Sound of Music tour, reviewed: gazebo stop
The most-rated listing on this site by a distance, 4.8 from 6,044 ratings, and the one to read carefully if Hellbrunn is the reason you are here. Four hours in a coach with a live English-speaking guide and the soundtrack playing: Schloss Leopoldskron, the gazebo in Hellbrunn’s park, Nonnberg Abbey, St Gilgen and free time in Mondsee at the wedding basilica. The palace and the trick fountains are not part of it. Hellbrunn is a photo stop at the gazebo, in the free park, and the gazebo is locked.
Going without a car?The boat trip includes the palace ticket, the Salzburg Card covers admission and the bus, and every option cancels free up to 24 hours before. Reserve the date now, decide later.
Check availabilityWhat the listing itself says
Included, as the listing writes it
- Tour guide
- Transportation between stops
Not included, as the listing writes it
- Hotel pickup and drop-off
- Entry to any sites mentioned
- Gratuities
Two lines in, three out, and the second exclusion is the one to read twice: entry to any sites mentioned. This tour photographs Hellbrunn’s gazebo from the park, which costs nothing, and does not go into the fountains or the palace. If you want those as well, pair it with the boat trip on another half day or the Salzburg Card. The notes say the soundtrack plays on the coach and the guides get the bus singing, that the coach is not suitable for wheelchair users, and that pets are not allowed. The sub-scores are 4.9 for the guide and 4.9 for transport, which is as high as anything on this site goes. The meeting point is the terminal on Mirabellplatz, in front of St Andrä church, and the coach returns opposite the Mirabell Gardens. The two film tours compared.
What reviewers found
The written reviews are about the singing, the guide, the locations and, more than once, tears. Three that say what the four hours contain:
She gave us loads of info and got everyone singing along. Really good stops and scenery. Our favourite stop was Mondsee.
Interesting to hear the real story of the Trapp family as well as the facts about the filming and locations
Places we visited I knew them all from the movie. Lots of singing by everyone on the bus
Debra and Glenys are the tour in two sentences: everyone sings, and the stops are the ones you know from the film. Jan is the useful corrective, because the guide tells the real story of the Trapp family alongside the filming, and the real story includes the fact that the gazebo scenes were not shot at Hellbrunn: the gazebo stood at Leopoldskron for the exterior and the interiors were a studio set in Los Angeles; the filming truth, in full. Mondsee is the stop reviewers name most, Debra among them. Katarina (United States) wrote that “So much information, history, sightseeing, and photo ops!” Roslyn (Australia): “The songs, locations and memories brought tears to my eyes” and Erwin (Sweden), briefly: “seeing the film locations just hits different!”
Verdict
Book it if the film is why you came to Salzburg and you have an afternoon. It is the highest-rated listing here on the largest base, the guide and the coach both score 4.9, and it strings Leopoldskron, the gazebo, Nonnberg and Mondsee into four hours you could not do by bus. It is not a Hellbrunn visit: the fountains and the palace need their own ticket on another half day.
Who it suits
- Film fans who want the locations in one afternoon with a guide who plays the songs
- Anyone who wants the lakes, St Gilgen and Mondsee, without a car
- Groups that will sing: every reviewer mentions it
- Anyone with a second half day for the fountains: how two days fit together
Who it does not suit
- Anyone who wants to go inside the trick fountains or the palace: this tour does not
- Wheelchair users: the listing says not suitable; pets are not allowed
- Anyone who wants Hallstatt in the same day: that is the ten-hour tour
Other tours to consider
The same film route after a morning in Hallstatt is the ten-hour tour. The fountains and the palace with the ticket included is the boat trip. Admission plus the bus and the fortress over two or three days is the Salzburg Card.
Full daySalzburg: Hallstatt and Sound of Music Tour
Boat & busTicket includedSalzburg: Boat Ride to Hellbrunn and Palace Visit
Best valueAdmission includedSalzburg Card: Free Admission and Free Rides
Frequently asked questions
Does the Sound of Music tour go inside Hellbrunn Palace?
No. Hellbrunn is a photo stop at the gazebo in the park, which is free, and the listing excludes entry to any sites mentioned. The fountains and the palace are a separate ticket, included in the boat trip and the Salzburg Card.
Was The Sound of Music filmed at the Hellbrunn gazebo?
No. During filming the gazebo stood in the grounds of Schloss Leopoldskron, and the interiors for the two gazebo songs were shot on a larger set in Los Angeles. It was moved to Hellbrunn after filming and is locked. The whole story.
How long is the Sound of Music tour?
Four hours, from the Mirabellplatz terminal and back to a stop opposite the Mirabell Gardens. Mondsee is the one stop with free time; the others are photo stops. The four-hour and ten-hour versions compared.
Is the tour worth it if you have not seen the film?
Reviewers who had seen it are the ones who cry; one who came for the history found the real Trapp story as interesting as the filming. The lakes and Mondsee stand on their own. If you have only one afternoon and want Hellbrunn itself, the fountains are the better use of it.