This was a great tour because our driver was friendly, personable, the car was comfortable. He was very proud of Salzburg and the surrounding Towns and anxious to show us all of it. The Ice Caves were a physically demanding exhibit and very cold. Even walking 700 stairs up and 700 stairs down did not warms us up. Very glad we bought sweaters in the gift shop - I was wearing 4 layers and my family was wearing 3. It’s very dark in there and everyone does Not get a lamp so you have to keep up. We thankfully made several stops on the path for the guide to tell us things about the cave or we would not have been able to keep up with the group. I don’t think we would have taken the tour if we had known the physical demands. But I am so glad we went and did it! The beauty of the ice formations is breathtaking!

Our tour was terrific. Bernd was a wonderful tour guide. He took us literally off the beaten path. He was informative, serious, funny, and shared details beyond what was core to the tour. We never felt rushed and really enjoyed our full day experience. He was a safe driver and the van was super comfortable. We would highly recommend him.

Bernie was one of the best tour guides we have ever had. Such a perfect day plus we got to see everything we wanted to!

I am very aware that the tour operator cannot control the weather. Rain and overcast conditions hamper any sightseeing opportunities. That being said, we paid a lot of money (full fare) to see the outside of a lot of Salzburg’s sites. The salt mine tour was outstanding, but I feel we were rushed through, due to our driver needing to pick up her children from school. My advice, pay close attention to the weather before scheduling a tour of this type.

Love this place . Birth place of Mozart, everyone was so pleasant from hotel staff to strangers on the street . Must visit Hallstatt, won’t regret

Bernie is a super knowledgeable and flexible tour guide, who made sure we tailor our itinerary according to our interests. Not only did he give us a tour around the city showing us all the beautiful architecture and sharing his knowledge about history, but he also told us about everyday life, Austrians in general, and gave us the best tips on cafes and restaurants, which we really appreciated as it always takes us forever to find a place. Thank you, Bernie!

We had a fantastic day with our guide, Bernie. It was great to spend a day cruising the sights outside of Salzburg in a nice car without crowds. Both the salt mines and eagles nest were amazing and fun but we also saw many other tucked away gems. This tour is a bit pricey for a small group but well worth it to set you own pace and itinerary.

We took this tour from Salzburg and it was a great one! We had a great experience between nature and this wonderful palace. The guide was very informative and was with us the whole time. We enjoyed the boat ride on the lake with the mountains in the background. Arriving on the island we had a nice walk through the nature to get to the palace. The foutains were jsut amazing. I have been to Versailles but this palace was way more and better than expected. The mirror room and the unfinished parts to see the comparison between the finished and the unfinished part was just amazing. On the way back the guide took us through the Bavarian countryside. That was a special treat to see the vaWe took this tour from Salzburg and it was a great one! We had a great experience between nature and this wonderful palace. The guide was very informative and was with us the whole time. We enjoyed the boat ride on the lake with the mountains in the background. Arriving on the island we had a nice walk through the nature to get to the palace. The foutains were jsut amazing. I have been to Versailles but this palace was way more and better than expected. The mirror room and the unfinished parts to see the comparison between the finished and the unfinished part was just amazing. On the way back the guide took us through the Bavarian countryside. That was a special treat to see the valleys, mountains and the autumn time. It was really great. I cannot praise this enough as this was definitely one of the highlights of our Europe trip. lleys, mountains and the autumn time. It was really great. I cannot praise this enough as this was definitely one of the highlights of our Europe trip.

Absolutely loved this tour! You get to see the film location of the Sound of Music and can walk on the footsteps of Julie Andrews and hear about the behind the scenes stories from the guide (Berndt), who was very entertaining, funny, charming and friendly. He added also the real story to his in depth-knowledge. This tour is worthwhile trip for anyone who is a fan of the Sound of Music and even to those who aren't as you get so much more information about the city, the lake district area and small villages like St. Gilgen and Mondsee.

This tour was excellent. Our guide was EXTREMELY knowledgeable and passionate about everything we did. Her knowledge of the area and hospitality was amazing. I was sad that our tour was only half day and if I ever go back will 100% book with this group and request her again. We wanted to see the Salt Mines but didn't have time so she dropped us off before getting back to our hotel and took my parents to a beautiful restaurant for lunch and suggested a few dishes before being on her way...again the hospitality and level of care was incredible.

We booked this tour through Trip Advisor about 3 weeks before we left for Salzburg. Not only was our tour guide, Bea, super knowledgeable and efficient, but she was fun, very personable and truly cared about us having a good time. We wanted to see Eagle's Nest and also do a toboggan run/Alpine slide. She recommended one in Hallein and that did NOT disappoint! Also, when we arrived in Salzburg, we wanted to see Hallstatt but came to realize getting there without having our own car was a bit of a chore for our group of 6. Since I already had booked a tour with B(e) Special Tours, I reached out to them to see if they could accommodate a last minute planned trip to Hallstatt (very last minute as I emailed them through Trip Advisor at 8 pm on Friday night to see if they could arrange a trip with us for Saturday morning at 10 am). Not only did I receive an email back within 15 minutes, but they were able to meet our request! Our trip to Hallstatt with Bea will be a lasting memory for our family. She even took us to her personal, super secret (NON touristy) place to have lunch - the BEST freshest grilled fish place ever (and we're from Washington state so we know our fish)! She also gave us a little lesson on how to properly enjoy schnapps and had us taste her personal favorite schnapps - which was spot on. Thank you, Bea!!!! You are truly the best! We HIGHLY recommend B(e) Special Tours.

our group of 4 only had one day to see the area as we stayed an extra day as part of a business trip. We wanted to see as much as possible so we booked a private tour with Be Special Bern was great in advance of the tour as he answered all of my questions quickly and provided suggestions based on what we would like to see and do. They had a nice sized van for us and a driver so that allowed us plenty of space inside the van. The weather was not great the day we went (rain) but we still had a great time. We started with a driving tour of the city to see all the main areas of interest in the city. We did not do the fortress as this is a walking tour with headphones so do this on your own to save time with the guides. After the city we went to a location where they shot many of the scenes from The Sound of Music (house and lake scenes) and then went to the summer castle of the archbishop. After this we did the salt mine tour which was fascinating and a lot of fun. We then toured the lake district and had lunch in one of the towns. We then got to see the Red Bull headquarters followed by a stop at Hangar 7 where the Red Bull owner keeps all of his "toys". After the Hangar we went on to another historical palace downtown and finished our day there. It was a lot to pack in the day but Be Special did a great job narrating and providing history of the area while customizing our tour. Highly recommend them if you are looking for a tour of the area.

I traveled with my sister, her 17 year-old daughter, and my 13 year-old daughter the first week in June, 2018. Prior to the trip: -- Bernhard, owner of Be Special Tours, was very responsive and flexible in helping me plan. In fact, he had helped us to schedule and to accommodate us as much as possible. --Payment was easy through credit card. There were other options. --Bernhard sent a custom itinerary for our group, which covered every detail of the trip including suggestions for what to pack, information on the exchange rate, etc. Destinations: --All of the castles were different and magnificent. We liked the length of the tours inside the castles. They typically ran between 30 and 40 minutes, which was perfect with the kids. --The tours were very balanced time-wise. We got to walk the grounds and explore the towns where the castles were located. --The scenery is just stunning! Tour guide: --Bernie was our assigned tour guide. He was the best tour guide I have ever had and I travel a lot. He is knowledgeable, professional, and fun to be around. He always gave us enough time to appreciate the sites we visited and answered about a million of our questions. We learned so much about the German and Austrian culture. Bernie was very attentive to our needs throughout the entire trip and never stopped smiling. he went above and beyond. Overall, my experience with Be Special tours exceeded my expectations. I highly recommend this company and will certainly use them in the future.

We absolutely loved our trip with Bernie as our guide of Hallstatt and the surrounding area. We had such a great time on our Salt Mine tour. It was very informative and unexpected. We went down two different slides, and saw the oldest staircase in the world, as well as some great visuals throughout the tour. I also want to acknowledge that I really appreciated that Bernie was very patient with me, since I am a little slow climbing stairs and the hills. So we probably took a little longer on our tour than normal because of this. We also saw some beautiful scenery of lakes and mountains. Bernie's knowledge of the area is awesome, and we truly appreciated his attention to detail. He is so fun to be with and always has a smile and laugh to make you feel comfortable. Bernie never made us feel rushed, he made sure we got to see everything we wanted to and probably more than we expected to see. Thank you so much for a fabulous day!

This was our first trip to Salzburg and we wanted to see the highlights. Bernie gave us several options - all sounded fantastic. We chose to do a ride around the city and then out to the Lakes District. It was a great way to see a beautiful city and the countryside. Bernie is an excellent tour guide. We loved his sense of humor! Bernie is very knowledgeable and enthusiastically shared the history and culture of Austria. And, of course, what's a tour of Salzburg without a little Sound of Music. Highly recommend B(e) Special Tours! We can't wait to return to the beautiful city of Salzburg and have another tour with Bernie.