SALZBURG needs little introduction when it comes to its classical heritage, musical and architectural. The city’s prince-archbishops who cultivated Salzburg-born Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart were also responsible for the churches, palaces and squares that make it such a beguiling setting for musical events.
The complement to this cultural richness are the luxury landscapes of the Schladming-Dachstein area which, when the snow melts away, can be enjoyed on foot and in scenic alpine huts – Austria’s equivalent to Parisian pavement cafes – with magnificent backdrops of peaks and mountain lakes.
Pristine and picturesque Austrian countryside
Before heading off for a country walk, Paradoxon is a Salzburg restaurant away from the postcard-pretty town centre, in a neighbourhood that has its own quiet charms. The wine list at Paradoxon takes the form of bottles on open shelves with descriptive tags for diners’ perusal and outside, sharing a small space with a ginko tree in a pot, food is served at half a dozen tables.
Shrimps fried in their shells, accompanied by mango, passion fruit and sour cream, are typical of the menu’s imaginative dishes and many have Asian touches. For the quintessentially Austrian dish, Weiner schnitzel, it is hard to beat Meissl & Schadn in the centre of town where, prepared in the same way, there is a tasty celeriac schnitzel for non-meat eaters.
Cute and quaint Salzburg
The finest restaurant in Salzburg is the two-Michelin-star Ikarus, especially for its special monthly menus created by an invited international superstar chef; think Mingoo Kang (Seoul), Søren Selin (Copenhagen) and Curtis Duffy (Chicago).
Situated adjacent to the airport and on the first floor of Hangar 7, the setting is an odd one. The building’s interior space, largely devoted to racing cars and with an aircraft hanging from its ceiling, comes across as a vanity project but in Ikarus attention will be firmly focused on the haute cuisine. Hangar 7 also has the Mayday Bar with some gorgeous cocktails but fairly bland food.
Fortress Hohensalzburg and the Old Town of Salzburg
Walking and skiing is the raison d’etre of Schladming, a town less than 90km southwest of Salzburg, and Falkensteiner Hotel is geared up for this without underestimating the need for creature comforts. From the large glass-fronted atrium you head off to smartly presented bedrooms, a restaurant, bar and, for rejuvenation, the Acqupura spa with treatments and indoor and outdoor pools.
Silberkarhütte, a mountain hut at 1,250m
A 10-minute taxi ride from the hotel will drop you at the start point for the Silberkarklamm trail, a pleasing introduction to walking in Austria. An easy ascent via wooden steps leads to a steep-sided hollow, a cirque, and from there a gentle, stony path leads up to Silberkarhütte, a picturesque mountain hut at 1,250m.
In the shadow of a solitary ash tree, plum cake with cream or light meals are the reward while deciding whether to continue along the route signposted to the left, leading through a mountain forest with monkshood and other flowers at your feet. This leads back to the start point or, for a quicker route, a descent retracing your earlier steps.
Rewarding yourself at a mountain hut after walking to a high point
For a longer but not demanding walk, the trail to Gollinghütte ascends to 1,642 m and the bus ride from Schladming to the start point is a grand journey through thrilling Alpine landscapes. The walk follows the Steinriesental valley, with tree cover gradually diminishing as you walk up alongside a waterfall to Gollinghütte for refreshments and a rest.
Back in the Falkensteiner hotel, a visit to the sauna beckons, followed by dinner and a glass of wine from Austria’s own grape variety, Grüner Veltliner. The wine’s floral aroma of ferns and pears chimes appealingly with the fresh and healthy appeal of days out in Austria’s countryside.
Salzburg’s baroque Mirabell Gardens
The region is called Schladming-Dachstein because of the Dachstein Glacier whose glistening presence towers over the landscape from a height of nearly 3000m. A smooth gondola ride brings you to the top for stupendous views over some of the country’s highest peaks and dizzying glances of the ground beneath the suspension bridge and the ‘stairway to nothingness’.
by Sean Sheehan
For more information, see Schladming-Dachstein and Austria Tourism