Schloss Leopoldskron, Salzburg

One of the things I have learned from travelling the world is when it comes to the hotel star rating system. Many three and four-star hotels are better experiences than some of the 5-stars. How come you may ask. Well, stars are set after different criteria in different countries, and often facilities are one of the main reasons a hotel has 5 stars. My argument would be that if you are staying in the hotel for the location, service and food, it can easily be a 5-star experience for you without having access to a conference centre, spa and gym.

Schloss Leopoldskron is a historical rococo palace hotel and a national historic monument in the southern district, Leopoldskron-Moos, in Salzburg. First of all, the city is lovely, and I had a great first visit, that ended with a short stay at this beautiful hotel.

My experience started at the front desk with a warm welcome before I was escorted to the room. I stayed in a beautifully designed room, that was better than many rooms I’ve stayed at in 5-star hotels. Being an independent hotel, it was nice to see the personal touches, that you often don’t find at standardized chain hotels.

In 2015, this hotel was awarded “Best Historic Hotel of Europe” by Historic Hotels of Europe and historic it is. The famous 1964 film Sound of Music, Schloss Leopoldskron “was produced in Salzburg with the grounds adjacent to those of Schloss Leopoldskron as one of the main exterior locations.” Famous people like Prince Charles and Bill Gates have stayed here, and you can really say 3-stars don’t make it justice, but as I tried to explain before, it is because of different criteria. For me, the hotel was a great experience.

The service, design, and feel all ticked the boxes as a great experience and I can highly recommend it as a great place to stay in Salzburg, one of the nicest European towns I’ve visited.