One Night in Salzburg – Pretzels, Pod Beds, and a View from the Battlements
Salzburg castel
Every morning while I was in Vienna, I started my day the same way: at the same little bakery. I’d fumble my way through ordering in bad German, point a lot, smile awkwardly. And on my last morning, the owner smiled back and said, “You're getting better with your nicht gut German.” It was the nicest roast I’ve ever received. That morning I caught a train to Salzburg — or tried to, at least.
Train Troubles and a Missing GoPro
I forgot to book a seat, so I ended up sitting on the floor by the door, watching other passengers walk past my hiker-goblin corner. Thankfully, it was only a 90-minute ride, so it wasn’t terrible.
That’s when I noticed something: my GoPro was gone.
No idea exactly when it disappeared, but I’m guessing it got snagged at Vienna’s main station. Super annoying. That said, I’ve decided to treat it as an excuse to upgrade — the new DJI 360 cam drops July 31st, and I’m already planning to pick it up somewhere along the way.
Pod Hotel & a Cheddar Bacon Win
The best pretzel I have ever had
When I got to Salzburg, I checked into my hotel — not realizing it was a pod hotel. But honestly? It was perfect. Just a clean, quiet little space with a closing door and zero hostel chaos. After a week of packed bunks and shared bathrooms, it was exactly what I needed.
But before crashing, I had one thing I absolutely had to do: visit the Salzburg Fortress.
On the walk up, I grabbed another pretzel — this one stuffed with cheddar and bacon. Might’ve been a gas station special, but it was amazing. Austria’s pretzel game has not missed once.
Salzburg Fortress: City from the Sky
View from the Castle
The castle itself? Worth every uphill step.
I spent a few hours exploring the walls, towers, and museums, but my favorite part was standing on the battlements, looking out over the city. The rooftops, the churches, the winding streets below — and beyond it all, the hills.
Salzburg has that fairytale feel to it. Compact but grand. Clean and quiet, but full of subtle beauty. Even in just a few hours, it left an impression.
And I highly, highly recommend it.
Not only is it beautiful, but the city gives you a free public transit pass with your hotel stay — which is incredibly useful and makes everything feel more accessible. If the hotel prices weren’t so steep, I absolutely would’ve stayed another day.
One Quiet Night
That night, I took some final photos, found a quiet spot to sit for a while, and called it. My pod was waiting. So was an early for the train to Munich.