Steeped in grandeur Salzburg’s Hotel Sacher delivers five-star service and Austrian charm

Words: Will Moffitt

With its sweeping staircases, gold bannisters and drooping chandeliers arriving at Hotel Sacher Salzburg feels a bit like you’ve been dropped on a Wes Anderson film set. That feeling of fin-de-siècle elegance, depicted so alluringly in Anderson’s The Grand Budapest Hotel, runs through every room and hallway. 

Nestled on the banks of the Salzach river, overlooking Salzburg’s old town and the Fortress Hohensalzburg, Sacher started life as the “Österreichischer Hof” in 1886 and it has roots in the 19th century café culture of Vienna, where its sister hotel resides. In a real life but distinctly Anderson-esque origin story the Sacher brand was birthed by bakers. 

Crafted by then kitchen apprentice Franz Sacher for Prince von Metternich, the Chancellor of the empire, to impress high society visitors, the original Sacher-Torte chocolate cake was a culinary sensation. The jam-filled dessert brought the Sacher name celebrity status and a reputation for first rate service that saw the family open their first hotel in 1876. 

 

Above: A Signature Suite at Hotel Sacher

Populated by monarchs, intellectuals, diplomats and celebrities the original grand dame was clearly a place to see and be seen. Sacher Salzburg has brought the blueprint into the twentieth century but kept the old world styling. 

Clad in traditional garb the hotel’s charming and friendly staff welcome you into the mosaic-tiled lobby. As you head upstairs via a sweeping staircase past walls adorned with oil paintings you’ll find the glass-topped atrium, which bathes the central areas with natural light. The hotel’s 111 rooms vary in size – from one bedroom suites to a penthouse with its own terrace – but are chic and elegant. My suite is roomy with animal-themed decor, chandelier lights, an immaculate marble bathroom and views extending beyond the Salzach into Salzburg’s old town. 

This connection to Austria’s famously beautiful city is a major part of Sacher’s allure. Populated by medieval and baroque buildings Salzburg’s centre is a quaint blend of winding alleyways, old coffee houses and squares, with its hilltop fortress marking the skyline and the tips of the alps looming in the distance. 

A short ride away on the funicular Fortress Hohensalzburg was built in 1077 to guard against foreign invasion. The biggest fully preserved castle in Central Europe, the ancient citadel delivers panoramic views across the city. Wander along the hilly pathway and you’ll meet Salzburg’s museum of modern art where a diverse collection of works from the 20th and 21st centuries reside.

Above: CafĂŠ Sacher, modelled on the traditional Austrian coffee-house and the interior of the hotel

Major tourist attractions are within walking distance of the hotel, including Getreidegasse no. 9, the birthplace of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. A short stroll from this museum honouring the life and work of the great composer is Schloss Mirabell palace, built by Prince-Archbishop Wolf Dietrich in 1606 to woo his mistress, and its magnificent gardens delicately ordered into parterres and chiselled sculptures and fountains.   

Given this rich history Sacher’s proud wearing of its heritage feels congruously in keeping with its surroundings. The cuisine is authentically Austrian with The Sacher Grill, a relaxed dining venue serving a particularly delicious Wiener Schnitzel and apple strudel. Across the way Zirbelzimmer restaurant serves refined dishes in a rustic setting preserved in its original condition since it opened in 1866.

That sense of preservation is stitched into CafĂŠ Sacher where red velvet and chandeliers reprise and pay homage to those fragrant Austrian coffee-houses of old. Be sure to order the original Sacher-Torte chocolate cake with whipped cream and a strong coffee. Its recipe remains a closely guarded secret but Hotel Sacher is a place of warmth and openness. Â