Salzburg/SoM/Hallstatt

When in Salzburg my husband and I did the Sound of Music Tour and thoroughly enjoyed it. I wish I could remember the company we used but I do know that we were in a tour van with 3 or 4 more couples. The sites from the movie are spread out about town so it was helpful to have the tour driver take us so we did not have to drive. The sites were fun and we remembered seeing all of them in the movie. Salzburg is such a beautiful city that you will enjoy someone explaining each of these sites.
The tour company we used we had also booked for an afternoon tour of Hallstatt to take later after our morning SOM tour. Since we were the only couple that had signed up for Hallstatt we were not able to take that tour...and I will always regret that! Hallstatt is always featured as one of the most beautiful cities in Austria.......so go if given the opportunity!
We bought inexpensive tickets in the old town square in Salzburg to attend a concert of a few musicians in the old town fort of Salzburg at the top of the town one night.......it was FANTASTIC!

Before you take a Sound of Music tour, buy, beg, or borrow the DVD version of the movie. One of the tracks has an almost three hour running commentary on the making of the movie by director/producer Robert Wise. I doubt that any guide could tell you as much intimate detail about the movie as you can get directly from him.

I think after listening to his commentary, you would not bother with one of the 3rd party tours. One thing you will learn from that commentary is just how little of the movie was actually shot in Salzburg. Many venues (for example inside of the Von Trapp family home, inside the convent, and in the big "gazebo" were all shot on sound stage sets. Most of the rest of the scenes were shot in or near downtown Salzburg. When I toured Salzburg on my own, I particularly enjoyed visiting Mirabelle palace, scene of the do-re-mi steps, the Pegasus fountain, and the arbor. Some of the places they show you (e.g., Leopoldskron) were not even in the movie. The small gazebo at Hellbrunn was only used for brief distance shots in the movie; the singing and dancing scenes were actually shot in a sound stage in Hollywood.

We used Bob's. It was a hoot. The van held 10, so it was small. We stopped for lunch in a nice restaurant on the way to Hallstadt. The tour driver was nice, and I recommend the tour. When in Hallstadt, make sure to pay the small fee to enter the special house near the church.

As to music, we went to a concert in the Mirabell Palace. It was very nice, not expensive. There were empty seats, in June. So, I would not worry about booking in advance, unless you are rock-solid on the dates.

Hallstadt seemed good for the afternoon. It's very small. Perhaps there is enough for a night, but we were satisfied with a short visit. A very nice town, but it's quite small.

One thing we really enjoyed in Salzburg was the beer garden on the E end of town. Augusteiner Braustubl - up a little hill, in a big hall. You can sit indoors or out.

Mozart Birthmuseum is a very good tour, if you are partial to classical music (which you seem to be).

We didn't pay much for rooms, and stayed in the JUFA Hostel. Not expensive, private room, good breakfast.

My sister and I opted for the Panorama SOM tour -- big bus, but who cares when it's just for half a day. We had a charming guide, and they played scenes from the movie as a sing-a-long which was kitschy but fun. Our only disappointment is that most of the others on the tour did not seem to know all the songs as well as we did (Do-re-mi was the only song that had most folks singing), but it was fun and beautiful nonetheless,

We also went to a concert in Mirabelle Palace; we bought our tickets ahead (maybe a month or so) and had a nice time. The musicians were very good.

We stayed in Hallstatt one night as part of our Rick Steves My Way Alpine Tour. We loved it! But if I were getting there on my own, I'm not sure if I would undertake it.

Hi there Julie,

OK, so, if you go on one of the larger SOM tours (Bob's or Panorama), they take you to the out of town locations. They are good fun and the tour guides are entertaining and you get to see some of the surrounding area. Note though that they won't bring you to the city centre locations - of which there are many. If you want to do a SOM tour in the city, the I'd highly recommend 'Fraulein Maria's Bicycle Tours' (http://www.mariasbicycletours.com). They give you a bike and you, together with several others and your guide, cycle through the city singing songs from the movie. Great fun and they show you a lot more sights than any of the big tour companies. Just remember though that July is hot.

Check out this link here for details on concerts. There's plenty of options and you don't need too book too far in advance. Go to http://salzburgpocketguide.com/index.php/usefulinformation/ and click on the 'Concerts' section for lots of information about your options. That website also has lots of information on the Sound of Music locations around the city.

Hallstatt is lovely - picture perfect. I've never stayed there overnight though. My own personal view is that it might be a bit boring - but plenty of people do it and enjoy it. It's definitely worth a visit though.

Have a great time. It's a beautiful city with lots to do.
Warren

Here's another vote for Bob's tours. I've been on it twice and loved it each time. In addition to seeing the SoM sights, it's also a chance to get up into the hills, which are fantastic. The tours include a luge ride and a stop at a picturesque cafe for apfelstrudel (extra costs not included).

My sister and I spent two nights in Hallstatt in June 2010 and enjoyed it more than Salzburg. We took the bus, I think from the train station. We had to change buses midway and had bus station sandwiches for lunch while we waited (which were actually quite tasty). Hallstatt is a good place to recharge. The salt mine isn't as grand as the one near Krakow (are any? :-) ), but still a lot of fun. You put on colored jumpsuits and get to slide down a few slides - your kids will love it. I feel confident in saying that because, when we went, our English language tour was suddenly canceled when a bus full of Austrian seventh graders pulled up for a field trip. They had a blast (and so did I!). I think there's also an ice cave nearby, although we didn't have time to go. We stayed at the Braü-Gasthof (http://www.brauhaus-lobisser.com/). Our room didn't have a bathroom, which we thought would be an issue, but the WC was directly across the hall and we never saw anyone else, so it was fine. The room had a lovely window seat that looked out over the lake.

We loved Fraulein Maria's bike tour! My daughters (in their early 20s now) watched the SOM over and over when they were children. What fun we had seeing the sights -- I also loved getting out into the countryside and moving by bike after several days of walking tours and such. A nice change of touring pace!

We also loved Fraulein Maria's bike tour, even though we went in October and it was light rain and cool. The ride is basically flat the entire way, so even if it has been awhile since you rode a bike, it was pretty easy. And if I remember correctly the town had bike lanes outside of the historical center so no problems being out in traffic.