Today on BigBoyTravel, the hills are alive and we're going to show you how to visit the
meadow from the movie The Sound of Music in Werfen, just south of Salzburg Austria.
Today I'm in The Sound of Music meadow in Werfen, Austria.
Just had a beer, it was awesome, cold, delicious. Picked some wildflowers, frolicked around in field,
and I think I might just tell you guys how to get here.
It's super easy from Salzburg , let's check it out.
(music)
To reach The Sound of Music Meadow from Old Salzburg,
you'll first take either the public bus or a taxi the Salzburg main train station in Südtiroler Platz.
We like to check the schedule and buy our tickets ahead of time
on the Austrian National Train website app called ÖBB,
but inside Salzburg Station, there's also a live ticket office and many ticket machines.
(music)
We have the link for buying tickets and a detailed map on
how to get to The Sound of Music meadow on our website Bigboytravel.com
In our Salzburg section, we also have an extensive guide on
how to see the rest of The Sound of Music sites in town,
as well as recommendations on other day trips you should consider taking.
(music)
Make sure to grab some snacks at the train station so you can
have your very own Von Trapp family picnic when you get to the meadow.
In addition to your platform number, make sure to check
on the lettered bin that your train leaves from, so you get to the right place.
From Salzburg to Werfen the journey is only 40 minutes long with
trains leaving multiple times an hour, and a one-way ticket is around 10 euros.
As you ride south from Salzburg,
make sure to check out the amazing Alpine vistas outside the Train window.
Pay attention to the time, so you don't miss the tiny Werfen Station when you come to it .
We like to get here early so we have the option of touring
either the ice cave or the castle in the morning
before seeing The Sound of Music meadow in the afternoon.
The Werfen Ice Cave is the largest one in the world,
while the High Castle is one of the most stunning fortresses in Austria,
and famous for their live falconry shows.
(music)
From Werfen Station, you can either follow the easy path along the river up to the Castle and Ice Cave bus stop,
or take the covered underpass into the heart of the village
where you can follow The Sound of Music Trail.
The official trail up to The Sound of Music meadow starts at the Werfen tourism office
which can be a little hard to find, so make sure to use the
City Museum across the road as your main landmark.
You'll see markers for the trail at the entrance
of the long alleyway across the road from the museum.
From here, you can expect that the one-mile-long hike
will take between 45 and 60 minutes to get to the top.
The trail is free for the public to use in the first station you come to is
the long stairwell at the end of the alley.
At the top of the stairs, make sure to look for the official sounding music trail signs
which lead you up to the meadow,
but don't forget to turn around look at the views behind you.
As the pavement ends, it might feel like you're starting to
walk through people's lawns, but it's definitely the right trail.
(chicken sounds)
Starting with the English portal, there are a number of different themed landmarks
along The Sound of Music Trail which help add to the fun.
Remember to bring water, snacks, and appropriate shoes for hiking.
Along the way, you'll intersect other wooded trails, but just keep following
the official signs which also show you how far along you are.
The path is dog friendly,
and the views keep getting better and better the further you make it
Honestly, if this bench was the end of the trail it would be still awesome.
You can just sit here and relax. It's wooded,
it's pretty, it's quiet, scenic,
and then BAM!
One thing you'll notice, are these little shortcuts that head back down into town.
If you are staying on the south side of town instead of the north
or you're just coming in you don't want to walk all the way the tourism office and walk up
with the official trail that's prettier, or you're in a hurry,
You can take this a little bit more extreme trail. It's way steeper, a little slippery,
but it comes up basically straight from the side of town from the train station up.
Compared to the official one that's a little bit better taken care of
and winds around a little bit more before you get started.
(music)
I didn't even know what this was here, but this is pretty cool.
I assume that this is a chime maker that plays 'Do Ri Me' for you when you spin it.
That is an extremely fitting thing seeing how this meadow was
the beginning of the song 'Do Ri Me' in the movie The Sound of Music.
Let's give this a shot.
The instructions seem easy, since there aren't any.
I guess we just get winding.
(chime music)
while the official Sound of Music Trail is the widest of the footpaths,
you need to keep following the markers whenever you come in an intersection.
The last half of the trail does have a steep section of switchbacks,
but it is pretty manageable as long as you take your time.
At the end of the switchbacks is a relaxing bench terrace which makes the effort well worth it.
It's very peaceful, with stunning views, and the benches mark out some of our 'Favorite Things'.
(Music - Favorite Things)
Resting here my lederhosen was one of my favorite things on the entire hike.
The last interactive station and The Sound of Music Trail is
a puzzle where you get to spell out different lyrics from movie's songs.
(Music - Favorite Things)
When you get to a closed gate at the end of the trail, don't be alarmed,
it's always open, all you have to do is give it a little push.
After the gate, you'll follow a private farming road a short distance up the hill
to the section of meadow they used in the movie.
(music - instrumental)
Welcome to The Sound of Music Meadow
where they filmed a picnic scene and started the song 'Do Ri Me'.
(muisc - Do Ri Me)
Known locally as Gschwandtanger Wiesn,
the city of Werfen added a fun area for tourists in this active farming meadow
in 2015 in honor of the movie's 50th anniversary.
Hi guys, we just hiked up to the top for The Sound of Music Trail in Werfen, Austria.
This is where they had the picnic scene, 'Do Ri Me' stared here
before it went into the city of Salzburg,
and the view is way way better and what I expected to be.
I've seen good views of the mountain castle all the way up the hill,
hill I've been to this town before,
and these views are unreal!
I mean look at the castle, the mountains, the field is so pretty even though it's late in the year.
Make sure to have some fun with the installations while you're in the meadow.
So this is pretty cool I know all these places because I've been up to the
castle, I've been up to the ice cave way up top, like way, way, way up there.
They have these little pin holes that guide your eyes to see exactly where they are,
because if you don't know, you might not know where to look.
This is where the cave is
And the castle.
(music - Do Ri Me)
I just had a beer a minute ago in The Sound of Music Meadow,
frolicked around picking flowers.
(music - Do Ri Me)
It's the only one of the two (meadows) from the movie that you can actually visit
because the other one is private.
This stunning meadow along with a visit to either
the Ice Cave or Castle makes Werfen one of the best day trips from Salzburg.
Really relaxed right now my lederhosen,
thinking about the movie, thinking about my family, just hanging out.
Make sure to collect all of your belongings and trash before
taking in one final view and heading back down to Werfen.
If you don't have a flashlight, make sure to start the 30-minute hike down at least an hour before sunset.
Reaching Werfen Station, you'll head back to Salzburg by train the same way you got here.
If you enjoyed this video,
please like it, share it with your friends, and subscribe to our YouTube channel for free
to see even more upcoming videos from BigBoyTravel.
In addition to our guide and the sights of Werfen,
our Salzburg section also covers the other Sound of Music locations
as well as some other day trips you might want to see.
thank you again for watching and subscribing to our YouTube channel, we'll see you again soon.
(music)