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Make Delicious Vacation Memories in Romantic Salzburg, Austria

© Eve Carr

Austria offers travelers a variety of options. For a big European city experience, there's the lively metropolis of Vienna and other cities. In the Austrian countryside, you'll find an assortment of small romantic towns, as well as slopes for skiers of all levels.

In between, you'll find Salzburg. Large enough to be sophisticated, yet still quaint and unpretentious, it offers a romantic, old-world setting where you can create lasting memories. Here you can enjoy a jazz festival, as well as time-travel through magnificent buildings to an era when mighty prince archbishops ruled the land. Because of the strong Italian influence of its buildings, Old Salzburg is often referred to as the "Rome of the North," and is on UNESCO's coveted list of the world's cultural and natural heritage sites.

Attractions

One of Salzburg's most dramatic attractions, Hohensalzburg Fortress, is Europe's biggest and best preserved Middle Age fortification. In addition to housing a museum, it features romantic candlelight dinner concerts and offers a spectacular view of the city below. Walk up to the fortress or take the funicular from the Kapitelplatz.

Visitors always marvel at the opulence of the dramatic Mirabell Palace and Gardens that Prince-Archbishop Wolf-Dietrich von Raitenau had built for his mistress. And, by visiting Mozart's birthplace, as well as his residence, you can gain a unique insight into the composer's background -- and indulge yourselves with quality musical souvenirs, including the famous Mozart chocolates.

The City of Festivals

Holding some 4,000 internationally famous cultural events throughout the year, Salzburg is "the stage of the world®." At the world-famous Salzburger Marionetten Theater, http://www.marionettentheater.at , you can watch marionettes come to life in masterpieces such as Mozart's Magic Flute. It's a great place if you're traveling with grandkids as well!

Excursions to nearby attractions also allow you to: visit various sites from the filming of The Sound of Music, enjoy the Open-Air Museum in Grossgmain, with historic farmhouses; and see how beer is made at Stiegl's Brauwelt. With many gardens, parks and paths along the banks of the Salzach River, Salzburg is also a paradise for nature lovers to stroll hand in hand. Remember, you're never too old for romance.

On the famous Getreidegasse, with its quaint trade signs, you can shop at one boutique after another and then wander off through intriguing inner-passageways and courtyards to discover even more shops.

If you enjoy casinos, visit Salzburg's stylish Klessheim Palace to play roulette, wheel of fortune, blackjack, and a host of other games.