Fast greens are a feature of the golf course’s parkland setting
The noted 19th-century German adventurer and geographer Alexander van Humboldt visited Salzburg in Austria and commented, “This is one of the most beautiful regions on earth.” Others have also remarked that Salzburg is one of Europe’s most romantic cities. The city offers visitors a harmonious relationship between history, development and superb alpine beauty.
Salzburg is also famous for its composers who wrote some of the world’s best-loved classical music while living and working in the city. It is the birthplace of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and hundreds of concerts and musical events featuring the great works of Mozart – as well as those of Johann Strauss and Franz Schubert – are staged regularly throughout the city. Those who love the music of the classic Hollywood movie The Sound of Music will also be inspired to visit Salzburg, as it was here that many scenes in the movie were filmed in 1965.
The first hole at Salzburg Klessheim Golf & Country Club plays towards a stately building
PARKLAND GOLF
Salzburg’s beauty and charm extend beyond its historic heart into the suburbs, where the delightful ninehole Schloss Klessheim Golf and Country Club is located immediately adjacent to the Salzburg Casino.
Like many other golf courses in Austria, Schloss Klessheim is just a nine-hole layout due mostly to the limited space and demands on inner city land. The course, surrounded by lush, mature woodlands of oak and maple trees, incorporates challenging sand traps and its two ponds provide a picturesque parkland setting. The course has been remodelled over the years, with one completed in 2000 that saw the realigning of a few fairways and reworking of the greens to make them more challenging to play. Robert Trent Jones Junior has also played a hand in tweaking the course to bring it into peak playing condition. These skilful tunings worked their magic, as the course has been voted the best-designed, nine-hole course in Austria.
Hallstatt Salzkammergut
The course is nearly 70 years old and the sixth-oldest in Austria. It is a private course with some 500 members, but accredited members of other courses are always welcome to play a round here, and fees enable golfers to play as much as they can in one day. Sets of clubs can also be hired as can carts, but with the pleasant temperate weather and flat terrain, Schloss Klessheim is a great course to walk and to exercise.
The clubhouse has a very warm and welcoming ambience, and one gets the impression that the members appreciate the intimate nature of a small membership. During the season, the clubhouse remains open while there are members present, and the restaurant serves an excellent selection of Austrian and Mediterranean dishes that are complemented by some superb Austrian wines. However, activity becomes a little dormant in the winter months from December to March when snow prevents golfers from playing.
The neighbouring state of Salzkammergut has some ten golf courses, all within close proximity to Salzburg. The lakes district of Salzkammergut features beautiful alpine landscapes, such as the much-photographed lakeside village of Hallstatt. All provide a very pleasant distraction for golfers. Golfers can also brush up on their technique using computer and video technology at the Franz Laimer Training Centre in nearby Bad Ischl.
ALIVE WITH MUSIC
The festive air of Renaissance and Baroque music resonates throughout Salzburg during concerts staged in the elegant rooms within the Hellbrunn and Mirabell Palaces and Hohensalzburg Fortress, which were once the exclusive domain of the city’s nobility.
The hills around Salzburg also ‘come alive with the sound of music,’ as specialist travel operators conduct tours that take in many of the locations featured in the famed film. This is also a good way to discover Salzburg and some of its neighbouring towns. Ironically, Austrians have little interest in the movie, as it reminds them of World War II, an era most prefer to forget about.
Visitors can join a ‘Sound of Music’ tour to see the church in Mondsee that featured in the movie
The real Von Trapp family, who featured in the movie, lived near Salzburg, and during the various movie tours, the attractions of the Mirabell Gardens, Nonnberg Nunnery, Schloss Leopoldskron, and the town of Mondsee are visited on half-day tours that appeal to a great many foreign visitors.
Shoppers will take great delight in strolling along the pedestrianonly Getreidestrasse, which weaves its way through the Old Town or Altstadt. Now recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the old shops here have ancient metal name signs hanging above their various businesses.
Christkindl Markt (Christmas Market) Salzburg
CAFÉ SOCIETY
Austrian cuisine and its evergrowing wine industry provide even more reason to stay in Salzburg for a few extra nights. While the Hotel Sacher Salzburg may not be as famous as its sister property in Vienna, its Sacher torte and café melange are not to be missed. In the Altstadt, the first choice for many seeking cake and coffee is Café Konditorei Fürst in the Alten Markt, but also in four other locations. Fürst is also the home of the famous marzipan and pistachio dark chocolate called Mozartkugel that makes a great gift to take back home.
Another attraction that’s perfect for exploring on a cold winter day is the Red Bull Hangar-7, adjacent to Salzburg’s W.A. Mozart Airport. This fascinating complex combines art, food and aviation with a collection of Flying Bulls aircraft, Formula 1 racing cars, art displays and innovative dining. Carpe Diem Lounge Café, Mayday Bar, and Threesixty Bar make this an exhilarating venue to visit.
Sacher Torte
However, it is the main restaurant called Ikarus that captures all the headlines as it features a leading global chef every month. In the coming months, patrons can dine on the finest offerings from Viki Geunes, Zilte Restaurant, Antwerp (April), Wolfgang Puck, West Hollywood (May), Javier Olleros, Culler de Pau, Pontevedra, Spain (June), and Gareth Ward, Ynyshir, Porth, United Kingdom (July).
For those who enjoy drinking what the locals drink, Stiegl Bier is the local favourite, while Hallstatt Bier is the craft beer of choice in the romantic lakeside village of Hallstatt.
Depending on the season, Salzburg is a very different city. While visitors in the summer can take advantage of the opportunity to play golf, winter is arguably the most charming time to visit. Snow, log fires, hearty food, superb Austrian wines, and the possibility of visiting atmospheric Advent markets in December before Christmas make this a special time to visit Salzburg. Despite the snow, Advent markets (or Christkindlmarkt) are popular with families who keep warm over a mug of gluhwein for the adults and punsch for the children
TRAVEL FILE
Getting There
Austrian Airlines (austrian.com)
has daily flights from Bangkok to Vienna with seamless connections on its partner airline from Kuala Lumpur to Bangkok. It is just over a 17-hour journey with a 9am departure from Kuala Lumpur, a threehour transit in Bangkok, and then a 7.30pm arrival in Vienna. While there are connecting flights to Salzburg, a stopover in the capital, Vienna, is highly recommended. Salzburg is also accessible by regular and comfortable trains from Vienna, with the journey taking 2.5 hours.
Where to Stay
The ARCOTEL Castellani Salzburg (castellani.arcotel. com) is within walking distance (1 km) of Salzburg’s historic Altstadt and is an excellent four-star property. It features an original section that has been extensively renovated with contemporary interiors, and a totally new section. Between both is a 400-yearold linden tree, and the former stables have been converted into a luxurious suite and a chapel.
Contacts
Austrian National Tourism (www.austria.info), Franz Laimer Golf Training Centre (www.franzlaimer. com), Salzburg Sightseeing Tours (www.salzburgsightseeingtours.at), Salzburg Tourism (www.salzburg.info), Salzkammergut Tourism (www. salzkammergut.at), and Schloss Klessheim Golf and Country Club (www.golfclub-klessheim. com)
