Imogen Clarke
Salzburg's old town, its lakes and the corners the tour groups miss
Based in Salzburg, Austria.
Imogen has written Alpine city breaks since her twenties and treats Salzburg as a base for both the Altstadt and the Salzkammergut lakes beyond it. She covers the climb to Hohensalzburg, the quieter Nonntal and Mülln neighbourhoods, and how to see the Mozart sights without queuing for two hours.
Latest stories
October light on Lake Wolfgang in St. Gilgen
The lift climbs to a 1,522m summit in 11 minutes and the boats keep a short daily run until 1 November 2026, but the village rest days decide which day you come.
Salzburg's Hellbrunn Fountains and Movie Songs in October
The trick fountains, the gazebo and Salzburg's new film museum all shut on 1 November 2026, so October is the last month to walk the Hellbrunn estate properly.
Riding the Miners' Slides at Salzwelten Salzburg in October
Inside the Dürrnberg there are wooden slides, a salt lake and air at a steady 10°C. Here is what the mine tour is actually like, and how to build a full October day around ninety minutes underground.
Walking Salzburg After Dark from Fortress to Cellar Club
The old town's best hours start when the last coach leaves. Fortress concerts, a monastery beer hall that stops at eleven, rooftops, and the handful of rooms still pouring at two.
Salzburg's Mirabell Gardens in October Before the Coaches
Getting the Pegasus fountain and the Do-Re-Mi steps almost to yourself is a question of timing, the Marble Hall needs planning around the weddings that keep closing it, and the gardens can carry a whole October music day.
How to Eat Salzburger Nockerl Before It Falls
The city's signature soufflé starts collapsing the second it leaves the oven. Here is where to order one in Salzburg, when to ask for it, and what the wait costs you.
Walking the Salt Route That Paid for Salzburg
The mine, the boiling house, the gorge, the toll towns and the palace that collected: Salzburg's salt chain, in the order that makes sense of it.
Ride the Mönchsberg Lift for Salzburg's Finest September View
The lift climbs the cliff in thirty seconds. Here is what the terrace at the top leaves out, and how to fill the two hours that make the fare worth paying in September 2026.
What the Salzach Looks Like From a Kayak Seat
A paddler's-eye route through Salzburg's Altstadt bridges and quiet backwaters, from a guided SUP line under Mozartsteg to a two-day run downstream into Bavaria.
Hiking the Untersberg's Alpine Pastures Above Salzburg
A nine-minute cable car turns a working alpine pasture above Salzburg into a half-day escape from the fortress crowds, with routes for a lazy lunch, a proper traverse, or a guided circuit for anyone who'd rather not go it alone.
Salzburg's Christkindlmarkt After the Day-Trippers Leave
As dusk clears Residenzplatz of coach groups, Salzburg's Christmas market turns candlelit and local — here's how to spend the after-dark hours in 2026.
Cracking Salzburg's Festival: Tickets, Standing Room, Jedermann
How to actually get into the Salzburg Festival in 2026 — from the ticket office queue at dawn to a €10 standing spot for Jedermann on Domplatz.
Beyond Mozart: Salzburg's Living Soundtrack
The city that trades on one composer has a far richer, year-round music life — from Wagner at Easter to free jazz in October — and here's how to hear it, whoever you're travelling with.
The best day trips from Salzburg: Hallstatt and Berchtesgaden
A calm, walked-it-myself guide to the finest days out within ninety minutes of the old town — from WWII eyries and salt mines to emerald lakes and steam cog railways.
Every story is signed and dated, and follows our editorial standards.