- Published
- 24 October 2026
- Reading
- 6 min read
- Where
- Salzburg, Austria
- Prices checked
- 26. Oct 2026.
Salzburg has five Christmas markets with five sets of dates, and the 2026 dates and hours are already published. If you have a single evening, spend it under the cathedral.
Salzburg has five Christmas markets, and they open and close on different days. The Salzburger Christkindlmarkt on Dom- und Residenzplatz is the one to plan around, while the fortress, Mirabell, Hellbrunn and the Sternarkaden make up the other four. Every date and hour below comes from the organisers or the tourist board for 2026.
The Salzburger Christkindlmarkt
The Christkindlmarkt fills the two squares between the cathedral and the Residenz and runs 19 Nov 2026 – 1 Jan 2027, so it stays open through New Year's Eve. Opening hours change with the weekday: Mon–Thu 10:00–20:30, Fri 10:00–21:00, Sat 9:00–21:00, Sun and holidays 9:00–20:30. The programme has the Turmblasen brass, choirs through the season and a nativity scene in the Residenzhof. In the 2026 programme the Krampus run comes through on Saturday 5 December at 18:30, Nikolo and the children's Krampus follow on 6 December at 15:30, and the Perchtenlauf passes on 21 December at 13:00. Expect the square to be at its thickest on those three days. The stall to find first is Speck Willi, number 2, right in front of the cathedral.
The Hellbrunner Adventzauber
The Hellbrunner Adventzauber is the evening trip. It is a market in its 25th edition, set in the courtyard of Schloss Hellbrunn, with a torch-lit path, a giant Advent calendar and sleighs pulled by reindeer. It runs 19 Nov – 24 Dec 2026, and the hours are: Tue–Fri 13:00–20:00, weekends and holidays 10:00–20:00, closed Mondays (except 21 Dec). Before 7 pm entry costs €8 per person, with children up to six free, and the ticket includes a voucher for one hot drink. After 7 pm and all day on 24 December the gate is free, which is the main reason to go late. Bus 25 takes about 20 minutes from the centre, so leave the old town after the Christkindlmarkt and arrive when the fee drops away.
Official ticket
- Before 7 pm
- €8 per person
- After 7 pm
- free
- Bus
- 25, about 20 min
- Mondays
- closed
Through a partner
- options with a guide or audio guide
- usually costs more than the official ticket
The smaller markets
- Advent market on the fortress, 27 Nov – 20 Dec 2026: more than a hundred Herrnhut stars light the Festungsgasse, and the Hödlmoser studio runs children's workshops. The yard with the market and the funicular are charged separately, while the Salzburg Card covers entry to the fortress itself. Hours: Fri–Sun 11:00–19:00 (plus 7 and 8 Dec).
- Mirabellplatz, 19 Nov – 31 Dec 2026: a brass band plays in front of the palace every Wednesday and at weekends at 17:15. Hours: Sun–Thu 10:00–20:00, Fri and Sat 10:00–21:00.
The Sternadvent winter market sits in the Sternarkaden at Getreidegasse 34 and runs 19 Nov 2026 – 6 Jan 2027, the longest season of the five. Hours: Sun–Thu 11:00–19:00, Fri and Sat 11:00–20:30. The tourist board lists all of these times as subject to change, so the week you travel is the time to look at the organiser's page again.
Official ticket
- Salzburg Card
- covers entry to the fortress
- Yard and funicular
- charged separately
Through a partner
- options with a guide or audio guide
- usually costs more than the official ticket
What to eat and drink, and what it costs
Only a minority of the stalls sell food, so decide before you queue, and read the stall names below as a guide that may change from year to year. In 2025 a mug of mulled wine cost €5.50 at the Reiter stand, with a mug deposit of €4, and the price varies by stand. Holiday market food here leans on bread and sausage, with sweet things to follow.
- Speck Willi, stall 2 in front of the cathedral: game, Raclettebrot, Verhackertsbrot and Jagatee.
- Haunsberger, stall 82 on Residenzplatz: a warm roll with pork bratwurst, mustard and sauerkraut, from a stand the guide dates to about 30 years.
- Meinhart, stall 43: Lebkuchen from a gingerbread bakery.
- Sweet things: Vanillekipferl, sweet dumplings, Weihnachtsschmarren and roasted almonds.
- To drink: orange punch and Feuerzangenbowle.
A food tour with a local guide: several tastings in one walk.
In which order, and when it is quiet
The Christkindlmarkt and the Sternadvent are closest to each other, with Getreidegasse a short walk from the cathedral, so start there. Mirabell lies across the river and fits before dinner. The fortress opens only Friday to Sunday and closes by 19:00. From the station the walk to the cathedral over the Staatsbrücke takes about 20 minutes. Weekday afternoons are the quietest, and all weekends, 6 December and 20 to 23 December are best avoided. The ice rink Eiszauber opens at the Volksgarten on 12 November 2026. Save Hellbrunn for last, after 7 pm.
Check the same room on both sites: price and cancellation terms can differ.
Concerts and the funicular, booked ahead
December evenings in Salzburg belong to music as much as to stalls. The fortress concert suits a night when you also want the city lit from above, and the hall at Mirabell suits a seated hour away from the cold. Both can be booked in advance, and the funicular saves the climb to the fortress.
- Hohensalzburg Fortress, on the Mönchsberg above the old town: the Advent concert of Salzburger Festungskonzerte inside the fortress, with a dinner at the Panorama Restaurant as an option. Dates: 27 Nov – 23 Dec 2026, starting at 8 pm.
- Festungsbahn, the funicular up to the fortress: it climbs 198.5 m in 54 seconds, so the way up after dark is not on foot. It runs in December daily 9:00 to 20:30, and until 17:00 on 24 and 31 December. Fare: €6.30 for an adult return ticket.
- Schloss Mirabell, Marble Hall: concerts of the Salzburger Konzertgesellschaft through December, about an hour and a half with a 15-minute interval. Dates: 1–31 Dec 2026, mostly at 8 pm and on 24 December at 3:30 pm.
With one day, spend it at the Christkindlmarkt under the cathedral, since it opens every day of the season and keeps the longest hours of the five. If an evening is left, take it to Hellbrunn after 7 pm, when the gate is free. The other three are for a longer stay.
A ticket with a chosen time slot, booked ahead.
Official ticket
- Climb
- 198.5 m in 54 s
Through a partner
- options with a guide or audio guide
- usually costs more than the official ticket
Austria, in brief
What now
If this sounds like your trip, start here.
Salzburg
→A city built on salt and remembered for music
Salzburg in 1 day
→The fortress while the cheapest ticket is valid, then downhill through the town to Mirabell, a day arranged by opening hours.
Day trips from Salzburg
→The Fuschlsee and a salt mine half an hour away, Hallstatt at ninety minutes, the city here is a base, not a destination.
Where to stay in Salzburg
→In Salzburg the area is chosen by how much you climb and how much you ride: the Old Town has everything…
What Salzburg costs
→A day in Salzburg runs from €34–56 with a hostel and street food to €148–160 with a hotel and two restaurant meals, accommodation moves the total the most.
The Salzburg the six-sight list leaves out
→Museum der Moderne above the Old Town, the Kapuzinerberg hill across the river and a narrow medieval street beneath it, three places beyond the six main sights.
What to eat in Salzburg
→The original Mozartkugel, goulash and Weisswurst with a pretzel, the city is small enough that the best dishes often share one menu.
The best time to visit Salzburg
→Salzburg has six weeks in the year to catch deliberately or dodge deliberately, and they are all in summer.
Getting around Salzburg
→A bus runs from the airport to the centre in about 20–23 min, and the Old Town itself is walked, so city transport is for everything beyond it.
Mistakes everyone makes in Salzburg
→The cathedral keeps different hours on Sundays, the real Mozartkugel is not bought at a supermarket, and the salt mine won't take children under four, mistakes that cost time or money here.
Austria
→A country where the train from a Vienna coffee house to a Tyrolean cable car takes just over four hours — so you choose the order, not the country
Strasbourg's Christmas market, and how old it really is
→How old the Strasbourg market really is, when it runs in 2026, where the crowds gather, what to eat from the deposit cup and why so many visitors sleep in Colmar.
Vienna Christmas markets: which one if you only have one evening
→Five markets, the 2026 dates, what a punch and a mug deposit cost, and an order for one evening on foot.
Innsbruck Christmas markets: seven of them, and which comes first
→Seven Christmas markets stand within walking distance in Innsbruck, and Advent there is a route rather than a single square.
Nuremberg Christmas markets: Christkindlesmarkt and three more
→The Hauptmarkt holds the headline market, but a December day in Nuremberg divides better across four.
Dresden Christmas markets: Striezelmarkt and nine more
→The Advent market on Altmarkt gets the attention, yet the city lists ten, from medieval craftsmen in the Stallhof to white pagodas in Neustadt.
Cologne Christmas markets: six markets, one route
→Cologne counts 13 markets for 2026, and six of them repay an evening.
Munich Christmas markets: which to visit and in what order
→Munich has around ten Christmas markets, each with its own theme, and in 2026 the season opens with an ice rink before the main Christkindlmarkt follows a week later.
Berlin Christmas markets: which one to pick and when to go
→The Berlin holiday market worth paying for is the WeihnachtsZauber on Gendarmenmarkt, the one with a gate and a weekday free window.
Prague Christmas markets: which to pick, dates and prices
→Two big Prague Christmas markets fill the central squares while a handful of smaller ones sit in the neighbourhoods.
Budapest Christmas markets: which first, what it costs, when to go
→Two Christmas markets lead Budapest's Advent, and the order you visit them in decides how much of the evening you enjoy.
Zagreb Christmas markets: an advent spread across the squares
→Zagreb spreads its Advent across squares, parks and whole neighbourhoods instead of one fenced-off spot.
Ljubljana Christmas markets: where the stalls are and how to walk them
→Ljubljana's Advent market runs as a string of stalls along the river, from Prešeren Square to Breg.
Bratislava Christmas markets: three squares and a hall
→Bratislava's Christmas markets fill three squares of the old town that sit side by side.
Kraków Christmas markets: the Main Square, Mały Rynek and szopki
→Kraków has two Christmas markets, one on the Main Square and a smaller one on Mały Rynek, plus a szopka contest that gives December its own date.
Timișoara Christmas markets: where, when and in what order
→This guide to the Timisoara Christmas market covers the three squares and the county fair beside them.
Graz Christmas markets: sixteen markets, one walking route
→Sixteen Christmas markets sit within walking distance in the old town of Graz, and one of them is the pick for a single evening.
Leipzig Christmas markets: from the Markt to Augustusplatz
→Which areas make up the Advent market in Leipzig, when they open, how the mug deposit works and how to walk them in one evening.
Brno Christmas markets: five squares and when each one runs
→Brno spreads its Advent market over five squares in the old centre.
Sibiu Christmas market: dates, food and one-evening plan
→One square, one Christmas market in Sibiu, Romania, and a short list of things that cost money.
Wrocław Christmas markets: the Rynek, Plac Solny and Kraina Koni
→Wrocław has two Christmas markets, and only one of them has official 2026 dates so far.
Gdańsk Christmas markets: Targ Węglowy and the six zones
→Gdańsk has one Christmas market, the Jarmark Bożonarodzeniowy, spread over several zones around Targ Węglowy.
Paris Christmas markets: which to pick, dates and ice rinks
→Paris has three big Christmas markets, at Tuileries, La Défense and Notre-Dame, and each suits a different kind of evening.
Lyon Christmas market and Fête des Lumières: how to see both
→Lyon has one big Christmas market and a four-night festival of light that matters more.
Rome Christmas markets: Navona, nativity scenes and lights
→Rome has one craft market, a Vatican exhibition of nativity scenes and a lot of light.
Naples Christmas markets: the street of the crib and what else opens
→Naples answers the question of the Christmas market with one street of nativity workshops, San Gregorio Armeno, where red huts stand in front of the shops.
Verona Christmas markets: from Piazza dei Signori to the Arena
→Verona spreads its Christmas markets over four places, from the Arena square to the old Arsenal, and one evening is enough to walk the best of them.
Milan Christmas markets: Duomo, Oh Bej and one evening in order
→Milan has three events that pass for Christmas markets, and they differ in age, size and price of admission.
Madrid Christmas markets: Plaza Mayor and what else is worth it
→Madrid's main Christmas market sells decorations rather than mulled wine.
Barcelona Christmas markets: Santa Llúcia, the port, Sagrada Família
→Three Christmas fairs, a Catalan idea of what one should sell, and a route for one December evening.
London Christmas markets: Winter Wonderland and where else to go
→London has no single Christmas market, only a ticketed amusement park, a riverside walk and a few lit squares.
Christmas markets in Europe: which city suits which trip
→Thirty-one cities compared on dates, size and character, with a pick for one evening, for children, for after New Year and for anyone tired of mulled wine and wooden huts.
Linz Christmas markets: Hauptplatz and Volksgarten
→Two free Linz Christmas markets, one for crafts on Hauptplatz and one for families in the Volksgarten, with dates, hours and a sensible order for one visit.
Warsaw Christmas markets: Old Town and Plac Defilad
→Warsaw has two Christmas markets in two different places, one in the shadow of the Palace of Culture and one beside Castle Square in the Old Town.
York Christmas markets: St Nicholas Fair and what to pair it with
→York's main Christmas market is St Nicholas Fair, set along Parliament Street, and this page explains where it sits, when it runs and how to fit the Shambles and the Minster into the same evening.
Bath Christmas market: a short run, so pick your day
→Bath Christmas Market is short and compact, with chalets in the historic centre beside the Abbey.
Maastricht Christmas market: Magisch Maastricht on the Vrijthof
→Magisch Maastricht turns the Vrijthof into a winter park with a covered ice rink, a 45 m Ferris wheel and Austrian-style chalets.
Trieste Christmas markets: the mercatini around the Borsa and Ponterosso
→The Trieste Christmas markets are a handful of streets and two squares near the Borsa and Ponterosso, with an ice rink and the San Nicolò fair nearby.
Turin Christmas markets: a small village and a city of lights
→Turin has no single big Christmas market.
Bologna Christmas markets: five small fairs, the oldest under a portico
→Five small Bologna Christmas markets, the oldest under a portico roof, with dates for 2026/27, what to eat on the way and a simple order for one evening.
Debrecen Christmas market: Kossuth tér, ice rink and Advent
→Debrecen's Christmas market is a citywide Advent with its centre on Kossuth tér, where an ice rink and ten thousand lights share the square.
Hamburg Christmas markets: Rathausmarkt, Jungfernstieg, Santa Pauli
→Hamburg runs several Weihnachtsmärkte at once, from the historic Rathausmarkt to white tents on the Alster and an adults-only market on the Reeperbahn.
Salzburg, Hallstatt and Zell am See from this story
See which of them suits you, then pin what you have already done.
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