Salzburg’s Old Town is a baroque jewel set against an Alpine backdrop of such perfection that it almost appears staged. Squeezed between the Monchsberg cliff and the Salzach River, this compact UNESCO World Heritage district is dominated by the massive Hohensalzburg Fortress, one of the largest and best-preserved medieval castles in Europe, perched atop the Festungsberg hill. Below, the Old Town unfolds as a harmonious ensemble of ecclesiastical palaces, princely residences, and ornate churches, all built during the 17th and 18th centuries when Salzburg’s prince-archbishops wielded immense wealth and used it to transform their capital into a northern outpost of Italian splendor.

The pedestrianized Getreidegasse, Salzburg’s most famous shopping street, retains its medieval proportions with tall, narrow buildings and ornamental wrought-iron guild signs hanging above the shops. At number 9, Mozart’s Birthplace draws music lovers from around the world to the apartment where Wolfgang Amadeus was born in 1756. Across the river, the Mirabell Palace gardens offer the classic postcard view of the fortress above the dome of the cathedral, a scene immortalized in The Sound of Music. The Salzburg Cathedral itself, with its twin towers and massive dome, anchors the interconnected squares of the Residenzplatz, Domplatz, and Kapitelplatz in a sequence of urban spaces that rank among the finest in Europe.

Pro tip: Take the funicular up to Hohensalzburg Fortress in the late afternoon for golden-hour views over the Old Town and the distant Alps, then walk back down through the winding path that descends past the Nonnberg Abbey. For the best coffee and pastry in town, seek out Cafe Tomaselli on Alter Markt, operating since 1705 and still serving exceptional Viennese-style coffee and strudel.