The Sound of Music Tour
The town of Salzburg was turned inside out in 1964 when producers and film crews began filming The Sound of Music- an incredibly successful film based on the true story of the von Trapp family. The film won 5 Oscars, and if you’ve ever seen it you definitely know why; between the singing, the beautiful scenery of Austria, and Christopher Plummer’s good looks, it was bound to be a success. When we decided to travel to Austria, I knew a Sound of Music tour had to be included in our itinerary, and I was thrilled to find Panorama Tours. They take all the work out of the research so you can relax and enjoy the tour without having to worry about stopping to ask for directions.
The Sound of Music Tour makes 5 different stops:
Mirabell Garden and Pegasus Fountain, where Maria and the children danced in the movie
Nonnberg Convent, where Maria was a novice
Schloss Leopoldskron (the house where the von Trapp family lived in the movie)
Hellbrunn Palace (singing scenes in the movie)
The Gazebo (now placed in Hellbrunn), where the Baron von Trapp kissed Maria for the first time
Church Mondsee, where Maria and the Baron get married
When you begin the tour, you get picked up on a bus in a central location which is incredibly helpful. Then all you have to do is ride around listening to The Sound of Music soundtrack, singing Edelweiss and learning about the history of Salzburg and the movie from your live tour guide. Panorama also provides you with an interactive map of the sites you’ll be seeing which I thought was super cool.
We especially loved stopping in the town of Mondsee, not just to see the iconic church from the movie but to explore the town as well. It’s situated in the mountains next to a lake, and the bus drops you off for a little while so you can wander around and see the sights. We had some local goat’s milk berry ice cream that was amazing, and it was the perfect treat to accompany our sightseeing.
If The Sound of Music isn’t really your thing, check out any of Panorama’s other tours; they have so many there’s bound to be something that fits with your interests. I think it’s worth it to do any tour because in addition to learning about the theme of the tour, it’s an easy way to see the countryside and learn about new towns that you might want to visit at a later date. We ended up discovering this tour after we spent a day in St. Gilgen and loved it so much we decided to rent a car and come back!
Now excuse me while I go sing about a few of my favorite things...one of them being a young Christopher Plummer.