Movie Locations in Austria
From alpine adventures to timeless tales in Vienna, the country keeps playing a starring role on screen.
James Bond and Ethan Hunt raced through the Alps, Bridget Jones came for the skiing, and The Sound of Music still echoes around Salzburg. More recently, productions like Vienna Blood, Downhill, and Extraction 2 have brought Austria’s scenery back into the spotlight.
Discover some of the iconic filming locations in Austria – past and present.
The Third Man (1949)
After arriving in Vienna, American Holly Martins learns that his friend and future employer Harry Lime was killed in a car accident. As he starts to investigate Lime's death, it soon becomes apparent that not everything is as it seems...
You can book "The Third Man Tour" in Vienna, and check out the filming locations BELOW the city in the sewer system. We recommend pre-booking your tickets, as the tour sells out quickly!
The Sound of Music (1965)
This Oscar-winning musical classic stars Christopher Plummer as the straight-laced Captain von Trapp and Julie Andrews as the free-spirited governess to his seven children. The two, of course, end up falling in love and have to flee Austria at the beginning of World War II.
Interesting Fact: "The Sound of Music" celebrates its 60th birthday this year!
Book the "Original Sound of Music Tour" in Salzburg and visit the shooting locations, including:
Mirabell Garden & Pegasus Fountain
Nonnberg Convent
Leopoldskron Castle
Hellbrunn Palace & Gazebo
Mondsee Church
Help! (1965)
Even the Beatles came to Obertauern! They chose it as the set for their feature film "Help!" due to its snow reliability and transformed the once quiet village into the centre stage of pop culture for a few days.
The Beatles sights in Obertauern include the statue in front of Hotel Edelweiss, the Beatles piano at the Grünwaldkopf mountain station and the Beatles monument at the Kirchbühellift.
Learn more about the Beatles in Obertauern here.
Interesting fact: This year, Obertauern celebrates the 60th anniversary of "The Beatles - Help!".
Find more information here.
James Bond - The Living Daylights (1987)
Agent 007 (in this film played by Timothy Dalton) is sent to investigate a KGB policy to assassinate defectors. As Bond explores this threat, a counterplot involving a shady American arms dealer and a pair of Russian assassins comes to light. A hunt across the globe begins.
The Bratislava sequences of the movie were shot in Vienna, showing the Volksoper and the Sofiensäle. The final scene was filmed at Schönbrunn Palace. For more information on Vienna, please check here.
The border chase was shot in Carinthia, including the Nassfeld and Weissensee areas. For more information about Carinthia, please check here.
Before Sunrise (1995)
An American (Ethan Hawke) and a Frenchwoman (Julie Delpy) meet on a train. On a whim, they decide to get off in Vienna and explore the city together. Their one-night journey through Austria's capital uncovers Vienna's lesser-known but very charming corners.
Follow in the footsteps of Jesse and Céline:
Westbahnhof (West train station - has been renovated over the years and looks very different now) - Zollamtssteg and Zollamtsbrücke (both bridges being turn-of-the-century, with the railway bridge designed by Otto Wagner) - Votivkirche church - Ring boulevard - Burg theatre - Maria-Theresien Platz - Prater and the Giant Ferris Wheel - Kleines Café - Maria am Gestade church - Danube channel - Spittelberg - Albertina (list incomplete)
Seven Years in Tibet (1997)
The film follows the life of Austrian mountaineer Heinrich Harrer (played by Brad Pitt) and his experiences in Tibet between 1944 and 1951, where he meets the young Dalai Lama and becomes one of his teachers - and a close friend.
If you want to know more about Lienz in East Tirol, please check here.
Bridget Jones - The Edge of Reason (2004)
Bridget (Renée Zellweger) is becoming uncomfortable in her relationship with Mr. Darcy (Colin Firth). Apart from dealing with her new boss, she is going on her worst-ever holiday, where she sets out to learn skiing on the pistes of Lech Zürs.
If you want to learn skiing in Lech Zürs, please check out the ski schools here.
James Bond - A Quantum of Solace (2008)
James (this time Daniel Craig) still has a hard time dealing with the death of Vesper and sets out to bring the people responsible for it to justice. His search for the members of the organisation Quantum takes him - among other places - to the city of Bregenz, where "Tosca" is performed on the lake stage of the Bregenz Festival,
If you are looking for more information on the city of Bregenz, please check here.
Knight and Day (2010)
June Havens (Cameron Diaz) strikes up a conversation with her seatmate, Roy Miller (Tom Cruise), unaware he’s a covert operative on the run. Soon, she’s dodging bullets in Boston, leaping rooftops in Austria, and evading bulls in Spain, learning along the way that trust is key to survival.
The film locations in Salzburg are:
Kleines Festspielhaus
Linzer Gasse, Linzer Platzl
Salzach river
Staatsbrücke
For more information about Salzburg, please check here.
Chalet Girl (2011)
Former skateboard champion Kim (played by Felicity Jones) wants to make more money after her mother's tragic death. She joins an elite posh servicing company, which sends her off to Austria to work as a chalet girl. The posh family living in the chalet in St. Anton am Arlberg (Bill Nighy, Brooke Shields, and Ed Westwick) seems to have it all.
Most scenes of the movie were filmed in St. Anton directly, some in the Galzig area.
For more information about skiing and winter sports in St. Anton am Arlberg, please check here.
Rush (2013)
"Rush" tells the real-life story of the extremely skilled Formula One drivers James Hunt (UK, Chris Hemsworth) and Niki Lauda (AT, Daniel Brühl) and their rivalry on the courses during the 1976 motor-racing season.
Niki Lauda grew up in Vienna, and some scenes were filmed on Singerstrasse, a street near the centre. For more information about Vienna, please check here.
Austria's Formula One racecourse is the "Red Bull Ring" in Spielberg, Styria, embedded in the green Airchfeld and surrounded by the Murtal mountains. For more information, please check here.
James Bond: SPECTRE (2015)
This adventure takes 007 (Daniel Craig) - amongst other picturesque locations - to the Austrian Alps as he investigates a mysterious organisation called SPECTRE.
Fun fact: You can have lunch in the futuristic clinic featured in the film - it's Sölden's ice Q restaurant. Check it out here.
Right next to the restaurant, you'll find the cinematic installation "007 ELEMENTS", which focuses primarily on "SPECTRE", but also touches upon other chapters in 24 James Bond movies. Find more information here.
Mission Impossible 5: Rogue Nation (2015)
Agent Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) and his team take on their most impossible mission - to eradicate an international rogue organisation committed to destroying the IMF.
Tom Cruise's co-stars include Jeremy Renner, Rebecca Ferguson, Simon Pegg and Alec Baldwin.
The 5th instalment of the MI franchise features a few locations in Vienna:
underground station "Schottenring"
underground station "Karlsplatz"
Downhill (2020)
During a family ski trip in the Austrian Alps, a married couple narrowly survives an avalanche, throwing their relationship into turmoil as they confront their real feelings for each other...
Downhill, starring Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Will Ferrell, was filmed in winter 2018 across multiple Tirolean locations: Ischgl, Serfaus-Fiss-Ladis, and the Kaunertal.
Vienna Blood (TV Series, 2019–2024)
Set in early 1900s Vienna: Follow Dr Max Liebermann (Matthew Beard), a young physician and student of Sigmund Freud, as he assists Police Detective Oskar Reinhardt (Jürgen Maurer) in solving a series of disturbing murders. Using his psychological insight into the minds of suspects, Liebermann helps uncover the motives behind the crimes.
Throughout the series, viewers are treated to some of Vienna’s most iconic locations, including the Vienna State Opera House, the Volkstheater, the Natural History Museum, Schönbrunn Palace, and many more — all wrapped in a chilling, eerie atmosphere.
Extraction 2 (2023)
Back from the brink of death, elite commander Tyler Rake (Chris Hemsworth) takes on a dangerous new mission: rescuing the imprisoned family of a ruthless gangster. Having barely survived his previous mission in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Rake and his team must infiltrate a heavily guarded prison complex to save the family.
Fun fact: Filming was originally planned for Australia, but due to COVID protocols, the production relocated. Extraction 2 was mainly filmed in Prague, Czech Republic, with additional shoots in Vienna in January and February 2022, featuring the 220-metre-high DC Tower in Donaustadt, Vienna (Austria’s tallest building).