In the Footsteps of the City

What’s the best way to explore a new city?

When you reach your hotel in a new city you almost always get there by bus or taxi because you have luggage. When you deposit the luggage in your room that’s the time to start exploring your surroundings and there’s only one way to do that and that is by walking.

Salzburg was a nice compact city and from the first morning my wife and I walked from our hotel in to the centre. It was only a mile or so, so it was very easy. We were going to get the bus on the following mornings but we enjoyed the walk so much that we ended up walking in all five days. Now, there’s a few pieces of advice to really help you get the most out of walking through a strange place.

First, use a physical map not an app. That gives you the direction to go but it shows a number of routes. An app will tell you which roads to walk down and will usually take you along busy roads. To really explore you have to go off grid and allow the different routes to suggest themselves on the day. That brings me to my second piece of advice.

Embrace getting lost. You make your best discoveries walking down unfamiliar roads. We came across restaurants, stalls, small shops and out of the way tourist attractions because we steadfastly followed our instincts when we reached the city.

See where the locals go. Follow their routes as you are likely to discover much more interesting places and you are likely to avoid the higher priced tourist traps. Eat where they eat, shop where they shop. You will be introduced to the cuisine of the place far more effectively that way.

Finally, don’t make many plans that can’t be changed at a moment’s notice. Obviously there’s things you need to book, but generally it’s much better to have a general idea what you want to see and to then decide on the day or change your plans instantly because you have seen something that really interests you.

Follow these four tips and you won’t go wrong as the pictures below from our many walks into and around Salzburg show. Happy exploring.