Q&A: A Question about "The Sound of Music" Tours

I decided to start posting questions that were sent to me by e-mail at the blog, in the hope that my answers will help other people, too. Here we go with one regarding "The Sound of Music" Tours in Salzburg:

QUESTION:

"Hi, I am going on holiday with my husband and 3 children to a hotel outside Salzburg in February (the Neubichleralm in Piding, near Bad Reichenstall) and we will spend at least one day in the city. I was last in Salzburg in 1982 (!) and hope to revisit the places I enjoyed then.

However, my children are avid fans of THAT film and so we are considering a Sound of Music tour as well as Mozrtsgeburtshaus/ pferdwasche etc... Is there one company that is better than others or are they all fairly similar? I know its kitsch and unrepresentative of Austria and we will make this clear to our children: I spent a few summers in Scheibbs, NO and have great memories of the Wachau, Krems, Heuriger etc so we can make sure that they get the message! Any advice welcome!"

MY ANSWER:

Hi XXX, I've never done a Sound of Music Tour myself, but I assume they are all rather similar - Panoramatours is the very big one, Bob's Tours is a small local company that might be more personal; otherwise, especially since you are several people, renting a car and touring the lakes yourself will be the best deal and grant you with the freedom to spend time wherever you want.

Essentially, 80 percent of all Sound of Music locations are *within* Salzburg and very accessible; then they go to Anif, where you can't get into the castle, because it is private property; and then they take you to Mondsee, which is nice, but not worth the 35 Euros that I think they charge - since you can get their by public busses or with your own car. I hope this helps! Have a great stay in Salzburg! Links to our website are always appreciated! Best wishes, Benedikt