Mirabell Palace and Gardens, Salzburg (must see)

Mirabell Palace is a structure with incredible presence and architecture. Upon entry, you will be stunned by its 'staircase of thunder' – an elaborate, curved, shiny affair that leads up to the Marble Hall, full of angel sculptures and excessive stucco work. Aside from enjoying a reputation as one of the most romantic wedding halls in the world (bookable up to two years in advance), the Marble Hall hosts frequent nightly Mozart concerts and the master himself has tickled the ivories there. Off to the side, you'll find a striking chapel with a vaulted ceiling and baroque statues of St. Augustine and others.

Head for the gardens to admire the stunning scenery created by geometrically-structured garden beds. Multi-coloured flowers blast your eyeballs from every perspective, with an added mixture of mythology-themed statues dating from 1730 and four groups of sculpture (Aeneas, Hercules, Paris and Pluto), created by Italian sculptor Ottavio Mosto from 1690. In the middle of it all is the Pegasus Fountain that makes a memorable 'Sound of Music' shooting location. Nearest the horse, stairs lead to the creepy Dwarf Park, where a herd of misshapen, sizable dwarfs sculptured in marble are all lined up in military formation. As a dramatic finale, a view of the Hobensalzburg Fortress, framed by the Mirabell Garden, is spectacular.

***SOUND OF MUSIC TOUR***
Perhaps the best place to start the Sound of Music tour of Salzburg are the open grounds of the Mirabell Palace Gardens, the location where the 'Do Re Mi' song was filmed for the movie. Entering the gardens from the south, you will recognize the two pairs of impressive Greek statues of fencing warriors whose playful poses the Von Trapp children mimicked in the film. Wandering further in, you will also remember the central spouting Pegasus Fountain (opposite the Palace and guarded by lion statues) around which they danced. From here you can turn around and check out the fantastic views of the High Salzburg Fortress (Hohensalzburg) towering over the city, and then follow the steps that the kids hopped up like musical notes in the dramatic finale of the song. As you leave the Dwarf Park to exit the palace grounds, make sure to visit the long pergola vine tunnel and the hedge maze through which Maria and the Trapp children ran while singing the song.

Why You Should Visit:
The palace, which is also the venue for many classical concerts (pre-booking required) makes a nice backdrop to the marvelous gardens. Standing next to the palace and gazing towards the garden, you get a spectacular view of the Hohensalzburg Fortress as well.