Salzburg travel tips and stories. Vacations ideas, cruises spa and resorts

The House of Nature is always worth a visit! It is one of Austria’s best museums, although not among the best of Europe. If you have spare time in Salzburg, if you are interested in Natural History or if it rains really hard, it is certainly a worthwhile destination. The museum offers fascinating exhibitions about a variety of areas of nature from pre-history (Dinosaur Hall)… …to the present (Spaceflight Hall). Numerous highlights, events, lectures, guides, children programs and excursions await you.

With its exhibition technique and the running of the museum it is one of the leading museums in Europe. Special tours for school’s groups – specialized for age and curriculum are offered. Selection of hobbies & activities category: Life in the sea, reptile zoo, dinosaur collection, astronomical observatory, alps as living area and their development, minerals and geology attractions, science and technology attractions, natural history museum, ice age, local animals, insects, forest…

A famous attraction of the House of Nature is the dinosaur hall. On display are some of the giants of prehistoric times as well as equally fascinating but less well known animals – either as precious fossils, high quality plaster copies or as animated, roaring life-size replicas. They are presented in combination with tasteful large-size mural paintings and three-dimensional illustrations.

More than 80 rooms display exhibits including a reptile collection, an aquarium and an outer-space show. Some of the objects seem a bit old-fashioned in times of multimedia. But this place is really worth a visit, especially with children. If feeling exhausted after your visit you can take a snack in the cafe on top.

Thanks to high technology we can watch our own body from all perspectives and even “enter” its inside without inflicting injury. We can thus go on a journey into ourselves!
The nervous system with its sensory organs and the circulatory system are already available for exploration at a number of hands-on stations. The respiratory system, digestive system and energy budget and well as reproductive biology will follow shortly.

The aquarium is one of the special highlights of the museum. It comprises 42 show-tanks of various sizes, up to a water volume of 60 000 liters. A 10.000 liter tanks with seawater accommodates sharks that are fed every Monday at 10.30 am, just in case you are very much into sharks. There are animals from tropical coral reefs, tropical waters of Africa, South America and Southeast Asia but also from Central Europe. The other section with living rather than stuffed animals is the reptile zoo, with a large collection of snakes, lizards and amphibians.

Come along on a lovely ride to the top of the Untersberg mountain in a spacious cabin of cable car. During your ride, you will have magnificent views of the Rositten Valley and the surrounding mountains. From the cable station atop the mountain, you can hike to the Geiereck (1805 meters), visit the mountain climbers memorial or walk to the Salzburg Hochthron mountain (1856 meters).

From the summit , you’ll be able to see the beautiful Salzburg Lake District, as well as the ice-capped Hohen Tauern mountains. You will also if you are a seasoned mountain hiker, we recommend climbing via the Edersteig and the Toni-Lenz Cabin – and don’t forget to visit to the ice caves along the way! On the way down, hike by way of the village of Marktschellenberg, or via the Schellenberger ridge to the Dopplersteig path and down.

There are many legends associated with the Untersberg mountain. According to one legend, the Emperor Charlesmagne never really died, but instead is sleeping in the Untersberg along with his loyal knights. He will awaken, so the legend goes, when the empire needs him the most and when the ravens no longer fly around the mountain’s top. When this happens, Charlesmagn, the “Father of Europe” and his men will again come to the aid of his people.

It is important to remember that you are in high-alpine country and that you should therefore have proper clothing and shoes.

Salzburg is Austria’s 4th biggest city. Only Vienna, Graz and Linz have more citizens. It is one of the smaller provinces but it is one of the most important for the tourism industry. The old town of Salzburg is an UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site. Hundreds and thousands of visitors from all over the world visit the ”Small Paradise” of Salzburg throughout the year. Salzburg as a holiday destination is equally popular in winter and summer.

Salzburg lies on both banks of the Salzach River, at the point where it is pinched between two mountains, the Kapuzinerberg on one side, the Monchsberg on the other. In broader view are many beautiful Alpine peaks. If you’ve seen the movie The Sound of Music, you may think you know all there is to see in Salzburg. Admittedly, it’s tough not to burst into song when you’re walking along the Salzach River, or climbing up to the Hohensalzburg fortress which looms over the city. But there’s a lot more to this compact, courtly city than Julie Andrews and Mozart’s birthplace… Salzburg’s Altstadt (old town), on the south bank of the river, is a Baroque fiesta of churches, plazas, courtyards and fountains, oozing the waves of charm that you would expect from this Mozart Mecca. Museums, houses, squares, chocolate bars and liqueurs are all part of one giant homage to Wolfgang. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, the city’s most famous son, represents the high point of the classical musical tradition. This tradition is still fostered nowadays – Salzburg Festival, which, since it was founded in 1920, annually attracts thousands of art and culture lovers from all over the world to Salzburg. One of the most important annual attractions is of course the performance on the Cathedral Square of the mystery play “Jedermann” (Everyman) against the overwhelming background of Salzburg Cathedral.The city will be one of the eight host cities in the 2008 European Football Championships.