Graveyards are rarely cheerful places, but St. Sebastian’s Cemetery is darker than most. This place of rest is decorated in countless memento mori symbols (reminders that death is imminent). They’re designed to encourage you to live in the present but come across more like signs warning of danger or threats of evil. At first glance, the cemetery looks just like any other. But take a closer look, and you’ll discover many pieces of art which portray the darker side of death. Here you’ll find metal engravings of snakes wriggling through skulls, stone carvings of skulls and crossbones, and surreal depictions of skulls with bat-like wings.

As well as being home to macabre artwork, St. Sebastian’s Cemetery is also the final resting place of some of the most famous people in Austria. Built in 1502, the graveyard guards the bodies of Mozart’s father and wife. It’s also where Archbishop Wolf Dietrich is buried. Before he was imprisoned over salt-mine rights, he helped Salzburg rise to wealth and fame through its salt mines. Instead of being buried in the crypt at Salzburg Cathedral, his remains were stored in a huge mausoleum, which is the center of St. Sebastian’s Cemetery today.

One of the must-do things in Salzburg is to take a look around the city’s fortress. Also known as Festung Hohensalzburg, Salzburg Fortress rises high on Festungsberg Hill and can be seen from almost every part of the city. With its multiple levels, curved towers, high turrets, and defensive gateways, the building’s white façade makes it look like something out of a fairytale. But step inside the fortress, and you’ll find it’s even more remarkable on the inside.

Inside the Salzburg Fortress, you’ll discover the grandiose Princes’ Apartments with its late-Gothic decor and the Golden Room with its marble doorways, as well as the Golden Hall where you’ll find dazzling red columns and a blue coffered ceiling. Home to many weapons and torture devices, the Fortress Museum is also worth seeing, as are the charming courtyards spread throughout the fortress’ grounds. You can take a leisurely 20-minute stroll up to the top of the hill to reach the fortress. If you’re short on time, you can even ride the funicular to the top in a couple of minutes.

Mozart Week is one of the best Salzburg attractions in the city’s events calendar. Around the time of Mozart’s birthday (January 27), the city comes to life to celebrate the famous composer and all his incredible work. During this special week, the city’s concert halls host spectacular music shows, including chamber concerts, orchestra concerts, soloist concerts, staged operas, and recitals with world-class artists from around the globe performing.

Each year, new performers and ensembles emerge, but most lineups will likely include the Vienna Philharmonic, Cappella Andrea Barca, Sir András Schiff, and Maestro Daniel Barenboim. Only a few extra-special performances have the original instruments used by Mozart. You get a rare chance to hear his work exactly as he intended it to sound thanks to this. The festival has been held at the Mozarteum Foundation Salzburg virtually annually since 1956. Up to five concerts are scheduled for prominent venues like the Mozarteum Foundation, Mozart Residence, and House for Mozart on any given day.

St. Peter's Abbey is one of the best places to go sightseeing in Salzburg, so give it some time. The original building was constructed by Saint Rupert in 696 BCE and was used as a residence for the archbishops until 1110. Over the centuries, the abbey has gone through intense reconstruction and restoration, resulting in the combination of Renaissance and Romanesque styles you can see today. The modern buildings are mostly from the 17th and 18th centuries.

St. Peter's Abbey may not seem like much from the exterior, but the inside is spectacular. Dramatic frescoes, marble columns, ornate arches, and golden statues adorn the walls. As you look upward, you'll notice further expertly painted artwork on the gently curved coved framework. The oldest library in Austria, catacombs, a cemetery, and an art gallery with a sizable collection of enormous paintings from many centuries ago are all located in this area of the city in addition to the monastery.

The best spot to try a bosna sausage is in Salzburg, which is famed for producing some of the best sausages in all of Austria. A spicy sausage akin to bratwurst is called bosna. It is served within a long, white bread roll that has been lightly toasted and is topped with onions, mustard, ketchup, and curry powder, much like a hot dog. Getting a bosna sausage from Balkan Grill Walter is one of the nicest things to do in Salzburg when you're hungry but don't have time to stop for a complete dinner. This location, one of the city's oldest sausage stands, is incredibly well-liked by both residents and tourists.

It’s a bit off-the-beaten-track from Salzburg’s main street, and there’s usually a pretty long line outside the window, but it’s always worth the wait! The service is super-fast, and the line gives you time to decide exactly which type of sausage you want and pick your toppings. For less than the change you’ve got in your pocket you’ll get a hot, hearty snack to enjoy while you wander the streets of Old Town.

Hangar 7 is a unique attraction that blends food, art, and aviation. It's a fantastic spot to spend a couple of hours with the family. It's a convenient destination to stop by because it's so close to Salzburg's main airport, giving you something to look forward to on your way home as well. A huge collection of impressive aircraft, including an Alpha Jet and a Cobra Helicopter, are on display in Hangar 7, which is unquestionably not your typical aircraft hangar. The historical section is amazing, especially when you realize how safe all the vintage aircraft are to fly today.

All the displays have been beautifully curated and planned. The design makes it look more like a type of modern, high-tech art gallery than an aircraft hangar. As well as the aviation displays, Hangar 7 features motorbike displays and Formula 1 exhibits. There’s also a sophisticated outdoor lounge, cafe, multiple bars, and an amazing Michelin-star restaurant that gives you a much better option than grabbing food at the airport for your flight home.

A casual walk through the city’s Old Town is something you’ve absolutely got to do during your visit. Also known as Altstadt, Salzburg Old Town is one of the largest and most monumental UNESCO World Heritage Sites on the planet. This part of the city boasts many of the best sights in Salzburg, including the fortress, cathedral, DomQuartier, Haus der Natur, Mozart’s birthplace, and Panorama Museum. There’s also a never-ending choice of cafes, bars, restaurants, and boutiques that you can pop into when you need a break from all the sightseeing.

If you prefer to take things at a more leisurely place, Old Town is ideal for just wandering and seeing where you end up. Here you can stroll between Medieval and Baroque architecture, following winding side streets and discovering beautifully designed courtyards. The narrow passages, known as Durchhäuser, provide an excellent place for a wonderful walk. Located between Universitätsplatz and Getreidegasse, these paths will take you past ancient merchant houses, some of which date back to the 15th century!

You’ll find one of the most unique things to do in Salzburg at Residenz Neugebäude. Also known as New Residence, this graceful building is noted for its stunning halls decorated with intricate stuccos that date back to the 1600s and the Salzburg Museum, where you’ll find all kinds of artifacts that tell the history of the city. One of the favorite parts of Residenz Neugebäude is the rooftop area. You can see 35 little bells inside that ring music at predetermined intervals throughout the day if you look closely.

If you plan your visit for the right time, you’ll have the chance to hear all kinds of classical masterpieces, including “Tochter Zion, freue dich” by Handel and the “Minuet” by Mozart. The Glockenspiel plays daily at 7 am, 11 am, and 6 pm. The musical device was originally built in the 18th century in Antwerp, Belgium. It was then shipped over to Salzburg, where it took experts years to properly step up and tune the bells so they played correctly.

Even if you’re not particularly into classical music, seeing where Mozart was born is still one of the top things to do in Salzburg. With 400,000 visitors each year, this museum is one of the most popular in the city and covers almost all periods of his life. The displays feature stories and details from his childhood all the way up to genuine musical instruments he used to practice and compose his world-famous symphonies. You’ll also have the chance to explore rooms originally occupied by the Mozart family and admire one of the composer’s first violins and original scores of his compositions.

Through portraits, costumes, models, set designs, and excerpts from operas, you’ll be able to learn all about his life, operatic works, and the lives of his family. There’s even a room that has been decorated and furnished to look exactly as it was when Mozart lived there.

You’ll find some of the most beautiful things to see in Salzburg inside the Mirabell Palace and its gardens. A listed cultural heritage monument, this dazzling palace was built in 1606 and was the backdrop for some scenes in the Sound of Music. Some of the palace’s many highlights include the 18th-century Grand Staircase decorated with various statues, the Marble Hall that is still used for concerts today, and the Schloss Mirabell Baroque Museum, which is full of European art from the 17th and 18th centuries.

Although the palace's inside is impressive, the grounds outside will supprise you more. They have a stunning Baroque landscape layout that was created in 1690. If you take the time to look around, you'll see marble statues, staggered terraces, and lovely fountains. Particularly lovely is the Pegasus fountain. The modest open-air theater that is nestled away in the southwest corner of the gardens, as well as the exhibition center, which was formerly an aviary from the 18th century, are also worthwhile stops.