Following my previous post about visiting places from Lost in Translation, I figured I would write about another real-life experience of a silver screen location: Salzburg. The city, which is the fourth largest in Austria, is the setting for the 1965 musical The Sound of Music.

I remember watching The Sound of Music as a kid, and I think I even had to sing songs from it in kindergarten, so I guess it implanted itself in my brain early. Some people pile the hate on musicals, but I think this one is a genuine classic.

Rotten Tomatoes probably sums it up best: “Unapologetically sweet and maybe even a little corny, The Sound of Music will win over all but the most cynical filmgoers with its classic songs and irresistible warmth.” (If you’re wondering, it’s an 83% on the Tomatometer and Certified Fresh).

My sojourn in Salzburg took place in October 2017. I started this trip in Prague before heading to Vienna. Initially, I was planning to then go straight on to Zurich but after doing a bit of research, I saw that this would be an almost eight hour train journey.

Along the route though, I saw a familiar name pop up: Salzburg. It’s definitely not the halfway point or anything, being a bit over two hours from Vienna, but I figured why not stop there for a couple days? Aside from the movie connection, it just looked like a pretty nice place.

So I went ahead and booked in a couple nights at a hostel. I didn’t regret it.

The hills are alive…

On my first day, I headed up the Untersberg mountain, which is seen at the beginning and end of The Sound of Music. That includes the iconic opening number by Julie Andrews:

It’s easy to get to by public bus and then cable car. The view at the top is genuinely one of the best I’ve ever seen. I wasn’t really thinking about The Sound of Music connection at all.

The wind was quite strong and it basically felt like being above the clouds. If you climb ev’ry mountain and it is as scenic as this, then it’s absolutely 100% worth it.

I eventually finally took the cable car back down. My next stop was Salzburg’s Stiegl Brewery. They make great beer which is frustratingly difficult to find in Australia.

To finish the day off, I jumped on a scenic cruise along the Salzach river that runs through Salzburg. The only thing I remember about this is that they made the boat dance. It’s hard to explain…

When I got back to my hostel, I heard a few people at the counter booking a Sound of Music bus tour for the next day. I considered trying to see the main sights from the film by public transport. Sometimes, a tour is the sensible option, and it wasn’t too expensive, so I booked myself in too.

…with the sound of music

I spent the morning of the next day wandering around Salzburg and seeing a few locations I recognised from the movie. Then it was time to jump on board the bus. My tour was with Panorama Tours, which seemingly holds the title for the Original Sound of Music Tour.

From memory, I was the youngest person on board my bus by multiple decades. Warning: If you’re not a fan of The Sound of Music, do not take this tour. I guess that’s obvious, but just be aware that there are songs and singalongs throughout the journey. Not many people actually sang, fortunately.

I’m not sure if the tour is still the same today, but one of the first stops was a view overlooking Schloss Leopoldskron. This property, which is now a luxury hotel, was used as the exterior for the von Trapp family’s home in the film. Interestingly, interior scenes were filmed elsewhere.

It’s a nice place for sure, but maybe not the most recognisable thing from The Sound of Music.

One that surely is though is the glass gazebo where the songs Sixteen Going on Seventeen and Something Good take place. The gazebo was actually moved from Schloss Leopoldskron to another location, Schloss Hellbrunn, making it more accessible to the public.

Schloss Hellbrunn is definitely a must-do for The Sound of Music lovers (TSOMs? Musicers?) mainly for the gazebo but also for the yellow walls that you can see Maria walk past in I Have Confidence.

Do-re-mi

Another stop on the tour is Mondsee, a town roughly half an hour’s drive from Salzburg. The big attraction here is Basilika St. Michael, where (spoiler) Maria and the Captain get married. My main memory is being struck by how small the church is compared to how it seems in the movie.

Finally, the tour finishes off where it starts: Schloss Mirabell. You definitely don’t need to go on a tour to visit this, which is easily accessible in the centre of Salzburg.

The garden of Schloss Mirabell features prominently during Do-Re-Mi, including different statues, the Pegasus fountain, and the ‘Musical Steps’ which the cast walk up at the end of the song.

Then it was time to leave the world of The Sound of Music and return to the real world. Doh.

Salzburg sights and The Sound of Music

I’m going to reiterate the conclusion from my previous post that, If you get the opportunity to visit a location from a movie you love, you should do it.

The Sound of Music is indeed “unapologetically sweet and maybe even a little corny”. I’m also not really sure where it sits on my list of favourite movies. But seeing Salzburg and how little the locations have changed was a nice experience and one I’d recommend.

If you could take or leave The Sound of Music, I’d still suggest a visit to Salzburg. Just heading up the Untersberg alone would be worth your time. Maybe pop into the garden of Schloss Mirabell while you’re there too. Just don’t let anyone catch you singing on the steps.