The 1965 film The Sound of Music was filmed mainly in and around Salzburg, Austria, with additional scenes shot in nearby parts of Germany and on studio sets in the United States.

Main filming locations

  • The bulk of the exterior scenes were shot in and around the city of Salzburg, Austria, including famous spots like Mirabell Palace and Gardens, Residenzplatz, and areas of the Old Town.
  • Several key scenes used real locations in the Salzburg region (SalzburgerLand), such as the parish church in Mondsee for the wedding and the Untersberg area and surrounding Alps for the opening and closing mountain shots.

Iconic “hills are alive” meadow

  • The opening scene where Maria sings “The Hills Are Alive” was filmed on a meadow near the village of Marktschellenberg on Mehlweg, just across the border in Bavaria, Germany, not far from Salzburg.
  • This meadow is on private land, so it is not generally open to the public, though the surrounding area still offers similar Alpine views.

Von Trapp “home” and other exteriors

  • Different real buildings around Salzburg were combined to represent the von Trapp villa, notably Leopoldskron Palace and Frohnburg Palace for various exterior shots.
  • Other recognizable locations include Hohenwerfen Fortress and the town of Werfen for parts of the “Do-Re-Mi” montage, plus various Salzburg streets and squares for Maria’s walks and the family’s carriage rides.

Studio work in the United States

  • Interior scenes and some sets (such as the cemetery inspired by St. Peter’s Abbey) were recreated and filmed on soundstages in Hollywood rather than on location in Austria or Germany.
  • These studio shoots were blended with the on-location footage to create the seamless look of the film’s Salzburg setting.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.