Capital of the Alps

Photo: Panoramic view of colorful houses by the river Inn.

This was the city I chose for my Erasmus program whilst I was studying at the university. And I can't be happier with that decision! Innsbruck has everything: a nice old town, parks, cinemas, parks, pubs, restaurants, historical buildings, museums... And all reachable by foot. A valley city, surrounded by three Alpine mountain chains, crossed by a river and full of history. During winter the slopes are only a stone's throw away from the city, meanwhile dozen of walking and hiking trails can be found everywhere in summertime.

The most famous street is maybe Maria-Theresien-Strasse in the heart of the old town. It is a peatonal avenue full of cozy spots but also two big shopping malls - the Rathaus Gallerien, located in the same building as the city hall, and Kaufhaus Tyrol. I was quite impressed by having two malls facing each other. 

I lived in Innsbruck for half a year so I had a bunch of free time to explore new spots - specially on my way home after school. I always took different ways to go to my place and that's how I discovered the following. One of my favorite places is located nearby both malls, the Irish pub "Limerick Bill's". Not to mention Segabar, an small but cheap place to have lots of fun! Another nice place nearby is Theresienbräu, a restaurant-brewery with amazing typical food. But our place-to-eat on great occasions always was Stiftskeller with its large terrace and its Tyrolean meals. For cheese lovers, my favorite one is Käsespätzle - a sort of pasta mixed with grated cheese and ham. Lecker!

Mozart's birthplace

Welcome to Salzburg, one of the most beautiful cities I've ever been too and a lot of people must think so when its old town was declared UNESCO's World Heritage Site in 1997. And I must say it, worldwide-known thanks to its favorite son: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. 

If I may share an advice, take your time to explore the city's surroundings. Salzburg is encircled by two hills - one of them is where the fortress Hohensalzburg rises up and the other is Kapuzinerberg with its cloister on the hillside, where I took the picture below. 

Photo: Another view over Salzburg and, as background, the region of Bavaria in Germany. 

Small narrow alleys, cozy boutiques, hidden cemeteries... Salzburg's old town has some not-so-known spots worth to discover. I actually had the priviledge to explore the city with a local who showed me all those cute places that I probably wouldn't have discovered by myself.

First of all we stopped at Alter Markt, a square with some curiosities: the oldest farmacy in Salzburg still standing (since 1591), the café where the original Mozartkugeln were invented in 1884 and the smallest house in Austria with only 1.42m wide. Judengasse starts at the northern point of the square to the right, a small and narrow street full of charming places. I remember one in particular - a shop named "Christmas in Salzburg" in which they sell thousands of hand-painted eggs. I also remember that feeling of getting into the shop like: "such an amazing artwork, don't dare to break one single egg please!". And last but not least, located at the other side of the river, Sebastianskirche's graveyard is one of those hidden places I was talking about. It is quite difficult to see since the graveyard is surrounded by other buildings and there's only a tiny alley to go through. Some of Mozart's family members are buried here, like for example his widow Constantia von Nissen. 

Photo: Hand-painted eggs @ Christmas in Salzburg.