I am going to Vienna end of July for a week. I am planning to book myself on a day escorted tour to Salzburg. Now that I found out that there will be Salzburg Festival at that time, I am not sure which should I do:
1. continue with the day tour, but buy a ticket to see one of the night show and stay the night in Salzburg. OR
2. continue with the day tour. Return another day to Salzburg and go for the Mozart Matinee show.
Any advice?
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You might want to look into the websites for the Mirabelle Palace and the Fortress (Hoensalzburg, probably off on the spelling) they have the best shows in my opinion. If it is something you like then go for it, you will not regret it. My wife and I traveled to Salzburg many times during the festival. They have outdoor shows in the day if the weather permits and St. Peter%26#39;s plays a wonderful free concert at 12:35pm exactly every day. It consists of a choir, pipes, strings wind and percussion instruments, it is quite a performance, especially for free and many people don%26#39;t know about it. I thought the Fortress gave the best show, since they start at sunset and you see the city and mountains in the background while watching your show. The show ends around 10, so it is even possible to get a late train back to Vienna if you don%26#39;t want to spend money on a hotel. Be prepared for the festival crowds.
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Before making any decision I think you should have a look to the Festsiele website.
www.salzburgerfestspiele.at
This is a great time from July 25 to August 30.
The sites recommended above Mirabell Palace and Hohensalzburg are not part of the specific festival. They offer tourist oriented music for most parts of the year not just during the fest.
You may find some concerts, operas part of the Fest could already be sold out as they are very popular.
At least by having a look at the schedule you will find what is available during your time of visit and whether it appeals to you.
Then decide on a way to best visit.
Salzburg is very easy to tour on your own without resorting to a tour.Frequent trains each hour day and long into the night allows you much ability to decide yourself what you wish to see, not just by the tour.
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Beppo gives good advice - the concerts at the Fortress etc are quite expensive and for that money, you may as well hear something special at the Festival.
Another alternative is a concert in the Salzburg Cathedral. These are modestly priced (about 25 eur for a ticket) but the music is wonderful, especially performed in such a magnificent setting. This summer the Cathedral choir are performing Mozart%26#39;s Kronungsmesse and also the Requiem mass on dates in July and August. I%26#39;ve been to their performance of the Requiem mass twice, and it is very good indeed (much better than the performance of the same piece given in the Salzburg University church by another, much smaller choir). You can read more about it on the Salzburg Cathedral%26#39;s music pages, here:
http://www.kirchen.net/domkonzerte/
Tickets can be bought when you get to Salzburg (as I recall, there%26#39;s a little booth selling tickets near the steps outside the cathedral).
If you%26#39;re looking for a cheap hotel to stay overnight in Salzburg, there%26#39;s a moderately priced pension only a block or so from the cathedral - the Pension Chiemsee. It%26#39;s kind of basic but the rooms are clean and have good bathrooms. There%26#39;s no lift but if you%26#39;re travelling light, carrying bags up to the third floor won%26#39;t be a problem! This is their website: http://www.sbg.at/hotel-chiemsee/
From the pictures, looks like they%26#39;ve redecorated since I was there - but the prices are still quite good for the super-central location. The Hotel Weisse Taube is an another alternative for moderately priced but decent accommodation right in the centre - see www.weissetaube.at I prefer the WT because it%26#39;s a little quieter - but in Festival time Salzburg is pretty noisy at night, where-ever you stay!
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I spent 38 USD for the tickets to the fortress and 25 USD for the palace
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sorry got cut off, I bought my tickets in the tourist information office across from the Mozart statue, next to the Amex office.
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Thank you so much guys for the info. I am going to be on my own, so I thought booking myself on a tour would be safer. But with the festival, I feel that I should take a bit risk so that I could get the best of Salzburg.
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Lady Goofy
You make a good decision in my opinion.
When you have an opportunbity to seeand hear the offerings of the festival in the surroundings of this city - take full advantage.
You can do this on your own and customize your time to full advantage.
Regarding tickets, with the Vienna and Berlin Philharmonic among others, opera and drama do these and not the palace or fortress venues mentioned above. Yes, you can find tickets at the tourist office or elsewnere but these are mediocre performances compared to the offerings of the festival.
The Tourist office or Festspiele website can assist with accomodations . Just a little outside of the old city and prices drop a little.
But make arrangementsd quickly . These days are very popular. Many locals from Austria and nearby germany just go fot the day and evening performances .
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