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Showing posts with label Salzburg. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Salzburg. Show all posts

Sunday, 12 December 2021

Movie Travels

This weekend's post is something a little different! As the title suggests, I'm going to be writing about a few places I've visited that were used as settings in famous films. Although I've visited plenty of filming locations (being based near the Cotswolds makes that an inevitability!), this post will specifically focus on locations that were also the setting of the films in question.

The following three films all have a strong sense of place, and actually inspired my travels in the places where they're set. And as a bonus, they're also great movies which I would highly recommend watching!


Movie: The Sound of Music

Setting: Salzburg, Austria


























Clockwise starting from top: Mirabell Palace, Hellbrunner Allee and Schloss Leopoldskron (all located in Salzburg)

When it comes to films set in Austria, the Sound of Music is definitely the first one that comes to mind for most people. This classic musical is well-loved, not just for its memorable songs, but also for its scenes featuring beautiful mountain landscapes and architecture in and around the city of Salzburg

I spent a couple of days in Salzburg at the start of the Austrian part of my Year Abroad, and as I've always been a big fan of musicals, I took the opportunity to go on the Sound of Music bus tour! This was a really fun trip around all the filming locations in the city, as well as in the nearby town of Mondsee. During the tour, we learnt about the real story of the Von Trapp family (which, unsurprisingly, isn't exactly as it's depicted in the film!) and also sang some karaoke!

Read more about Salzburg and Mondsee here!



Movie: The Motorcycle Diaries (Diarios de motocicleta)

Setting: South America


























Clockwise starting from top left: Valparaíso, Chile; the south of Chile; Buenos Aires, Argentina; and the Atacama Desert, Chile

The Motorcycle Diaries follows the journey that a young Che Guevara took with his friend Alberto Granado across South America, during which he forms the political views that he became known for. The film mostly takes place in Argentina, Chile and Peru, though there are a couple of short scenes in Colombia and Venezuela at the end. Che and Alberto's journey starts in their home city of Buenos Aires, and they then travel down through Argentina and cross over the border into the south of Chile. They make their way up the country, passing through Valparaíso and the Atacama Desert, before crossing into Peru and visiting Cusco, Machu Picchu, Lima and the Amazon.

I first saw this film as part of a module I studied in my second year at university. At the time, I was planning my Year Abroad, and was still a bit undecided about the Spanish part of the year. But seeing all of the amazing places featured in the Motorcycle Diaries inspired me to want to travel to South America, and definitely influenced my choice to spend a semester studying in Chile, which was probably the best decision I've ever made! During the semester, I ended up visiting two of the destinations in the film (Valparaíso and the south of Chile), and on subsequent trips to South America, I visited the Atacama Desert and Buenos Aires. When I'm back living in Chile again (which should be very soon), I hope to go on a trip to Cusco and Machu Picchu to complete my Motorcycle Diaries bucket list!

Read more about Buenos Aires here!

Read more about the south of Chile here!

Read more about Valparaíso here!

Read more about the Atacama Desert here!


Update: 12th November 2022


























It's been 11 months since I published this post, and I'm very happy to update it by saying that I have completed my Motorcycle Diaries bucket list, by visiting Cusco and Machu Picchu! Cusco is a beautiful city, and it was a dream come true to finally visit the incredible Inca citadel of Machu Picchu.

But, to be honest, my trip to this part of Peru gave me even more Wanderlust to explore the country, and now I'd also like to visit the other two Peruvian places in the film: Lima and the Amazon!

Read more about Cusco here!

Read more about Machu Picchu here!



Movie: Amélie (Le Fabuleux Destin d'Amélie Poulain)

Setting: Paris, France


























Clockwise starting from top left: Notre-Dame de Paris, Sacré Cœur, Café des 2 Moulins, and a view of Montmartre (all located in Paris)

Paris is one of my favourite cities in the world, and it's also the setting of many great films, including the Aristocats, Ratatouille, Anastasia, the Hunchback of Notre-Dame, Les Misérables, and Moulin Rouge, as well as the polarising but fun TV series Emily in Paris. But my favourite of all of the films set in Paris has to be Amélie, or Le Fabuleux Destin d'Amélie Poulain, as it's known in French. It's such a funny and magical tale that really draws you into its little world, and I'd say it's probably my favourite film of all time. I've even been to the theatre to see a musical version of it!

When I was in France for the final part of my Year Abroad, I spent a short amount of time in Paris, and used that time to visit some of the locations from the film. Most of the action takes place in the pretty neighbourhood of Montmartre, where you can find the beautiful Sacré-Cœur basilica and Café des 2 Moulins, the café where Amélie works. It's a lot smaller than it looks in the film, but it has lots of memorabilia inside, which is very cool!

Read more about Paris here!



Travelling to movie locations is a lot of fun, because it's so interesting to experience the places we've seen on screen in real life. These three movie destinations are the ones that have been the most memorable for me so far, but I'm sure I'll discover some more in the future!

Saturday, 10 July 2021

Country Guide: Austria

Name: Austria (in German: Österreich)

Continent: Europe

Capital (and Largest) City: Vienna (in German: Wien)

Language: German

Currency: Euro

Drives on the: Right

Time Zone: Central European Time

Adaptor Types: Type C and Type F

Description: Austria is a landlocked country in the centre of Europe. Most of it is located within the Alps, and for that reason it's famous for its mountains, as well as its Alpine meadows and lakes. In the summer the weather is warm, but in the winter the whole country turns into a winter wonderland with lots of snow! In terms of culture, the country is a very popular destination for skiing and other winter sports, and is also known for its musical heritage.

Why You Should Visit: Austria is a beautiful place, thanks to its natural scenery and picturesque cities, such as Vienna, Salzburg and Innsbruck. Vienna in particular is a must visit, as it is one of the most iconic cities in Europe, and is renowned for its historic architecture. Another reason to go to Austria is to see its fairytale castles: you can find many of them in every corner of the country.

Fun Fact: Although the movie "The Sound of Music" was set in and filmed in Salzburg and the surrounding area, it is actually not at all a well-known movie amongst Austrian people.


My Blogposts About Austria


- Salzburg (Salzburg, Sankt Gilgen and Mondsee)

- My New Town (Feldkirchen in Kärnten)







- Travel Tips: My Top Five Places to Visit in Austria (Vienna, Salzburg, Mondsee, Innsbruck and Kärnten region)


- My Gap Year 2014-2015 (Plus Gap Year Tips) (Klagenfurt and Velden am Wörthersee)




- UNESCO World Heritage Sites (Salzburg, Vienna and Schönbrunn Palace, Vienna)

- Travel Tips: My Top Ten Fairytale Destinations (Salzburg and Hochosterwitz Castle)

- Movie Travels (Salzburg and Mondsee)










































Clockwise starting from top left: Innsbruck, Mirabell Palace in Salzburg, Sankt Gilgen, Belvedere Palace in Vienna, Villach

Check out the rest of my Country Guides here!

Monday, 21 October 2019

Travel Tips: My Top Five Places to Visit in Austria

Today I'm going to write about my favourite travel destinations in a country where I spent part of my Year Abroad - Austria.

It's a beautiful Alpine nation with plenty of opportunities for snow sports in the winter and hiking in the summer. It also has several great city break destinations. If you want to visit multiple parts of Austria, I would recommend travelling around by train. The trains there are usually efficient, rarely busy, and give you the chance to see amazing mountainous landscapes. And it's the most environmentally-friendly option!

One of the best things about Austria is how close it is to so many other European countries. In fact, it borders eight of them! This means there are plenty of opportunities to take multi country trips. I'll give some recommendations on which destinations to combine.

So, here is my list of top five places to visit in Austria:


1) Vienna















The capital city Vienna is obviously a must see when visiting Austria. This is a place filled with culture, history and stunning architecture. My personal favourite attraction when I went was the Belvedere Palace (pictured above), where you can see many notable works of art, including The Kiss by Gustav Klimt. The Schönnbrunn Palace is another interesting (but busy!) place to visit.

Where to go next: It's easy to combine a trip to Vienna with trips to various places in Eastern Europe. Slovakia's capital city Bratislava is less than an hour away on the train and is an ideal place for a day trip. There are also direct trains to cities in Hungary and Czechia.


Read more about Vienna here!



2) Salzburg















Salzburg is Austria's musical city, being both the birthplace of Mozart and the setting of the musical The Sound of Music! I only had a day or two to spend there, but I made sure to go on the Sound of Music tour, which takes you around the sites where the film was made in Salzburg and the surrounding area. It was an experience I would definitely recommend!

Where to go next: Although in The Sound of Music the Von Trapp family are shown escaping from the Nazis over the mountains to Switzerland, this was very inaccurate geographically, as Switzerland is quite a distance from Salzburg. They would have actually ended up in Germany! So if you want to add a stop in another country on to your trip to Salzburg, it's a good idea to look at nearby destinations in the south of Germany, such as Munich.

Read more about Salzburg here!


3) Mondsee















Named for its lake which is shaped like the moon, Mondsee is a charming town near Salzburg. I visited it on the Sound of Music tour, as the wedding scene was filmed in the church there. The beautiful lake is popular with holidaymakers, as are the many cafés where you can try traditional Austrian cakes!

Where to go next: Salzburg is the obvious choice!

Read more about Mondsee here!


4) Innsbruck



















Innsbruck is well known as a base for skiing holidays, but it's also great for city breaks. With lots of colourful buildings and snowy mountains, it's a beautiful place to explore on foot. My favourite parts from my trip there were the Goldenes Dachl (a golden roof) and the Hofgarten (pictured above). I saw an adorable red squirrel there!

Where to go next: Innsbruck spoils you for choice if you're looking to take a multi country holiday. Southern Germany and the region of South Tyrol in northern Italy are short distances away, and the city's position in the west of Austria means that it only takes a couple of hours to get to Switzerland on the train. After my first stay in Innsbruck, I chose to explore two countries I hadn't visited before. First I caught the train to the small Swiss town of Sargans, and the following day, I took the bus to the capital city of Liechtenstein, Vaduz. I stopped in Innsbruck again on my way back. That trip was one of the highlights of my Year Abroad!

Read more about Innsbruck, Sargans and Vaduz here!


5) Kärnten



















The final place in my list is not a city or a town but an entire region of Austria. Maybe I'm biased because this is where I used to live! But Kärnten, also known as Carinthia, is definitely a great place to visit, with plenty of castles, lakes and mountains to explore. It has two main cities: Klagenfurt and Villach (pictured above). Villach is quite a fascinating place as it is right next to the borders with Slovenia and Italy. This means that it is the meeting point of the three main cultures of Europe: Germanic, Slavic and Latin. 

Where to go next: Slovenia and Italy are the obvious choices! From Villach train station, you can take direct trains to the beautiful Italian cities of Udine and Venice. It is also worth noting that from Venezia Mestre station on the Venetian mainland, it is possible to travel to cities all over Italy. So you only need two train journeys to get from Villach to destinations such as Florence and Rome!

Read more about Kärnten here!


So that concludes my short guide to travel in Austria and beyond. It's definitely a great country to visit for those of us with chronic Wanderlust!


Check out the rest of my Travel Tips here!