Salzburg

Gateway to the Alps and forever tied to The Sound of Music, gorgeous Salzburg boasts a burgeoning arts scene, immaculate urban parks, concert halls where performances are held every day of the year and an Altstadt (old town) that looks much like it did when Mozart lived here 250 years ago. Find concerts of every type – from Baroque to contemporary – happening in churches, venues and concert venues. Foodies can enjoy private tasting tours, while beer lovers visit historic breweries (Salzburg is actually Austria’s beer capital, where the beverage has been brewed for more than 600 years). The clifftop castle is a must, presiding over the city skyline of domes and spires and the fast-flowing Salzach River. Visit, too, the Hellbrunn Palace and its trick fountains and Europe’s oldest outdoor theater, the Steintheater. The Austrian lake district is an easy day trip, as is Eagles Nest in Berchtesgaden, Germany, just a half-hour away.