Sound of Music Tour

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In my opinion, SOM tours are the epitome of tourist traps. Far more of the movie than you might believe (almost half) was shot in sound stages in Hollywood. Most of the other actual venues (the old town, Mirabell Palace) are easily accessible on you own without a tour. Other venues they will show you, and try to tell you were part of the movie, like Leopoldskron, were not actually in the movie. The gazebo they show you was in the movie, but only for distance shots. The big gazebo where they shot the song and dance scenes (16 going on 17 and Something Good) was a sound stage in Hollywood.

So, do go to Salzburg and visit the SOM venues, but research it in advance and see the important sites on you own.

There is a SOM DVD, with a running commentary by director and producer Robt. Wise that explains a lot about how the movie was made. If you watch that first, you'll never do a Sound of Music tour.

We thoroughly enjoyed Fraulein Maria Sound of Music bike tour. It was the highlight of my children's vacation and even my husband who isn't a SOM fan enjoyed it too.

Well, I watched the SOM DVD with the commentary before doing a Sound of Music tour, and I still did the tour and thoroughly enjoyed it. We used Bob’s Tours. This tour used a van and there were 8 of us altogether on the tour. It was fun to be on the tour with other fans and to see things outside of Salzburg that I would not have otherwise seen. Our tour included a stop for pastries in a cafe with a beautiful view, and we could have went on a luge ride, but all of our group opted not. I enjoyed our guide who was quite honest about what was in the film. The van picked us up at our hotel.

My sister and I took the Panorama big bus tour. We decided as long as we were taking a tour, we might as well sing with a bus-full of SOM fans. It showed us what we wanted, and we had a blast singing along as you go through the countryside. The one downside for us is that we seemed to be the only ones singing most of the time. We know every song completely, and sing regularly so perhaps the others we just not as comfortable singing in a group as we were. But it was a hoot for us -- a break from the historical part of our trip.

Everybody is entitled to their own opinion. In my opinion the SOM tours are a lot of fun, especially for fans of the movie. Even though it's not all 'real' and may be what some call a tourist trap, it's still a fun and happy way to see some of the sights around Salzburg. Yes, you could do the 'real' sights on your own, but sometimes you want to share your experiences with others and not have to deal with the logistics. Most people know that Neuschwanstein castle is not a 'real' historical castle but that doesn't make it any less enjoyable to visit. Lots of popular tourist 'must dos' are tourist traps - leaning tower of Pisa comes to mind - but they can still be enjoyed by us tourists. Disneyland and it's various venues are not 'real' either but they sure can be fun.

To answer the OP's question, I did Bob's SOM tour in a small van when I was there on my own and I also did it many years earlier on a big bus when I was on a tour. Both were fun and informative and honest about what was real and what was movie hokum. I would definitely recommend Bob's.

I've done Bob's tour twice and loved it both times. As someone already mentioned, you stop at a little cafe for a snack and have a chance to go down a luge. Everyone went down on the second tour I took, and it was a lot of fun. The tour might be a little corny, but what's wrong with that? :) I also thought it was a great way to see the hills surrounding Salzburg, especially if you aren't venturing out to Hallstatt or other town.

Other venues they will show you, and try to tell you were part of the movie, like Leopoldskron, were not actually in the movie.

I took the Panorama tour a couple of years ago and they were quite clear that Leopoldskron was not actually used in the movie.

I would second the recommendation for Fraulein Maria's Bicycle Tours (mariasbicycletours.com) We loved it!

Salzburg is one of the most bicycle-friendly cities I've ever experienced, making us feel very safe. It is an easy ride for most people and a wonderful way to see the beauty of Salzburg as well as getting your SOM fix too! We paid extra for a private tour for our group of 6 and thoroughly enjoyed it. Even the teenage boys, who are not SOM fans, enjoyed the tour. The guides share information about the movie and Salzburg and you don't have to sing unless you want to.