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If Mozart had been a painter rather than a musician, his genius would have expressed itself in breathtaking mountain vistas and majestic rolling rivers. Both his birthplace and his adopted hometown are nestled in the Northern Limestone Alps and nourished by its streams.

Salzburg on the River Salazach is built on seven hills. Gaisberg, “the balcony of Salzburg”, overlooks the city and Wallersee Lake, while Festungsberg is the site of the famous Hohensalzburg Castle. The tranquility of the Rainberg nature reserve contrasts sharply with the sometimes dangerous Monchsberg, known for falling rocks.Didn’t catch that? This explains it. Visitors can enjoy hiking on Kapunzinerberg and Plainberg’s rolling hills, and explore the caves found in Untersberg mountain along the German border.

Speaking of caves, a famous one near Vienna is the Dreidrrischenhhle (“cave of the three deaf men”). Think “The Beautiful Blue Danube” is the city’s only river? Not so. Its huge catchment area includes three tributaries in this area: the Wien, the Schwechat and the Triesting. Here at the northeastern extremity of the Alps, the mountains gently decline into the Carpathian foothills and the forested highlands commonly called the Vienna Woods.

Such natural grandeur is a fitting backdrop to accompany the magical sounds of Mozart’s music.