The biggest draw for us was the trick fountains versus the palace or the gazebo featured in the Sound of Music. We took the bus to Hellbrunn and the stop was around 10 minutes walk to Hellbrunn. The bus was free since we had the Salzburg Pass. We obtained our timed entry tickets from the gift shop. Timed tickets were needed for the trick fountains versus the palace which could be entered anytime. We spent one hour for the walk through all the trick fountains and half an hour inside the palace. One caveat about the trick fountains, the first entry timeslot required waiting around the first fountain until enough other visitors arrived. The grounds team would then man the control boxes/valves and manually turn them on to control the fountains and the tricks. This repeated at each stop on the map. No automation just old school, hundreds of years old tech. Definitely take the time linger at each stop as some were elaborately designed fountains, grottoes, gardens, statues or water powered mechanical figures. The staff definitely caught us and many others with surprise squirts of water from hidden spouts in the ground, walls or ceiling (especially in the Neptune Grotto). The floating crown was another must experience grotto. The mechanical theatre, with its three stories of moving townsfolk figures (all powered by water), was the ending highlight of the walk. The Palace itself was well maintained and contained exhibits about the palace, fountains and the original owner the Prince Archbishop. The stuffed "unicorn" will catch your attention. Well worth taking the bus ride from Salzburg. read more

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The honest draw here is the Sound of Music gazebo, and it does deliver, though it's worth knowing upfront that the pavilion was actually relocated to make it easier for the public to visit. So it's not technically where they filmed the scene, but it's the real gazebo on very beautiful grounds, and standing in front of it in Salzburg still feels cool The palace and park themselves are a bigger win: a 17th-century pleasure palace with enormous, well-maintained grounds that are genuinely gorgeous to wander on a good day. The trick fountains are a legitimate reason to come, although they were off on the day of our visit which was a bummer. If you're in Salzburg and have any interest at all in the film or just want an afternoon outside the old town, this is worth the trip. read more

Since we had the 24 hour Salzburg Visitor card, we stopped at the Hellbrunn palace on the way back from the Untersberg cable car experience. I wanted to come here since the Gazebo from the Sound of Music (where Liesl sings 16 going on 17) is here. The tour of the palace highlights the "Trick Fountains" which are really interesting, fun and surprisingly artistic. As you walk around these fountains, there are times when they suddenly spew water, getting unsuspected guests a bit wet.... The palace was built in 1613-19 and named for the "clear spring" that supplied it. Hellbrunn was only meant for use as a day residence in summer, as the Archbishop usually returned to Salzburg in the evening; therefore, there is no bedrooms in Hellbrunn. The place has plenty of beautifully landscaped green spaces and it is just a marvel of what hydraulics can do. There's a cute cafe and a souvenir shop on the grounds. read more

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We were told we should come here by some friends and now I'm telling YOU, friends and strangers, YOU SHOULD VISIT HERE!!!! Take the tour of the dancing fountains, but do it on a warm/hot day. I won't tell you any more, you can look it up. Every fountain is different and a few are in forms that you would not expect. The tour guides are excellent and have an almost sadisitic need to "get you"....all in good fun, of course. As this was a party castle and not a living castle, the fountain grounds are on the small side, but there is a lot of stuff packed into that small space. Inside the castle are loads of artwork, but also original pieces of the fountains and explanations of how everything works. Also on the grounds are a huge park where you can see koi ponds, play soccer or on the playground, or just relax and have a picnic. For those who are Sound of Music buffs, the gazebo where Liesl and Rolfe sing Sixteen Going on Seventeen is located on the grounds. You can't go inside it, but you can get some nice photos. There is a cafe and a gift shop on the grounds, and both are also worth a stop. We spent about 5 hours here, but you could easily spend an entire day, depending on your likes and schedule. The park grounds are free; you only pay to see the fountains. 75/2025 read more

My favourite place in Salzburg. We took the 25 bus from the Rathaus, easy peasy and a nice 20 minute ride. From the bus stop its about a 10 minute walk to the ticket office. We arrived at opening time so there was a gaggle of people all going in at the same time to The Trick Fountains, we hung back 10 minutes so we could be last and get great photo ops with no other people in. The Trick Fountains are unique and fun, so much to see, sit and admire. From there we walked the gardens which are peaceful and gorgeous with lots of benches. Then of course head off to see the Gazebo and start singing I am 16 going on 17. You can enter the gardens and see the Gazebo for free, just have to pay for the Trick Fountains. read more

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Hellbrunn is a beautiful park near Salzburg. I could have spent a whole day here, but I didn't have that luxury. The park is free to enter, but I bought a ticket for the trick fountains. It is an audioguide tour, and it was so entertaining. The fountains spray you with water. The Sound of Music pavilion is here. There is so much green space, a palace, and challenging trails that take you up for an amazing view of the Alps. read more

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This is a must see for Salzburg. It is a little bit far from the city but you can just hop on a bus and get here. The trick fountains were very fun, the museum was nice, basically everything here is nice, especially the folklore museum and the viewpoint near there. Nothing much to say other than go see it yourself. Overall, this place is a must. read more

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Hellbrunn is a fun place to visit if you have the time. It's easy to get to by bus (#25 from the train station). The ticket to the garden with the trick fountains is time stamped although once you are inside you can take as much time as you like. The grounds outside the fountains are free and quite pleasant to wander around on as well. The trick fountains are fun although not as surprising as I expected - for one thing there is no danger of your getting soaked unless you purposefully try as they have staff around operating them on and off. The ones coming out of the seats is in a place where you just sit or stand around to watch - no one would be sitting on the fountain stools when they go off. The ticket includes the little Folk Art museum on a steep hill so that's worth a visit for the view if you don't mind the climb. read more

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This is a beautiful compound where you can easily spend a few hours. The interior of the estate is beautiful and informative. You'll tour multiple floors and learn about the Prince Archbishop that created the estate. Outside the gardens are gorgeous. You'll love being exposed to the meadows, flowers, ponds, and even memorabilia from The Sound of Music. Behind the palace are the trick fountains. Those require a timed ticket which is worth your money and time. It's easily the highlight of your visit so book early or spend time exploring the garden until your entry time. The gift shop is pricey but cute. Restrooms are available for free and staff does speak English. read more

I loved the grounds - we came on a perfect day when it was the small amt of time that it wasn't raining. The guides that they provided gave detailed information on each of the monuments. read more

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Reading through prior reviews and recommendations located in the Salzburg City Guide App, we planned to visit Schloss Hellbrunn when they opened..and planned for a 3 1/2 hour visit. The administration moved our water pond tour up a bit so we could get started. The most fascinating aspect of the castle is its water park, the history behind it and how it came to be and how it continues to this day to entertain. The audio guide was quite good, much better than that provided by the Mozart House in Salzburg. We visited the Heimatmuseum..requires a brief walk up the hill (by the Zoo). Enjoyed the items on display there and because it was a walk uphill, there were hardly no visitors. Good Museum. Thereafter we walked and visited the Schloss Main Building and the history behind the castle,..which tied the water park and the creation thereof all together. read more

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What a wonderful place to visit. The palace and grounds are beautiful and well maintained. My wife and I spent about 5 hours on our visit and we didn't see everything on the grounds, (we could have, but decided to have a delicious and relaxing lunch at their restaurant). Whatever you do, be sure to take the tour of the trick fountains! It was about $15 Euros and totally worth the time and money. Be warned, Arch Bischop Markus Sittikus who lived here in the 1600's during the summer months was a bit of a joker, and had fun at his guests expense. Even dignitaries weren't safe from his shenanigans. You'll get to experience this for yourself. Visiting the grounds is free, except for a few Euros to park. The self guided tour of the palace/museum was beautiful, informative and surprisingly free as well. The history of the Palace, grounds, and Markus Sittikus are fascinating. read more

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During a brief moment in which my fiancé and I were separated, an older employee in the trick fountains area first asked her if she was alone, and then got very physically close to her and said something creepy that made her very uncomfortable (this man was old enough to be her grandfather). I walked in the room right at that moment and saw her literally run away from him with a disgusted look on her face. She was so distraught and we were so uncomfortable with this man's presence that we simply left the palace, but not before telling another employee in an attempt to contact a manager, only to find out that this has happened to numerous female employees in the past. I would not recommend coming here, especially if you are a young woman, as they seem to be this creep's target of choice and the management refuses to do anything about his heinous behavior. read more

Hellbrunn is definitely worth the visit. The highlight, of course, is the amazing trick fountains and the tour guide takes sadistic pleasure in getting unsuspecting people wet, which is part of the fun. It was very entertaining and it is amazing to see such old fountains so well preserved. While there, make sure to visit the little local cultural museum up the hill. Past that is a little walking trail that runs up to an open scenic outlook which overlooks not only the palace but the entire Salzach valley and Salzburg itself in the distance. It is a great spot to take a panoramic photo. read more

There are 3 parts to Hellbrunn: Trick fountains, Hellbrunn itself, and the park. The trick fountains are fun to look at, but it seems to be more for children. Beware--keep your electronics safe. The tour guides turn on the fountains without warning! Furthermore, the tour groups are far too large to really enjoy this part. You can see most of the fountains from the "free" parts of Hellbrunn as well. Also, if you don't want to get wet, pay attention to the areas where the ground is wet and don't stand there... Hellbrunn palace is quite lackluster inside. Don't expect much. You can go through it in about 10 minutes. There are a few interesting bits (painted ceilings, etc.), but you aren't really missing much if you skip it. The park is what makes the trip to Hellbrunn worthwhile. They are amazing, beautiful, large, etc. read more

All of the staff members were very friendly and helpful with guiding us to the gazebo. Definitely a must-see for all fans of The Sound of Music. read more

Unbelievably spectacular was my first impression of this Schloss, but i must admit I am a big fan of Sclosses in general. My words can not describe everything there is to see here, but i hope my FIVE STAR rating will say enough to encourage you to visit this Schloss if you have the chance. It is well worth the visit. Make sure you include a visit to the Water Trick park, that is also well worth a visit. read more

Definitely worth a trip if you have small children. Don't want to give too much away but there will be water involved. We did a bunch of cool stuff with our 7 year old this particular day but this attraction was our favourite read more