They walked along the Salzach in the evening and felt the baroque architecture do something to their sense of scale. They ate a Mozartkugel directly outside his birthplace, which is perhaps expected, but they meant it. They love the combination of musical heritage, Alpine landscape, and Austrian food culture that Salzburg packs into a city this small. Salzburg people are often music people, history people, and secretly Sound of Music people all at once. Here's what to get them.

For the Salzburg Nerd

Wolfgang Hildesheimer's "Mozart" is one of the most interesting biographies of the composer because it refuses the hagiography and takes the psychological complexity seriously. For the broader Austrian cultural context, Carl Schorske's "Fin-de-Siecle Vienna" covers the cultural explosion that connected Salzburg's musical tradition to the Viennese intellectual world. The Salzburg Festival has its own excellent programme books and historical publications for anyone who attended or aspires to.

For prints, a vintage Salzburg Festival concert poster from a specific year is collectable and often beautiful. A baroque-style map of the city or a photograph of the Hohensalzburg fortress from the Salzach is available on Etsy and works well framed.

For the Salzburg Food Lover

An Austrian cooking class through Airbnb Experiences covering Wiener Schnitzel, Kaiserschmarrn, and the Austrian pastry tradition is a strong gift for the Salzburg food enthusiast who came home wanting to cook Austrian. For the wine side, Austrian wine, especially Gruner Veltliner and Riesling from the Wachau, is excellent and widely underknown. A tasting through an Austrian wine specialist is a good gift.

Genuine Mozartkugeln from Furst in Salzburg (the original, not the Mirabell mass-market version) can be ordered online and are a specific and completely correct food gift for the Salzburg obsessive. They'll know the difference.

For the Salzburg Obsessive Planning Their Next Trip

Salzburg people want to go back either for the festival, for the lake district day trips (Wolfgangsee, Hallstatt), or for both. The ConciseTravel Salzburg guide helps them plan around both the city and the landscape. Find it on Etsy at https://concisetravelguides.etsy.com/uk/listing/4472875243/salzburg-cheat-sheet-itinerary-planner.

An Austrian Federal Railways pass via Klook covers the regional train day trips. For a travel accessory, a quality Austrian loden wool item, a small bag or hat in the traditional fabric, is specific and beautifully made.

Salzburg is a city of serious pleasures. The best gift takes them seriously too.