Staying in Hotel Schloss Leopoldskron: The Sound of Music Palace

No, the palace from The Sound of Music was not all a Hollywood set; the actual building is called Schloss Leopoldskron, and it is located outside of Old Town Salzburg, Austria. In fact, it has been converted into a hotel, which I had the pleasure of staying in! I grew up on The Sound of Music, so my week in this hotel was a dream come true. Because the Schloss Leopoldskron is privately owned and not open to visitors or tours from the public, staying in this hotel is a crucial step in completing your Salzburg sightseeing!

Note: The word “schloss” means “palace” in German. I will refer to the main palace building as the “palace” or “Schloss,” and I will refer to the entire property (palace + other associated buildings) as the “Hotel Schloss Leopoldskron” or “hotel.”

How to Get to Hotel Schloss Leopoldskron

As I mentioned before, Hotel Schloss Leopoldskron is located in the beautiful city of Salzburg, Austria. If you are not already in Austria or the surrounding area, you’ll likely be flying into the Salzburg W.A. Mozart Airport (SZG). The next closest airport is the Munich International Airport, which is located in Munich, Germany (MUC). I recommend flying into Salzburg, if you can, due to its proximity to Hotel Schloss Leopoldskron.

Below, I included information on how to get to Hotel Schloss Leopoldskron from the Salzburg W.A. Mozart Airport.

Address: Leopoldskronstraße 56-58, 5020 Salzburg, Austria

Note: the map above is intended to help visualize the distance, but it is not a route map.

Route	Estimated Duration	Estimated Price	Why Choose this Route?
Line 2 Bus	55 minutes	$2-$4 USD	Cheapest (recommended by Rome2rio*)
Taxi	7 minutes	$14-$18 USD	Fastest (recommended by me*)
Line 2 Bus, Taxi	7 minutes	$13-$16 USD	Fastest, second cheapest
Towncar	7 minutes	$20-$35 USD	Fastest
Walk	57 minutes	Free	Don’t choose this route!

Exploring the Grounds of Hotel Schloss Leopoldskron

The Main Palace Building (Schloss)

When you pull up to the Schloss you may be a little confused; why doesn’t it look like the palace from the movie? The front of the palace used in The Sound of Music is actually a completely different building in Salzburg (Schloss Frohnburg); however, you shouldn’t get discouraged, because the back of the palace is exactly how you remember it from the film.

As you make your way to the back of the Schloss, things will start to look a little more familiar. You’ll first come across the beautiful palace gardens where the von Trapp family spent much of their time in the film.

Once you have reached the palace gardens, turn around and feast your eyes on the building you know and love. You’ll feel like you walked right onto the movie set. I remember thinking how unreal it felt to finally be in the presence of this piece of architecture that was, in a way, part of my childhood; it was even more unreal that I would be staying there for 7 nights!

If you keep exploring the area of the palace gardens, you’ll probably come across this swing overlooking the lake. Not really much to say here, as I do not think this swing was featured in The Sound of Music, but it sure was fun!

Now, you must remember this lake from the movie, as it was featured in pretty much every scene filmed behind the palace. It is an absolutely spectacular view; when the clouds clear up, the Alps are visible from behind the lake. It is possible to walk around the lake, but it is quite large and may take you a while!

I saved the best for last: the iconic gate and stone horses. This picture looks like it was taken straight from The Sound of Music, but it was actually taken by me! I loved waking up every morning to this view.

You are probably wondering where the gazebo from the movie is located. At the time of filming, it was located on the grounds of Hotel Schloss Leopoldskron. However, it has since been relocated to Schloss Hellbrunn in Salzburg; if you wish to see the gazebo, consider setting up a tour!

The Meierhof Building

As you may have noticed from the headings, there are two buildings on the palace grounds. The Schloss is the main building, of course, but it is important to mention the quaint Meierhof building. I will get into more detail on this building when I discuss options for guest rooms, but I think this building is worth exploring even if you are not staying in it. The Meierhof building is located immediately adjacent to the Schloss, providing a quiet escape from the heavily foot-trafficked, touristy areas of the property.

Inside Hotel Schloss Leopoldskron

The Main Palace Building (Schloss)

Similar to the front of the building, the inside of the Schloss was not used in The Sound of Music; however, the Hollywood set was designed to replicate many of the rooms. For example, the Venetian Room (pictured above) was used as a model for the ballroom in the movie. Pretty cool, if you ask me.

The stunning banquet hall was one of my favorite rooms in the Schloss (not just because of the food!). Here, guests staying in the Schloss and Meierhof building have access to an extensive breakfast buffet. Special events, such as formal dinners, may be hosted in this banquet hall.

If you need some quiet time, consider visiting one of the two libraries on property. Because I was staying at Hotel Schloss Leopoldskron for a conference, the famous Max Reinhardt library (pictured above) was a great place to get some work done. I do not find myself in a lot of libraries, but this is by far the most beautiful one I have ever seen and will certainly be one of the highlights of your tour of the Schloss.

The Meierhof Building

I am not going to get into all of the amenities just yet, but the Meierhof building feels a bit more like a hotel compared with the Schloss. It is where the hotel reception is located. You may not go room to room marveling at the architecture as you’d do in the Schloss, but there is a beautiful courtyard and a few seating areas to pass some quiet time in.

Guest Rooms at Hotel Schloss Leopoldskron

On this property, it is possible to stay in two buildings: the Schloss or the Meierhof. Additionally, two townhouses are available for long-term stays. If you book a suite, you’ll be staying in the Schloss. Those who book a standard single or double room will be placed in the Meierhof building. Although it is not physically connected to the Schloss, guests placed in the Meierhof building still have access to all of the palace’s amenities (and vice versa).

To preserve the historic charm of these buildings, neither the single and double rooms nor suites are equipped with air conditioning. However, do not let that change your mind. Each room has a fan, so you should not worry about overheating.

I stayed at Hotel Schloss Leopoldskron in 2016, which was long before my travel blogging journey began; therefore, I did not even think to take a picture of my room! I guess that is what the internet is for. In this section, upon first mention of each of the buildings, I included a link to the hotel’s website so you can check out some of their photos for yourself!

Food and Drinks at Hotel Schloss Leopoldskron

There is no on-site restaurant, but there are several places to eat within walking distance. The banquet hall is used for formal dinners and events, as I previously mentioned, but there is a fee for rental of the room. I attended a formal dinner in the banquet hall, during which I was served authentic Austrian cuisine. I ordered a duck dish, which was a little out of my comfort zone but delicious nonetheless!

Breakfast is served daily in the Schloss. There is a buffet in the banquet hall, which offers both “typical” American and Austrian breakfast options.

If you are looking for an alcoholic drink, coffee, small snack, sandwich, salad, or baked good, the Meierhof Café is conveniently located next to Reception.

In the basement of the Schloss, there is a bar. Drinks, such as the Austrian beer pictured above, can be taken from the bar on an honor system (after you write down your name, room number, and number of drinks taken from the bar, your room will be billed). Also in the bar area is a large ping pong table, which was a lot of fun to use while hanging out with friends. The bar in the Schloss was always pretty quiet during my stay, with the exception of the people from my group; it is a great place to hang out if you want to have fun but are not looking for a night on the town.

Amenities at Hotel Schloss Leopoldskron

If you are looking to get in some exercise, Hotel Schloss Leopoldskron offers an outdoor swimming pool (seasonal), fitness center, mini-golf, WLAN bicycle rentals (subject to availability), and a jogging tour around the Leopoldskroner Weiher (lake). To date, all of these amenities are included in your stay at no extra cost; however, be sure to read the terms of your particular booking. A golf package may be booked through reception; however, there will be a fee.

The Hotel Schloss Leopoldskron is known for hosting events. Many weddings are held on property; who wouldn’t want to get married in the gardens from The Sound of Music? There are also concerts and cultural events, which you can find out more about from reception. During my stay, I attended a beautiful piano concert.

Conferences, such as the Salzburg Global Seminar, are held at the Schloss. I attended this conference in 2016; the spacious meeting rooms and intimate function rooms offered by the hotel made it a seamless experience for both the presenters and attendees.

Like this post? Pin it for later!

Do you want to stay at Hotel Schloss Leopoldskron? Contact me or comment and let me know!