One of the most beautiful towns I've ever visited. Halstatt is as picturesque as they come, though…read morethe town itself has very little to offer. The salt cave and the skywalk may be worth it if you have a full day in Halstatt.

This town square is quite small but what it lacks in size it makes up for in history. Dating back…read moreseveral centuries, you'll see that the statue in the center was donated by local salt miners to celebrate the city's past and the plagues that have passed through the community. You'll find two restaurants on the square, a few shops and windows overflowing with flowers. In either direction of the square you'll find the iconic church overlooking the water, ferry entrance, and several more restaurants and shops. Don't leave Halstatt without picking up some natural salt- be it for baths or cooking! Short and sweet review for a small but darling square.

Salzburg is one of the best cities I've visited. It's far more enjoyable than Vienna by comparison…read more This is a smaller, more walkable city with more sights to see and better beer. If visiting Austria, this is the #1 place to put on your list.

High on a Hill there's a lovely Fortress. Funicular up in 30 seconds as opposed to a 35 minute…read morewalk. The view from the Observation Tower is spectacular, an alp or two is always good eye candy. We spend about 2 hours wandering around, through the museum and courtyard. Look through every window you find and you can see why this Fortress was impenetrable. Also have a go with the bells on way out and if you have time come back to the bell area at 11.00am to hear the original mechanism working. A final drink and snack in the restaurant will afford those great views once more. We arrived early with few people around. Yes there are a lot of steps but they are well designed and shallow. The way down from the tower is separate to the way up so you don't get blockages. The rest rooms are fantastic just at the end of the Museum.

We took the funicular up and walked around the different museums in the fortress. The views of the…read morecity and the mountains were beautiful. Some of the major highlights of Fortress Hohensalzburg are the magnificent Princes' Rooms, the Magic Theater on the High Level, the Great Armory in the castle courtyard, the various museums (like the marionette museum, the tower and the historical museum) were all very interesting and detailed. Go up for the breathtaking views over the rooftops of the city. It was really interesting to learn how this fortress had evolved over a period of almost 500 years. If you want to do all, it would take 3-5 hours...it's huge.....

Oldest salt mine in Europe. Make sure you buy tickets for the skywalk and salt mine if you're…read moreinterested in the salt mine. Be aware that it's about 2 hour tour start to finish and 1.2 miles walk in the mine. From the Skywalk, it's at least a 15 minutes walk up hill to the building. Tour runs every 30 minutes. We did not reserve ahead of time and just walked up to the line. There's a clock that tells you when the next tour starts. You go inside to give them your ticket then you're escorted into the locker room where they will give you protective clothing to wear over your own clothing. Then you're in a holding area where they go over the rules. I asked if I was allowed to bring my selfie stick and she said yes even though the safety video showed it as prohibited. Then you walk outside and you're in front of the salt mine. As you enter the cave, you walk in single file line between the tracks. Be aware that you'll be walking a total of 1.243 miles on foot deep deep into the mountain. There are two sets of slides. The first is shorter and practice round. The second one is the longest in Europe. You have the option of using the stairs. Don't forget to smile as there are cameras and it records your speed. Other parts of the tour require you to watch a screen and light show. Instead of walking back 1.2 miles, you sit on a train that will take you back outside the cave. You go back into the locker room to remove the protective clothing and have a chance to purchase your photo. You receive a mini salt bottle as a souvenir.

We just took the trolly up and down but there was still enough at the top to spend an hour there…read more Lots of history about the town and stunning views.

About 1 kilometer outside Traunkirchen there is a small side road right at the far end of the Franz…read moreJoseph Tunnel on the road toward Ebensee and Bad Ischl. This road runs right along the water's edge. It cannot be accessed driving toward Ebensee, so if that is your direction you must make a U turn at a safe place after exiting the tunnel. If you are coming from Ebensee, you enter the road to the right just before the tunnel. As it was explained to me by the town locals: A local artist commissioned by the Kaiser Franz Joseph to cast several bronze lions was eager to present his first one to him. Upon inspection, the Kaiser commented that the lion had no tounge. The artist was mortified and later committed suicide by jumping into the Traunsee (at the spit of land that the the tunnel now bypasses). The Kaiser felt so bad about this that he vowed never again to criticize someone who had prepared something for him. At this spot, the lion without a tounge now stands along with a plaque. The town of Traunkrichen hosts a wonderful little festival on October 26 to commemorate this event. Food, music and boat rides to the point!