Tours in Salzburg

Stand on the Salzburger Salzach bridge in the early evening and look back at the old town. The domes and spires bunch together on one bank, the fortress sits above them on its hill, and the other side is where people walk home with shopping bags. That one view tells you most of how Salzburg is arranged. It is a small centre, and you will cover it on foot.

Start at Residenzplatz, a wide stone square where the cathedral's front faces the fountain and the horse carriages wait. From there the lanes run off in every direction. Getreidegasse is the narrow shopping street with the wrought iron shop signs, and it is worth walking slowly with your head up. Cut through one of the passageways between courtyards and the crowd drops away within a few steps. Mozart's name is on everything here, and the birth house is one of the places people queue to see. Further up, the fortress looks down on it all, and the walk or ride up gives you the roofs laid out below.

Cross the river and Mirabell Gardens opens out, with clipped hedges, flower beds and the fortress framed behind them. It is the spot people try to photograph, and it works in any season. In autumn the leaves turn the paths copper. In the colder months the Christkindlmarkt fills the area near the cathedral with the smell of roasted chestnuts, mulled wine and gingerbread, and the baroque facades make a backdrop you could not design yourself.

That is why a photo shoot suits this city so well. A local photographer knows where the light falls in the morning, which corners empty out, and how to get you into a frame without it feeling posed. You come away with pictures of yourself in the place, not just of the place. If you would rather see the fortress, the cathedral, the catacombs or the Sound of Music locations with a guide, ask, and a local can put it together.