Hotel Stein

Hotel description

So effectively does Salzburg trade on the fact of having been Mozart’s birthplace that its more immediate charms are easily overlooked. But Amadeus or no Amadeus, the fact remains that Salzburg is a picturesque, ancient Alpine town, in the heart of Austria, one of western Europe’s most livable countries. It’s a meeting of old and new that’s actually quite neatly summed up in the form of the Hotel Stein.

It’s a new-breed contemporary-design boutique hotel — albeit one that has stood on this spot, at the river’s side, since the year 1399. Obviously a bit of renovation work has been done in the intervening half-millennium, and the latest update leaves the Stein looking very contemporary, if somewhat sober. Now it’s got all the trimmings: flat-screen televisions, Hästens handmade beds, laptop-ready safes.

The Mozart suite is worth a look for its self-consciously 18th-century style. What’s absolutely not to be missed, though, is the roof-terrace café/bar/lounge, a capacious open-air space with 360-degree views of the riverfront and historic city center. There’s as much Mozart in Salzburg as anyone can take — but if the Stein is any guide, the present has plenty to recommend it too.