Sound of Music Tour

I haven't done either, myself, but am planning on the SOMT in May. I've read too many "it's hokey, but we had fun" comments to not, and my mom would have enjoyed it.
I have a good friend who went to the dinner show this past year; if, that is, you're talking about the show at St. Peter's. I think we may skip that one, because it's heavy on opera, and we're not big on it. If someone else liked opera, my friend said they really enjoyed it.

We did the Panorama SOM tour in November. It was indeed hokey, but fun. My 11 yo daughter and I liked it, my husband not so much, my 8yo son played DS the whole time. If you've seen the movie a zillion times and want to go, do it. Those who don't can sit in the enormous beer garden in Salzburg and enjoy themselves. I've been to Salzburg a handful of times, only live 3 hrs from there and I've never heard of the dinner show. Sure you can drive to the locations, but some of the background the narrator gives is interesting. Plus usually there's people on the bus/van who have extensive knowledge of the movie, so they fill a lot in as well. It's like going to Neuschwanstein, go once, you'll be glad you did, then you don't have to go again.

My family of 5 did the tour 2 summers ago and LOVED it. Of course we were hokey because we sang the music during the tour but the tour guide gives you history that you wouldn't know on your own! Have a fabulous trip! Lesley

I have never heard of the dinner show but if I had the choice between a Sound of Music tour or a visit to Mozarts house and museum I know what my choice would be.

I used Bob's tours for the SOMT in the AM and then took their Eagles Nest/countryside tour in the afternoon in July 2009. It took all day for both (4 hours each), but I really enjoyed it since I was traveling by train the whole vacation and had only 1.5 days in Salzburg. After the afternoon tour, we walked around the town, and had a nice dinner. I am not a SOM fan, but it did give a good overview of the local area, and saw some interesting things that I could then explore in the evening. Also, it was great because the day of the tour it was raining heavy during the tour, and it would have been a very wet experience walking otherwise. It cleared up by the evening, and we were able to walk around comfortably. The tour guide was very pleasant and personable, and I would highly recommend their company, if you plan on a canned tour. They use vans, not buses, and a family of 5 would almost feel like the tour was just for them.

My family and I took the SOM tour in 2007. All four of us are great fans of the movie, but while I thought that the tour was a let down, the rest of my family (the four ladies!) really enjoyed it. So I guess it is hard to predict how a particular person will react to the tour. We were about 8 of us in a mini-van, and the driver was very knowledeable about the sights and the movie. Penn

Before my 1st trip to Salzburg (been there twice), I swore I would NOT take this tour. Figured it would be WAY too corny for words. So, of course, what's the 1st thing we did on our 1st day in Salzburg? TSOM tour! And you know what---I had a blast! (Never say never huh?). Fact is, it IS sort of corny (especially when they stary playing the music on the bus and everyone starts singing), but the tour takes you all over Salzburg, the well-informed guides point out the sights we've all seen COUNTLESS times watching the movie as kids and, best part, it takes you out to the lakes district. As we were not traveling by car that trip (just trains) and the lakes district can be tough to navigate on one's own w/o a car, it was terrific to get a taste of the beautiful Salzkamergutt (sp!) as part of the tour Especially as you are traveling w/ your family, I say do it. The kids will like it.....and don't be surprised if you find yourself starting to hum-along. If this sometimes jaded/cynical NY-er enjoyed TSOM tour, then ANYONE can! So go for it, and enjoy. In general, you will LOVE Salzburg and the surrounding area---terrific small city, extremely enjoyable, very charming and great fun.

Our family of five faced the same question last summer. We chose "Maria's SOM Bicycle Tour" and had a fantastic time. It was great seeing parts of the city we wouldn't have seen otherwise. I can't imagine sitting in a tour bus being nearly as much fun, especially for children. As a bonus, it was less than half the cost of the bus.

I second Maria's bicycle tour! My wife and 2 sons (18 and 20yo) had a great time on it. Not too hard to do and it was something different.

I'm not for or against a SOM tour, but here are a few questions you might ask yourself to help you decide if you should do it on your own or as part of a tour. Do the guides: 1. - know something about the SOM I don't or couldn't easily find out on my own? 2. - have inside information? 3. - take me you to all of the SOM sites I'd like to see? 4. - have entry to places I don't? 5. Would I rather leave the driving and navigation to someone else?
6. Do I like group experiences with possible impromptu singing of SOM songs? Those are a few questions I would consider. I hope that helps with making your decision. Tours can be fun, but they are not for everyone. Also, I think the SOM Dinner Theater is in the Sternbrau, just off the Getreidegasse near McDonalds. I have mixed reports, too.

FIRST, don't listen to ANYONE who is NOT a Sound of Music fan OR who has not even been on the tour ! You should do it if you love the movie! You will see sites that you truly will not get to on your own and the mountains of the Salzkermergutt are incredible. Our family has a great movie of us pretending to be Julie Andrews as she turns and spins and sings "The hills"-our guide stopped at a gorgeous setting so we could all emulate the opening scene of the movie. If you love the movie, YOU will not think it's hokey at all!

I agree with Carla... and hokey can be fun! It all depends on your point of view. Had been there a few times and not taken the tour, then took my grandson (age 11) last year and we took the tour. Great experience for both of us... and now when we see the movie we remember our tour. I did not expect him to belt out in song, but I think whenever he hears it there will be fond memories! I also try to make the grandkids be as engaged in the trip as possible. I made a travel journal that has to be filled out at the end of the day with memorable sites, foods and places they want to return to as well as their own camera so they document the trip their way. All my grandkids love art,so we take a sketch book as well as watercolors and some paper for painting. No video games... they can stay home and do that.

We did both the SOMT and Eagles Nest withy Bob's Tours
(one for him, one for me . .) and we both enjoyed both tours immensely.

Don't listen to ANYONE who is NOT ENOUGH of a Sound of Music fan to have listened to the commentary by Robert Wise, Producer and Director of the movie. But then, such a person would never take the tour. The tour takes you places, like Leopoldskron, and tells you it was used in the movie, but it wasn't. The owner didn't want them interrupting the school, so they built a copy of the patio as a temporary set somewhere else on the lake. And the building in the background, that's the Frohnburg, and it isn't on a lake (they used "trick' photography to make it appear to be). The gazebo they show you was only used for distance shots. The singing and dancing scenes with the gazebo were shot on a sound stage in Hollywood. I visited the Basilica in Mondsee last year on my way to Hallstatt. It's nothing special except that it was used in the movie. I'm sure I spent more time getting to it than I spent actually in it.

Someone wrote in here recently and said they had taken "a" tour and it went by the actual von Trapp family home, the one that's now a hotel, and they were told that was the home used in the movie, for shots of the Captain talking to Marie after the boat capsize. It was not. Is that the kind of "inside information" for get from these tours?

The "movie home" (yellow house) is the Frohnburg. The outside shots, like when she first arrives, and the boat dumping scene, were shot in Salzburg. All the inside scenes were sets in Hollywood (or somewhere in LA). The ballroom set, I believe, was copied after the ballroom at Leopoldskron.