Salzburg beyond The Sound of Music
With its snow-dusted mountains, custard-hued palaces and fairytale churches, Salzburg looks so much like a film set I can't help but belt out a Rodgers and Hammerstein megamix as we waltz through the cobbled streets of Altstadt.
The Sound Of Music was the soundtrack of my childhood. I grew up singing about lonely goatherds and whiskers on kittens. And when I was 16 going on 17? Well, if I'd had a dirndl I would have given that Liesl a run for her money.
Located on the border of Bavaria in Austria's eastern Alps, Salzburg –the nation's fourth largest city– is perhaps best known for being the setting for the hit musical. Promising singing nuns, schnitzel and strudel, I've brought my 19-year-old daughter Lola for a weekend break.
EXPLORE SALZBURG ON A SOUND OF MUSIC CRUISE
2025 marks the 60th anniversary of the musical, which has captivated audiences the world over since its release in 1965. The film is based on the true story of Maria Kutschera, a local novice nun who was sent to be a governess for a naval captain and his seven children after his wife died. While this happened in 1911, the film is set in 1930s Salzburg and at first glance, the city has changed very little since.
A UNESCO World Heritage Site, Salzburg is everything I hoped for. Straddling the Salzach River, it's a glorious tumble of ornate baroque architecture the colour of marzipan, austere looking fortresses and the zinc-topped spires and domes of 140-odd Roman Catholic churches. In the Old Town (Altstadt), we discover cosy coffee houses serving strudel and melange (an Austrian cappuccino), artisan chocolate shops and even a dirndl and lederhosen boutique.
We're staying in Hotel Stein, a swish boutique hotel overlooking the Salzach River and the Hohensalzburg Fortress, the Gothic castle which gazes over the city. As well as The Sound of Music, Salzburg is famous for being the birthplace of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Born here in 1756, to this day he is considered to be one of the greatest composers of all time. We pop into Mozart's birthplace on Getreidegasse, a yellow townhouse and museum in Altstadt to see his prized collection of instruments including his childhood violin and fortepiano.
It's rather noticeable that Salzburg celebrates its Mozart connection much more than its Sound of Music heritage –it wasn't a popular movie in Austria– and we find Mozart merch, from posh chocolates to tiny violins, in almost every other shop.
Naturally, The Sound of Music tour is at the top of my Salzburg wish list. Panorama Tours has been running the original Sound of Music tour of Salzburg for decades. Led by my lovely dirndl-dressed guide, Kylie, who hails from the Gold Coast of Australia, the four-hour tour visits iconic filming locations including the gazebo where Liesl and Rolf sing Sixteen Going on Seventeen; Mirabell Gardens, where Maria and the children Do Re Mi-d around the Pegasus Fountain; and Schloss Leopoldskron, which played the family’s lakeside home in the movie. My highlight is waltzing down the aisle of Basilika St Michael in Mondsee, where Maria and Captain Von Trapp got married.
My excitement brews quite the thirst, so we head across the river to Augustiner Bräustübl Mülln, Salzburg's famous brewery founded by Augustinian monks in 1621. It's also Austria's largest beer hall. Today it's packed with locals – I spot more than one lederhosen – who we join for steins of good beer and platters of bratwurst.
However, my trip to Salzburg isn’t just about feeding my musical theatre obsession. It is also about sating my schnitzel cravings too. Wiener schnitzel is the national dish, a cape-sized breaded fried veal steak served with parsley potatoes and cranberry sauce. We found an excellent example in Zwettlers Wirtshaus, a cosy Austrian gasthaus which has been serving Salzburgers schnitzel since 1863. Sadly, there wasn't room for a Salzburger Nockerl, a sweet baked soufflé found only in the city.
As the name might suggest, Salzburg is a city built on salt. Leaving Altstadt for now, we check into NEUWIRT Boutiquehotel & Wirtshaus in Bad Vigaun, a charming little spa town near Hallein. Only 25 km from Salzburg, it's close to the Salzwelten Salzburg salt mine where we learn a surprising amount about the region's salt mining history, which dates back to the Bronze Age.
Aside from salt, Hallein is also where the world's most famous Christmas carol Silent Night hails. Written by Austrian-Roman Catholic priest Joseph Mohr and composed by Franz Xaver Gruber, it was first performed on Christmas Eve in 1818, in nearby Oberndorf.
While it's not quite Christmas, seeing a dusting of early season snow dappling the mountain tops, listening to the original Silent Night in Gruber's former home is the perfect ending to our marvellous musical weekend.
Explore Salzburg during Prima's exclusive Danube river cruise, with a Julie Madly Deeply theatre performance included. The Sound of Music-themed takes place in July, with visits to Passau, Bratislava, Salzburg, Melk and more.
Find out more about things to do in Salzburg at Salzburg.info
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