The Most Beautiful Christmas Markets in Austria: From Vienna to Innsbruck

Hardly any country takes Advent as seriously as Austria. From mid-November until 24 December – some markets run until 26 December or even 6 January – town hall squares, palace courtyards and lakeshores turn into Christkindlmärkte where punch steams, chestnuts roast and brass players perform from church towers. Vienna alone counts well over a dozen markets, Salzburg maintains one of the oldest in Europe, and in Tyrol the mountain backdrop provides the postcard view. If you only have a weekend, you need a shortlist.

That is exactly what this guide provides: the most important markets in Vienna, Salzburg, Innsbruck, Graz and Linz, the loveliest Advent villages beyond the cities from Steyr to Rattenberg, plus traditions from punch to Krampus, an overview table with dates and transport, accommodation tips and a realistic budget. The capital comes first: you will find an overview of the destination with all accommodation on our Vienna page.

Vienna: Christmas Markets between the Rathaus and Schönbrunn

In Advent, Vienna is a city of short distances: almost all the major markets are next to an underground station, and at weekends public transport runs all night. Allow one to two hours per market.

Christkindlmarkt on Rathausplatz

The Viennese Christkindlmarkt in front of the neo-Gothic city hall is the country's largest: around 100 stalls, a tree of hearts, an ice-skating trail between the trees of the Rathauspark and the Advent calendar in the windows of the town hall facade. It is open from mid-November until 26 December, daily from about 10 am to 9.30 pm, and until 6 pm on Christmas Eve. Getting there: U2 Rathaus or tram 1, 71 and D. Weekend evenings get very crowded; on a weekday after lunch you will have the square almost to yourself at times.

Alpengast tip: The best view of Rathausplatz is from the terrace of the Burgtheater opposite. And note: the punch mug is a deposit mug (approx. €4–5) that you can return at any stall or keep as a souvenir.

Schönbrunn and Belvedere

The Christmas market in the great courtyard of Schönbrunn Palace (U4 Schönbrunn) is the city's most elegant, with handicrafts rather than mass-produced goods and daily concerts. It runs until 26 December and then becomes a New Year's market until around 4 January – ideal for travelling between Christmas and New Year. In front of the Upper Belvedere (tram D) the baroque palace is reflected in the pond; the market is smaller, but combining it with Klimt's "The Kiss" inside the museum makes it the perfect bad-weather programme.

Spittelberg, Karlsplatz, Freyung and Stephansplatz

Things are less touristy in the Biedermeier lanes of Spittelberg in the 7th district (U2/U3 Volkstheater), where the stalls are spread between bars and workshops until 23 December. On Karlsplatz, the Art Advent offers exclusively handicrafts and organic food, with a straw landscape for children in front of the Karlskirche. The Altwiener Christkindlmarkt on the Freyung traces its market tradition back to 1772 and, with its nativity scenes and glassblowers, is the most historic in the city. Small, central and open until 26 December is the market on Stephansplatz – at its best at dusk, when the cathedral is floodlit.

Salzburg: Advent between Cathedral, Fortress and Silent Night

Salzburg is the Advent city par excellence – with the result that the old town is busier on Advent weekends than in August and hotels sell out early. During the week, however, you will experience the city at its most atmospheric. You will find an overview of the destination on our Salzburg page.

Christkindlmarkt on Domplatz and Residenzplatz

The market between the cathedral and the Residenz is one of the oldest Advent markets in the world – an Advent market is documented here as early as the fifteenth century. Around 100 stalls sell Christmas tree decorations, gingerbread and Salzburg specialities; what makes the difference is the programme of brass music from the cathedral tower, choirs and Krampus runs. Open from roughly 20 November until 1 January. From the main station, the trolleybus (lines 3, 5, 6) takes ten minutes; on foot across the Salzach it is 25 minutes.

Hellbrunn and Hohensalzburg Fortress

The Hellbrunner Adventzauber turns the grounds of Hellbrunn Palace into an Advent forest with hundreds of Christmas trees, an Advent calendar in the palace facade and a petting zoo – the most family-friendly market in the region, reachable by bus 25 in 20 minutes. At Hohensalzburg Fortress, a small market takes place in the castle courtyard on Advent weekends; the funicular is included in the admission, and the view over the snow-covered roofs is unbeatable.

Silent Night in Oberndorf

Around 20 kilometres to the north lies Oberndorf, where "Silent Night! Holy Night!" was first sung on 24 December 1818. The Silent Night Chapel stands on the site of the former church and the museum next door tells the story of the carol; on Christmas Eve at 5 pm, thousands gather for the commemoration. The S3 suburban train takes around 25 minutes from Salzburg main station.

Innsbruck: Mountain Christmas beneath the Golden Roof

No other city combines Christmas market and high mountains as compactly as Innsbruck. Under the name "Bergweihnacht", several markets are spread across the city, all reachable on foot or by the Hungerburg funicular. More on our Innsbruck page.

Old Town and Marktplatz

The Christkindlmarkt in the old town squeezes into the medieval lanes around the Golden Roof, with the huge Christmas tree in front of the ornate oriel and the fairy-tale lane in Kiebachgasse; open from mid-November until 23 December. Try Kiachl here, the Tyrolean yeast dough fried in lard and served with sauerkraut or lingonberries. On Marktplatz by the Inn promenade, the market with Ferris wheel and children's programme continues until 6 January.

Hungerburg and Crystal Worlds

The most extraordinary market is on the Hungerburg, 300 metres above the city: a few stalls, a nativity scene and the view over the illuminated Inn valley to the Nordkette. Zaha Hadid's Hungerburgbahn starts at the Congress and takes eight minutes (approx. €10–12 return). Around 20 minutes to the east (S-Bahn to Wattens), the Swarovski Crystal Worlds welcome Advent visitors with a light programme in the garden.

Graz, Linz, Steyr and the Advent Villages beyond the Cities

The smaller provincial capitals and a handful of villages have markets every bit as good as the big ones – often with fewer crowds and idiosyncratic traditions.

Graz: Ice Nativity and Aufsteirern Advent

In Graz, Advent is spread across a good dozen squares in the World Heritage old town. The centrepiece is the Christkindlmarkt on Hauptplatz, whose town hall facade becomes an Advent calendar. Unique is the ice nativity in the arcaded courtyard of the Landhaus: every year since 1996, artists have carved a life-size nativity scene from around 50 tonnes of ice. At the foot of the Schlossberg, the Aufsteirern Advent presents Styrian crafts, pumpkin seed oil and folk music.

Linz: Hauptplatz and Volksgarten

Linz has two very different markets: the classic Christkindlmarkt on the baroque Hauptplatz around the Trinity Column, and the family-oriented Christmas market in the Volksgarten near the main station with a fairy-tale forest and nativity exhibition. A ride on the steep Pöstlingbergbahn up to the illuminated pilgrimage church rounds off the day.

Steyr: Mail from the Christkind

Steyr with its Gothic main square is considered one of the most beautiful small towns in the country in Advent. World-famous is the district of Christkindl: the special Christkindl post office has franked around two million letters every year since 1950, and the Christmas Museum displays two centuries of tree decorations. The Christkindlmarkt on the Stadtplatz runs from late November until 23 December; on Advent weekends, heritage trains of the Steyrtalbahn operate. From Linz it is around 50 minutes by train.

Hallstatt, Lake Wolfgang, Mariazell, Rattenberg and Kufstein

The Advent market in Hallstatt takes place on one weekend only in early December – small, but unforgettable against lake and Dachstein. At the Wolfgangseer Advent, the markets in St. Wolfgang, St. Gilgen and Strobl are linked by boat, and a giant peace-light lantern floats on the lake. In Mariazell, the largest Advent wreath in the world, twelve metres in diameter, hangs in front of the basilica; the journey on the Mariazellerbahn from St. Pölten is an experience in itself. Rattenberg, Austria's smallest town, does entirely without electric light on Advent weekends – only candles, torches and fire baskets light the medieval street. And in Kufstein, the Weihnachtszauber moves up to the fortress high above the Inn.

The Most Important Markets at a Glance

Dates vary slightly each year; check the current opening days before you travel, especially for the weekend-only markets.

Traditions: Punch, Chestnuts, Krampus and the Christkind

The most important drink is not mulled wine but punch: tea, fruit juice, rum or wine and spices, in dozens of varieties from orange to "turbo punch" – the latter with considerably more alcohol. Mulled wine is of course available too, usually red or white. Expect approx. €4–6 per mug plus deposit. Alongside come hot roasted chestnuts from the stall (approx. €4–5), Kiachl in Tyrol, Käsekrainer sausages, gingerbread and the crescent-shaped Vanillekipferl with which every Austrian Christmas baking season begins.

On 5 December, the eve of St. Nicholas Day, the Krampuses run above all in Salzburg, Tyrol and Styria: shaggy figures with carved wooden masks, bells and birch rods who parade through the villages in their hundreds. The related Perchten runs take place mainly during the Rauhnächte after Christmas. Musically, the season is shaped by Adventsingen concerts; the Salzburger Adventsingen in the Großes Festspielhaus is usually sold out months in advance. And on 24 December it is not Santa Claus but the Christkind who brings the presents – hence the name Christkindlmarkt.

Alpengast tip: At a Krampus run, stay behind the barriers: the Krampuses are traditionally allowed to strike with their rods, and the crush is considerable. Families with small children are better off choosing the children's Krampus runs in the afternoon.

Where to Stay? Cities and Regions Compared

In Advent, Vienna and Salzburg charge high-season prices that reach summer levels at weekends. Travelling Sunday to Thursday often saves a third. Guide prices per night for a double room:

Book Advent weekends in Vienna and Salzburg as early as late summer if possible. In the ski resorts of Tyrol and Salzburg province, by contrast, Advent is still low season: a spa hotel or Gasthof in Kitzbühel, Zell am See or St. Anton costs considerably less before Christmas than during the holidays afterwards, and the first pistes usually open in early December.

Practical Information

Getting There and Travelling between the Cities

The backbone of any Advent tour is the western main line: the ÖBB Railjet links Vienna Hauptbahnhof with Linz in around 1 hour 15 minutes, with Salzburg in 2 hours 20 minutes and with Innsbruck in a good 4 hours. The private operator Westbahn runs the same route from Vienna Westbahnhof, usually more cheaply. To Graz, the line over the Semmering takes around 2 hours 35 minutes. Sparschiene tickets start at approx. €10–20 per journey if you book weeks ahead; the standard fare Vienna–Salzburg is approx. €55–70. The Klimaticket Österreich is an annual pass for residents and does not pay off for visitors. Flights land at Vienna-Schwechat (CAT or S7 into the city), Salzburg (trolleybus 2 to the main station) or Innsbruck (bus F to the centre); Munich, with direct trains in 1.5 to 2 hours, is a good alternative for Salzburg and Innsbruck.

Public Transport in the Cities

In Vienna, the 24-hour ticket costs approx. €8 and the 72-hour ticket approx. €17; all markets lie in the core zone. Salzburg and Innsbruck are best explored on foot, supplemented by trolleybus and tram respectively (single fare approx. €2–3). The Salzburg Card and Innsbruck Card include public transport and mountain railways and pay off from two attractions per day. A car is a hindrance in all the city centres during Advent; car parks cost approx. €25–40 per day.

Best Time, Weather and Budget

The most atmospheric time is the second and third Advent weekends, when all markets are open and snow becomes likely in the Alpine cities. Expect 0 to 5 degrees in Vienna and sub-zero evenings in Innsbruck and Salzburg – warm shoes matter more than the thickest coat. After 26 December, only Salzburg, Schönbrunn and Innsbruck's Marktplatz remain open.

Alpengast tip: Combine a Christmas market with a ski day: from Innsbruck you reach the Axamer Lizum or the Stubai Glacier by ski bus in under an hour, and from Salzburg, Zell am See and Bad Gastein are around 1.5 hours away by train. Pistes in the morning, punch beneath the Golden Roof in the evening.

Whether a weekend in Vienna, a quiet Advent evening on Salzburg's cathedral square or the Bergweihnacht in Innsbruck – the Alpengast editorial team recommends choosing one city and experiencing it at leisure rather than rushing through half of Austria in three days. You will find suitable accommodation for your Advent weekend, from a city hotel in Vienna to a Gasthof on Lake Wolfgang, in our hotel overview.