While in Salzberg, you can also make arrangements to visit the home of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, and follow in his footsteps. He was born here on January 27, 1756. 

Today the rooms once occupied by the Mozart family have become a museum.  The most famous exhibits include Mozart’s childhood violin, his concert violin, his clavichord, the pianoforte, portraits and correspondence of the Mozart family.

There is also the training school for the incredible Royal Lippizaner stallions, beautiful horses trained in a method that stretches back hundreds of years.

Salzburg has fabulous food and lots of old world charm.  Just watch your waistline with the fabulous food and cakes (tortes). You will soon learn the phrase ‘mitt schlag’ because they put whipped cream on everything!

As you return home from this amazing vacation, your family is sure to be singing many of the songs from The Sound of Music, and humming Mozart as you eat the most amazing marzipan.

Salzburg is great any time of the year, but you can really enjoy a sound of music tour in the spring or fall, when there are fewer tourists.

What child, or adult for that matter, wouldn’t like to spend a week in Salzburg?  Well, if you are considering a family vacation this year that combines old world charm with lots to do, consider Salzberg, Austria.

A typical vacation package to Salzberg would include:

* Round-trip airfare from your home city. Taxes and baggage fees will be extra, so budget accordingly.

* Accommodation in Salzberg

* Daily continental breakfast

* Hotel taxes and service charges

There is a variety of accommodation to suit your wallet and number of people traveling with you.

The highlight of this trip, of course, would be the Sound of Music Tour.  Take a wonderful ride with breathtaking views of the landscape where the opening scenes were filmed.  Relax and listen to the original Sound of Music soundtrack. 

An English-speaking guide not only shows you the highlights of the film, but also the historical and architectural landmarks in the city, as well as part of the picturesque Lake District.

Most of the tours would include the following sites:

Mirabell Gardens

The Mirabell Gardens were laid out in the 18th century.  Maria and the children were seen dancing around the statue of Pegasus, the winged horse, and throughout the gardens singing ‘Do-Re-Mi’.

Leopoldskron Castle

The front side of the castle was used as the von Trapp family home, where the children were boating on the Leopoldskron Lake and fell into the water.  The Venetian room was copied from the castle and used as the ballroom.

Hellbrunn Castle

This hunting castle was built in the early 17th century by Prince-Archbishop Markus Sittikus.  In the gardens, the glass pavilion was reconstructed for the pleasure of those fans still returning after 40 years.

Nonnberg Abbey

Nonnberg Abbey is the oldest convent in the German-speaking part of Europe.  Maria was a novice there.  The baron and Maria were married there in 1927.  The scenes for the movie made here, include the opening scene wherein the nuns were going to Mass.  Remember Maria running to the Abbey after spending a morning singing on the hillside.

St. Gilgen and Lake Wolfgang

The scenery shown at the beginning of the movie was filmed at Lake Fuschl on the way to St. Gilgen.  Like the Mozart family, visitors from all over the world appreciate the beautiful village in the Salzkammergut.

Wedding Church Mondsee

Visit the Mondsee Cathedral, where the film wedding between Julie Andrews as Maria and Christopher Plummer as the Baron, took place.

Among the best guides for travel is the Eyewitness Travel Guides. Munich & The Bavarian Alps guide is no exception. If you are planning a trip to Munich for Oktoberfest, this is one guide you should own.

Available at Amazon.com, this guidebook sells for $16.50.

Those who have purchased this book have nothing but praise as evidenced by their ratings and reviews.

The layout of the book is clear and logical which makes choosing destinations and getting there easy.

The maps in the book are all in full color, as always in this series, showing roads as well as public transport routes.

Countless illustrations enrich the reading and each is carefully drawn so as to save more than a thousand words found in other guides.

The choice of restaurants and hotels are all great picks.

If you’re planning on spending your vacation in Munich during Oktoberfest, then this compact little guide will be indispensable in locating the famous beer halls and tourist sights.

The maps are more than adequate and the walking descriptions to each locale are precise and accurate.

There is also corresponding material on how to use the U-Bahn in the city, and which station to take for each particular site.

There is a separate chapter on the beer halls of the city with a brief ranking system for the nosiest places, the friendliest, and the cheapest beer.

Intended for the casual tourist to the Alps also, there is comprehensive information on sites such as Berchtesgaden and Garmisch, which are excellent.

So this is a thrifty guide you can stick in your pocket and consult when you need to find a restaurant, beer haunt or hotel.

In short, if you’re a first time traveler to Munich, enjoy the greatest city in Europe and be sure to tuck away this guide.

For a diverse, wonderfully cosmopolitan city, this guide provides a marvelous introduction, and does an admirable job of hitting all the highlights.

Needless to say, touring Munich during Oktoberfest requires a comprehensive guide and the Munich & The Bavarian Alps Eyewitness Travel Guides is one of the best.

Eyewitness Travel Guide: Munich & The Bavarian Alps