As soon as my trip to Austria was finalized, my first task was to try and locate as many Sound of Music locations as I could and try to visit at least some. I have and will continue to be a super fan of the movie and if you are too then read on and follow in my footsteps!
The Von Trapp story (and thus the movie) was based in Salzberg and although I had only 4 days there(yes it's too few!) I managed to fit in some of the main locations. The ones within the city limits are very much doable on foot and, with some planning, can easily be done in a day.
Of the main film locations, the Mirabell Garden is on the newer side of the river while the Nonnberg Abbey, Rock Riding School, and the Residenzeplatz are in the old part of the city across the river. The Schloss Hellbrun is a short drive out of the city.
Mirabell Garden
A lovely moderate sized garden with loads of SOM locations to be enjoyed! I had very little time so had to fit it my visit here early morning before breakfast but despite the early hour and the rain my spirits could not be dampened! I walked the entire gardens which I had pretty much to myself( reward for the early and damp start!!) and took loads of photos all in a matter of an hour or so. The song DO-RE-ME was filmed at this location and here are some of my photos with the film shots as a reference!!
NB. The garden is free to visit!
Off for a walk across the river to the Residenzplatz for the Horse pond scene from "I Have Confidence".....the photo angle is different but the fountain is the same!
In the vicinity is also the Rock Riding School or Felsenreitschule where the final concert happens during which the Von Trapps escape. Very unhappy I couldn't visit as it was top 3 of my places to see but tours are only offered at 2pm and 330pm and I was off exploring the mountains in the afternoons.
If you plan to visit please check this site out for more info regarding the tours and booking them as info for this location is hard to find:
Nonnberg Abbey
Located half way down from or up to the fortress (depending on your perspective!) is the Abbey Maria was at when we meet her. It is a steep gradient to reach here either way so it may not be for everyone. As it is still an operational nunnery you cannot go inside but just seeing the gates Maria walks out of and later where the children go to ask her to return is pure satisfaction for a fan! The views along the way and from up top are also fantastic so for me it was well worth the trip.
NB. the scenes inside the abbey in the movie were shot in studio as even THEY weren't allowed entry!
Schloss Hellbrunn was my final stop and just managed to squeeze it in on the drive back to Vienna.
Its about 30 mins drive out of Salzberg but a must for SOM fans as the Gazebo from "I am 16" and "I must have done something good" is located here.
To be perfectly honest it was a lot smaller than my expectations and sadly was locked, so my plans of leaping from bench to bench like Liesl were dashed, but again it was an icon visited and I was content, very content.
The long yellow property wall was also in the movie and seen when Maria is walking to the Von Trapp home singing "I have confidence."
The place is huge and the gardens were lovely- well worth spending half a day here but a couple of hours was what I had and enjoyed them fully.
N.B. Gets pretty crowded once the tours start coming in so go early!
Conclusion
You cannot claim to be a fan of "The Sound of Music" and not try to at least visit some of the locations- whether its on your own or with a guided tour.
Just remember, either way, sing loudly, take the silly pictures and enjoy yourself!
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