features majestic fountains and gardens.

The gazebo, where the song 16 Going On 17 from the film was performed in the gardens, was not the original gazebo, nor was this its original film location.

But this was of little concern to most who simply wanted to be photographed in front of it.

The highlight for me was the small lakeside town of Mondsee where the stars of the film were married. The village's twin-spired church is as delicate in design as a wedding cake and its town centre is lined with restaurants and cafés that do a roaring trade from the influx of film devotees. As most ooh-ed and ah-ed at the church's intricate interior, I walked for 45 minutes to photograph the old town and the lake's foreshore.

Our tour started and ended at Schloss Mirabell, near the Salzach River. Upon alighting from the coach, we explored its beautiful gardens, marble staircases and a magnificent wedding hall where we recalled the song Do-Re-Mi from the film.

While the family went looking for film souvenirs, I enjoyed Mozart over dinner at the St Peter Stiftskeller.

Austrian fare

One of the bonuses of travelling to Salzburg is Austrian cuisine, its beer and superb wines. I enjoyed Wiener schnitzel and at the Sacher Salzburg (sister to the Vienna hotel), the famous Sacher torte (chocolate cake). Fideler Affe, a rustic Austrian tavern in the old town, serves local Josef Siegl beer and the famous Austrian boiled beef dish of tafelspitz.

Hangar-7 is a vast glass and metal dome housing the Flying Bull museum collection of racing cars and planes. It is also home to Ikarus, where global celebrity chefs cook for one month at a time.

Mayday Bar here offers its famous Brain Food Menu and designer beverages.

Guidelines

There are no direct flights from Singapore to Vienna and one of the most convenient connections is on KLM (www.klm.com) via Amsterdam. Flights depart Singapore just after midnight and arrive at Amsterdam in the morning with connections to Vienna.

Catch the convenient CAT train from Vienna Airport to downtown Vienna, take the U3 underground train to access Vienna's Westbahnhof Station and then travel 2.2 hours to Salzburg by fast train. Most of Salzburg's attractions are in the historic centre with walking the best way to explore. Wear layers of clothing as it's usually snowing and near freezing in winter.

Buy a Salzburg Card from hotels for free public transport and free entry or discounts to many attractions ($40/24 hours, $50/48 hours, $60/72 hours or $185 for two nights accommodation, breakfast and a 48-hour card). Among other attractions, the card allows free access to the zoo, museums, Stiegl Brewery, a river cruise and Untersberg cable car.

Motel One Salzburg-Mirabell (www.motel-one.com) 600m from the train station is part of a chain that offers modern rooms with good and essential facilities like free wi-fi, cable TV, ensuite, comfortable beds and Salzach River views.

Salzburg shines best in summer but in winter, its famous coffee shops and bars are worth investigating.

Getreidegasse is a narrow historic street full of shops identified by ancient signs hanging over the entrance. Shop for Mozartkugein chocolates inspired by the classic composer, Mozart. Austrian wines such as Grüner Veltliner, Blaufränkisch and Zweigelt are one of the wine world's best kept secrets.

Join the Sound Of Music four-hour tour (daily departures at 9.30am and 2pm) with Panorama Tours (www.panoramatours.at). Log on to Salzburg Tourism (www.salzburg.info).

This article was published on April 29 in The Straits Times.

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