Last year, incidentally around this time, we were touring across Germany and Switzerland. We wrapped up our 2-week long holiday in Lake Geneva, one of the largest lakes in Europe.
When we booked our AirBNB accomodation, we didn’t realise that the place we’d booked was actually on the French side of Lake Geneva. And, that’s how we ended up in France for the first time!
We hopped on a train from Grindelwald, where we’d spent 3 incredibly wonderful days hiking the Swiss Alps. We got off the train at Lausanne, one of the biggest cities on Lake Geneva. After a rushed unfinished lunch at a lovely restaurant by the lake, we ran all the way to the port with our bags trailing hard and just about made it in time for our short boat ride to Thonon les Bains.
It was a scenic ride with gorgeous views of Lake Geneva and the little towns on its shore.
It was almost sundown by the time we reached Thonon
Thonon les Bains is just across the lake, on the French side. It is one of the bigger towns on the lake and seems to be fairly popular with tourists looking to spend a relaxed holiday in Lake Geneva or Lac Léman, as known in French.
We stayed in a little French village called Anthy-sur-Léman, about 10 minutes away from Thonon. Anthy is also by the lake and is a quiet place to stay at if you want to get away from the hustle and bustle of the more popular towns on the lake. After a 10-day hop across South Germany and Switzerland, all we wanted to do was kick back and relax and this idyllic little village was perfect. The AirBNB we stayed at was just a few minutes away from the lake and had a lovely vegetable garden and chicken farm that my nephew was completely fascinated with.
Wish we’d taken better pictures of the garden – the veggies and fruits looked great!
We spent the first day just unwinding over a few beers and taking a stroll around the garden. Later that evening, we headed to a lovely restaurant by the lake – Les Pieds Dans L’Eau. It was our first time eating French food and my first time eating fish! We were absolutely delighted with the food at this place.
The next day, we headed back to Thonon for some sight-seeing. Thonon-les-Bains has a stunning port and is a very popular fishing village on Lake Geneva. It also seems to be well-known for water sports and the large number of yachts docked at the harbor surely was proof of the enthusiasm the locals had for sailing.
It was great weather that day and we took a walk along the promenade admiring the gorgeous blue waters of Lake Geneva and the Jura mountain range just across the lake in Switzerland.
The port or Port de Rives as it’s properly known, is lined with a good bunch of restaurants and cafes. It also has a great play area overlooking the lake.
He couldn’t get enough! He loved the play area.
The Thonon city centre sits high above Lake Geneva and we made our way up there on the Funiculaire de Thonon-les-Bains. Dating back to late 19th century, this little funicular is a fun ride offering splendid lake views as you ascend to the Les Belvederes, a large garden area that also acts as a viewing platform for the lake.
The views from up here are incredibly beautiful. And, on a sunny day with blue skies, you’re bound to fall in love with the shimmering blue lake.
Yeah, he was spellbound as well! Just for a few minutes though…He chased me all over the park! Got my much-needed exercise.
It’s always such a fun-filled day with this little guy! We spent the next hour or so lazing on the grass and taking in the views of the spectacular lake.
Although we didn’t do a whole lot in Lake Geneva, we had a wonderful coupla days in the scenic little French villages by the lake. It was the perfect laid-back finish to an amazing holiday!
(P.S.: Watch out for more posts from the holiday!)
Salzburg is a historic little Austrian city where several hundreds of years ago, old bearded monks kicked off a brewing tradition that continues to this day with great pride. It is also a city of young, non-traditional brewers whose bold experimentation strengthens Austria’s reputation as a great beer nation.
Salzburg is filled with delightful breweries that will undoubtedly leave you yearning for more. It is a big enough city to have a horde of options for good food and beer yet it is a city that is unspoiled in so many ways and includes a great number of traditional restaurants and breweries that will serve you some of their best local specialties.
When we are traveling, we always stick to the local food and beer. We find that it’s the best way to dive into the country’s culture – eat and drink like a local!
So, without further ado, here are some of our favorite places to go to in Salzburg for delicious local food and beer. Craft beer lovers – do not despair, there’s plenty of that good, hoppy stuff in Salzburg too.
Augustiner Bräustübl
This monastery turned brewery is a unique experience and a must-visit. It is different than most traditional beer halls in Germany as well.
Brewing in the Augustine abbey in Salzburg is said to have started in the early 17th century. This brewery may actually be connected to the renowned Augustiner brewery in Munich – the story goes that the brewmaster of the Salzburg brewery was trained by the brewmaster of the Munich brewery. Now, whether this story has any merits to it is debatable but one thing that is certain is this brewery in Salzburg is well worth a visit!
In many ways, our experience at the Augustiner Bräustübl was quite unlike our experience at the German beer halls where we just about managed to squeeze a tiny little spot for ourselves in one of the hundreds of tables that are always packed to the brim. Despite having at least 4 large rooms and a biergarten, the Augustiner in Salzburg was incredibly crowded as well but somehow it was easier to grab a spot here. It must have been partly because the food and beer is self-served. They’ve got a bunch of food stalls just outside these halls and you pick up your food and beer, and make your way to the halls. A bit more work but if it saves you a spot to sit then it’s well worth it!
We did the short hike up the hill to get to the monastery. The place looked packed with plenty of cars parked on the outside. We made our way thru the main gate and fumbled around looking for the entrance to the brewery. We came across a little hallway that looked eerily deserted with shut doors.. we tried the nearest one and met this long flight of empty stairs.
We wondered where everybody was. Did we get to the wrong section? It is a fairly big monastery…
But then, there was the unmistakable whiff of schnitzels and the hum of chatter as we made our way to the bottom of the stairs. We walked past delightful-looking food stalls that roused our appetite but we first needed a chug of that frothy goodness.
The beer serving area was packed and there were two counters from which you could buy tokens for your beer. There’s only one beer that’ll be served at any point in time.. Through most of the year, the Märzen bier is on tap and they serve festival specials around Christmas and the Lent period before Easter.
What is especially unique about this brewery is the large washing fountain at the centre where you’ll need to rinse your steins before you go in to get them filled. We barely made it past the thirsty crowds to rinse our steins and get them filled.
The good man filling our steins, fresh from the barrel
We headed towards the halls but they were quite crowded and most of them allow smoking as well (which seemed to be the case in a great number of pubs and restaurants in Salzburg). Although it was a nippy spring evening, we preferred the beer garden and sat at one of the many empty tables enjoying our hoppicilious pints.
The Märzens were good, definitely hoppier than the typical lagers.
Die Weisse
For the weizen loving fans, this place is a little paradise. Plenty of choices with wheat beer and scrumptious local bites, this brewpub makes for a great visit.
The beer looked way too delicious to stop and get a picture before
They have a few variety of weizens apart from the usual helles (light) and dunkel (dark) weizens. We were especially eager to try their weizen bock – a beer style that brings together the beer types we prefer around these neck of the woods. But, unfortunately, this wasn’t available on tap or bottle when we visited. Apart from the wheat beers, Die Weisse also offers a few other beer styles.
The Salzburger is a zwickel, almost like a Kölsch, very easy to drinkThis dark wheat beer brewed with roasted chocolate malts is a specialty and only available at around Easter time. It was definitely their best brew and if you visit around spring, make sure you get a pint of this!
Stern Bräu
On our first night in Salzburg, we visited the Stern Bräu. Ideally located in the centre of the old town, this place has a whole bunch ofdifferently themed restaurants in the same building. From a traditional beer hall to a royal room to a stylish lounge, you can pick whatever suits your fancy. We picked the traditional beer hall of course and absolutely loved the cozy atmosphere. There’s also a variety of cuisines to pick from. We opted for the local food of course and were not disappointed! Incredibly delicious food and there was a good variety of beers on tap as well. We first tried the brewery’s traditional lager – it wasn’t all that distinctive, much like a typical Pils.
They had a few guest brews on tap and this wheat beer from Edelweiss is simply delicious!
Bärenwirt
We visited Bärenwirt on our last day in Salzburg. It’s a lovely place that seems to have retained much of its tradition and decor from the 17th century when it first opened its doors. The food here is great and they primarily serve the Augustiner brews from the Augustiner brewery in Munich. Augustiner is one of Munich’s top breweries – it is the star of the Munich Oktoberfest as well. If you’d like to taste some of their brews while in Austria, you should visit the Bärenwirt.
Augustiner Bräu makes a great weizen
Stiegl
The Stiegl brewery is Salzburg’s in fact all of Austria’s most popular and prestigious brewery. You’ll find their beers in plenty of places in and around Salzburg. We didn’t actually drink the Stiegl beer in Salzburg but had it on tap at a small brewpub on top of the Zwölferhorn, part of the Austrian alps near St. Gilgen and the Wolfgangsee.
Their primary brew is a lager of course and it wasn’t as hoppy as far as typical lagers go but quite refreshing especially after a nice trek in the mountains
Bottle Shop
Now, no visit would be complete without checking out the craft beer scene. And, much to our surprise, we discovered that Austria has a very promising, burgeoning craft beer culture. In Salzburg, we discovered two places that serve craft beer. One is a pub called the Academy which much to our dismay we couldn’t make a trip to. However, we did visit the other place Bottle Shop – this is a beer store / bar where you can not only buy a great variety of local and international craft beer but they also have a little seating area where you can also drink as much as you’d like right there.
The Bottle Shop is a cozy little underground store/pub that has an amazing variety of craft beer. This place is a must-visit if you are a craft beer enthusiast.
Here are some of the Austrian craft beers we tried (left to right) – Pinzgau, Brew Age, Gusswerk, Bierol, Hofbräu Kaltenhausen, Rieder and Bevog.
Of all of them, we liked the Hofbräu Kaltenhausen’s 1475 Pale Ale and the Bevog brews the best. We loved all of the Bevog brews. They are definitely Austria’s top craft brewery with their bold, well crafted beers. And, their can/bottle art is just rad!
Kramah IPA – we liked this Bevog brew the bestTheir Black IPA was pretty good tooTheir Smoked Porter was a great, full-bodied porter
The Bottle Shop was the last place we visited in Salzburg – we always save the best for last! It was the perfect finish to our wonderful beer travels in Salzburg.
Despite being a small city, Salzburg has a great variety of breweries. And, it’s always wonderful to see old, traditional breweries venturing into the craft beer world and Austrian breweries like Stiegl and Hofbräu Kaltenhausen are including a good few craft beer variety to their collection. And, although there are plenty of similarities between Germany and Austria’s brewing culture, there’s a remarkable uniqueness to the Austrian brews that create a lasting impression.
(Of course there’s so much more to Salzburg than just good beer.)
Salzburg is like that often overlooked sibling of an illustrious personality — in its case, the city of Vienna. However, just as the cliché goes, while it is similar to Vienna in some respects, Salzburg has its own unique mix of exquisite art, music, culture and incredible scenery. The city is perhaps most well known for being the birthplace of Mozart and for being the location of the heartwarming movie The Sound of Music, but digging a bit deeper reveals so much more of this enchanting city, nestled in the Alps.
Salzburg was our first and last stop on our spring holiday this year. We used Salzburg as our home base to explore the alpine villages of Germany and Austria. It was centrally located giving us easy accessibility and assured us of lively bars and restaurants that we could unwind at after a long day of sight-seeing.
While we did explore a little bit of Salzburg every evening when we returned, we fully explored the city only on our last day there.
There’s a lot to do in Salzburg – stunning cathedrals, excellent museums, great beerhalls, cool fountains, beautiful parks and the list goes on. Here are some spots we think are definitely worth a visit.
Hohensalzburg Fortress
Even if you are in Salzburg for just the day or a few hours, make time for this. The Hohensalzburg’s not only got some great exhibits on the inside but spectacular views of the city and the surrounding alps on the outside.
The alpine view despite an incredibly cloudy daySee the light snow on the rooftops?
It was mid April and the last snowfall was around early February but this year there was unexpected snow across Germany and Austria for a couple of days in April that took everyone by surprise. It definitely made our plan to see Salzburg that day mighty hard with slushy snow hitting us in bursts thru the day.
A blast of sunshine, just before the snow storm
The Hohensalzburg Fortress is perched on a little hill, just above the old town area.
A view of the Hohensalzburg castle towering high above
The fortress is easily accessible from the city centre via the FestungsBahn funicular (just around the corner from the KapitelPlatz). Once you step outside this little funicular, check out the panoramic terrace for outstanding views of the city and the alps.
There’s a whole bunch of things to do inside this 11th century fortress that includes several wings and courtyards. Some sections are converted into museums filled with interesting exhibits. The Fortress Museum in the Hoher Stock wing is quite fascinating with its large collection of weapons and ceramics. It gives a great background on the history of the fortress and everyday life in the castle.
It also features some painful-looking weapons of tortureIn there, you’ll also find this unique display of armor and weapons held up by strings
The Rainer-Regiment Museum has a somewhat similar theme of exhibits including weapons, uniforms and a historical recount of the key role played by the Rainer Regiment in the First World War. They also have a few nicely done sets and it’s worth a quick stop.
The Marionette Museum is another little section in the fortress that has an intriguing set of puppets on exhibit from its very popular Marionette Theatre. The theatre itself is located in the heart of the city and has a variety of shows every day. We were unable to make any of these shows during our visit but it’s something we have on our list for a future visit. It seems like a fun show for children and adults alike and if you have the time, you should check it out.
As you walk thru the castle bastions, you’ll stumble into some of these (harmless) guys.
The Royal Apartments is another delightful section in the fortress. It features a few different rooms of which the Golden Chamber is most remarkable. Wall to ceiling, this room is exquisitely decorated in lush colors and gothic style. The main showpiece in the chamber is the large Majolica oven that is lavishly decorated with colorful, intricate designs. The Golden Hall, just beside the Golden Chamber, is another grandly decorated room with similar gothic designs. For over 40 years, the hall has hosted some of Salzburg’s best Mozart concerts and it definitely seemed like the best place in the city to enjoy an evening of delightful music coupled with some striking views.
The ornate Golden Chamber
Although it’ll take you a few good hours, the Hohensalzburg Fortress is a sight that shouldn’t be missed. On your way down to the city, you could do a quick stop at the Stiegl Brewery to get a refreshing pint of their lager or some local bites. The city views from their biergarten are quite lovely as well.
Another popular place in Salzburg for great city views is the Winkler Terrace, accessible via the Mönchsberg Lift. We couldn’t fit this into our day but it seems like a place that’s definitely worth the visit from the few pictures we’ve seen – stunning panoramas!
Salzburger Dom
Built in early 17th century, the Salzburg Cathedral is incredibly beautiful. On the outside, it seems somewhat ordinary, but when you step inside, you’re struck by its true splendor.
The central dome of the cathedral is awe-inspiringThe richly decorated ceiling of the central domeThe ceilings throughout the cathedral are done up in admirable baroque art
Altstadt or Old Town area
Salzburg’s old town area is a great place to start your exploration of Salzburg. Most of the popular sights including the fortress and cathedral are centered in the old town or historical district. Just opposite the cathedral is the Residenzplatzwith its splendid horse-fish fountain or Residenzbrunnen.
Sculpted by an Italian guy, this baroque fountain is an interesting piece of art
The Residenz Square also includes a whole bunch of museums including the Dom Quartierand Salzburg Museum which we sadly couldn’t make time for in the one day we had in Salzburg. They looked pretty fascinating from their websites and if you are in Salzburg for more than a day, you should give it a go. Also, note that these museums are interconnected and seem to be covered in one pass.
Just next to the Residenzplatz is the Mozartplatz. Of course, the square is adorned by a statue of Salzburg’s most popular guy.
If you fancy a horse carriage ride thru the old town area, you’ll find these guys hanging around the Mozart Square.
For more of Mozart, head over to Mozart’s Wohnhaus (residence) and Mozart’s Geburtshaus (place of birth). Both these houses have been converted into museums exhibiting paintings, musical instruments, documents and a great number of other collectibles that narrate the life story of the musical genius.
Mozart’s birth place in Getreidegasse
Apart from being well-known for Mozart’s place of birth, the Getreidegasseis also popular for shopping in Salzburg. Even if you ain’t shopping, the street is a delight to walk thru. Every store has a uniquely designed sign above its door. Even McDonald’s is fancy in this street!
One thing you should shop for, in the whereabouts of this area, is the Mozart Kugeln. Launched for the first time in late 19th century, these little chocolate bonbons made of pistacchio, marzipan and nougat, are an Austrian specialty.
Music fills the streets of Salzburg. The old town area is bustling with musicians playing delightful classical numbers. Do take time to stop for a gelato, sit in one of the beautiful old town squares and listen to these guys.
If you’d rather sit indoors and listen to some great jazz music, head over to Jazzit. They have some great musicians entertaining you every day of the week. The place is very popular so get there early and grab a seat by the bar that faces the stage and you’ll be all set for a wonderful evening of incredibly wonderful jazz. This was one of our best nights on our week-long road trip!
Mirabell Palace and Gardens
Schloss Mirabell and Mirabellgarten is less than a kilometre away from the old town and it rose to fame when one of the popular scenes from the ‘Sound of Music’ was filmed here, right on these steps, that is the entrance to the garden.
It is a lovely garden to walk thru especially around spring time with gorgeous tulips and other spring flowers embellishing the vast garden.
This was our favorite section in the Mirabell Gardens
The Dwarf Park is a lot of fun! There are some very cool looking dwarves throughout this little park. Here’s a couple of our favorites.
Take a stroll by the Salzach
Do take some time to walk the banks of the Salzach river that runs thru the city of Salzburg. It is not too far from the old town area and you can get some wonderful views of this charming little city.
Visit one of the many outstanding breweries
Finally, unwind in a cozy little brewpub and indulge in some of Austria’s culinary delights and excellent brews. You are spoilt for choice with their remarkable selection of breweries. Here are some that we tried and liked.
Looking back on our last day in Salzburg, we actually managed to see quite a bit in one day. If you have more time, there’s a lot more you can do in and around the city.
We hope to return to Salzburg someday, to explore more of the unspoiled beauty and culture that fills every little corner of this city.
Take a break from Dublin city and head over to Howth, a picturesque little fishing village in Dublin county offering gorgeous panoramic views of the Irish sea.
Two weeks ago, we visited Howth (pronounced Hoth). It’s just 30 minutes away from the Dublin city centre and makes for a great break from the city. We hopped on a DART and took a short ride along the Irish coastline.
As we stepped out of the station, we saw that the Howth weekend market was on. We wandered in to find something to fill our hungry stomachs.
It was a lovely little market with jewellery, some handcrafted items, freshly baked bread, dried fruits, candy and lots of other delicious little bites. They also offered an interesting variety of cuisines for the ones craving bigger bites. Being a fan of Mexican food, we packed ourselves a Quesadilla and Burrito and headed over to the pier to find a cosy spot to have our lunch by the sea.
Having stuffed ourselves happy, we were ready to start exploring little Howth. We walked around the harbor for a bit. It’s a pretty little harbor with plenty of sailboats docked at the harbor entrance and a few spread around the bay.
It was good weather the day we visited Howth – sunny and dry
Perfect weather for a great cliff walk. The Howth Cliff Path Loop is a 6 to 10 km walk that will take anywhere from 2 to 4 hours depending on which loop you take. There are 4 loops; some are longer and more difficult. We opted for the easier one as it was our first cliff walk in Ireland and we were setting off on our walk in the evening.
Head towards the east side of the promenade for the cliff walk. You’ll see rocky shores just before you begin the steep climb up Balscadden Road.
There’s a bunch of lovely houses along the way, all boasting of stunning seaside views and beautiful courtyards. Wouldn’t mind waking up to this view!
See the guy on the little rock luring in a catch?
Howth seems to be a popular spot for the angling enthusiasts.
The island you see just ahead in the picture above is the Ireland’s Eye and the one further ahead is the Lambay island. Ireland’s Eye is home to a variety of sea birds and in a short 15 minutes, you could be in the bird sanctuary. On the island is also an old Christian monastery. The island is fairly secluded and has a nice little beach from what we hear and it could be a good spot for an afternoon picnic. We were unable to visit Ireland’s Eye this time but plan to make it there on our next Howth visit.
As you approach the end of the short ascent on Balscadden Road, you’ll see a car park and just ahead of that a gravel steep path. This is the starting point to the Cliff Walk. If you are unable to make the cliff walk, you can just park your car here and go on a short 5 min climb up the gravel trail. This will lead you up to the cliff top where you are rewarded with breathtaking views of the Irish sea.
It’s a beautiful trail! The sea is just 50 metres below you and looks utterly fascinating as you walk along the cliff edges.
As you continue your walk, you’ll see plenty of jagged rocks where someone’s jumping off for a swim or fishing for a big catch.
The views are mesmerising and all you’d want to do is stop and stare
The trails weren’t crowded as you can see. We did the walk later in the day and so we escaped most of the tourist crowd and ran into just a few locals. The trail gets narrower in some places but you should have enough room to allow a fellow walker to pass by.
Do take care as you walk though – you are after all walking on the edge and there’s nothing but the deep blue ocean below you. The terrain is a bit rugged but is a well-worn trail popular with locals and tourists alike.
It can get mucky and slippery when it rains so make sure you have the right footwear! And, may not be a wise idea to do the cliff walk on a bad weather day.
The cliff path takes a whole bunch of turns through the 6 kilometre walk and as you move further along the loop, the views change as well.
The Baily Lighthouse on Howth Head comes into view as you near the Howth Summit. The mountains you see in the distance are the Wicklow mountains, known for its stunning scenery and pristine lakes.
You can continue your cliff walk and do the full 10 km by heading towards the lighthouse. We decided to take a turn towards the uphill path that leads to the Summit car park area.
View from the Howth Summit
At the car park, you have the option to continue on the loop and take the path running parallel to the uphill path to return to the Howth station. We decided to take a break and grab a pint at the Summit Inn.
It was well worth the stop as this pint of Guinness is an excellent pint of the delicious dark beauty – it had a great creamy head that stayed all the way thru to its last drop!
We headed back to the Howth Harbor by bus and got off at a stop close to the East pier. We arrived in time to watch the sunset and it was just spectacular with dramatic clouds looming above.
The Howth East Pier walkis wonderful, especially at sundown. The tourist crowd was long gone and except for a few locals walking their dogs, we had the whole pier for ourselves to explore.
Colorful little sailboats dot the bay on one side and the beautiful Irish sea laps on rocky shores on the other.
At the end of the pier, you reach the Howth Harbor Lighthouse. There’s some interesting history behind this fine structure that was also used for defensive purposes.
Further ahead, you’ll find this little beacon tower – it is a great spot to take a break and admire the magnificent Irish sea before heading back.
We stopped for dinner at The Bloody Stream, a lovely pub although the name might indicate otherwise. It’s right at the station so quite convenient to head straight to your train. We finally got our craft beer pint in this little pub and were ecstatic. They serve just the Hope beers (one of Dublin’s good craft breweries) and of course the traditional Irish beers were also on tap.
It was the perfect end to a perfect day. Howth is a little hidden gem in Dublin that is well worth a visit!
ourhoppytravels 