In Salzburg, Austria last spring I visited the fountain in front of the Mirabell Palace.
Others have done it too.
Some 60 years earlier, Maria and the von Trapp children danced around the palace’s Pegasus Fountain, singing “Do-Re-Mi,” one of the most famous songs from “The Sound of Music.”
Movie tells the story of the von Trapp family and novice nun Maria who serves as governess to seven children and later (spoiler alert) marries their father only to have to flee the Nazi regime after the annexation of Austria.
Salzburg plans to celebrate a favorite musical
The film, starring Julie Andrews, was released in March 1965. To mark the film’s 60th anniversary, the city is celebrating with themed tours and events throughout the year.
The Pegasus Fountain, in front of Salzburg’s Mirabell Palace.
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From February 6th, an exhibition of objects related to the real von Trapp family, as well as memorabilia and photos from the film.
New audio guide appwith stories about the making of the film told by Nicholas Hammond, who played Friedrich von Trapp in the film, will lead visitors on a path around the town of Werfen, where the picnic scene was filmed.
Throughout the year, the Salzburg Marionette Theater will broadcast “The Lonely Goat,“ as the children in the film do it, by pulling on it special shows.
The UNESCO-recognized Salzburg Puppet Theater was opened in 1913.
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If you like the dirndl dresses the women wore in the movie, Salzburger Heimatwerk, traditional shop at Residenzplatz 9, is designing special clothes for the film’s anniversary and will host a one-off exhibition.
An English-language symposium is scheduled for Oct. 23 to discuss the relevance and importance of “The Sound of Music” to today’s Salzburg, according to SalzburgerLand, the city’s tourism marketing organization. At the Felsenreitschule, the panel will include the original cast members. In the evening, there will be a themed gala party with original music and performances, and members of the cast will be present again.
Later in the year, the Salzburg Theater will perform the musical “The Sound of Music” in German with English subtitles. The plays are scheduled for selected dates in November and December.
Restaurants, like Stiftskulinarium St. Petra — which claims to be the oldest restaurant in Europe — will offer special movie-themed menus, featuring regional specialties.
A little late to the party, the “Sound of Music Museum” is scheduled to open in Salzburg in 2026.
Film locations in Salzburg
The Mirabell Gardens are one of the many filming locations that tourists can see in Salzburg. Right next to the Pegasus Fountain is the slightly bizarre Dwarf Garden, with sculptures of 320-year-old mischievous-looking dwarfs, who appeared in the film as a cameo.
To follow the film from the beginning, head to the ancient Benedictine Abbey of Nonnberg dating back to 714, where Maria struggled to become a nun. The cloister is located right below the Hohensalzburg Palace, which towers over Salzburg. The views are stunning.
A woman sits in the Nonnberg Abbey in Salzburg.
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Follow Mary’s path from the abbey and enter the Old Town through the arches past Salzburg Cathedral to Residenzplatz, where she splashed in the fountain before boarding a bus to go to the von Trapp House, outside Salzburg.
Other locations in Salzburg include the Mozartsteg, the small pedestrian bridge Maria and children cross while singing “My Favorite Things”, the market they visit on Kajetanerplatz, which still holds a weekly Farmer’s Market every Friday.
One of the locations shown later in the film is truly stunning Felsenreitschulethe theater where the von Trapps sing during the Salzburg Music Festival, and which is still the venue for the annual festival.
St. Peter’s Cemetery, founded in the 7th century, is still a popular tourist attraction.
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After their performance, the family flees to the cemetery. St. Peter’s Abbey is listed as a filming location in the film, but the scenes depicting it are picturesque Peter’s cemetery they were mostly filmed on a recreated Hollywood set.
For a special treat, stay at Hotel Sacher Salzburg, where Julie Andrews stayed while filming the movie.
See ‘hill’
The hill that lives on music – and which appears in the opening scenes of the film – is located in Germany, just over the border with Austria. The real place is on private land, and the owner is reportedly not enthusiastic about tourists. Nevertheless, public paths run along the meadow, and if you decide to see it, it is worth it following the mountain path catch a glimpse.
It is easier to reach Untersberg, where Maria and the children had a picnic, which offers a beautiful view of the mountains and Salzburg. It is often included on “Sound of Music” tours, but if you want to go alone, it’s a short 20 minute taxi ride.
And what about the von Trapp house? The original family villa is located in a secluded park at Traunstrasse 34. Once the true home of the von Trapp family, it was later converted into a hotel which has unfortunately since closed, and the gardens are also closed to the public. But you can walk outside the grounds and catch a glimpse of the real Villa Trapp.
Other locations near Salzburg
In the film, the house was much grander, indeed a palace: the Leopoldskron Palace on the shore of the lake bears the same name. The house is shown in the opening credits and extensively throughout the film.
Leopoldskron Palace was used as the home of the von Trapp family in “The Sound of Music”.
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Do you remember when Mary and all the children overturned their boat? The Great Palace, which dates back to 1736, starred together with Frohnburg Palace (now part of the University Mozarteum Salzburg), for exterior and interior shots. And, as an added bonus, Leopoldskron Palace has been transformed into a luxury hotel, so guests can recognize some of the interior nooks and crannies from the film.
By the way, the original gazebo for white music, where the stars often act in the film, was moved Hellbrunn Palace.
The relocated von Trapp gazebo is closed to the public.
Source: Prudence Andreia Goh
And finally, the wedding venue. Maria and Captain von Trapp got married in the beautiful Basilica of St. Michael in Mondsee, which translates as Lake of the Moon. Mondsee is 28 miles from Salzburg and can be reached by bus number 140 in 40 minutes.
The charming town is a great place to end your trip and stay for a day or two. The mountain surroundings of the lake are perfect for calming down “The story of the singers of the Trapp family,” wrote Maria von Trapp.
Can’t make it to Salzburg?
When the von Trapp family fled war-torn Europe, they settled in Vermont. Today the estate has been expanded and you can stay in the original von Trapp Family Lodge in Stowe. The hotel, whose setting and decor is the next best thing to visiting Austria, is also full of real family history.
The Kennedy Center in Washington, DC is just one of many theaters in the US performing The Sound of Music in 2025. the musical opens in Septemberand in December he goes on tour.
