My wife and I are going to Munich at the end of September for Oktoberfest. We will be in Munich for 4 days and were thinking about taking a "Sounds of Music" day trip to Salzburg. She was there 10-15 years ago and said that there were companies selling tours right in the train station, so there is no need to reserve space in advance. Does anyone know if they still offer tours like this or,even if they do, would it be more economical to book ahead? Thanks!
Posted by
Knoxville, TN, USA
7209 posts
Yes, Sound of Music Tours are everywhere. If I were going to be there just for a day I would probably book ahead of time just to be sure I got what I wanted.
Posted by
Lakewood, Colorado
19274 posts
Before you waste a lot of money on a Sound of Music tour, get the DVD of SOM, the one with the commentary by Director/Producer Robt. Weiss. Most of the movie was shot on sound stages in Hollywood. Almost all of the scenes shot in Salzburg can be seen without a tour. Some of the tours show you places not in the movie and say they were; other scenes were on temporary sets, no longer in existence. It's a tourist ripoff. I went to Salzburg in 2002. We walked from the train station to the old town, passing Mirabella Palace, with the troll garden, the do-re-mi steps, and the arbor. In the old town, we saw the square where Maria caught the bus and the Residenz, where they hung out the big Nazi flag after the Anschluß. After going up the incline to the castle, we walked around the footpath to the Nonnenberg Abbey, where we saw the outside, the only part used in the movie. We didn't need a profit added 3rd party tour.
Posted by
Imperial, Missouri
1002 posts
I agree that most of the scenes within the old town you can see on your own, but I enjoyed the tour anyway. I agree that getting the DVD with the commentary and also learning about the real family is a good idea before the tour if you are really interested in the film. I used Bob's tours, and the tour guide we had was honest about what was in the movie and what wasn't. Most of the places you see are the sights farther away from the old town and most were just in the movie for little clips, but as a big fan of the movie, I enjoyed this. Also, since I did not have a car, I thought the tour was a great way to see the beautiful countryside outside of Salzburg. I'm not sure if you can buy the tour in the train station. If you don't want to buy ahead of time and you can't find anything in the train station, the old town is an easy bus ride from the train station, and there is a tourist information office there. Bob's tours also has an office right at the edge of the old town where you can buy tickets. The tour I took was sold out, so I was glad to have reserved ahead of time. If you really want to take a tour and only are going for a day trip, I would probably get the tickets ahead of time.