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Salzburg old town across the Salzach in autumn, with the cathedral domes and Hohensalzburg fortress

Destination guide

James Bond and Sound of Music tours in the Alps

Nine days on the Alpine roads and cableways that James Bond made famous, or one day in Salzburg on the trail of the von Trapps, with a tour leader who lives in Salzburg.

  • 2 tours
  • from $139 per person
  • Best months May to Jul, Sep
  • 5 filming locations
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The Alps

Austria and Switzerland on screen

Two very different kinds of film fan come to the Alps. The first wants James Bond: the revolving restaurant on the Schilthorn where Blofeld kept his clinic in On Her Majesty's Secret Service, the dam in Ticino where GoldenEye opens with a bungee jump, the mountain pass where Sean Connery drove his Aston Martin in Goldfinger, and the glass summit restaurant above Sölden that played a clinic again in Spectre. The second wants Maria, seven children and a gazebo. Salzburg, where The Sound of Music was filmed in 1964, still welcomes them every day of the year.

We run one tour for each. The nine-day Bond tour starts in Zurich and ends in Salzburg, crossing three high passes and riding three cableways, so it only runs from late June to September, when the roads are open and the lifts run. The Sound of Music day runs almost all year from central Salzburg. Katharina Moser, who lives in Salzburg, leads both, and she checks every pass report and lift timetable the week before a group arrives.

The filming locations below, on the map.Map: Esri, OpenStreetMap contributors

Filming locations

Where Bond and the von Trapps were filmed

Two hikers on the rocky ridge to the Schilthorn summit building above the clouds

01

Schilthorn and Piz Gloria, above Mürren

The Schilthorn rises to 9,744 feet above the car-free village of Mürren in the Bernese Oberland, and the round building on its summit is Piz Gloria. In On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969) it is Blofeld's allergy clinic, and George Lazenby's Bond escapes from it on skis. The revolving restaurant was new when the crew arrived, and the film gave it the name it still uses. Today the summit has Bond World, an exhibition with film props and a simulator, a 007 Walk of Fame on the terrace, and a view of the Eiger, Monch and Jungfrau. The cableway from Stechelberg via Mürren and Birg runs all year, with short closures for maintenance, so we check the dates before every trip.

  • The revolving Piz Gloria restaurant
  • Bond World and the 007 Walk of Fame
  • The Eiger, Monch and Jungfrau from the terrace
Best time
Clear mornings, June to September

Tours that visit Schilthorn and Piz Gloria, above Mürren

The curved concrete wall of the Verzasca Dam across a forested gorge in Ticino

02

The Verzasca Dam, Ticino

The Verzasca Dam, also called the Contra Dam, closes a narrow gorge about six miles north of Locarno, in the Italian-speaking canton of Ticino. It was finished in 1965 and its curved concrete wall is about 720 feet high. GoldenEye (1995) opens here: Bond runs along the top of the dam, which plays a Soviet weapons plant, and jumps off on a bungee cord. A stuntman made the jump, and it is still often named one of the best stunts in film. Since then the dam has had a bungee platform in the middle, run by a local outdoor company in the warmer months. Most of our travelers watch from the walkway along the top, which is free and open to anyone. The green valley behind it is worth an hour too.

  • The walkway along the top of the dam
  • The GoldenEye bungee platform, for anyone brave enough
  • Lake Vogorno and the Verzasca valley
Best time
Late morning, June to September

Tours that visit The Verzasca Dam, Ticino

The glass Ice Q restaurant on the Gaislachkogl summit above Sölden

03

Sölden and 007 Elements on the Gaislachkogl

Sölden is a ski town in the Otztal valley of Tyrol, and its Gaislachkogl cable car climbs to a summit station at about 10,000 feet. Up there stands Ice Q, a glass restaurant that played the Hoffler Klinik in Spectre (2015), where Bond finds Madeleine Swann. In 2018 the town opened 007 Elements next to it, an installation built into the rock of the summit, with dark rooms about the making of the Bond films, the crashed plane from the Spectre chase and a long view over the glaciers. It is only reachable by the cable car, which runs in the winter ski season and again in summer, from early June to early October. In summer it is closed on some Mondays, so our tour never comes here on a Monday.

  • Ice Q, the Hoffler Klinik of Spectre
  • The 007 Elements installation inside the mountain
  • A cable car ride to about 10,000 feet
Best time
Clear mornings, late June to September

Tours that visit Sölden and 007 Elements on the Gaislachkogl

A mother and two children walking through the green arbor tunnel in the Mirabell Gardens

04

The Mirabell Gardens, Salzburg

The Mirabell Gardens were laid out around a palace that Archbishop Wolf Dietrich built in 1606, and they are free and open every day of the year. In The Sound of Music (1965) Maria and the children dance through them at the end of Do-Re-Mi: around the Pegasus fountain, past the stone figures of the dwarf garden, through the hedge tunnel and up the steps where they finish on the high note, with the fortress on the hill behind. Every one of those spots is still there and easy to find with the scene on your phone. The palace is now the office of the mayor, and its Marble Hall is used for weddings and concerts. We come early, when the flower beds are in shade and the tour buses have not arrived.

  • The Pegasus fountain and the Do-Re-Mi steps
  • The hedge tunnel and the dwarf garden
  • The view of the fortress across the flower beds
Best time
Early morning, April to October for the flowers

Tours that visit The Mirabell Gardens, Salzburg

The glass Sound of Music gazebo under the trees in the park of Hellbrunn Palace

05

The Sound of Music gazebo, Hellbrunn

The glass gazebo where Liesl sings Sixteen Going on Seventeen, and where Maria and the Captain sing Something Good, was built for the film in the grounds of Leopoldskron Palace. So many fans walked onto that private estate that it was later taken down and rebuilt in the public park of Hellbrunn Palace, south of the city, where it has stood since the early 1990s. It is smaller than it looks on screen, and the dancing inside was filmed on a set in Hollywood, which explains the room to move. The doors are kept locked, but you can walk all round it and look in. Hellbrunn itself, built in 1615, is worth a look for its trick fountains, which run from spring to autumn.

  • The gazebo from Sixteen Going on Seventeen
  • The park of Hellbrunn Palace, free to walk
  • The trick fountains, April to October
Best time
Mornings, all year

Tours that visit The Sound of Music gazebo, Hellbrunn

Austria and Switzerland film location tours for 2026 and 2027

Price per person sharing a double room; day tours per person. Flights to the start city are not included.

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2 tours

Getting around

How our tours get around Austria and Switzerland

01

A van and driver over the passes

On the Bond tour we travel in a 14-seat Mercedes Sprinter with a professional driver who knows the Swiss and Austrian passes. The long days are broken up with stops for coffee, photos and short walks, and nobody has to drive a hairpin.

02

Cableways to the summits

Piz Gloria and 007 Elements are only reachable by cable car, so we ride up to both. Tickets are included, and we go up early, when the views are clearest and the cabins are quiet.

03

Trains and boats where they fit

Mürren has no road, so we park in Stechelberg and ride the cable car up to the village. In Salzburg the old town is best on foot, and on the lake day there is time for a short boat ride on the Wolfgangsee.

04

Walking in Salzburg

Salzburg's old town is small and mostly flat, but Nonnberg Abbey and the fortress sit on a hill. Expect 2 to 3 miles on foot on the Sound of Music day, with one climb of about 10 minutes.

What is included

What our Austria and Switzerland tours include

In Austria and Switzerland

  • Cableway tickets to the Schilthorn and the Gaislachkogl, with entry to Bond World and 007 Elements
  • A van with a professional driver on every travel day
  • Katharina Moser, our Salzburg tour leader, on every day of both tours
  • Planned stops at the Furka Pass, the Verzasca Dam and Lake Altaussee
  • Entry to the park and gazebo at Hellbrunn, the Mirabell Gardens and the Mondsee basilica
  • Central hotels in Mürren, Andermatt, Locarno, Sölden, Altaussee and Salzburg
  • Lunch in St. Gilgen on the Sound of Music day

On every tour

  • Central hotels with daily breakfast on trips of two days or more
  • A named Scenes Found tour leader with the group from the first day to the last
  • Airport transfers on the first and last day of the tour
  • Hotel taxes, parking, park entry and local guide fees
  • Our 24/7 line while you travel, in every time zone

Not included: flights to the start city and home, meals not listed, drinks, tips and travel insurance. Each tour page lists exactly what is in the price.

Best time to go

Best time to visit Austria and Switzerland

The Bond tour runs only from late June to September. Before that, snow closes the Furka and Grimsel passes, and the summer cable car on the Gaislachkogl does not start until early June; after early October it stops again. July and August are warm in the valleys, 70 to 80 F, but the summits stay cold, around 40 F, even on sunny days. June and September are quieter and often clearer. The Sound of Music day runs almost all year. May, June and September are the best months in Salzburg, with green hills and 65 to 75 F. December brings the Christmas markets and the snowy look many people expect, but the days are short and the lakes can be gray. Salzburg has a lot of rain, so a small umbrella is always worth packing.

  1. Jan: good months
  2. Feb: good months
  3. Mar: good months
  4. Apr: good months
  5. May: best months
  6. Jun: best months
  7. Jul: best months
  8. Aug: good months
  9. Sep: best months
  10. Oct: good months
  11. Nov: good months
  12. Dec: good months

Best monthsGood monthsNo departures

Practical

Austria and Switzerland at a glance

Best months
May to Jul, Sep
Airport
Zurich (ZRH) for the start of the Bond tour, 10 minutes by train from the city; Salzburg (SZG), 15 minutes from the old town, for the end. Munich (MUC) is about 2 hours from Salzburg by train or car.
Getting around
Our van and driver on the Bond tour, cableways to the summits, and walking in Salzburg; on the day tour, a 12-seat van from central Salzburg
Time zone
Central European Time in both countries, 6 hours ahead of New York
Weather
Valleys 70 to 80 F in summer, summits around 40 F; Salzburg 65 to 75 F in late spring and early fall, often rainy
Filming today
Both countries offer film incentives and see regular shoots, from Bond stunts in the mountains to Mission: Impossible at the Vienna State Opera and TV crime series in Salzburg
Location etiquette
Greet people with Gruezi in Switzerland and Gruss Gott in Austria; keep your voice down in churches; Nonnberg Abbey is a working convent, so stay in the public parts
Book ahead
Cable car and exhibition tickets are included on the Bond tour; Hellbrunn park is free, and we buy any entry tickets on the day tour
Tipping
Service is included in both countries; rounding up by 5 to 10 percent in restaurants is normal. Tips for your tour leader and driver are up to you
Entry rules
Switzerland and Austria are both in the Schengen area. US citizens need a passport valid at least 3 months beyond the day you leave the area, and no visa for stays up to 90 days. Since October 2025 the EU Entry/Exit System takes your fingerprints and photo at the first Schengen border. ETIAS, a planned online travel authorization, is not yet required; we will tell you if that changes before your trip.

FAQ

Austria and Switzerland tour FAQs

More on the FAQ page, or call +1 (323) 641-2870.

Why does the Bond tour only run in summer?

The Furka and Grimsel passes are closed by snow from about October to June, and the Gaislachkogl cable car in Sölden runs its summer season from early June to early October. Our departures sit in the weeks when all of them are open.

Do we do the GoldenEye bungee jump?

Only if you want to, and only on your own booking with the operator at the dam, which runs the jump in the warmer months. Most of our travelers watch from the walkway. Your leader can help you book a jump before the trip.

Is the Sound of Music gazebo the one from the film?

Yes. It was built for the film at Leopoldskron Palace and later moved to the park at Hellbrunn because so many fans went onto the private estate. The singing and dancing inside were filmed on a set in Hollywood.

Can we go inside the von Trapp villa?

The villa in the film was two buildings: Leopoldskron Palace for the lake terrace and Frohnburg Palace for the front. Both are private, a hotel and a university building, so we see them from public paths and the road. The real Trapp family home is a different house in Aigen.

How high do we go, and is altitude a problem?

The two summits are at about 9,700 and 10,000 feet, and we stay up for a couple of hours. Most people feel nothing more than a little breathless on stairs. If you have heart or lung problems, ask your doctor before booking.

Do I need to have seen the films?

No, but it helps. Watch On Her Majesty's Secret Service, Goldfinger, GoldenEye and Spectre for the Bond tour, and The Sound of Music for the day. Your leader shows the scenes on a tablet at every stop.

Can I combine the two tours?

Yes. The Bond tour ends in Salzburg, so many travelers add a night or two there and join the Sound of Music day. We can book the extra nights at the same hotel.

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Travel guides

Austria and Switzerland guides to read before you go

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Locations

The Sound of Music in Salzburg: what the film changed

The Mirabell steps, the moving gazebo, a villa made of two palaces and a wedding moved out of town: a Salzburg tour leader on the real story, the film locations and how to plan your visit.

Katharina Moser ·  · 4 min read

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