Salzburg for most Germans I would say, is a nice Austrian city conveniently located right across the border so perfect for a good day trip. Before going there I was actually not aware that it was such a famous location for The Sound of Music, too (I was thinking more…Mozart). However, you can visit many of the movie locations fairly easy so I would definitely recommend to watch the movie and then go on a nice movie location hunt once you are there. The locations are absolutely stunning, too, so definitely worth a visit!
Many of the movie locations are conveniently located in the centre of Salzburg. However, if you are an absolute die hard fan of the movie, I recommend doing some additional research. I hope this guide already finds you well, as it contains all the film locations I found worth visiting, though this is not an exhaustive list.
Mirabell Palace and Gardens
This is probably one of the most famous locations from the movie. Maria and the children dance around the garden singing the song Do Re Mi. Two particularly distinct places from the song are the Pegasus fountain ant the steps in front of the Rose Hill. The palace itself, which was built in 1606, is really beautiful, too. As this location is so famous and centrally located, there are also a lot of tourists around so in order to get a good picture, you should arrive as early as possible. On the good side - visiting the gardens doesn't cost any money!
Summer Riding School
The Felsenreitschule is one of the most important concert venues in Salzburg. It is built into the Mönchsberg itself, which makes it really impressive. It originally started as an open air riding school but as it is now used as a concert venue, a ceiling was built in order to improve acoustics. In The Sound of Music the Riding School served as the stage for the music competition Maria and the Von Trapp family took part in right before they fled to Switzerland. You can't visit the venue all by yourself but have to book a guided tour for Salzburg's concert venues. The tour starts every day at 2pm and costs 8€ per person.
Leopoldskron Palace
The Villa Von Trapp is actually a combination of two different Salzburg locations, of which one is Leopoldskron Palace. It served as the outside of the Von Trapp family home (the lakeside terrace) and the famous gate to the lake. The palace is definitely my favorite location from the movie! However, admission to the palace and the park grounds (including the gate to the lake) is solely restricted to guests of the house. You can book a room at the palace and enjoy the film locations from up close - or you can marvel at the palace from across the lake. I would recommend staying at the palace for at least one night if you can, as it is really beautiful and they offer complementary breakfast buffet in the ball room (and who can say they had their breakfast in a ball room?).
Mozaretum Music Academy & Hellbrunner Allee
The other location for the Villa Von Trapp is the Mozeretum Music Academy located on Hellbrunner Allee. This is also the tree-shaded lane, where Maria alights from the bus. Schloss Frohnburg, a 17th century house, is now the Mozaretum Music Academy. The building was used for the intimidating gates and front entrance of the Van Trapp villa. Even though you won't have access to the house itself, you can stroll down the ally and stare through the gates - just like Maria. This is also one of the less popular film locations so it's a great opportunity to escape the tourists.
Residenzplatz Square and Fountain
The Residence Square is a forecourt between the archiepiescopal residences in the heart of Salzburg's Old City. In the movie, Maria crosses the square when she is leaving the abby to take up her post with the Von Trapp Family singing I Have Confidence. She enters the square through the Domplatz arches and heads to the Residenz Fountain in which she splashes. The location is also used a second time when Maria passes the fountain when singing with the children.
Humboldt Terrace
The terrace in front of the Museum of Modern Art in Salzburg served as a shot of Maria leaving the abbey. Also, she later comes by the place when singing Do Re Mi with the children. the terrace is located at the Mönchsberg Cliffs, which you can reach from the Mönchsberg elevator in Anton Neumayrplatz.
Picnic meadow Werfen
The beginning of the song Do Re Mi was not filmed in Salzburg but 25 miles south of the city in the Salzach River valley. The picnic meadow is located above the village of Werfen, which established a Sound of Music Trail with some fun stops along the way. As the hike is only 3 miles long and easy, it is suitable for all ages and only takes a short amount of time. It's definitely worth it, too, since it's a really nice hike and not touristy at all.
Schloss Hellbrunn
The Sound of Music gazebo which was used for the song Sixteen Going On Seventee originally stood in the gronds of Leopoldskron palace bus was eventually relocated to Schloss Hellbrunn in the south of Salzburg. For the interior shots, it was recreated slightly larger at a studio in Hollywood so don't be disappointed when it looks rather small. Furthermore, the gazebo is usually locked, as a lot of tourists got injured when trying to perform like Liesl and Ralf. So if you want to take pictures inside, you have to book a tour.
St. Peter's Graveyard
Some websites list St. Peter's graveyard as a film location where the Von Trapps hide from the Nazis. However, it is not! The cemetry and catacombs are a Hollywood studio set. However it is clearly based on St. Peter's Graveyard in Salzburg, which is located just off Kapitelplatz.
There are of course other filming locations that I didn't visit such as Nonnberg Abbey, or St. Michael's Church in Mondsee which served as a location for Maria's wedding, so this isn't a complete list. However, these ones were definitely worth it so if you happen to be around you should definitely check them out!
Do you know the movie The Sound of Music? Would you go and see the film locations? I would love to hear your opinion (particularly if you're German - have you heard of it?).
Kate recommends: If you are planning on visiting the film locations from The Sound of Music, you should consider taking a copy of Günther Grass' Tin Drum (original German title: Die Blechtromel). The author is presenting the dysfunction of the Nazi era in terms of music. The protagonist Oskar loves banging on his tin drum, but almost everything in this novel serves as a symbol. If you want to explore music as a metaphor for sociopolitical affairs, this book is a very good place to start.