Radisson SAS Altstadt Hotel Salzburg

Stayed here for four nights with my Mum in December 2007, and would HIGHLY recommend it. The hotel is the oldest Inn in the city and full of charm, character and traditional details, and it's also in a fabulous location. It has 49 rooms and 13 suites.

We had a lovely room on the third floor overlooking Judengrasse, directly opposite the Salzburg Christmas Shop, which was over 4 floors!!

The room was huge, with two large single beds and a three sweater sofa, large arm chair and coffee table, a desk and huge TV unit in the bedroom as well as two dressing tables, another corner chair and a very large traditionally carved old wooden wardrobe. The entrance hall of the room had a fabulous coat stand with a mirror and two umbrellas you were welcome to borrow from the hotel if the weather turned bad. The bathroom was an alright size, with a double sink unit, a toilet, bidet and bath/shower. Ours had a slight problem with the shower that water shot out from the join of the hose to the taps and made showering without soaking the whole bathroom a bit tricky but we got used to it. There was always lots of piping hot water, and the shower pressure was great, a big plus in my book! There were also scale, slippers and bathrobes provided. The beds were very comfortable, and had duvets, although they were almost a little too small for the beds, but if you curl up it's OK! You also got a Mozart Kugeln on your pillow each day...yummy! The rooms are all very traditionally decorated and are all unique, according to the hotel's pamphlet. The rooms all certainly looked different sizes from the fire escape plan, with ours seeming to be one of the biggest on the floor. We could look up to the Fort from our room and got lovely views at night with the fairy lights in the street.

We were there on a bed and breakfast basis, and the breakfasts were great! Served in the Symphonie Restaurant, there was a full range of cold cuts, cheese, bacon, sausage, tomatoes and beans, fruit, cereals and tomatoes and olives. There was also an Egg Menu, but we didn't have the eggs - the rest of the food was wonderful, lots of fresh fruit juice, Evian and san Pellegrino water and Prosecco for drinks. All very civilised!

We ate dinner in the hotel on our first night as we were too tired to trail around looking for anywhere. The menu was quite restricted, with around 3 or 4 choices per course. I'll be honest...I was absolutely shattered and really didn't eat much, but the green pea and asparagus soup appetiser was lovely, with a proscuitto wrapped stick crouton, and I think it was lamb I had for my entree, which was also lovely.

The hotel's location is its biggest selling point. It's smack bang in the middle of the Old Town, on a pedestrianised shopping street, very close the Dam St Peter's (St Peter's Cathedral). as a result it was very near the Christmas Markets in Damplatz, and there was another on the other side of the Cathedral. We walked pretty much everywhere and never felt threatened or unsafe. It's surrounded by nice coffee bars, cafes and restaurants, walking to the Mirabel Gardens took about ten minutes (brisk pace). Mum and Dad stayed near Mirabelplatz the previous year and Mum says the Altstadt is in a much better location.

The staff were all friendly in a Germanic way...they seemed a bit blunt at first, but I think that's maybe just the way German/ Austrian voices speaking English comes across! They booked us onto the Sound of Music tour and the Obersalzberg/ Salt Mine tour as soon as we arrived, and pointed us in the direction of a local Italian restaurant one evening too. They also booked our taxi for our journey back to the airport.

Now, a couple of little downsides...I don't know if it was because of the side of the hotel we were on, but there was a lot of noise from a nightclub in the basement of the building, although it wasn't owned by the hotel. The first night we noticed it but were both so tired we fell asleep anyway. The second night (Friday) it was very bad, and continued well into the night. That and Mum's snoring made for an unpleasant night for me! The next night Mum called down to reception around 1.45am, and they said it usually goes on until around 3.30am, but it lasted well beyond that. It wasn't so bad on the Sunday night, but the bass was still very audible. Also because of that we couldn't open the window to the street on the Friday and Saturday because revellers in the street were a bit noisy, but it merely amplified the base. We had to have the windows open in January because...there's no air-con in the rooms and they were stifling at night. I ended up taking the duvet out its cover and just sleeping under that although I was still too hot. We also asked reception about the heat as there was no climate control in the room and they said if they turned the system off it'd be freezing. I think because it's such an old stone building there's no way they could install air-con.

When we checked out Mum mentioned the problem of the noise to the receptionist...she said if the noise was keeping us awake the clerk should have called the police, but this didn't happen. She apologised most sincerely for the problems. We also heard the garbage truck collecting rubbish twice at around 4am, not the most pleasant of noises!

The only other minor grump was that the only English speaking TV channels were CNN and MTV although it had German subtitles. But we didn't come to Salzburg to watch TV!

All in all this is a charming traditional hotel with comfortable beds, good breakfasts and in a great location. I'd definitely go back, but perhaps ask for a room overlooking the internal courtyard. I've seen from reviews on tripadvisor.com that the room overlooking the river can be bad for traffic noise.

But as I say, still really nice!

This is a great hotel very well situated in the Old Town area of Salzburg. The Salzach River is right across the street. Mozart Square is just up the street and Mirabell Castle and Gardens are across the river, a short walk away. Restaurants, bars and great shopping are just outside the door, too. This hotel offers a great base from which to explore the city, as most attractions are an easy walk.

This property has been beautifully renovated and has a cozy, inviting kind of elegance. From the entrance and lobby with their tunnel like, sloping ceiling, plush sofas and chairs, to the well lit dining room overlooking the river, this hotel invites the guest to slow down and be comfortable.

While not identical, the rooms are pretty standard in their layout/floor plan. We had a queen. The room felt more like a suite and had plenty of space. The bed was quite comfortable. The bathroom included a double sink and surfaces were marble. It definitely has the feel of a luxury hotel.

The concierge was helpful and friendly during our stay. The keys to the rooms are really heavy, seriously, like little dumbbells. You can leave them with the front desk when you go out if you like. We were in and out quite a bit and were not always able to remember our room numbers, but they always greeted us with a smile and patience. They were also helpful when asked to provide dining suggestions.

Breakfast was included with our stay. While there is a small buffet, you can also order off the menu. The pancakes were delicious(!) and more like crepes than a pancake, although they were quite thick (and sooo rich). Lots of options and the food was quite good. Many windows line the wall in the dining room and let in lots of light. The Salzach River is out the window and it was nice to eat breakfast and gaze down on the river and the streets and sidewalks that border it carrying morning commuters.

While I do not believe there is free wifi. There is a computer located around the corner from the front desk, next to the elevator, that is free for guests to utilize.

They do change money at the front desk, but guests are limited to a certain amount each day (cannot recall the figure). The exchange rate they gave us one day was better than even the bank's exchange rate. It is not a bad place to change currencies.

We enjoyed our stay and would stay here again on a future visit to Salzburg. We were comfortable and the staff was attentive. I would recommend this hotel to any traveler staying in Salzburg.