The best city hikes and walks in Austria

The Loretokirche is not in the main tourist flow, but is nevertheless worth a visit. The miraculous image of Loreto, popular for centuries and often copied, is cared for here by sisters.

St. Peter's Abbey Church, as the church of St. Peter's Archabbey, once housed the tomb of Saint Rupert. Today it is empty, but preserved. Thus, the church is also a special destination on the St. Rupert Pilgrimage Trail.

Whenever we are in Salzburg and time permits, a stop here is mandatory.

Here you can find delicious strudel in different variations 😋

Sometimes it's not the splendor that makes a place holy, but the shadow in which it lies. This is also the case here, on the edge of the Kapuzinerberg, where the oldest convent north of the Alps retreats from the hustle and bustle of time like an old cat from the noise of the market. The Nonnberg Abbey Church doesn't seem like a place that wants to explain itself. More like one that trusts that you'll return someday – perhaps more quietly, perhaps more awake. The path leads through a winding ensemble of walls, arches, and stone inscriptions. "Pax" is written simply above a window. Peace. No demand, no slogan – just a memory. The gravestones lean against the wall like silent witnesses, entwined with flowers that apparently can't decide between wildness and ornamentation. In between are iron crosses, as artful as a medieval tattoo, and a garden that knows more about life than many libraries. Inside, Gothic austerity reigns – high vaults, a thin light streaming through colored windows like old hymns. A lone person stands in the center of the nave, and it's hard to tell whether he's praying, reflecting, or just remembering. Probably all of the above. And somewhere inside these walls, Benedictine nuns still live. You don't hear them, you don't see them – but something tells you they're there. Perhaps it's the faint clinking of dishes, perhaps a hint of incense in the breeze.

There are places that can't decide whether they want to be a viewpoint, an architectural object, or simply a café. The Unikum Sky is one such place. Up on the roof of the University of Salzburg, where thoughts usually circle, the spoon now circles in the cappuccino. And with it, the view. The path up leads through austere corridors of glass and concrete – nothing announces that the Alps are about to unfold like a postcard. But then the sky opens. Hohensalzburg Fortress stands there like a painted promise, and behind it, the horizon stretches over Untersberg and Gaisberg like a taut linen sheet. On the terrace: deck chairs, coffee shop chairs, conversations in half-sentences, a breeze that seems as if it has descended from the mountain just to linger briefly. Students lean back, people with city maps lean forward, and those who prefer quiet simply lean on the railing. The clientele is mixed – like the menu. Between latte macchiato and lentil salad, there's a quiet respect for the moment. Because up above, between the edge of the roof and the twilight, it's not the smartphone that counts, but the shadow cast by the fortress. Not the selfie, but the fleeting glimpse: The autumn trees below are blazing, the white of the snow-capped peaks gleams, and a final sip of thoughtful reflection steams from the cup. The Unikum Sky is no insider tip. It's a vantage point with an espresso function. A campus café that makes you forget you're on campus. And a place where you can simply sit, watch, and think: This is how you learn. And live.

Salzburg's Makartplatz tells the city's history in a small space. Mozart and Doppler once lived here; today, the State Theater, Mozart's residence, and the Baroque Trinity Church face each other. Named after the painter Hans Makart, the square has been redesigned several times over the centuries and has had various names. Tony Cragg's Caldera sculpture has stood in its center since 2008; its flowing forms provide an exciting contrast to the austere architecture of the square.

directly on the river with views of the historically built banks