If you have an appreciation for the arts and music, you’ll find that Austria is for music lovers. Surrounded by the creative inspiration of the Alps you can find a rich history of music and culture going back centuries. You can have an espresso at Mozart’s Cafe, see the palace rooms that were once full of young composers, and sing “The Hills Are Alive” right where Julie Andrews did. Make sure you hit these top sites and experiences on your music lover’s tour of Austria.
A Mozart Tour of Austria
Beginning your time in Austria with the Western part of the country will give you the best timeline for Mozart’s life. Because the composer was born and raised in Salzburg, Austria you should start your journey there! Salzburg is incredibly proud of their famous prior resident. Mozart’s childhood home has been completely preserved and remains very much the same as when the family inhabited it. The childhood home has been turned into a museum that is wheelchair accessible. The home has the original “doorbell” on its exterior. Little details like the doorbell and door knocker are absolutely incredible and give such depth to the aesthetic design of the time period.
You can stand in the room where Mozart was born. If you are a classical music fan or a music theory lover you will understand the magnitude of a space like that. It almost seeps into your bones as you enter the room. The genius that was Mozart is truly paradigm-shifting.
As you tour Mozart’s humble beginnings you may find it hard to imagine the rise to fame that would follow. Therefore, you have great food for thought while you sip on your Composer Cappuccino next door at the Cafe Mozart. They will even serve you chocolates with Mozart’s face on them!
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If time permits, continue your tour of Austia to the other side of the country to Vienna, where you will find Mozart’s adult home. His home post-fame is definitely more elaborate and really shows the sheer amount of wealth acquired by his family. He would eventually leave the family home and the control of his parents to lead his own short adult life.
The Sound of Music
Millions of people have fallen in love with the Sound of Music musical. So much so that the entire tourism industry has been developed around the production of the film. In Salzburg, Austria you can book a Sound of Music tour that will take you to all of the major filming spots. Along the way, you will visit Mirabell Gardens where most of the Doe-Ra-Me scenes were filmed. Yes, there are dozens of people at any given time hopping up and down the exterior stairs. You will stop to see the famous glass gazebo where Lisle sings I Am 16 Going On 17.
The Sound of Music tour is an all-day affair that will take you way out of the city of Salzburg to the Lake District of Austria. Here you will see where Julie Andrews sang The Hills Are Alive, you will also see the beautiful church that the wedding scene was filmed in. Throughout the time on the tour bus, you will be participating in soundtrack sing along as well as Sound of Music trivia and behind the scenes details. The tour is absolutely amazing, worth every cent and then some if you are a true Sound of Music fan.
The Hills Fill my Heart with the Sound of Music
The lyrics in the Sound of Music describe Austria best. The Alpine landscapes and views are stunning. They bring to life creative juices and inspiration that you didn’t know you were capable of. The beautiful surroundings also had this effect on my children. As a family, we adopted some wonderful habits from our time in Austria. For example, we have “afternoon coffee” now because of the relaxed ambiance we experienced around the 2 pm hour in Austria. So much about the Austrian culture should be implemented in our lives, especially so in regard to the Austrian love of music and film.
If you find yourself considering a tour of Austria make sure you schedule in a whole lot of unscheduled time. Allowing yourself and your family to sip the afternoon away discussing the beauty you have witnessed will bring the experience to its fullest potential. Get out there and enjoy.
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Check out Hallstatt, Austria UNESCO World Heritage Site!
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Photo Credit: Lydia Bradbury
