Sleepless in Salzburg

I was up quite late in Salzburg, and I decided I wanted to go out and explore the nightlife in Salzburg. Our pension had a very flexible 24-hour entrance, so we decided to take advantage of it. The postcards of the snow-clad city make it look idyllic, and the reality was even better as a friend and I sought out the local hotspots.

We started by heading out to the old town, the Altstadt, to get something to eat. We passed numerous bakeries, which were unfortunately closed at this time of the evening, but the displays we saw made us very hungry. We decided on traditional Austrian food, so we went to the Herzl Tavern. The cheap but filling food, good beer, and great staff put us in a great mood.

We then set off to explore the local nightlife. There are a lot of provincial-style pubs in Salzburg that really replicate the feel of Austria. While we weren’t drinking much, wherever we were, we were welcomed, and that’s what we liked about it. No pressure, not much loud music, and good conversation. We bumped into several people who were traveling like us, so we had a great time meeting and greeting. We chatted and found our way to a few more bars. A few places stood out to us: Gastlokal Fridrich for the art on the walls and the great music, Monkeys Bar for its fantastic views over the river, and the Jazzit Musik Club for the awesome jazz being played. If you’re after a vibrant and energetic clubbing scene, Salzburg is not the best place to be, but if you’re after a beautiful city with a friendly atmosphere in its bars, I would recommend it.

We staggered back to our pension a little poorer but very happy, thanks to the nightlife in Salzburg.

The next day, we thought back to some of the places that were recommended to us. The idea of monks brewing beer appealed to us, so we went for a glass at the Bräustübl Tavern, which is in an Augustine monastery. It brews Augustine beer, which is similar to a sort of stout. If you’ve never heard of stout, it’s similar to Guinness, but this is much better. We sat outside in the courtyard, but it was a little cold, so we hurried back in. The courtyard is very pretty and relaxed, and it would be fantastic in the spring and summer. Having been in Austria for a while, we felt it would be good to speak English for a bit, so we ended up heading to O’Malley’s, an Irish pub along the river. The bar staff speak perfect English, and some of them are native English speakers, and you generally get a taste of home when you’re there, whether it’s watching rugby, football, or other sporting events.

Having spent a while in there, we ended up heading back to our pension as we were going to go hiking the next day. We met a bunch of awesome people, though, and that made our Salzburg trip very memorable.

Need a hotel in Austria? Click here to find it at Booking.com

Beer, Beer and More Austrian Beer

Like many places in central Europe, Austria is a major beer-producing region. As we’ve travelled around Austria, we’ve tried a lot of beer. We’ve already mentioned one in this blog: Gösser. While I prefer it to the other mainstream Austrian beers, particularly for the lack of hangover it gives me when waking up in my hotel room, there are several major types of beer. Beer making is endemic in Austria, so you may even stay in a pension or zimmer that brews its own beer. Be sure to try it ... carefully!

Styria, in the southeast of Austria, produces Gösser, Puntigamer and Murauer. These three are fairly different to each other, so let’s have a quick look at them.

Gösser

This is a light lager that is very easy to drink. When we’re in Styria, this is our lunchtime and dinnertime lager as it goes with pretty much anything. It isn’t particularly complex in terms of taste, but it goes down very easily. Out of the three Styrian beers, this is easily the best.

Puntigamer

This is very similar to Budweiser in taste. Very light and watery with very little flavor. Unless you really love Bud, try something different. There’s so many beers to choose from!

Murauer

This is another typical light lager with a slightly sweetish taste. It’s the sort of beer that is drinkable, so you have it when you want something you recognize or when you can’t see anything else you like better. Personally, I would stick to Gösser when it’s available.

Upper Austria produces another three major brands of beer: Kaiser, Zipfer and Kapsreiter.

Kaiser

This comes in two brands: Kaiser Fasstyp and Kaiser Premium. Kaiser Fasstyp has quite a mellow taste that lingers with a bit of yeastiness. I found the aftertaste a little odd. The premium version is a little better, but they both scream mass-marketed beer to us.

Zipfer

Those who like a slightly bitter lager will love Zipfer. It’s not my cup of tea, but it adds a bit of variety to Austria’s major beers.

Kapsreiter

This is one of the better beers in Austria. It smelled wonderful, and the taste was great. It is a little stronger in flavor than Gösser, but it’s fantastic for savoring. Drink this as a treat if you love full-flavored beers.

Vienna and Salzburg have their own breweries, and these city beers can be quite pleasant when enjoyed on a hotel room balcony or outside in the summer.

Ottakringer

Very light beer with little taste. It’s good for getting drunk on as you can drink a lot, but why not explore Vienna instead?

Steigl

Produced in Salzburg, this beer is somewhat earthy and slightly darker than most lagers. It’s one of the better beers, and it’s great with dark meats or as part of a meal.

Augustiner

If you’re visiting Salzburg, you must go to the monastery to try this beer. With a solid taste and a good fresh feel, this beer is one of the best lagers I’ve tasted. OK, it helps that the experience is also quite cool—you stand in line to get your beer and you drink it at long narrow tables. Very friendly and very sociable.

Finally, I must mention Edelweiss as a great wheat beer. It’s got a fantastically rich flavor and works well if you love porters or stouts.

No matter where you are, though, you will find a beer you like. Whether it’s in the hotel bar, in a monastery, or with friends in a pub, Austria has a beer for you.

Need a hotel in Austria? Click here to find it at Booking.com