Salzburg – Fortress Dinner and Concert
One of the first things you will learn about Salzburg is that it was the home of Amadeus Mozart. You will see everything from Mozart chocolates, music notes on scarves, and an ever-present crowd outside the place he was born. It is Mozart-mania and the best way to embrace this history is to attend one of the many concerts throughout the city. We chose the combination Fortress dinner and concert through Salzburg Highlights as it combined our desire to see the fortress, eat dinner, and go to an ensemble concert for a grand total of 58 €. Spoiler alert, we absolutely loved it.
Riding the Funicular
Luckily we had done the Rick Steves City Walk earlier in the day and had a good grasp of where everything was in the city because we arrived to the parking lot a little late. We parked at the Contipark Tiefgarage Altstadtgarage inside the hill of the fortress. When you exit you will be at Tosaninihof and will need to walk about 5-10 minutes to find the funicular. We went straight to the fortress, where you can decide to climb the hill or ride the funicular to the top. Our ticket included a funicular ride, so I wore a tea-length skirt and bow slides. The guy issuing funicular tickets grumbled something about dinner not being available, but let us go ahead anyways. Foreshadowing.
There are screens showing how many people can fit in the funicular, but each of the three cars were already quite full. My American sense of personal space became very apparent in this Austrian funicular. After a few moments, the doors closed and WOOOSH! We were off with a blast. It was surprising how fast the funicular sped up the hill. I was expecting a slow climb, but that was not the case – what fun! The entire trip lasted a total of 1 minute. Not even long enough to get a camera rolling!
At a Glance:
- Rating: 4 (out of 4) stars – would do it again in a heartbeat!
- Intensity: Cute outfit with heeled sandals
- Location: Salzburg, Austria
- Cost: 58 €/per person for category 2
- Restrooms: In the restaurant and also in the fortress
- Timing: 4 hours
Highlights:
- Funicular is included in the price
- Delicious multi-course dinner with a great view
- Concert with intimate crowd in ancient setting
- Views of the city at sunset
Fortress Dinner
The sun was about to set when we got off the speedy funicular. The view of Salzburg from the fortress is spectacular and was only enhanced at this time of day. The sun glinted off the cathedral’s domes and lit up the Salzach river. We didn’t linger too long as we needed to get to our 6:00 pm dinner.
When we arrived at an outdoor bar and showed a gentleman our tickets, he responded that he’s been talking about us all day and was glad to finally have found us. My mom and I stared at him wide eyed before glancing at each other. He quickly explained that due to a large event they were not serving dinner as part of the dinner and concert combo. It was a mistake that a new employee had let slip through, but they had already found a solution. They decided to turn one of the outdoor bar area tables into our dining table and serve us there.
Since we didn’t know what the original plan was going to be, so we excitedly took a seat at a table with an incredible view. Our waitress was incredibly apologetic about the situation, offered even more options for the dessert, and brought us complimentary schnaps after our meal. The breads, soup, and main course were all delicious. We soaked in the incredible view as the sun dipped below the horizon. I don’t think we would have had as good of seats inside the restaurant. The only thing our ticket didn’t pay for was our two glasses of prosecco.
Fortress Concert
We were on cloud nine when we made our way up a series of staircases to the concert room. The usher paused and said “impossible” under his breath before asking us about dinner. We regaled him about the impromptu dinner and he smiled and asked if we would like to sit in the front row. But, of course!
There were about 7 rows with about 15 seats in each row, which made for an intimate concert. The room was generally empty with four enormous columns, small windows looking out on the city, and lamps around a small stage, with seats for five musicians and a piano. Not long after we took our seats did the 8:00 pm concert start.
The concert was lovely with five string ensemble (two violin, viola, cello, and double bass) with the pianist joining for a few songs at the 20 minute mark and an intermission about 30 minutes after that. Following the intermission, the musicians played a song without their bows which felt very light and silly. They were smiling and having fun. The double bass player seemed to be single in his amount of eye contact during each break. And, of course, they played Mozart’s most recognizable (to me) composition: Eine Kleine Nachtmusik. I’m sure you would recognize it too!
Overall Thoughts: Fortress Dinner and Concert
Is there a more pleasant way to experience Salzburg than to enjoy dinner with a view followed by a classical concert of talented musicians?! I am glad for the accidental dinner double booking mistake so we could enjoy our meal al fresco. If we were in Salzburg a tad longer, I would have like to do the dinner and concert pairing at Schloss Mirabell, as a comparison. I have a feeling that the concert hall/room at Mirabell may be more luxurious, but dinner would not have the spectacular view.
In terms of the price, the funicular alone is 8.60 € for ascent and descent and the concert alone cost around 38 €, so altogether, this package is an excellent deal that includes a multi-course meal with vegetarian options (vegan would likely need to make arrangements ahead of time).
Where have you enjoyed a classical intimate concert? This concert made me feel fancy, cultured, and I cannot wait to do it again. Let me know in the comments below where you recommend!
Happy Travels,
Hanna
