Just after 9 am on a December morning, the first guests board the bus for the Sound of Music tour at the corner of Rainerstraße and Hubert-Sattler-Gasse, and a few steps further on, our huts open at 10 am. Whether you go with Panorama Tours or Bob’s Special Tours, the Salzburg Sound of Music tour in winter starts or ends with us at Mirabellplatz (Mirabell Square). We at the Salzburg Christmas market at Mirabellplatz have put together the times for a Sound of Music tour in December 2026 and how your day can continue afterwards.
What is the Sound of Music tour? The Sound of Music tour is a guided bus tour to the filming locations of The Sound of Music (German title “Meine Lieder – meine Träume”) in Salzburg and the Salzkammergut lake district. The tours last around four to four and a half hours, are guided in English and, according to the operators, run all year round.
How the tour and the Christmas market fit into one day is further down.
Sound of Music tour in December: departure times and meeting point
Two operators whose tours start or end at Mirabellplatz also run daily in December, both twice a day, with exceptions on the public holidays (see below; as of 23 October 2026):
| Panorama Tours | Bob’s Special Tours | |
|---|---|---|
| Departure | 9.15 am and 2 pm | 9 am and 2 pm |
| Duration | around 4 hours | around 4 to 4.5 hours |
| Start | Mirabellplatz bus terminal, Hubert-Sattler-Gasse 1 | office at Rudolfskai 38 or hotel pick-up within the city (for an extra charge) |
| End | not stated | usually Mirabellplatz 4, in front of Schloss Mirabell (Mirabell Palace) |
| Language | English | English; German only as a private tour |
Panorama Tours’ meeting point is at the corner of Rainerstraße and Hubert-Sattler-Gasse, right next to the Mirabellplatz stop. According to the operator, it’s around a 15-minute walk from the main station. Be there 15 minutes before departure: this operator doesn’t offer hotel pick-up, and according to the operator, dogs aren’t allowed.
According to the operator, the Bob’s Special Tours tour usually ends at Mirabellplatz 4, in front of Schloss Mirabell – right at our market. Both operators stop at Schloss Leopoldskron, Hellbrunn and Mondsee, among other places.
Morning or afternoon? Daylight in December
In December the morning tour is the better choice. In Salzburg the sun sets between 4.15 and 4.24 pm, and it’s dark by around 5 pm:
| Day | Sunrise | Sunset |
|---|---|---|
| 1 December | 7.35 am | 4.17 pm |
| 10 December | 7.45 am | 4.15 pm |
| 21 December | 7.53 am | 4.17 pm |
| 31 December | 7.56 am | 4.24 pm |
If you leave at 2 pm, you’ll usually only reach Mondsee, the last big stop, at dusk or in the dark. With the morning tour you see the filming locations in daylight and are back in town by lunchtime.
Christmas and New Year’s Eve: tours on the holidays
This is how the operators’ booking systems handle the holidays (as of 23 October 2026):
- 24 December (Christmas Eve): with Bob’s Special Tours the morning tour runs; the afternoon can only be booked by phone. With Panorama Tours, two slots can be booked in the booking system. Our market is open from 10 am to 3 pm that day, so take the morning tour.
- 25 December (Christmas Day): Bob’s only runs at 9 am; with Panorama, two slots can be booked. Our market is open from 11 am to 6 pm, so after an afternoon tour it will already be closed.
- 31 December (New Year’s Eve): Bob’s runs in the morning; the afternoon can be booked by phone. With Panorama, two slots can be booked. Our market is open until 7 pm, and the food and drink stalls stay open longer.
Panorama doesn’t say exactly which times it runs on the holidays, so ask before you book. Book early in December: at Bob’s, some December dates were already fully booked on 23 October.
After the tour: on to the Christmas market
With the morning tour you’re back at around 1.15 to 1.30 pm, in time for a late lunch at the market. There’s hot Speckbrot (bread topped with Austrian bacon) from the Rettenbacher family and Salzburger Brezen (Salzburg-style pretzels) from Alexander Reisinger. There’s more in our article on food and drink at Mirabellplatz.
After that, a stroll through the Mirabell Gardens in winter is worth it, and in the late afternoon there’s Advent music in front of the palace on many days:
- 5.15 pm: on 2, 5, 6, 8, 9, 12, 13, 16, 19, 20 and 23 December
- 3.30 pm: from 27 to 30 December
- No Advent music: from 24 to 26 December and on 31 December
With the afternoon tour you’ll miss the Advent music, as you won’t be back until around 6 to 6.30 pm. Up to 23 December our market is still open by then: Sunday to Thursday until 8 pm, Friday and Saturday until 9 pm. After that we close earlier: on 24 December at 3 pm, on 25 and 26 December at 6 pm, and from 27 to 31 December at 7 pm. All the dates are on our programme page.
Opening hours & getting here
The meeting point and the market are right next to each other: our Christmas market in front of Schloss Mirabell is open daily from 19 November to 31 December 2026, and entry is free.
Without the bus: filming locations around Mirabellplatz on foot
You can reach a few filming locations without a tour. Right next to our market are the Mirabell Gardens with the steps where Maria and the children finish singing “Do-Re-Mi”. The gardens are freely accessible during the day. What else there is around The Sound of Music in winter is in our article The Sound of Music in Salzburg in winter.
Christmas programme
Advent music in front of the palace, and on 2 December St. Nicholas with Krampus, a horned, fur-clad figure from Alpine folklore who accompanies St. Nicholas: plan your evening after the tour with these 2026 dates.
Frequently asked questions
Yes. According to both operators’ booking systems, tours run on 24, 25 and 31 December 2026. With Bob’s Special Tours, only the 9 am morning tour runs on 25 December, and on 24 and 31 December the afternoon tour can only be booked by phone. Ask Panorama Tours for the exact times beforehand.
The morning tour. In December the sun sets between 4.15 and 4.24 pm, and the afternoon tour usually only reaches its last stop in Mondsee at dusk.
The tours last around four to four and a half hours. With the morning tour you’re back at around 1.15 to 1.30 pm, with the afternoon tour at around 6 to 6.30 pm. According to the operator, Bob’s Special Tours usually ends at Mirabellplatz 4, right at our market.
The public tours of both operators are guided in English. According to Bob’s Special Tours, German is only available on private tours.
Yes, it’s best to book early. At Bob’s Special Tours, some December 2026 dates were already fully booked on 23 October, and Panorama Tours also recommends booking in advance around Christmas.
According to the operator, Bob’s Special Tours will pick you up from your hotel within the city for an extra charge. Panorama Tours doesn’t offer pick-up, so you make your own way to the bus terminal at Mirabellplatz.
Sources
All retrieved on 23 October 2026: Panorama Tours, “Original Sound of Music Tour (Tour 1A)” and “Arrival” pages and booking system · sound-of-music.com (Panorama Tours) · Bob’s Special Tours, “Public guided tour” page, FAQ and December 2026 booking calendar · timeanddate.de: sunrise and sunset in Salzburg, December 2026 · Christmas market at Mirabellplatz: programme 2026 and info page