Sound of Music Sites in Salzburg, Austria
The hills are alive… with the sound of music! While you won’t encounter many locals raving about this classic Rodgers & Hammerstein musical, the vast majority of tourists to Salzburg will be!
Growing up with a mom who is absolutely enamored by the musical retelling of the Von Trapp family story, I’ve always dreamed of seeing the places from that timeless film.
While there are loads of other things to experience in Salzburg, these were a few of my favorite things 🙂
Top “Sound of Music” movie sites in Salzburg, Austria:
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1. Festung Hohensalzburg & Residenzplatz
The backdrop of many in-town shots, this castle is the iconic image of Salzburg.
This ancient fortress, along with the city center or Residenzplatz, is seen during the song “I Have Confidence”. If you want to imitate Maria, splash your hand in the Residenz Fountain!
2. Schloss Leopoldskron
At the time of my visit, the general public was unable to be on the grounds to get this view of the Von Trapp family’s backyard and lake. How did I do it then? My mom did her research!
If you stay at the Schloss Leopoldskron Hotel, it’s all accessible!
We spent two nights here, and had this bit of Hollywood history all to ourselves! This was my favorite part of our visit, and really made us feel like we were inside the film.
Inside this palatial yellow colored estate, there is a room that inspired the gilded ballroom scene in the film. It is the one featured during the “Lonely Goatherd” and “So Long, Farewell” scenes.
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3. Schloss Frohnburg
Schloss Frohnburg is a beautiful 17th century home, and is where they filmed the shots depicting the front of the Von Trapp home.
The back of the house scenes were filmed at the Schloss Leopoldskron (above), and the interior scenes were a set in Hollywood.
It’s a quick stop, but still fun to walk by and take some photos!
4. Row of Trees (Where the Children Climbed)
While this likely isn’t a big stop for the typical tourist, my mom is such a die-hard fan that we of course had to visit!
Actually- I’m kidding. This isn’t where they really filmed the movie. In fact, I threw this in here just to see if you are paying attention! 🤪
We couldn’t find this place in Salzburg, so we just pretended to be the Von Trapp children (dressed in window curtains)!
I have heard though (unconfirmed) that the road of trees is near Mondsee, in a village called St Lorenz.
5. Felsenreitschule Amphitheatre
The Salzburg music festival is a centuries old tradition, and many of the events still take place in this 17th century rock quarry turned amphitheater.
This is where they filmed the scene of the family singing in the music festival, right before making their theatrical escape from the Nazis.
Fun fact: The real Von Trapp family escaped Austria by boarding a train in their back yard!
6. Nonnberg Abbey
High on a hill you can find the place where the nuns portrayed in the film actually live and pray: Nonnberg Abbey.
While the movie set for the convent was created in Hollywood, this is the location where the real Maria was a novitiate. When we visited, we recognized the entry gate from the scene where the children try to convince Maria to come back.
Nearby, you can also find St. Peter’s Cemetery. This location was inspiration for the scene where the family hides behind the gates of a mausoleum.
7. Mirabell Gardens
While the beginning portion of the famous “Do Re Mi” number is filmed in the center of the Old Town, the song reaches its peak at the lovely Mirabell Gardens.
This is where you can find the fountains the children dance around- and of course the steps where the children hop at the end!
8. The Gazebo, Schloss Hellbrunn
While this is not the original gazebo where the iconic “I am Sixteen Going on Seventeen” scene was shot (it was filmed on a Hollywood set), this recreation was originally located at the Schloss Leopoldskron.
After too many trespassers caused trouble over the years, it is now part of the Schloss Hellbrunn palace property. Head there to visit the palace, and find the gazebo in its gardens.
9. Saint Michael’s Cathedral, Mondsee
In true life, Maria married Captain Georg Von Trapp at the Nonnberg Abbey in central Salzburg. However, The Hollywood version of their wedding was filmed here.
This is where the beautiful scene with aerial shots of Maria’s long wedding dress train are from.
The town of Mondsee is only about 15 miles from Salzburg, and with its colorful and charming surroundings, it is a worthwhile trip!
10. Saint Gilgen Town
A stunning countryside town only thirty minutes from Salzburg, the mountain view from St. Gilgen is a must! Read on if you’re curious to visit even more beautiful Austrian villages (recommended by a local!).
Several of the introductory movie shots were filmed here, including the the iconic “The Hills are Alive” scene. Unfortunately, the exact hill is on private property, but you still get the feel of it!
11. The Villa Trapp
Most tourists don’t know this, but you can actually stay in the TRUE LIFE family home of the Von Trapps!
This beautiful yellow mansion is now known as Villa Trapp, and is a peaceful bed-and-breakfast located in a quiet suburb of Salzburg called Aigen.
After the real Von Trapps fled Austria, this home was sadly taken over as an operations office for the Nazis. The infamous right hand man to Hitler, Heinrich Himmler, spent several months living here.
Once the war ended, the mansion was donated to local nuns. They blessed the home to rid it of the evil it had witnessed, and thankfully so!
Over time, it was converted to the hotel and mini-museum that it is today.
While staying there, we also realized there is a Nazi bunker in the backyard that soldiers constructed while stationed there.
For some fascinating insight into the World War II era, I highly recommend a stay at this beautiful home!
If you’d like to read more about the real Sound of Music family, check out: 1) the book about their lives by the real Maria Von Trapp, or the autobiography by daughter Agathe Von Trapp (this one is my favorite!).
11 Comments
Oh my…and I thought the von Trapp home was in Vienna. Now I have to go to Salzburg
Haha nope! The only Vienna connection is that the Father in the film goes there for business purposes but it’s not ever “on camera” . You will love Salzburg! Hopefully you can make it there!
Yes! You have to watch it!! It’s such a timeless classic! I don’t think you can fully appreciate Salzburg without having seen the film and knowing their true story 🙂
Thank you so much! Hopefully you can get there some day 🙂
Yes, I am very grateful for her passion/obsession with the film 🙂 – We stayed in the hotel on the grounds, it was so fancy but it was amazing to have that lake area all to ourselves
Yes, it was definitely good we did our research. The Schloss Leopoldskron (lake backyard) is completely closed to the public, so the only way to see it is to be a hotel guest. Also the Villa Trapp has the same situation, so if we had not stayed at those two hotels we would not have seen what (I thought) the coolest parts of the film in real life! 🙂
I think you’d be surprised how much you would like it if you re-watch it again as an adult. I became even more interested when I read the story of the real family’s life in the auto-biography of one of the daughters, Agathe Von Trapp. Staying in their original home (with the Nazi bunker- yikes) was particularly fascinating, regardless of the film!
Hey Michelle! Great itinerary! So I found out that the Schloss Hellbrunn (Hellbrunn Palace) is where the alley of trees was shot!
Thank you so much Allyson! That’s where we were was right outside the palace, but we didn’t think that was really it- maybe it was!?
What a great trip! Your mom is awesome! I got to go in 2017. It was rainy and snowing but still gorgeous. We are planning on going back this summer 🤞🏼 – the alley is at Hellbrunn Schloss… down Hellbrunner Allee. Our tour guide even told us that’s where the trees were, and it looks right! Take a look at Google maps and see if it looks more like the movie shot. I can’t upload a pic. We were not allowed to go down the path, but I snuck out from the group and got a pic 🙂. Love your blog!
Hi
Road of trees is actually near Mondsee. In a village St Lorenz but on the lake side. Cycle it often…..