How to Spend Christmas in Salzburg, Austria

While we traveled around Germany, Austria, and Italy for almost 2 weeks around the holidays, we spent Christmas in Salzburg. And I learned that being away from your “home” on Christmas definitely comes with some unique challenges. If you’re traveling somewhere that celebrates Christmas, most of the things that might be considered typical tourist destinations will probably be closed.

First things first…

The Definition of Christmas

Many parts of Europe have different definitions of Christmas than you might be used to. In the U.S., we usually only consider Christmas to be December 25. Generally, Christmas Eve on December 24 is more or less a regular day from a public perspective. However, in Austria and Germany — and Italy, as I learned last year — Christmas is December 24, 25, and 26.

So at 2 p.m. on December 24, all the shops and businesses in town shut down. And they didn’t reopen until December 27. That includes the grocery stores, which was really inconvenient for us because we were staying in an Airbnb/VRBO in Anthering and didn’t have much access to food. Luckily, the Salzburg Train Station had a grocery store that was open, and I think the whole city of Salzburg was there.

Spectacular Salzburg

That being said, Salzburg is a fantastic city to visit in the winter. I actually got the tip from my friend Ellie, who’s also teaching English here in Spain. She took a trip to Munich last year, and she told me that I should visit Salzburg as well. That was easy enough to do — by train, the two cities are only 1 hour and 45 minutes away from each other.

At this point, I feel the need to mention: Salzburg is perhaps most famous for one reason. It’s a movie. It involves sprawling, impossibly green hills, seven singing children, and Julie Andrews. Did you get it? The Sound of Music is based in, and was filmed in, Salzburg. In fact, if that’s what you’re into, you can take a Sound of Music tour around the city — apparently more than 300,000 visitors do just that each year.

So even though it’s undoubtedly beautiful in the summer, Salzburg — like many central European cities — has a particular magic in the winter. Mix its charming, light-adorned streets and cozy cafes with the snow-covered Alps in the background, and you get a village that seems straight out of a Christmas fairytale. It’s even got a fortress perched atop its highest hill, overlooking the city. It’s not as intricate as Neuschwanstein, but it’s impressive in its own right.

Christmas-y Things to Do on Christmas in Salzburg

If you do happen to be there during Christmas, don’t panic: there are still things to do.

In fact, one of the main reasons I chose Salzburg as our Christmas destination was because of its Christmas markets! The Salzburg Christkindlmarkt is one of the oldest Advent markets in the world, dating back to the 15th century. It’s still in its original location at Domplatz (Cathedral Square), although it has undergone many transformations in the past 500+ years.

This was my first Austrian Christmas market — after having visited Christmas markets in Germany, England, Czechia, Italy, Spain, and France — and I’m happy to report an A+ rating for the Domplatz Christkindlmarkt. Most importantly, in my opinion, there was fooooood! Mulled wine and Christmas market food (like pretzels, bratwurst, and sauerkraut) is the way to my heart. And Salzburg has several different markets throughout the city, though we only really visited the main one.

*Important: while the Christmas market in Munich closed at 4 p.m. on December 24, the one at Domplatz stayed open until about 6 p.m. on December 26.

Nearby, you can go ice skating at Mozartplatz! Even if it’s Christmas. Matt indulged my winter fairytale dreams, so we went skating for about €9 each (including skate rental). The rink was small but not overcrowded, so we didn’t have to wait. If you wait until after 9 p.m., you can get the “last minute discount,” and get €2 off.

Other Things to Do in Salzburg

Here are some things you can do in Salzburg at any time of year!

The Hagenauer Haus is one of the most-visited museums in all of Austria. It’s the birthplace of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. (Did you notice “Mozartplatz” in the last section?) Salzburg is understandably very proud of their connection to Mozart, and it manifests in a particularly strange way: Mozartkugels! These are marzipan-covered chocolates, wrapped in a bright foil bearing the image of the famed composer. Each brand has its own distinct wrapping. I recommend this informative Wikipedia article on the subject.

Our Airbnb hosts suggested that we visit the Mirabell Palace and Gardens. We only stopped by the outside — have I mentioned it was raining most of the time we were there? — but it’s another top sight to see in Salzburg… although the gardens admittedly might be better in the spring or summer.

Even if it’s Christmas, you can visit Hohensalzburg — that fortress that I mentioned earlier. You can do this the easy way or the hard way. The easy way is by hopping on the funicular which takes you to the top of the hill; the hard way is by climbing up the hill yourself. The funicular line was long, so we walked. And it wasn’t as bad as I thought. Hohensalzburg is only open until 2 p.m. on Dec. 24, but it’s open normal hours the other days. The line to enter the fortress was pretty long as well, so we wandered around the nearby Mönchsberg recreation area. We got some pretty nice views of the city and surrounding areas, along with some peace and quiet from the hustle of the city.

And now, I have to tell you where to get the best, picture-perfect view of Salzburg. If you’re near the fortress, walk to the Museum der Moderne. If you haven’t climbed the hill yet, you can take the elevator up to the museum from the northwest part of the Old Town (search for MönchsbergAufzug). No matter when you go, the view is amazing. We were there around sunset, which was really beautiful – and a great way to end our time there.

Plan Your Christmas in Salzburg Trip

Book the Best Hotels in Salzburg: Salzburg Hotels

Things To Do in Salzburg: The Original Sound of Music Tour in Salzburg // Best of Mozart Concert and Dinner or VIP Dinner at Fortress Hohensalzburg // Hallstatt Half-Day Tour from Salzburg

 

Despite the rain, and despite the Christmas-related limitations, Salzburg was a cute place to spend the holidays. And the Christmas markets were some of the best I’ve visited in Europe! Next time I’m there, I’m hoping to see some snow. That would be my preferred precipitation. 🙂

Have you ever been to Salzburg? What were your favorite things there? Let me know in the comments!

-Cathy

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Originally Published on February 12, 2020.