memories04

We are having a hard time deciding between Panorama Tours and Bob's Special Tours. Which is better? We are thinking of doing the Sound of Music, Salt Mines, and Ice Caves tours. Is there another tour that I haven't mentioned that would be good to take? Thanks for your help.

bob_brown

How about seeing the city on your own so you can do it more thoroughly and cheaper?

I hope Bob does a better job with his Sound of Money tour than what I got when I took a SOM tour.

In my opinion, where SOM is concerned There is really nothing much to see in that you cannot do on your own and discover other aspects of Salzburg in the process.

The wedding church in Mondsee can be reached by bus from Mirabellplatz, and you will have time to view what is really a beautiful interior as well as have a little time to enjoy the lake and the village itself.

The Festspielhaus where the concert took place is available by guided tour which we enjoyed thoroughly. It was bilingual until the German speakers told the guide there was no need to repeat her spiel in German. Just do it in English. (the tour should be available unless the Salzburg Music Festival is in full swing.)

The views over the city were probably filmed from the Festung on the hill, which you should visit as part of a comprehensive Salzburg excursion.

As far as I know the cloister for the nuns is not open to the public. It may be and I don't know about it, which is quite possible.

Leopoldskron where some of the movie was filmed is a seminar center and about a 15 minute bus ride away. (Route 15)

The famed gazebo where Liserl (??)and the Nazi postboy had their tryst was a paint-peeling, rotting wreck somewhere at Schloss Hellbrunn until it was either removed or further secluded. Seems like some people got hurt stomping around on the floor, but that is hearsay.

The Austrians did not want it, but it made too much tourist money to throw it away.

And, don't look for the Swiss border nearby. That is one piece of the fairy story even I have a hard time stomaching, as much as I enjoyed the singing. In reality, Switzerland is 200 miles or so away on the other side of Innsbruck by a goodly distance.

I hate to sound negative, but the tour I took was a ripoff of the first caliber.
I was a sucker to take it.

I don't recall if it was Panorama or Gray Line that I took, but if it is a half day excursion with stops at St. Gilgen and Mondsee, that is the one.
St. Gilgen was a pure commercial stop as was 60% of the commentary we got from a bored, money grubbing guide.

Your time would be better spent in numerous ways, such as visiting Berchtesgaden or even taking a longer ride to Hallstatt - a little over 2 hours through pretty country.

If you time it right, the bus gets you to Berchtesgaden in about 40 minutes.
Just be careful which one you board.
#9540 leaves the Rathaus at 8:20.
Some of the others take twice as long.

And Herrenchiemsee is about 90 minutes away via Prien. That is in Germany, but trains are frequent. The castle was/is an attempt by Ludwig II of Bavaria to emulate Versailles. He spent tons of money on the place and came close to making a copy -- at least some people think so.

In all, Salzburg has a lot to offer. The interior of some of the churches are splendid,the Marionetten Theater is both music and magic show, the Festung is a slice of history, Schloss Hellbrunn with the trick water fountains is a masterpiece of hydraulics, Mirabell Gardens are worth visiting, and the ambience of the old town is similar to only a few others in Austria.

And, oh yes, let's not forget Mozart. His statue is a central point and his birth house is virtually a shrine.

Barbara_in_CT

Bob's Special Tours (in a van rather than a large bus) is a good alternative for someone who doesn't want to mess with all the different transportation required to see all the sites.

Actually, it was just great to get out for a ride in the country and be able to admire the scenery rather than keep your nose in a map. We had several 1/2 hour stops with no selling involved. I took the Sound of Music Tour in March of 2004.

We did the Berchtesgaden Salt Mine tour using public transportation. We had poor connections and it took an entire day. Using Bob's, it would have taken an easy half-day.

stephpaige

We also took Bob's. There were 6 of us (4 adults, 2 kids) on the SOM tour, and we had the van all to ourselves, which was great. I agree with the above poster. Our guide stopped for pastries & coffee at a restaurant overlooking a lake, and we all thought, "well, she's definitely getting kickbacks to bring us here." She may have been, but it was worth it. The Sacher Torte was better (and better priced) than at the Hotel Sacher, and the Topfenstrudel was the best I had on the trip. We really enjoyed the tour. It was nice to just sit back and let someone else do the driving. And her commentary was interesting, fun, relevant and enjoyable. Bob's would be my pick, if you decide to go the tour route.