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To be honest, a Sound of Music bus tour wasn’t on my 2024 bucket list, but it ended up being one of my favorite activities! So, today, I want to post about the fun Sound of Music Tour in Salzburg that Abby and I took last summer. In this post, I’ll share my photos, some of the highlights, links to the book, and tips for your tour. Let’s jump right in!
Visiting Salzburg
Last summer, my 15-year-old daughter and I took a trip to France, Austria, and Germany. We flew from Paris to Vienna and then spent the rest of the trip traveling within Austria and Germany by train.
The train ride from Vienna to Salzburg was around 2.5 hours and as usual, we booked our train tickets via Trainline. I really like how easy it is to monitor our train travel and manage our tickets via their app. It’s well worth the minuscule service fee.
We only spent two nights in Salzburg before hopping back onto the train bound for Munich, Germany. On this trip, we had planned quite a few activities and lots of walking in the larger cities, so we left our two days in Salzburg open in case we just wanted to relax a bit.
Upon arrival, we spent the first full day walking around this charming European city, visiting Mozart’s birthplace and dining at a cute outdoor cafe. We strolled around the gardens from the Sound of Music and decided that we wanted to take a tour the following day. And it ended up even better than we had imagined!
Sound of Music Tour in Salzburg
Our favorite part of the Sound of Music Tour we took in Salzburg was actually the time spent out of the city. If we hadn’t taken this tour, we would never have seen the gorgeous lake and communities of Wolfgangsee and Monsdee. The tour even gave us free time to explore the community of Mondsee on our own, which is home to the Church used for the wedding in the movie.
Of course, it also took us to numerous beautiful and interesting places within Salzburg. We loved seeing Schloss Leopoldskron, Nonnberg Abbey, and the Hellbrunn Palace garden. We stopped at several locations and drove past others.
Another really fun part of the tour was the actual bus ride with Panorama Tours. I hadn’t expected there to be singing! But, a movie played at times was narrated by an older Julie Andrews sharing more about the places that we were visiting. And, at times, the whole bus broke out into a musical song, as you can see in this Instagram reel I made! We sure felt like the Trapp family singers!
What is the Best Sound of Music Tour?
We did the original Sound of Music Tour with Panorama Tours, and it’s definitely the most popular. We booked our tickets on Get Your Guide, which is my favorite site for booking tours and tickets around the world. Their app is super easy to use, and it’s the same price as booking elsewhere.
We also really appreciate the free cancellation up to 24 hours in advance that comes with booking this Sound of Music Tour via Get Your Guide, especially when we want to change our schedule due to the weather.
This is the exact Sound of Music Tour we took! And it has great reviews, boasting 4.8 stars from over 3500 people. Prices are 60 Euro for adults (ages 14+) and 30 Euro for children ages 4-13. Children 3 and under are free.
What Will You See on a Sound of Music Tour in Salzburg?
While the movie was actually filmed in many different locations, you get to see quite a few on this Sound of Music tour. Most are locations that were memorable from the movie, such as the Gazebo!
Our tour started and ended in Salzburg, with a trip to the countryside in the middle. Tours begin at either 9:15 a.m. or 2 p.m. I like the earlier tour because then you still have the rest of the day. Plus, you will be full from breakfast, and places may be less crowded earlier in the day.
As I mentioned before, some of the Sound of Music filming locations are drive-by, such as the bridge they filmed Do Re Mi on, while others allow stops. At a few places, it’s a quick photo stop, and other times, it’s a full walk-around tour or free time.
We stopped at an area across the lake with views of Schloss Leopoldskron Palace whose exterior served as the Trapp family home. We also stopped at Hellbrunn Palace, St Gilgen for a photo, and Mondsee for some free time. In Mondsee, we walked inside the cathedral where Maria got married.
The tour ended at Mirabell Gardens, which you’ll remember as the place where the children sang most of Do-Re-Mi. It was fun to see everyone hopping on the steps and reenacting this precious scene from the Sound of Music movie.
During our Salzburg Sound of Music tour, we did not get out of the bus at Nonnberg Abbey due to an event. But it is very centrally located in Salzburg and easy to go back to on your own for photos if you find yourself in the same situation.
4 Tips For Your Sound Of Music Tour
Here are four quick tips for your Sound of Music Salzburg tour. It is very easygoing and doesn’t require extensive mobility or pre-planning. But these little things will make your day as great as possible.
#1 Bring Water & Snacks
This is a 4-hour Sound of Music tour, so make sure to bring plenty of water and some snacks. You will have the opportunity to grab ice cream or a snack while in Mondsee, but you will likely need water well before that.
#2 Watch The Movie Beforehand
This seems like a no-brainer, but we didn’t do this and wish we had! We had seen the movie numerous times, but it has been a while. So, it would have been even better if the scenes and story were fresh in our heads.
#3 Bring Cash To Tip As Desired
While tipping is not required or even standard practice in many situations in Europe, we always like to tip a little on tours – especially if we have a great time! So, if you like to do the same, just make sure to have some euros on hand.
#4 Use A Portable Charger
We always travel with portable phone chargers, and I highly recommend you do the same. This is the link for the portable charger we like the most because the cables are built in.
Book Your Sound of Music Tour in Salzburg
It was incredible to experience the Sound of Music in Salzburg. This was a wonderful mother-daughter activity, but I think our whole family would have actually enjoyed it! If you are ready to book your Sound of Music Tour in Salzburg, Austria, here is the link to buy your tickets: Panorama Original Sound of Music Tour.
During summer and peak school breaks, I highly recommend booking your tour in advance, especially if you have a family or larger group. We got lucky with a few last-minute spots available when we booked. But, this is the best Sound of Music tour Salzburg has, so very popular!
And don’t just take my word for it! Read all of the Sound of Music Tour Salzburg reviews on Get Your Guide.
More Things To Do In Salzburg, Austria
If you are looking for some more fun things to do in Salzburg, I highly recommend browsing Get Your Guide Salzburg to see what other options there are. We enjoyed seeing Motzart’s birthplace, and the fortress is very popular. Here are a few additional activities that you may enjoy on your trip to Salzburg!
Europe Travel Inspiration
We love to visit Europe both as a family and either on our own or with just one kid, like we did on this trip! We have been to almost a dozen European countries and share so many of our first-hand travel experiences here at Our Little Lifestyle. Here are some posts you may enjoy:
- Munich WWII Tour
- Best Colosseum Tours
- Points & Miles Guide
- Murano Glass Blowing
- Visiting Bath, England
- Brussels to Bruges Day Trip
- Tips For Europe Travel
- Finding Flight Deals
Make sure to follow along on social media via the links at the end of this post! I save most of our trips to my Instagram stories highlights, so look there for footage from a specific city or country.
PIN Sound of Music Tour in Salzburg
