Is Salzburg’s Sound of Music Tour Worth It?

If you’re reading this post, you’ve probably seen The Sound of Music — that epic film somewhat loosely depicting how the Trapp Family Singers came to be in 1930s Austria and, ultimately, how they fled for safer territory after the Nazis annexed Austria.

There’s so much to love about The Sound of Music, including those incredible songs, the charms of Julie Andrews, and, crucially, the remarkable beauty of Salzburg, where the von Trapps lived and where much of the movie was filmed.

For fans of The Sound of Music, one of the joys of exploring Salzburg is finding the many filming locations scattered around town. But there are also some notable filming spots located outside the core of the city. What’s the easiest way to see those too? Enter: the Original Sound of Music Tour, operated by Panorama Tours.

It may not be the only Sound of Music tour on offer in Salzburg, but it’s the best-known one — and the one everyone means when they say they took “the Sound of Music tour.”

I’ve taken the Original Sound of Music Tour twice, and — spoiler alert — thoroughly enjoyed it both times. But is the Sound of Music tour worth it for most people?

In this post, I’ll tell you what the Sound of Music tour is like and what you can expect from the experience. Then, I’ll tell you whether I think the Sound of Music tour is worth it depending on your interests, budget, and schedule — plus, how to book the tour if you do decide it’s right for you!

This post is not sponsored, but it does contains affiliate links. If you book a tour through one of these links, I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thanks for supporting In Old Cities in this way!

What to Expect on Salzburg’s Sound of Music Tour

I first took the Sound of Music tour in September 2017 during my first visit to Salzburg. That’s a glorious time of year in Salzburg, and a great time to experience the Sound of Music tour — though I doubt there’s a bad time!

More recently, I took the tour again while visiting Salzburg with a friend, Emily, in December. I wasn’t sure whether I wanted to spend the money on experiencing the same tour a second time, but I ultimately decided to join Emily on the tour — and I was glad I did!

The tour typically runs twice a day — at 9:15 am and 2 pm — and Emily and I opted for the morning tour. As instructed, we arrived at the meeting place (near Mirabell Palace) before 9 am and boarded the bus, which was all decked out in images from the film (see the photo at the top of this post!).

Once the bus got going, we headed to Schloss Hellbrunn — a palace just outside of Salzburg. It’s famous for its trick fountains, which spray visitors from unexpected places.

The Sound of Music tour doesn’t include a full visit to the Hellbrunn grounds, though. Instead, you’re there to see the gazebo from the movie!

Well, sort of. The gazebo now located at Hellbrunn was originally on the grounds of Schloss Leopoldskron and inspired the set for the gazebo scenes in the movie. However, the real gazebo was too small for filming, so the production built a larger version of the gazebo for the famous Sixteen Going on Seventeen dance scene, which was filmed on a Hollywood set.

Though the original gazebo remained at Leopoldskron for some time, it was frequently mobbed by trespassing movie fans wanting to dance around the benches like Liesl and Rolf. In order to protect it (and prevent fans from hurting themselves!), the gazebo was moved to Hellbrunn in the 80s.

You cannot go inside the gazebo, but you’ll have time to do your best Liesl-after-getting-kissed pose in front of the gazebo if you want.

NOTE: If you take the tour, your bus might first go to Leopoldskron — which I’ll tell you about next — instead of Hellbrunn. When Panorama is running two buses at the same time, they’ll stagger the first few stops so two tour groups aren’t at the same place at the same time.

Also at Hellbrunn is the end of Hellbrunner Allee, the lane that Maria ran down to reach the von Trapp home at the end of “I Have Confidence.” You won’t have time to go the whole way to Schloss Frohnburg, which was used as the front of the von Trapp home in the movie, but you’ll see the house from the bus.

On my most recent tour, after Hellbrunn, our bus headed to Leopoldskroner Weiher, where all the lake scenes were filmed. We stood across the lake from Schloss Leopoldskron, which was used for elements of the scenes featuring the von Trapp home (specifically, the shots facing the lake), and our tour guide told us stories about the filming of the movie.

By the way, it’s possible to stay at Schloss Leopoldskron during your visit to Salzburg!

Next, we headed toward Mondsee, which is about 30 minutes away from Salzburg. Most notably, Mondsee holds the cathedral where Maria and Georg’s wedding was filmed.

On the way to Mondsee, they played songs from the movie on the bus and we had a sing-a-long. Cheesy? Yes. But also fun!

We also made a brief stop at an overlook with a lovely view of the alpine scenery.

When we arrived in Mondsee, we were given about 90 minutes of free time to explore as we wished. Emily and I opted to visit the cathedral — which is beautiful! — and then had lunch at a cafe in town before returning to the bus.

Mondsee is the last stop on the tour, so the bus then returned us to Mirabell Palace and we had the afternoon to explore Salzburg!

Is the Sound of Music tour worth it?

So, is the Sound of Music tour worth the time and money?

For me, yes! I really enjoyed the tour both times I took it, and while the tour isn’t cheap, it packs a punch — you visit a number of locations in a short period of time.

But that doesn’t necessarily mean the tour is worth it for you! Here’s what I recommend.

Yes, I think the Sound of Music tour is worth it if:

• You’re a fan of the movie, or you’re traveling with someone who is. The tour is the easiest way to see a number of filming locations, and you’ll learn some fun facts about the movie — plus, singing on the bus is a good time!
• You’d like to see some of the scenery around Salzburg. Even if you don’t care all that much about the movie, the tour is a good way to see some sights outside of the city.
• Your time and budget in Salzburg aren’t strictly limited. If that’s the case, why not experience the tour? It’s fun!

No, I think the Sound of Music tour is not worth it if:

• You don’t particularly care about the movie and aren’t traveling with anyone else who does.
• You only have a day or two in Salzburg. If that’s the case, I recommend spending your limited time exploring Salzburg itself. (But if you’re a huge movie fan and you do have two days in Salzburg, spending half a day on the tour might still be worth it!)
• Your travel budget is tight. Unless you really really reaaaalllly love the movie, it’s probably not the best use of your limited funds.

How to Book the Sound of Music Tour

If you’ve decided that the tour is right for you, I recommend booking on one of the three following sites:

GetYourGuide

Viator

Panorama Tours

Your tour will be the same no matter which site you book through, so I recommend just choosing whichever site is offering the lowest price at the time you book!

Other Tours in Salzburg

If you’d like to book a tour that will lead you to some of the Sound of Music filming locations within the city of Salzburg, check out the following options:

• Old Town, Mozart, & Mirabell Gardens Walking Tour
• Salzburg 2.5-Hour Walking Tour: Mozart, Old Town & More
• Salzburg 4h tour to locations of “The Sound of Music Movie” (note that this tour visits filming locations within the city as well as the filming locations seen on the Original Sound of Music Tour, so this tour is best viewed as an alternative to the Original tour rather than a potential additional option!)

Final Thoughts

I love Salzburg and The Sound of Music, and I think the Sound of Music tour is a wonderful way to experience the movie and some of what’s featured within it. If you’re a fan of the movie, I don’t think you’ll regret taking the tour!

Do you have still have questions about whether the Sound of Music tour is worth it for you? Leave a comment or shoot me a message — I’d love to help!

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