Gaisberg and Untersberg

Gaisberg and Untersberg Review

Salzburg's "house mountains" are so called because of their proximity to the city settlements. You can take the bus to the summit of the Gaisberg, where you'll be rewarded with a spectacular panoramic view of the Alps and the Alpine foreland. In summer Dr. Richard/Albus bus (0662/424-000-0) leaves from Mirabellplatz weekdays at 10:10 and on weekends and holidays at 1:10 and 2:10; the journey takes about a half hour. The Untersberg is the mountain Captain von Trapp and Maria climbed as they escaped the Nazis in The Sound of Music. In the film they were supposedly fleeing to Switzerland; in reality, the climb up the Untersberg would have brought them almost to the doorstep of Hitler's retreat at the Eagle's Nest above Berchtesgaden. A cable car from St. Leonhard (about 13 km south of Salzburg) takes you up 6,020 feet right to the top of the Untersberg, giving you a breathtaking view. In winter you can ski down (you arrive in the village of Fürstenbrunn and taxis or buses take you back to St. Leonhard); in summer there are a number of hiking routes from the summit.