This is a guide to all the best things to do in Salzburg Austria, PLUS where to find the original Sound of Music film locations so you can take your own FREE Self-Guided Sound Of Music Tour in Salzburg! We visited Salzburg on a Danube River Cruise with Gate 1 Travel.
Photo via Stephanie
Salzburg is the birthplace of Mozart and where The Sound of Music was filmed. Keep reading below to see where to find The Sound of Music film locations in Salzburg.
I’ll also show you all the other best things to do in Salzburg, including where Mozart was born, where he grew up, and even his favorite cafe where he would hang out every afternoon!
Mirabell Gardens and the Pegasus Fountain
This is where Maria and the children sing “Do-Re-Mi“!
In the background you can also see the sign for the Hotel Bristol, where Christopher Plummer stayed during the filming of The Sound of Music.
Salzburg Fortress
After visiting the gardens, cross the river into Old Town Salzburg. Be sure to look up at the Salzburg Fortress on the way!
Read More: Taking A Danube River Cruise With Gate 1 Travel
Love Lock Bridge
The bridge across the river is quickly becoming a Love Lock bridge. You can leave a lock where Maria and Captain Von Trapp fell in love.
St. Peter Stiftskeller
One of the most interesting things to do in Salzburg is have lunch at the oldest restaurant in Europe. The restaurant opened in 803, over twelve hundred years ago!
Definitely save room for Salzburg’s most famous dessert, the Salzburger Nockerl. It tastes like cake batter!! It was so good!!
Photo via Stephanie
St. Peter’s Cemetery
The next stop on your self-guided Sound of Music tour in Salzburg Austria is St. Peter’s Cemetery. This is where the the Von Trapp family hid from Nazis in The Sound of Music.
Here are the iron “cages” like the one where the Von Trapp family hid. The scenes were actually filmed on a sound stage in Hollywood, but were built to replicate these gated crypts in Salzburg Austria.
St. Peter’s Cemetery and the catacombs are some of the oldest in the world.
This is one of the most beautiful and peaceful spots in Salzburg Austria. The cemetery dates back to the 700s. The oldest tombstone is from 1288.
St. Peter’s Bakery
St. Peter’s Bakery is the oldest bakery in Salzburg. It’s been operating for over 700 years. They bake all the bread in wood fired ovens.
We tried a warm brioche bun that we watched them pull fresh from the oven. It was probably the best bread I have ever had!
Residenz Fountain
Here’s another stop on our Sound of Music tour in Salzburg Austria! Maria rides through Residenz Square in the bus on her way to the Von Trapp mansion for the first time. She also splashes in Residenz Fountain singing “I have confidence in me”.
Plaza de Mozart
In Salzburg Austria you can also see many locations significant to Mozart.
Read More: Best Things To Do In Vienna Austria
The Birthplace of Mozart
This yellow building is where Mozart was born in Salzburg Austria. The Mozart family lived on the third floor in the mid-1700s. Mozart was born here on January 27, 1756.
Cafe Tomaselli
This cafe in Salzburg Austria was Mozart’s favorite hangout. He had coffee here everyday!
Smallest House In Salzburg Austria
Right next door to the cafe is the smallest house in Salzburg. It is only 4.7 feet wide!!
Cafe Fürst
Also nearby is Cafe Fürst, home of the world famous Salzburg Mozartkugel. The Mozartkugel is a chocolate truffle created by Paul Fürst in 1890. The truffle was an instant hit was duplicated all over Europe, but only the original chocolate truffles made here in this shop can be called the “Original Salzburg Mozartkugel”.
To this day, the cafe still creates each Mozartkugel by hand using the original recipe and are sold exclusively in their shops in Salzburg. Only the true Mozartkugels can be packaged in silver and blue foil. The knockoffs are packaged in red and gold and can be found all over Austria and Germany.
Old Town Hall
Old Town Salzburg is world-renowned for baroque architecture, and is also one of the best-preserved city centers north of the Alps.
The shops in Old Town were gorgeous!
I bought a hand-blown, hand-painted glass ornament for our Christmas tree here.
Photo via Stephanie
Getreidegasse
This is the famous pedestrian shopping street in Salzburg Austria.
Photo via Stephanie
Kirche St. Blasius
At the end of the Getreidegasse is Kirche St. Blasius, built in 1330.
Hotel Sacher Cafe
Another one of the best things to do in Salzburg Austria is visit the Hotel Sacher Cafe for their famous Sacher Torte.
What made our visit to Salzburg even more special is that Julie Andrews was IN Salzburg the same day we were there! She was filming a Sound of Music special for the 50th anniversary of the movie. She was staying at the Hotel Sacher, the same hotel where she stayed 50 years ago when they filmed the movie.
We didn’t see her, but her security was everywhere! I feel like we could’ve totally seen her if we waited around a bit longer. Surprisingly there were no crowds or paparazzi anywhere!
That evening we sailed out of Austria and woke up the next morning in Germany.
See more posts from our Gate 1 Travel cruise!
Like this post? Save it on Pinterest!
I see one of your new travel posts! I am adding so many places to my bucket list! Would love to travel with you as a guide
Hello,
I would love to see the places you have been. You are my eyes and I love looking at your pics!
I’m working on my pics from Salzburg from our Austria trip last month. Your pics and info are so good. You did a great job on this! We saw the same places and your info helps me with my pics too. thanks so much!
I’ll be travelling to Austria in May and doing a bit of research. Just read your Vienna post as well, love your pictures and how informative you make your posts, have added a bunch to my itinerary, thank you!
Hey! Your photos look amazing! I’m planning a Euro trip and defiantly want to see Salzburg I love The Sound of Music and want to see as much as I can in a few days, did you go on the tour of the sound of music or just explored on your own?
Nicci
Hey! I was wondering if you knew the name of the Sound of Music tour you took? I’m going in a few days and this sounds amazing!
Thanks =)
Isn’t Salzburg fabulous? Taking in a Mozart concert is a definite highlight!
Oh, these are fun-tastic. Mai am der Sonnenschein, fur die Hilfte, and beautifully coloured. I love them – esp. when it seems that most of the other pictures of childhood memories, Vermont, New Hampshire, soccer league, and the normalcy of the voice (whether in love or in comfortable pitch) are so door, and dreary. Loves. Get back to me and hope to see you (both, the cigarette and the mug) around. Hp 4 best.
Dear Amanda,
I live in Brazil and during my researches about Switzerland and Austria I found your website.
It have been so usefull to me with all information and tips which I definetely will use in my trip in july.
I’d like to thank and congratulate you for your beautiful pictures!
Hi Amanda,
I am enjoying all of your amazing pictures of the river cruise you took. My fiancé and I are thinking about taking this trip and he is most interested in Salzburg. When I click the link to the exact cruise you took, the link is no longer available and yet when I look on the travel agents website, Im not seeing the cruise that includes Salzburg. Can you please let me know just which cruise you took? I would appreciate your help! Thank you!
The Sound of Music is one of my all time favoritesðŸ˜. I can sing along to every song (well, I used to know all the words 40 years ago, ha, ha). We sure could use more wholesome, clean movies/musicals in this world, instead of so many violent films. Some things were much better in the good old days … Same goes for music😘
Thanks so much for sharing this wonderful adventure with us!
So fun! I went the Austria (Salzbrug, Vienna, Graz, and Innsbruck) my freshman year of high school. Salzburg was my favorite! We got to see the actual home where the family filmed as well as the famous hill where the movie opens. Such a beautiful place!!
Beautiful pictures and good travel tips! I follow you on twitter
Oh wow! The Mirabell Gardens are breathtaking!
Oh my gosh, where can I sign up for this tour? Oh yeah–there’s a link in the post :) The Sound of Music is probably the best movie ever made. How amazing to be in the same places! Your pictures are amazing, too. I need to add this to my list of places to go before I die!
Hi Amanda! Austria is a beautiful country and you’ve really captured its essence! I absolutely love your photographs.
I follow you via bloglovin and you don’t know how excited I get when I see one of your new travel posts! I am adding so many places to my bucket list! Would love to travel with you as a guide :-). Keep ’em coming!
What a lovely area and town. Gorgeous photos!
Wow! This is my favorite post from your cruise so far. I’m a huge Sound of Music Fan and the oldest restaurant/bakery? How cool!!
Wow– I feel like I take a little mini-vacation when I look through your photos! These are just incredible. You’re giving me wanderlust!
Always, Anita
I would love to see the places you have been. You are my eyes and I love looking at your pics!
I love these photos! I’ve never really thought about visiting Austria (there are just so many European countries on my list already), but your pictures make it look so gorgeous and dreamy. I’d love to see it myself some day!
Your blog brought back such wonderful memories…..I spent a long day in Salzburg back in the early 80’s. Such a gorgeous city, area and people! Thanks for sharing your adventures with us!
Oh my goodness, I would love to see Salzburg as I’m a huge Mozart fan! (Nope, never seen Sound of Music. I know. But I figure at this point in my life, why cave? HA!) I’m also one of those weirdos who loves looking at old cemeteries so some of those beautiful places would be on my stops as well. Now, if I can only talk the Mr into making the trip! Thanks for sharing!
Really, I want your job! I have followed you for years and seen you grow into this traveler and photographer, well done. Enjoy traveling with you, beautiful pictures always and amazing foods.
Thank you