In this guide
💡 The Short Version: Most Sound of Music places in Salzburg are free to see. Mirabell Garden (the Do-Re-Mi dance at the Pegasus fountain), the Residenzplatz fountain and Nonnberg Abbey (the opening scene, where the nuns sing at 6:45) are in the town. The gazebo is in the Hellbrunn park, free, because it was moved there from Schloss Leopoldskron. Two scenes were studio sets: the St Peter’s cemetery hiding scene and the Leopoldskron ballroom. The wedding church in the film is Mondsee, not where the real couple married. Only Mondsee, Frohnburg and the lake views need a bus or a tour. Or book a tour: the Original Sound of Music Tourad is from €75 (GetYourGuide), against €70 from Panorama Tours. Prices are in euros.
The locations at a glance
| Place | In the film | Real or set | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mirabell Garden | “Do-Re-Mi” at the Pegasus fountain and on the steps | Real | Free |
| Nonnberg Abbey | The opening scene, and the abbey gate | Real | Free |
| Residenzplatz fountain | “I Have Confidence” | Real | Free |
| Schloss Leopoldskron | The lakeside rear of the villa | Real; ballroom interior was a studio copy | Viewed across the pond |
| The gazebo | “Sixteen Going on Seventeen” | Real, moved to Hellbrunn | Free |
| Frohnburg Palace | The front of the villa | Real | Seen from outside |
| Felsenreitschule | The “Edelweiss” competition | Real | Outside is free |
| Mondsee church | The wedding | Real, not where the real wedding was | Bus or tour |
| St Peter’s Cemetery | The hiding scene | Rebuilt in a studio | Free to visit the original |
Mirabell Garden
Free · daily from about 6:00 to dusk · Mirabellplatz
Maria and the children dance round the Pegasus fountain in “Do-Re-Mi” and finish on the steps in front of the rose hill. The garden is real and free. Mirabell Palace and Gardens has the hours, and the Original Sound of Music Tour stops here.
Nonnberg Abbey
Free · church daily from about 6:45 to dusk · Nonnberggasse 2
The nuns going to Mass, Maria arriving late, the “How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria” courtyard and the children at the abbey gate are Nonnberg, according to Panorama Tours. The real Maria von Kutschera was a novice here, and the abbey sent her as governess to Baron Georg von Trapp. The nuns sing at 6:45 every morning. Free things to do in Salzburg has the hours and the route up.
A courtyard of Nonnberg Abbey with its small cemetery. Photo: Isiwal, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
The Residenzplatz fountain
Free · always
Maria splashes the horses of the fountain in “I Have Confidence”. The fountain is real: 15 metres high, built from 1658 to 1661, on the Residenzplatz beside the DomQuartier.
Schloss Leopoldskron
Seen across the pond · now a hotel
The lakeside rear of the villa, with the terrace, the ball balcony and the scene where the children fall in the lake, is Leopoldskron, built in 1736 for Archbishop Leopold Firmian. It is a private hotel, so you see it from across the pond. The ballroom interior was a studio copy of the palace’s Venetian Room. Bob’s Special Tours and Panorama Tours both view it from across the water.
Schloss Leopoldskron across the Leopoldskroner Weiher. Photo: ManfredK, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
The gazebo at Hellbrunn
Free · park daily 6:30 to 21:00 · bus 25
The glass gazebo of “Sixteen Going on Seventeen” and “Something Good” stood in the garden of Leopoldskron and was moved to the Hellbrunn park so that visitors could reach it. The Salzburg Museum calls it the only film set from the film that remains in Salzburg. Beside it, the Sound of Music Salzburg museum is €8, open daily 9:30 to 17:30 until 1 November 2026 and from 20 March 2027. The Hellbrunn page has the trick fountains and the bus.
The Sound of Music gazebo in the Hellbrunn park. Photo: Bede735, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Frohnburg Palace
Seen from outside · now home to Mozarteum music students
The front, the courtyard and the gate of the villa are Frohnburg: the baron tears down the flag here and the escape car is pushed out of the gate. It is home to Mozarteum music students, so you see it from outside.
The Felsenreitschule
Outside free · Festival District
The Summer Riding School is a Salzburg Festival venue, and the “Edelweiss” song at the competition was staged here. The real Trapp family sang in a choir competition in it.
Mondsee church
Bus or tour · Salzkammergut
The wedding scene was filmed in the church at Mondsee. The real wedding was at Nonnberg. Mondsee is in the Salzkammergut; the lakes day trip covers the bus.
St Peter’s Cemetery
Free · April to September 6:30 to 20:00, October to March 6:30 to 18:00
The hiding scene among the tombstones was rebuilt in a Hollywood studio. The cemetery inspired the set, and St Peter’s church appears in the opening shots. You can visit the original, and the abbey catacombs above it are €2.
Elsewhere
- Hohenwerfen Fortress, in Werfen 40 km south, is a “Do-Re-Mi” backdrop. The Werfen page has it.
- The Mönchsberg viewpoint is called an original location by the lift’s operator, for the “Do-Re-Mi” scenes.
- Villa Trapp in Aigen is the real family home and is not in the film. It is privately owned and can be seen from outside.
What is real about the family
The film is an adaptation of the 1959 Rodgers and Hammerstein musical, which was based on Maria von Trapp’s 1949 memoir. It was shot in 1964 and released in 1965. Maria was asked to teach the baron’s children in 1926 and they married in 1927. The family left after the 1938 annexation, which was far less dramatic than the film shows, and by then they had ten children, not seven. They settled in Stowe, Vermont, where the Trapp Family Lodge is a hotel today.
Tours worth paying for
Everything above is free except the museum, and a tour covers the places that need a bus. Prices are GetYourGuide’s lowest “from” prices, per person; the Sound of Music tour comparison sets the operators side by side.
Original Sound of Music Tour
From €75 on GetYourGuide, €70 from Panorama Tours · 4 hours · 4.8 stars from 6,315 reviews
Salzburg: Original Sound of Music Tourad is run by Salzburg Panorama Tours, daily at 9:15 and 14:00 in English, from the terminal at Mirabellplatz. Its route is the old town and the Mirabell Garden, Leopoldskron across the lake, the Hellbrunn gazebo, Mondsee church and the lake district. Cancellation is free up to 24 hours before, and you carry a passport as ID.
Bob’s small-group tour
From €93 on GetYourGuide, from €80 on Bob’s own page · 4 to 4.5 hours · 4.9 stars from 29 reviews
Salzburg 4.5h Small-Group Trip to Sound of Music Movie Sitesad is run by Bob’s Special Tours, in groups of 4 to 19 by van or minibus. It starts with a 45-minute walk through the old town and ends in the Mirabell Garden, with free time at Mondsee church. A public tour needs at least five paying passengers. The GetYourGuide listing is the extended 4.5-hour version.
What to see
- Nonnberg Abbey at 6:45. The film’s opening, with the nuns singing.
- The Mirabell Garden. The dance.
- The Residenzplatz fountain. A few minutes’ stop in the old town.
- The Hellbrunn gazebo, and the museum. Take bus 25.
- Mondsee and the lake views. Only with a bus or a tour.
The order that works: the three town locations on foot in one morning, then Hellbrunn by bus 25 with the trick fountains, and keep Mondsee for a tour. What to skip: looking for the Trapp villa, which is private, and Frohnburg unless you pass it.
Practical information
- Bike tour: Fräulein Maria’s Bicycle Tours runs a 3.5-hour tour for €50 daily at 9:30 from April to October, and at 16:30 from June to August. It starts at Mirabellplatz 4. It does not run from November to March.
- Season: the gazebo and the town sights are open all year; the Hellbrunn museum shuts after 1 November.
- The one thing that ruins a visit: expecting to enter the Trapp villa or Schloss Leopoldskron. Both are private.
What to book in Salzburg has the closed days for every sight. Hohensalzburg Fortress and the old town walk fill the rest of a day, and the right bank walk starts in the Mirabell Gardens. Salzburg with kids has the Marionette Theatre’s Sound of Music. Hallstatt pairs with the film on a tour day. Things to do in Salzburg ranks it against the rest. For a bed, see where to stay in Salzburg.
Common questions
Where was The Sound of Music filmed in Salzburg?
In the Mirabell Garden (Do-Re-Mi), at Nonnberg Abbey (the opening scene), on the Residenzplatz fountain (I Have Confidence), at Schloss Leopoldskron (the lakeside rear of the villa) and at Frohnburg Palace (the front of the villa). Mondsee church was the wedding scene, and the St Peter's cemetery scene was rebuilt in a studio.
What can I see for free?
The Mirabell Garden, the Residenzplatz fountain, the Nonnberg Abbey church, the gazebo in the Hellbrunn park and the outside of the Felsenreitschule. Schloss Leopoldskron is seen across its pond.
Where is the Sound of Music gazebo?
In the Hellbrunn palace park, free and open daily 6:30 to 21:00. It stood in the garden of Schloss Leopoldskron during filming and was moved to Hellbrunn so that visitors could reach it.
Where did the real von Trapps marry?
At Nonnberg Abbey, in 1927, according to Panorama Tours. The wedding church in the film is at Mondsee, and the real family never married there.
Can I visit the real von Trapp villa?
No. The villa in Aigen is privately owned and can be seen only from outside.
Is there a Sound of Music museum in Salzburg?
Yes: Sound of Music Salzburg in the Hellbrunn park, €8, open daily 9:30 to 17:30 until 1 November 2026 and from 20 March 2027.
