Sound of Music tours

OK - I know somebody has some suggestions for Pat...so here's a second chance ;-)

I can't comment on which is the most extensive but you might look at Bob's Special Tours, they have a couple of different options. We took one of their tours and it was very enjoyable. There have been other posters on here who have taken his tour and liked it.

http://www.bobstours.com/tours.php

I did a Sound of Music tour about ten years ago. At the time, there were several different tour groups that all left from the same place. And it seemed like they all hit the same sights, maybe in a different order. Many tours, including my tour, ended with "warm apply strudel" at Mozart's house.

If by "extensive" you mean "sees more places", I think the itineraries are all pretty similar. If by "extensive" you really mean "enjoyable", try looking at reviews on Trip Advisor.

Good luck!

i did Bob's Special Tour and got the Rick Steves Discount. :) They picked me up at my hotel between 8 and 9 if I remember correctly. It was probably closer to 8 than 9. The tour didn't end until around 1 PM. We went to in town sites, and then to the ones that are out of town. I don't think any of the tours go to the meadows that are in the opening scene, but we went by similar ones. We went to the church and we did a stop at one of the Luge runs. It was great fun.

This tour is in a small van and we had seven people. It was a lot of fun.

Pam

I don't know about "most extensive" but we enjoyed the Panorama 1A tour. Guide was clear about fact vs fiction. We did the tour during the winter which used a minibus with 5 clients plus guide.

https://www.panoramatours.com/en/salzburg/tour/original-sound-of-music-tour-tour-1a-28/

Route:
1
Mirabell Gardens
You will certainly have heard about Mirabell Gardens where the song "Do-Re-Mi" was filmed. After or before joining the tour, we warmly recommend to see the gardens for yourself and explore the Pegasus Fountain as well as the Do-Re-Mi steps.
2
Leopoldskron Palace
You will have a photo stop at the lake where the famous boating scene was filmed. You will see the Captain´s backyard and private palace gardens.
3
Hellbrunn Palace, Gazebo
Visit the gardens of Hellbrunn Palace and find the gazebo which was rebuilt especially for the fans of the movie - you certainly will remember the song "16 going on 17" scene and the kissing scene of Maria and Baron von Trapp.
4
Nonnberg Abbey
You will have a photo stop at the leg of the mountain, to get a view at Nonnberg Abbey which is still an active convent today. This is where "real" Maria was a novice and where she and Baron von Trapp got married in real life. The Abbey does not allow visits within its walls, but you are invited to walk up to the front gate to their Gothic church for a visit or for church services after our tour.
5
Salzburg Lake District Area - St Gilgen
After your film-location tour within the town of Salzburg, you will drive out into the lake district, passing Lake Fuschl and Lake Wolfgang, where panorama shots and scenes of the picnic were filmed. Enjoy the wonderful view down on to St. Gilgen and Lake Wolfgang!
6
Mondsee - Wedding Chapel
In Mondsee you have the chance to see the famous church, where the wedding of Maria and Baron von Trapp was filmed in the movie The Sound of Music. Afterwards you will have a little break to explore this little town by yourself.

Before deciding on one of the tours, it would be helpful to understand what venues are or are not from the actual SOM movie. I would suggest you find the DVD of the movie with commentary by producer/director Robert Wise. He explains all about the making of the movie.

A lot of the movie, including all the scenes in the von Trapp home, all the scenes in the Abbey, all the cemetery scenes, and the singing/dancing scenes in the gazebo, was filmed in sound stages in Hollywood. Contrary to what tour websites claim, and as explained by Mr. Wise, Leopoldskron was not available for the movie; nothing was filmed there. A temporary set, copying the lakeside patio at Leopoldskron, was built elsewhere on the lake and used for filming. It's gone. The small gazebo on the set, used only for distance shots, was later moved to Hellbrunn. Most of the scenes of Salzburg, such as the town itself, Mirabell Palace (Do-Re-Mi steps, arbor), and the exterior and chapel of Nonnenberg Abbey are readily accessible to visitors. I understand that the Felsenreitschule, scene of the performance at the end of the movie, has public tours.

Königssee and Wolfgangsee (opening aerial shots) are outside of town, as is Hohenwerfen Castle (in Werfen south of Salzburg) and the Basilica (wedding church in Mondsee, in the Salzkammergut). You can visit them on your own (I have), but maybe a tour that takes you to as many of these as possible would be desirable.

Thanks, Y'all! I knew you'd come through...

Here's an all encompassing site on film locations:
http://www.the-sound-of-music-guide.com/tour-locations.html#FILM LOCATIONS IN SALZBURG TOWN

You can compare the list against the commercial tour route.

And of course there is the real story:
http://www.history.com/news/the-real-history-behind-the-sound-of-music