Salzburg and The Sound of Music filming locations
The Sound of Music movie’s outdoor scenes were filmed in and around Salzburg, Austria.
This historic and beautiful city was where the real-life events of the von Trapp family actually happened, so it is a fitting location to film the movie.
Opening scene
Salzburg has a beautiful altstadt (old town) with the Fortress Hohensalzburg on a hill to its south.
This scene has not changed much at all.
On this page, Fortress Hohensalzburg will be referred to as the castle.
Nonnberg Abbey
The movie starts with Maria in Nonnberg Abbey, the Benedictine convent where the real Maria was.
Parts of the real abbey appears in the movie. The abbey is immediately east of the the castle.
The front gates of the abbey appear in several scenes in the movie. It is seen:
- Briefly at the beginning of the movie when she is leaving it;
- When the children tried to visit her; and
- Towards at the end of the movie.
Journey to the von Trapp home
Overlooking Salzburg
Maria’s journey from the abbey to the von Trapp family home passes through many places in the altstadt (old town) of Salzburg (north of the castle, between the castle and the Salzach river).
First she is seen walking along a path that overlooks the city.
This is the view of Salzburg from a viewpoint on top of the Mönchsberg cliffs, about 400m west-north-west of the castle. This spot is just up the stairs on the east side of the Felsenreitschule. This is not on the most direct way from the abbey to the altstadt!
Residenzplatz
Then we see her walking in Residenzplatz, away from the arches that separate it from the Domplatz.
Residenzbrunnen
Then she stops in front of the Residenzbrunnen (residence fountain). The fountain is the middle of the Residenzplatz, which is on the south side of the cathedral.
When I visited, the Residenzbrunnen was covered up for renovations, but you can recognise the arches where she came from and the building in the background.
Solders marched through the Residenzplatz later in the movie.
Kapitelplatz
She is then seen walking across a road, with the Castle in the background.
That was filmed in the Kapitelplatz, is on the south side of the cathedral.
Kapitelplataz today is easily recognised as the plaza where the Sphaera is. It is an artwork by Stephan Balkenhol: a large golden sphere with a statue of a man standing on the top of the sphere.
From the city, she takes a bus to the von Trapp home.
Von Trapp home: front
Road and gates
The bus drops her off at a tree-lined road, which she goes along to the front of the von Trapp home.
The road is Hellbrunner Avenue and the front of the home was filmed at Schloss Frohnburg (2.2 km south-south-east of the castle).
Front of the house
The front of the house.
Gazebo
The gazebo scenes, for the Sixteen Going on Seventeen song, were filmed on a soundstage. But a real gazebo can be seen in the background of the garden.
Today, this gazebo has been relocated to the grounds of Schloss Hellbrunner (1.5kms south of Schloss Frohnburg). This real gazebo is notably smaller than the one used on the soundstage.
Going out to play
Maria takes the children out to play, seeing may sights of Salzburg along the way.
Bridge
They cross a bridge.
This is the Mozart Bridge. Filmed from the north side of the Salzach River, looking south towards the old town and castle.
Domplatz
They then walk through Domplatz in front of the cathedral.
This was filmed in the Domplatz. The statue is now covered by a glass pyramid.
Pferdeschwemme
They pass the Pferdeschwemme (horse pond).
Do-Re-Mi
The Do-rei-mi song also gives them an opportunity to visit many places in Salzburg.
Stairs overlooking Salzburg
These steps are along Humbold Terrace, in front of the Museum der Moderne (Modern Art Museum). This is also the same location from where that opening shot of Salzburg was filmed.
Buggy ride: angle 1
They ride on a horse and buggy.
This was filmed long Nonntaler Haupstraße, in front of St Erhard church. This church is immediately below the south side of Nonnberg Abbey.
Buggy ride: angle 2
Another shot of the horse and buggy.
Next to St Erhard are some cafes.
Pegasusbrunnen
Large parts of the song was filmed in Mirabellgarten (Mirabell Gardens), on the north side of the river.
This is the Pegasusbrunnen (Pegasus Fountain).
Covered path
They run through a covered path.
This covered path is along the south-west side of Mirabellgarten.
Statues
These statues are at the southern entrance to Mirabellgarten, coming off Makartplatz. The one on the left (as viewed from outside the gardens) is of Ares (Greek god of war); and the one on the right is Hercules (son of Zeus).
Grand Fountain
The dance in front of a fountain.
This is another fountain in Mirabellgarten. It was filmed, looking towards the castle in the south.
Dwarf
They dance around a statue of a dwarf.
The statue of a comedian dwarf, and is one of the 28 status in the Zwergigarten (Dwarf Garden). The Dwarf Garden is immediately west of the Pegasusbrunnen.
Mirabellgarten steps
The song ends with them dancing on a set of steps.
These steps are at the north end of Mirabellgarten. They lead up to the Kurgarten. You can see the Pegasus Fountain in the middle of the photo; behind it is the Grand Fountain, the statues and then the castle in the distance. The Dwarf Garden is to the right of the Pegasus Fountain.
Von Trapp home: rear
In the movie, the back of the von Trapp home opens up to a large garden and lake.
The back of the von Trapp home was filmed at Schloss Leopoldskron—a totally different location from where the front was filmed. Schloss Leopoldskron is 1km south-west of the castle.
The statues leading to the lake are still there. But the garden has changed considerably and the trees are gone.
The terrace appears in several scenes, with the gazebo sometimes be seen in the background.
The building, however, does not appear in the movie. Schloss Leopoldskron is now a hotel. If you are staying at the hotel, you can visit the terrace and the Schloss building.
Church
The real wedding was held in the church at Nonnberg Abbey.
The interior of the church was filmed inside the Basilika Sankt Michael, in Mondsee (about 24 kms east of Salzburg).
The two brief exterior shots do not look like the exterior of the Mondsee Church. They also appear to be of two different churches.
Felsenreitschule
The concert at was filmed at the Felsenreitschule (Rock Riding School). It was originally an open-air theatre, but there is now a roof.
The outside has not changed much. This is the east side of the building.
The concert hall was originally an open-air venue.
But it has now been enclosed with a glass roof.
Inspirations for interiors
Most of the interior shots were filmed on a soundstage, but some of the sets were inspired by real world locations in Salzburg.
Von Trapp home: inside
The real von Trapp home was not as grand as the large mansion shown in the movie.
The von Trapp home set was inspired by the Venetian rooms inside Schloss Leopoldskron.
Petersfriedhof
The family’s escape was invented to make the movie more dramatic. The real family simply left in broad daylight on a train—they never hid in any cemetery.
The cemetery studio set is based on the crypts in Petersfriedhof (St Peter’s Cemetery), the friedhof (cemetery) next to St Peter’s church.
The real von Trapp home
The real von Trapp home was not used in the film. It is located 2.5kms east-south-east of the castle.
When I visited, it was running as the Villa von Trapp boutique hotel. The hotel has since closed and it became private property. But by now it may or may not have reopened.
Once inside the front doors, you walk up two steps from the entry into a central room. The stairs are to your right. Beyond the central room is a room that opens out to the back of the house.
When the building was a hotel, the room served as an area where guests can sit.
The stairs go up to where the hotel rooms were.
I stayed in the room at the top left, when viewing the building from front. This is the room for the youngest daughter, Martina von Trapp. In the movie, the youngest daugher was given a different name: Gretl.
Map of the filming locations
The filming locations for The Sound of Music, in and around Salzburg, are shown on this map. Please zoom out to see the Basilika Sankt Michael (Basilica of St Michael) at Mondsee.