The 1968 war classic shot its Alpine fortress scenes in Austria, from the castle at Werfen to the cable car at Ebensee.
Where Eagles Dare was mainly filmed on location in Austria, at Werfen, Ebensee, Lofer, Saalfelden and Aigen im Ennstal. The fortress of Schloss Adler is Burg Hohenwerfen in Werfen, and the cable car scenes were shot at Feuerkogel near Ebensee. Interiors, close-ups and escape sequences were filmed at MGM British Studios in Borehamwood, England, which closed in 1970.
Brian G. Hutton's 1968 thriller sends Richard Burton and Clint Eastwood into a mountaintop fortress in southern Bavaria, but almost none of it was shot in Germany. The production instead used Austria's Alps, where a real medieval castle, a working cable car and several villages stood in for the story's German settings.
Filming ran from January to May 1968 in harsh winter conditions that caused delays and frostbite risks for cast and crew. Burton and Eastwood reportedly nicknamed the production 'Where Doubles Dare' because of the extensive use of stunt doubles in the action scenes.
| Location | Where | What was filmed | Access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Burg Hohenwerfen | Werfen, Austria | Schloss Adler exterior and courtyard scenes | Ticketed |
| Feuerkogel Seilbahn | Ebensee am Traunsee, Austria | Cable car sequences and mountain station scenes | Ticketed |
| MGM British Studios stages | Borehamwood, United Kingdom | Interiors of Schloss Adler, cable car roof close-ups, bus escape and other studio scenes | Closed |
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Salzburg, Werfen, Austria Ticketed
Filmed here: Schloss Adler exterior and courtyard scenes
The castle above Werfen played Schloss Adler, with exterior and courtyard scenes filmed on site. Today it is open to the public as a museum and falconry center with guided tours. Access is via a steep path, and it remains a popular tourist site in the Salzburg region. It is the single most recognizable location from the film and easy to visit independently.
Upper Austria, Ebensee am Traunsee, Austria Ticketed
Filmed here: Cable car sequences and mountain station scenes
The cable car sequences and mountain station scenes were filmed on the Feuerkogel above Ebensee am Traunsee. The cable car still runs today, carrying visitors to the summit with wide views over the Traunsee area. Tickets are required. Note that the castle never had a real cable car: the famous combined shots linked location footage here with studio work and scale models.
The active railway station at Werfen served for the train station arrival and escape scenes. The main street and platform areas remain recognizable to film fans. As a working public station it requires no ticket, and it sits a short distance from the castle, so the two can be combined in a single visit to the town.
Lofer in the Salzburg region stood in for village escape scenes, with the exterior of the bar filmed at Villa Egger. It remains a picturesque village, and some locations are still identifiable from the film. Streets and buildings can be explored freely on foot, making it a worthwhile stop for travelers tracing the production through the Salzach valley.
The airfield and plane scenes were shot at this airfield in Styria, with the real Grimming mountain visible in the background. The site remains an active Austrian military base and is not generally open to the public. Travelers hoping to see it can view the airfield area and the Grimming massif from surrounding public roads near Aigen im Ennstal.
The snowy mountain valley shots seen under the opening titles were filmed around Saalfelden in the Salzburg region. The valley views are accessible via public roads and walking trails, so no tickets or special access are needed. It is an easy scenic add-on for anyone already visiting Werfen or Lofer, and the landscape looks much as it did in 1968.
Samedan airport in Graubünden, Switzerland, was used for additional airfield and plane sequences. Unlike the military base at Aigen, it is a regional airport open to travelers, and it sits close to St. Moritz. Film locations here are functional aviation facilities rather than visitor attractions, but the setting can be viewed from the surrounding public area.
Hertfordshire, Borehamwood, United Kingdom Closed
Filmed here: Interiors of Schloss Adler, cable car roof close-ups, bus escape and other studio scenes
Interiors of Schloss Adler, the cable car roof close-ups and the bus escape were all shot on stages at MGM British Studios in Borehamwood, England. The studio closed in 1970 and the site has since been largely redeveloped into housing and an industrial area. There is no remaining studio access and nothing film-related to visit there today.
The story is set in the high Alps of southern Bavaria in Germany, but almost no filming took place there. Austria stood in for Bavaria throughout, with Werfen, Lofer and Saalfelden in the Salzburg region, Ebensee in Upper Austria, and Aigen im Ennstal in Styria providing the mountain backdrops. Interior scenes and effects work were completed in England.
MGM British Studios in Borehamwood, Hertfordshire, handled the interiors of Schloss Adler, the cable car roof close-ups, the bus escape and other studio scenes. The studio closed in 1970, shortly after the film's release, and the site is now largely housing and industrial land, so it cannot be visited.
Most locations can be reached independently by train or car, but guided options exist that pair the castle with other regional highlights. One booked tour combines Werfen with the Eagle's Nest, another famous World War II site, and holds a 5 rating from 33 reviews.
Eagle's Nest and 'The Where Eagles Dare Castle' of Werfen
This tour pairs the Werfen castle seen in the film as Schloss Adler with the Eagle's Nest at Berchtesgaden, covering two major World War II-era sites in one day. With a perfect 5 rating across 33 reviews, it suits travelers who want the filming location plus wider Alpine history without arranging separate transport.
Yes. Schloss Adler is Burg Hohenwerfen in Werfen, Austria. It is open to the public as a museum and falconry center with guided tours. Access involves a steep path, and tickets are required.
No. The castle has no real cable car. The cable car scenes were filmed at Feuerkogel near Ebensee, and the combined castle and cable car shots used scale models and matte paintings plus studio work at MGM British Studios.
The story is set in the high Alps of southern Bavaria in Germany, but filming took place mainly in Austria, with interiors and additional scenes shot at MGM British Studios in Borehamwood, England.
The main airfield, Flugplatz Aigen im Ennstal in Styria, is an active Austrian military base and not generally open to the public. Additional airfield sequences were shot at Samedan airport in Switzerland, a regional airport open to travelers.
Filming ran from January to May 1968 in harsh winter conditions that caused delays and frostbite risks for the cast and crew. The film was released in 1968.
Richard Burton and Clint Eastwood reportedly nicknamed the production 'Where Doubles Dare' because so much of the action was performed by stunt doubles during the demanding shoot.
Austria makes a rewarding destination for fans of the film. Werfen works as the anchor stop, with the castle and the railway station within one town, and Lofer, Saalfelden and Ebensee all reachable by road or rail for the cable car ride at Feuerkogel. The English studio site adds nothing today, so time is best spent in the Alps, where the landscapes on screen remain recognizable more than fifty years on.
Before You Go
The tours travellers book most for Where Eagles Dare.
