Salzburg in winter is just magic. After a full year, with a bright spring, a vibrant summer and a colourful autumn, the year settles down for its hibernation. The weather is all over the place - cosy, rainy days mixed with heavy snow blanketing the city and those delightful winter sunshine days when the sky is a piercing blue.
Austrians take Christmas very seriously and the entire country seems to turn into a winter wonderland, with Christkindlmarkts in every possible city. Twinkle lights light up the dark evenings, with the sun setting before 4pm. Ice skates and skis are brushed off ready for a season of outdoor sports in the mountains. Punsch flows merrily and, if you can time it right, Krampus runs abound.
I love winter in Austria and the dreamlike magic that comes with it. It is a true European Christmas delight and I am here to share everything that this little mountain city has to offer in the coldest season of the year.
So, if you're visiting Salzburg in the winter months or you're a local and you're on the hunt for new ideas, I hope you enjoy this curated list of everything I've done in Salzburg in the winter:
1. Hike the Kapuzinerberg
In the heart of the city, the Kapuzinerberg offers panoramic views across Salzburg. With its relatively low elevation gain, you can hike the Kapuzinerberg year-round, but something about trekking up it in the brisk winter air with snow crunching beneath your feet is just a delight. If you don't want to hike the full thing, I highly recommend at least checking out this terrace just off the Linzer Gasse, if you walk a little bit up the Stefan-Zweig-Weg.
2. Check out all the best viewpoints in Salzburg
Being a mountain city, Salzburg seems to be in abundance of beautiful viewpoints from the many bergs across the city in all different directions. I've put together a complete guide with all my favourite viewpoints in Salzburg that I love and visit often.
3. Go ice skating on the Leopoldskroner Weiher
The Leopoldskroner Weiher freezes in winter and is a popular ice skating spot. There aren't any lifeguards so you do skate here at your own risk but there are usually loads of people of all ages enjoying the ice so if you stick to where the groups of people are safely skating, you should be good!
On one end of the lake, you can also see the Schloss Leopold, now a hotel but also famously used as the filming location for the scene in the Sound of Music where the Von Trapp children and Maria row in a wooden boat on the lake and fall in, as well as as the back of the Von Trapp family home.
→ Check out my guide to all the best lakes to visit near Salzburg!
4. Enjoy the Salzburg Christkindlmarkt
With the original Christmas market here in Salzburg dating back to the 15th century, the Christkindlmarkt in the Residenzplatz is one of the oldest in the entire world. The gorgeously decorated market stands are some of the best I've ever seen, overflowing with yummy treats and beautiful gifts.
5. Go for a walk in the snow-covered Schlosspark Hellbrunn
You can reach Hellbrunn on foot, by bike, by car or by public transport. The park is free to visit. Right at the entrance to the park you'll spot the pavilion from Sound of Music where they filmed "16 going on 17". Then you can meander your way through the idyllic park, and walk up the hill in the centre with sweeping views of the park, the city and the mountains surrounding us. It's especially beautiful under a blanket of snow, if you can time it right.
6. Then visit the Hellbrunn Adventzauber
Stay into the evening at Schloss Hellbrunn and visit the lovely little Hellbrunn Adventzauber market. The big draw for this market, just outside Salzburg old town, is the giant advent calendar they put onto the windows of the Schloss.
7. Go for a winter hike up the Gaisberg
The Gaisberg is Salzburg's most well-known local mountain. Pop on your hiking boots and trek your way up to the Gaisberg-Spitze with incredible views across the mountains and looking down over the entire city of Salzburg spread out below.
→ Check out my detailed guide to hiking the Gaisberg in winter!
8. Wander through the tiny Mirabellplatz Market
This tiny little market takes up just one small street in the heart of Salzburg offering visitors a cozy atmosphere with warm drinks, yummy food and lovingly made homemade gifts.
9. Attend a Mozart Concert in the Mirabell Palace
Given that Salzburg is the birthplace of Mozart, you absolutely should attend a live concert of Mozart's music in the beautiful baroque marble hall of the Mirabell Palace. Once of the most famous music halls in the world, the Mozart family once played music here for the Salzburg archbishops. It's the perfect cold winter evening activity.
10. Spend a day skiing!
One of my all-time favourite things to do is grab my skis and head out on the slopes of one of the many, many ski resorts near Salzburg. We are surrounded by so many amazing ski hills here, many of them accessible in an hour or two by train, making a day of skiing the perfect winter activity.
11. Take a day trip out to Hallstatt
Hallstatt is Austria's truly quintessential fairytale town. The moment you arrive, you feel as though you've stepped into a picture-perfect postcard, where idyllic streets, quaint houses and absolutely breathtaking landscapes make you feel as though there's a touch of magic around every corner. I visited Hallstatt on a very wintery day - it snowed heavily as the train chugged in from Salzburg and the visibility on the ferry crossing the lake was very limited, so when the skies parted in the early afternoon showing off the magnificent mountain surrounds blanketed in fresh white snow, it was surreal.
→ Check out all my complete guide to visiting Hallstatt in winter!
12. Attend the annual Ballet Gala
Every February, the Salzburg Landestheater puts on an International Ballet Gala, inviting guest artists from companies all across the globe to perform select works. The Salzburg Landestheater is one of the most beautiful performing arts venues in the country and this once-per-year annual event is not to be missed!
→ Buy tickets to the Salzburg International Ballet Gala here.
13. Go for a winter walk or run along the Salzach
I love going for walks and runs along the Salzach, the big river in Salzburg that bisects the two sides of the city. Along it, you'll find plenty of benches for sitting, surreal views looking up at the Festung Hohensplatz rising over the city, weekend markets and little cafes to stop for a hot drink.
14. Go ice skating on the Eiszauber at the Red Bull Arena in the Volksgarten
This magical ice rink is open to the public. The Eiszauber opens every winter and follows a winding track through the Volksgarten. You can also access the normal ice skating rink at the Red Bull Arena, just as you would at any public skate. Open late, this one is extra special when all the twinkly lights are on in the cold, dark evenings.
→ Check out opening times and admission prices for the Volksgarten Eiszauber.
15. Go sledding on the Monchsberg
If there is snow on the Monchsberg, it is the perfect spot to grab your sled and find a hill to slide down! I did this one winter with my friend Sonja and I seriously felt like a little kid again, zipping down the hill covered in snow, the cold wind whipping through my hair. Remember to grab a hot chocolate afterwards to warm up.
→ Check out my favourite cafes in Salzburg for a post-sledding hot chocolate!
16. Visit the Wolfgangseer Advent
Wolfgangsee is my favourite lake near Salzburg no matter what time of year, and Christmas is no exception. The adorable little lakeside village of St. Gilgen comes alive with twinkling lights and an absolutely idyllic Christkindlmarkt complete with live music, hot punsch, freshly-made kaiserschmarrn (shredded pancakes) and germknödel (big, fluffy, yeast dumplings with vanilla sauce) and beautiful crafts and gifts for sale.
→ Check out my complete guide to all my favourite lakes to visit near Salzburg!
17. Visit the spot where "Stille Nacht" / "Silent Night" was first performed
The most recorded song in the entire world, "Silent Night", originally written in German as "Stille Nacht", was written about half an hour away from Salzburg in the small town of Oberndorf on the border with Germany. It was written by Joseph Mohr and Franz Xaver Gruber in 1818 and performed for the first time on Christmas Eve in the Church of St. Nikola. Unfortunately, in 1906 due to extensive damages, the original church no longer exists but a memorial chapel stands on the site as well as a museum where you can learn more about the history of one of the most famous Christmas songs in the world. According to Wikipedia, it has been translated and sung in more than 320 languages and dialects and is recognised as a UNESCO cultural heritage.
To be completely transparent, we were a little disappointed by the Stille Nacht Kapelle, considering that the original church doesn't exist, the new one doesn't look anything like the original and the museum charges an entry fee... so it all felt commercialized instead of authentic. Still, a fun stop while in Salzburg.
18. Spend a snowy day at the Das Edelweiss Day Spa
When it's cold and snowy, the ultimate cozy winter activity is to book in for a day at a mountain day spa. Escape to the Austrian Alps with picture perfect snowy views over an idyllic mountain village while you spend a full day pampering yourself in different pools, saunas, steam rooms and relaxation spots around the award-winning and seriously dreamy Das Edelweiss Resort.
→ Check out my complete guide to visiting Das Edelweiss Day Spa!
19. Watch the New Year's fireworks over the Festung Hohensalzburg
Every New Year's Eve at midnight, the City of Salzburg puts on a wonderful fireworks display over the fortress high above the city of Salzburg. You'll find thousands of locals lining the Salzach River, all bundled up, ready to count down and welcome in the new year in style!
20. Take a wintery roadtrip through Austria
Grab a car (your own or a rental) and head out of the city into the beautiful mountains of Styria and Upper Austria for a gorgeous roadtrip. I can definitely recommend driving east and visiting Stift Admont and the surreal winter wonderland landscapes around it.
→ Check out my detailed guide to taking a winter roadtrip to Stift Admont!
21. Have a cozy traditional Austrian meal
I shared outdoor dining options in my spring and summer Salzburg guides, but with the cold weather upon us, it's time for cozy dinners indoors shared with friends. Salzburg, being such a popular tourist destination, has so many incredible restaurants to choose from feautring authentic local Austrian cuisine.
Zwettler's Wirsthaus
Johann
Pauli Stubm
Zum Zirkelwirt
CHECK OUT MY OTHER SALZBURG GUIDES!
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Hi! I’m Jana, a Dutch-German-British-Canadian with a dream of seeing every country in the world. I am a storyteller, photographer and adventurer passionate about documenting and sharing my travels.
