Salzburg Hangar 7

Come Rain or Shine: Top 3 Places in Salzburg with Kids

No matter the weather visiting Salzburg with kids gives you plenty of options. Considered to be one of Austria’s prettiest cities, it impresses visitors with its remarkable exterior; baroque architecture, an imposing castle guarding the region from a steep rock and the river Salzach diving the city in two. But the rain makes you appreciate the fact that the city, most famous for being Mozart’s birthplace, also has an interesting interior.  It will keep you busy and dry.

salzburg hangar 7On our recent visit, we chose to spend a day in Salzburg, simply because it was raining and we had to skip all of the outdoor things on our agenda. Besides no matter how many times I visit, Salzburg still holds a special allure, because it has it all: the grand buildings, Mozart’s birthplace is located in one, narrow streets opening up to beautiful squares, parks with views of the castle and well, the castle mounted high on top of a hill. Due to the rain pouring, our options this time around were severely limited – to indoor places. But we’ve soon realized there are plenty of things to do in Salzburg with kids, even in the downpour. Come rain of shine these are now our three favorite places to visit in Salzburg with kids (in sunshine you should however add the visit to the castle and a walk through the city).

  • Hangar 7:

Conveniently located next to Salzburg’s airport this place is heaven for all racing car, fast planes and helicopter lovers. While I am not a huge fan, I was still impressed with Sebastian Vettel’s machine. It is owned by Red Bull founder Dietrich Mateschitz and is not a hangar in a traditional sense but a true architectural work of art. Along with housing a collection of 25 historical airplanes, helicopters and Formula One racing cars, it is a place where you get to enjoy the avant-garde architecutre – the building itself is a sight to behold, art exhibited on the surrounding walls and very fine dining. The restaurant Ikarus is renowned for the guest chef concept. Every month a new top chef takes over and takes the guests on a new journey. On our visit there was a line of well to do patrons waiting to be seated at their booked table. So, if you want to include this to your visit, plan well in advance.

Salzburg Hangar 7The perk: both the parking and admission are free of charge and they have a free wi-fi.

More info: http://www.hangar-7.com/.

  •  Natural History Museum – House der Natur

Wow. This is an impressive museum and the website doesn’t do it justice. It is huge, spread over 7,100 m² of floor space and connecting two buildings. It covers subjects ranging from the depths of the universe, secrets of the human body, animals… and is said to be one of the best attended natural history museums in the whole of Europe. It is also a home to the aquarium with more than 40 display pools. It takes a lot of time to get through it, so we didn’t. Our suggestion is to skip a few sights, as we did, so we had more time to spend at the hands-on Science Center, which offers around 80 different opportunities to conduct experiments. And trust me the adults enjoy it as much as the kids. I specifically liked the music room where you get to enjoy Mozart’s music and discover some of it secrets.

Salzburg Haus der NaturTip: If you go as a family, take the advantage of a family ticket. If you are planning to spend more time in Salzburg and see more of it sights – it also makes sense to buy Salzburg card – then the admission to the museum is free.

More info: http://www.hausdernatur.at/.

  • Monastery Mülln Salzburg

Why? Because the monastery has been brewing beer by following a secret recipe since 1621. And if you think that this is no place to take the kids, you’d be mistaken. The monastery with the parking right in front of it, has a beautiful, said to be the biggest beer garden, under the lush shade of old chestnut trees – perfect for running around. If the weather is not really great then there is still an option of sitting in one of the tavern rooms able to sit up to 242 people.

Suggestion: Plan your lunch around the visit. That way you get to taste some delicious local food being sold at the arcade of small shops and market stalls right next to the monastery’s pub. They serve the beer into steins directly from wooden barrels and it’s a unique experience you really shouldn’t miss.

More info: http://www.augustinerbier.at/.

Finally while you can’t get them almost anywhere, don’t leave Salzburg without munching on a Mozart kugeln.

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