Austria’s grande dame: Hotel Sacher Salzburg on the riverside

On the banks of the Salzach River, Hotel Sacher Salzburg has been hosting royalty, rock stars and cultural icons since 1866 – pairing historic grandeur with warm Austrian hospitality

Why stay here

Few hotels in Austria hold as many stories as Hotel Sacher Salzburg, hosting everyone from Emperor Franz Joseph and Queen Elizabeth II to the Beatles and Rolling Stones since it opened its gilded doors on the banks of the Salzach River in 1866. Oh, to know what Keith Richards got up to during his stay.  

Step out and the dulcet tones of the Austrian city embrace you in every direction – quite literally. Walk a few minutes along cobbled streets and you’ll find gaggles congregating outside the birth-home of Mozart, surrounded by the ateliers and cafes he frequented while composing some eight symphonies – today they serve erdbeerschüsserl (a type of sponge cake) and silver-wrapped chocolates adorned with Mozart’s profile. A few more steps and you’re within the glorious, rose-lined Mirabell Gardens, made famous while starring in The Sound of Music (yes, Julie Andrews checked in to Hotel Sacher during filming).  

The aroma of mulled wine wafts from centuries-old coffee shops; I hear the clink of padlocks being amorously secured to the Makartsteg footbridge, aka ‘the bridge of love’; and flocks of birds circle around the turreted tops of baroque and medieval buildings, so postcard-perfect they could have fallen from the pages of a fairytale. Indeed, the grande Sacher dame couldn’t be better positioned to take the sensory pulse of Salzburg.  

Design

Polished antiques, oil paintings, gilded mirrors, silk carpets, velvet sofas, crystal chandeliers, elaborate orchids, mosaic flooring, sweeping staircases… Hotel Sacher delivers a regal ambiance from the moment you step into the glass-roofed lobby. After being greeted by dapper maroon-and-gold-clad doormen, that is. Yet for all the lavish touches, the property retains a homey feel – something that owners, the Gürtler Winkler family, feel strongly about.  

While it has a sister in Vienna, Sacher is not a chain, and nothing here is cookie-cutter. In fact, each of the 111 rooms is totally individual in design, and many of them have been given a recent makeover at the hands of Alexandra Winkler herself, with the help of designer Pierre-Yves Rochon, also behind the Four Seasons Hotel in Paris and St. Regis Rome, among many other upscale properties. 

In the suite 

Almost every room in the Hotel Sacher has views over the baroque domes of Salzburg’s Old Town, Salzach River and hilltop Hohensalzburg fortress, and many come with balconies so you can soak up the view. My Signature Suite doesn’t come with the latter, but it does feature large windows that actually open – a treat. I leave them that way my entire stay, loving the sound of people dining at the hotel’s alfresco restaurant below, the ring of bicycle and church bells, the melodic hum of boats on the water.  

Alexandra and Pierre-Yves gave my suite an upgrade in 2019, and it’s at once charming and opulent. Textured wallpaper and soft flourishes in celadon green nod to the plane trees lining the river outside, giving the entire space an earthy, comforting ambiance. There’s a fireplace, although today it’s just for decoration; plush sofas and armchairs; and the type of curtains that you need your full body to draw – no bedside ‘close-at-the-touch-of-a-button’. Blissfully, it’s the same story with lights – they are all old-school switches, and I don’t have to call housekeeping to get a tutorial on how to turn them on and off. The marbled bathroom comes replete with heated floors, which you’ll want to sleep on if you visit in winter. But I’m here in autumn, and the only extra warmth I need comes from the sun streaming through those river-facing windows.      

Textured wallpaper and soft flourishes in celadon green nod to the plane trees lining the river outside, giving the entire space an earthy, comforting ambiance.

Dining 

Of course, no stay in Hotel Sacher – or Salzburg for that matter – is complete without sampling the original Sacher-torte. It’s believed that this dense chocolate treat was imagined by confectionaire Franz Sacher back in 1832, with a special 34-step process that (like Tabasco and KFC’s herbs and spices) remains a secret to this day. Unless you’re in the kitchen. It was made famous at the Hotel Sacher, and you don’t have to queue to get a sample when you check in here – it’s available at the breakfast buffet, alongside honeycomb, piles of buttery pastries, and crepes served with more homemade compotes than I can count.  

You can also grab a slice of the torte at Café Sacher (it comes at a hefty €20), ideally paired with one of the specialty boozy coffees like the Sacher Colada (cream, brown rum, Sacher liquor and chocolate, coconut syrup). Veal goulash, schnitzel and Austrian trout are also on the menu – you can also order these local delicacies at Sacher Grill, which spills out onto the river sidewalk, along with more refined dishes like truffled lobster linguine, and cured venison with hazelnuts and turnip. If white asparagus is in season, be sure to order it with lashings of hollandaise. Fine dining is at Zirbelzimmer, replete with wood-panelled walls and ceilings, and hunting trophies – it hasn’t changed in design since it first opened back in 1866.   

If you want to upgrade

The Sacher Sky Suite is newly built on the hotel’s rooftop, and is the largest of its kind in the city. The 138-square-metre space is a lesson in understated luxury, all taupe, ivory and rose across its bedroom and expansive living area – although you will likely be spending most of your time soaking up views from one of the three outdoor patios.    

Spa and wellness

While Austria has its fair share of spa hotels where you can ‘take the waters’, Hotel Sacher Salzburg is not one – and it doesn’t claim to be. The property’s makeover added a slick new health club where you can sweat it out in a steam room and Nordic-style sauna. Or, book in for a massage or facial from a limited menu of treatments. But arguably the best way to get your endorphins flowing is by taking advantage of the free hotel bikes, enjoying a ride along the river. Don’t forget to ring your bell when you pass my suite.    

Hotel Sacher Salzburg 

Signature Suite 
 
Size: 40-57 square metres 
Price per night: From €1,085 euros (around AU$1,810) 
Website: sacher.com