‘Salzburg Interlude’

Salzburg’s historic city center became a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site in 1996, and a visit to the delightful Old Town will convince you it truly is a special place.

Mozart’s birthplace and residence, at Getreidegasse 9, is surprisingly spacious and displays violins of his, harpsichords and family portraits. It sets the stage for you to enjoy the street musicians, singers and concerts throughout the city.

My husband, Bernard, and I took the three-night tour “Salzburg Interlude,” offered by Voyages Jules Verne (21 Dorset Sq., London NW1 6QE, U.K.; phone, in UK, 0845 166 7003 or, international, +44 20 7616 1000), April 9-12, 2010. We thoroughly explored the Old Town and adjacent areas that make the city so unique.

Since we arranged our own flights, VJV deducted £150 from the total, so our price for two was £918 (about $1,414), which included three hotel nights, breakfasts, a guided walking tour of Salzburg, a tour to “Sound of Music” movie locations in the city and the lake district, a dinner-theater evening and a 48-hour Salzburg Card for entry to museums and unlimited use of public transport.

The hotel Radisson Blu Altstadt was an excellent choice. One entrance opens into Old Town and the other opens to the river. We stayed a fourth night at the Radisson on our own, paying $147.

Across the river is the Mirabell Palace, where, for an extra £35 ($55) each, we enjoyed a superb group of musicians at one of the performances of the Salzburg Chamber Concert series.

The most special treat was the evening at the Stiftskeller St. Peter restaurant, just off the main square. It has been in business since AD 803, and you don’t need much imagination there to be transported back to the 18th century, as artists and musicians in period costume sing and perform selections from Mozart’s repertoire, including “Don Giovanni,” “The Magic Flute” and “A Little Night Music.”

This is all done in a splendid Baroque banquet room replete with candlelight and crystal chandeliers. What a magical evening to remember! So enchanting, I almost forgot to mention that we had a four-course dinner and it, too, was excellent!

ARLENE GOODHEAD
La Jolla, CA