7 Sights Every Fan of ‘The Sound Of Music’ Should See In Salzburg, Austria

It’s the first thing you notice in the film as Maria Von Trop cycles down the Austrian mountains. A city of spectacular spires, gigantic domes, and chiming bells. Watch out for many of these iconic views during your visit to Salzburg too. Especially when you make the obligatory trek to Nonnberg Abbey.

The famous Von Trapp family home in the film is in fact a combination of three house. The best known of these is the Schloss Leopoldskron, which has been converted into a luxury hotel. It is no longer open to the public. But if you are part of a guided tour, you can see part of the familiar lake from the film. If you’ve watched The Sound of Music, it’s where the children fall off a boat dressed in play clothes sewn off curtain cloth.

Not all things from the film are completely off limits though. You can still visit the gazebo where Liesl and Rolf are featured in one of the film’s best loved songs I am sixteen going on seventeen. It has been relocated from Schloss Leopoldskron to the gardens of Schloss Hellbrunn. This is also incidentally the location where Captain Von Trapp and Maria Von Trapp have THAT famous scene, where he finally discovers he is in love. On the way back from the Hellbrunn Castle, watch out for the Frohnburg castle, which also lends itself to become part of the exterior of the Von Trapp family’s house.

That’s the church of Maria’s unforgettable marriage scene. This was actually shot here on location, and not in a Hollywood Studio. It’s not off limits either. But you’ll need to take a bus to get there. Yet it’s time well spent, as your bus ride will also take you on a journey through Austria’s lake districts.

But the best known and most of The Sound of Music locations is located right in the heart of Salzburg. The historical Mirabell Gardens, forever associated with the film’s signature song Do-Re-Me is imbued with many moments from the film. The landmarks to watch out are its signature archway, fountains, and statues.

In the film, it’s quite simply known as The Abbey. But it is in fact, the Nonnberg Abbey. The real Maria Von Trapp was a nun here in this eighteenth-century institution, which has a history of over 200 years.

Finally, we come to the other hero of the film. The spectacular Austrian countryside. Apart from Salzburg’s many historic locations, you can expect to carry that away with you.