If The Sound of Music is one of your favorite movies, Salzburg, Austria, is almost certainly on your travel wish list. The Sound of Music continues to captivate moviegoers decades after it first appeared on the big screen. Today, more than 300,000 tourists visit Salzburg, Austria, where the film was shot, each year to tour the filming locations. According to one survey of international visitors, 70 percent said The Sound of Music movie was their primary reason for visiting the city.
‘The Sound of Music’ Experience in Salzburg
If you’re a film fan, you’ll want to go to the locations where it was shot.
The Pegasus Fountain and hedge arcade at the Mirabell Gardens, where Maria and the children danced and sang Do-Re-Mi, are among the most well-liked locations.
Another is Residenz Platz, which Maria passed through the route from Nonnberg Abbey to the von Trapp Villa and is roughly a 10-minute walk away. The family is sheltered under the gravestones of St. Peter’s Cemetery, which is close to St. Peter Stiftskeller.
The best way to see other sites outside the city is typically on tour. For example, the Sixteen Going on Seventeen sequence and the kissing scene were recorded at Hellbrunn Palace’s pavilion.
The ceremony was held in a church in Mondsee, roughly a half-hour drive from Salzburg. However, the opening sequences were shot nearby in Wolfgangsee, about a 45-minute drive. You can travel to these locations on several bus trips.
Events and festivals
Salzburg hosts an astounding 4,000 cultural events, and the city’s historical art, architecture, and culture are unmatched.
The renowned Salzburg Festival, established in 1920, is at the top of the list. It still attracts many people today with a wide variety of events in just as varied settings. The festival’s numerous acts, which include theater, opera, concerts, and other genres, mark its high point in the city’s cultural calendar.
Sommerszene, a two-week-long international avant-garde dance festival, takes place before the Salzburg Festival.
The city also has several fantastic museums, including the Museum of Modern Art (on top of Mönchsberg, with a great view of the Old City), the Baroque Princely Residence (16th-19th-century European paintings), the Salzburg Foundation’s Walk of Modern Art (10 outdoor sculpture projects by renowned international artists), the Museum der Moderne, Hangar-7 at the airport, and the Museum der Moderne, a masterpiece of avant-garde design and home to a fleet of historic aircraft.
Food and dining
If you explore its maze of streets, you’ll discover that these courtyards are now crowded with quaint cafés and boutiques.
You might want to stop by the well-liked and charming Triangel Restaurant, located behind the University Church, if it’s lunchtime. Due to its proximity to the famed Salzburg Festival’s festival halls, diners in shorts and t-shirts can be found at Triangle’s outdoor lunch tables alongside festival goers dressed in suits and gowns.
You can also look for directions to the elegant Café Mozart nearby and unwind with a morning brew or visit the city’s oldest pastry shop, Schatz-Konditorei, and linger over sumptuous pastries.
At dinner time, visit the unique dinner theater. Since the neighborhood is so compact, you’ll find that St. Peter Stiftskeller is conveniently located. It was first referenced in literature in 803 and claimed to be the oldest restaurant in Central Europe, if not the entire continent.
The restaurant is somewhat deceiving because it is situated in but not affiliated with a still-running monastery.
When you enter, there is a small chamber across a little courtyard to the left and another to the right. However, when you ascend the steps, you’ll find yourself in a maze of private dining rooms that lead to an elaborate area with chandeliers at the top.
Other attractions
Salzburg is a picture-perfect city with spires and domes beneath a towering fortress, all set against a mountainous background that never gets old. There is also enough fine art, gorgeous Baroque and contemporary architecture, delicious food, and spectacular festivals to fill your brain. The city is charming and beautiful wherever you turn.
If you go, start at the Altstadt, the city’s Old Town and historic core, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Here, horses can still be seen galloping through the streets while hauling carriages to Residenz Platz, the most famous plaza in the city.
Visit Getrapidegasse, a charming street with high, narrow buildings and a bustling retail area. The house where Mozart was born can be found there.
As you ascend the steps, you will discover the virtuoso’s artifacts, including the violin he played as a youngster and the clavichord on which he wrote numerous compositions, including The Magic Flute. Then, climb up to the top floor, where you’ll find the fascinating “Mozart Online” exhibit, which displays the notes being performed.
On walking, biking, or even rickshaw tours, other city attractions can be reached.
Finally, complete your vacation by taking a day trip to Hallstatt, which is regarded as Austria’s most picturesque lakeside village.
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