Why High Heels and Salzburg Performances Don't Go Together Well

Performances at the Salzburg Festival make for a fancy occasion. One sure wants to dress adequately on the red carpet in order not to disappoint the onlookers, B-list celebrities and the odd real celebrity who mingle in front of the festival houses.

Wearers of high heels, though, should be warned to take account of the following hazards:
Cobblestone pavements. You can be most certain to break your leg if you attempt to take a longer walk through the cobbled streets of the old town. Speaking from personal experience I suggest to not even try it.

Walking distances. Salzburg is rather small and pretty much everything can be reached on foot. In fact, most festival goers prefer to walk to their performances as the traffic usually crashes in the inner city before a show and taxis have to go around the entire pedestrian area of the old city to reach the festival houses. It is more time efficient to use the pedestrians' shortcuts which unfortunately always lead through aforementioned cobbled streets. If you take a cab make sure you leave early. If you decide to walk make sure you wear comfortable shoes to avoid focussing on the blisters on your feet during your concert or opera.

Acquiring your intermission drink. Numerous stairs inside the festival houses might prevent you from getting to your well-deserved glass of champagne during the intermission in time. If you want to grab a drink you can order it before the performance to have it ready once you've elegantly conquered the stairs or be prepared to make a less elegant run down the stairs to be in front of the queue.