Salzburg Christmas Market: Krampus, Prices and Tips

We went to the Salzburg Christmas markets two seasons running, in December 2024 and December 2025. The first time mainly for the Krampus runs, the second for the punch we remembered from our first trip. This article combines both visits, including what changed between them and what didn’t work out.

Salzburg is an easy drive from Czechia and the markets are worth a weekend. Below you’ll find when they’re open, where to stand for the Krampus parade, how much parking costs and where we slept.

When are the Salzburg Christmas markets open

The Salzburger Christkindlmarkt takes place on Dom- and Residenzplatz and spills over onto part of Kapitelplatz. In the 2026 season it runs from 19 November to 1 January 2027. Entry is free.

• Monday to Thursday 10:00 to 20:30
• Friday 10:00 to 21:00
• Saturday 09:00 to 21:00
• Sunday and public holidays 09:00 to 20:30

Special opening hours apply on 7 and 8 December, from 24 to 26 December, and from 31 December to 1 January. It’s worth checking the dates on the market’s official website, since they shift from year to year.

We expected the market to be quieter on a weekday. It wasn’t. We went on a Thursday and on a Saturday and couldn’t tell the difference – it was packed both times. The only thing you save on a weekday is the traffic on the drive there and back.

How much the punch and the mug cost

The punch cost us 3.50 euros. On top of that you pay a 5 euro deposit for the mug, which you get back when you return it. You can also keep the mug – it’s the cheapest souvenir you’ll bring back from Salzburg, and each square has its own design printed on it.

There isn’t just one market in Salzburg

This is something most articles don’t tell you: the main Christkindlmarkt on Dom- and Residenzplatz is the biggest, but it’s far from the only one. We’ve been to the main one and to the one at the fortress. We haven’t made it to Hellbrunn or Mirabellplatz yet, so we only write what’s confirmed about them, with no first-hand experience of our own.

Mirabellplatz

A smaller market by the Mirabell Gardens, a short walk across the river from the centre. It runs from 19 November to 31 December, Sunday to Thursday 10:00 to 20:00, Friday and Saturday 10:00 to 21:00.

Hellbrunner Adventzauber

A market on the grounds of Hellbrunn Palace just outside town, and the only one of all five that charges admission – about 7 euros, which includes one hot drink. Children under 6 get in free. It’s aimed at families, with a children’s bakery, animals and a fairy-tale forest. If you’re travelling with kids, this is the market to ask about.

The market at Hohensalzburg Fortress

A small market in the fortress courtyard, open only on Friday, Saturday and Sunday and on 8 December, from 11:00 to 19:00. It’s more of a stop on a visit to the fortress than a destination in its own right, but the view beats all the other four.

Sternadvent

This one stays open the longest, until around 6 January. Handy if you’re travelling between the holidays, when the main market has already closed for the season or is running on reduced hours.

The Krampus parade: where to stand and what to expect

Krampus parades take place in Salzburg several times a season and the dates change every year. The main one tends to fall around 5 December, traditional Krampusnacht. Always check the exact date in the Salzburg Altstadt calendar – we’re deliberately not pinning one down here.

The parade we saw started at 17:00 and lasted roughly an hour to an hour and a half. It depends how long the devils linger for photos with people, and for scaring them.

Salzburg’s parade is one of the family-friendly ones. The devils here don’t hit or aggressively frighten anyone, especially not small children. But the masks are genuinely elaborate and can startle even an adult. If you’re not sure, stand a little further back rather than in the front row.

Our spot: we always stand on Rathausplatz by the Kranzlmarkt, in front of the Rolex boutique. There’s plenty of room to move there, and the crowd isn’t as packed as in the narrow lanes around Getreidegasse. In our second season the heat got to Daniel – it was warmer than the year before and he’d overdressed – and it was exactly that bit of space that let him kneel down and catch his breath. In one of the lanes, that wouldn’t have been possible.

Christkindlmarkt: Residenzplatz and Domplatz

Punch and mulled wine are poured into ceramic mugs on a deposit, each one printed with one of the two squares. Walk through both and you’ll take home two different mugs.

In the 2024 season, one of the stalls here served a house punch with noticeably less sugar, and it was excellent. We came back a second time partly because of it, and in 2025 nobody was serving it any more. The stalls looked exactly the same, and even the layout hadn’t changed – only the offer had. Take that as a warning that you can’t rely on a specific stall from one year to the next.

The markets run on cash

Stalls here don’t take cards, cash only. There are cash machines around the corner, but they offer a poor exchange rate, so it’s better to bring euros from home. If you do end up withdrawing money, always decline the conversion the machine offers you – press DECLINE CONVERSION, or “withdraw without conversion”. Your own bank then sets the rate, and that one is fairer.

Mulled wine is cheaper in a pub, but not by much

At stalls further from Residenzplatz, around Linzer Gasse for instance, and in smaller pubs, you get mulled wine cheaper. The difference is about one euro. It’s not worth crossing town for that saving, but if you’re walking past anyway, you’ll notice it.

Cheap food at the markets and around them

The markets themselves aren’t cheap, but a few steps away you can eat for a fraction of the price. Local bakeries, Bäckerei Rieder for one, sell a fresh Butterbrezel and strong coffee for a couple of euros. A Würstelstand is Austrian fast food, and a proper Bratwurst or Currywurst with mustard and bread will fill you up. And if you really want to save, shop at Billa or Spar and put together a picnic by the river or in the Mirabell Gardens.

Where we ate

Zwettler’s Wirtshaus

Kaigasse 3, 5020 Salzburg, zwettlers.com. A restaurant we fell in love with. They’re known for their local schnitzel, and both veal and pork are on the menu. We tried both, and the veal is on a different level: a crispy crust, with excellent potatoes and cranberries on the side. If you can only choose once, go for the veal.

Bärenwirt

Müllner Hauptstraße 8. One of the best-known traditional Austrian restaurants, rustic and popular with locals and tourists alike. Wiener Schnitzel, Schweinsbraten, Kasnocken and apple strudel.

Pauli Stubm

Below Hohensalzburg Fortress, away from the main tourist flow. A homely atmosphere and honest portions: Pinzgauer Kasnocken, Salzburger Nockerl, beef roulade.

How to get to the markets without a car

If you’re not driving, you’ll arrive at the main station, Salzburg Hauptbahnhof. From there it’s a short walk, or a few stops on a city bus, to the centre and to Dom- and Residenzplatz, so you don’t need a car for the markets themselves. Driving pays off mainly for the surrounding area, and because Salzburg is such an easy drive from Czechia.

Parking: book a hotel with parking

This is the most practical tip in the whole article. Street parking in Salzburg is paid, but the machines didn’t work for us. We never worked out whether you were supposed to pay by app at that moment, or whether it just happened to be a free day. In the end it didn’t matter, because we had parking at our hotel, and that’s exactly what we’d recommend to everyone.

At the hotel JUFA parking cost 1.50 euros per hour, with a daily maximum of 14.90 euros. The fine for parking without paying is posted at 42 euros.

If you’re only there for a day, or your hotel doesn’t have parking, the closest to the centre are CONTIPARK Tiefgarage Altstadtgarage and Park Garage Linzer Gasse.

Where we slept

In our first season we stayed at arte Hotel Salzburg, and in the second at JUFA Hotel Salzburg. JUFA has a good location, a large car park, and above all we could register our car in advance, so they had a space ready and waiting for us. We also got a good rate for the December season.

If you want to stay right in the old town with parking sorted in an underground garage, the best located of the three is Altstadt Hotel Hofwirt Salzburg. We didn’t stay there ourselves, but from that address the markets are a few minutes’ walk away.

Red Bull Hangar-7

We were surprised that entry is free. We visited twice and both times it was calm inside, even though it’s one of the city’s main attractions. It feels modern and clean.

Inside is a collection of racing cars, aircraft and helicopters. There’s a bar, and above it a raised panoramic bar with a view over the whole space. It was closed on our visit, so we didn’t get up there, but you can see it from below. Drinks cost around 5 to 10 euros.

A direct bus runs there from the centre and the journey takes about 10 minutes.

What else to fit in in Salzburg

Hohensalzburg Fortress

The fortress watches over the town from its hill and is Salzburg’s most iconic sight. You can get up by funicular or on foot, and the courtyard usually has a small Christmas market with mulled wine and sausages. A ticket inside costs around 12 euros, and you can buy it in advance too, which saves you the queue.

Salzburg Cathedral

A few steps from the main square. A baroque interior, marble columns, frescoes and an enormous organ. You can climb the tower too.

Mönchsberg

The best view over the city. Free on foot, or take the lift. From the top you get the city panorama, the fortress and the Alps.

Mozart’s Birthplace

Getreidegasse. Free from the outside, and street musicians often play here.

Mirabell Gardens

Baroque gardens with fountains and a view of the fortress, known from The Sound of Music. Free entry.

St Peter’s Cemetery and the catacombs

One of the oldest cemeteries in the world, full of flowers and arcades. The cemetery itself is free to enter; the catacombs cut into the rock cost a few euros.

A walk along the Salzach

Along the riverbank with a view of the fortress, over the Makartsteg, the bridge hung with padlocks. You can also take a boat along the Salzach, on a route that runs the length of Salzburg. Tickets for a Salzach river cruise can be bought in advance.

Nonnberg Convent

The oldest continuously operating women’s convent in the German-speaking world, also from The Sound of Music. The church and cemetery are free to visit, and it’s a peaceful spot.

Kollegienkirche and Haus der Natur

The university church is a hidden baroque gem and tends to be far emptier than the cathedral. Haus der Natur is an interactive museum that entertains even people who don’t usually like museums.

Stiegl-Brauwelt

The brewery museum charges admission, but their own shop sells fresh Stiegl cheaper than anywhere else.

Public toilets

A small practical thing that’s easy to forget. Closest to the markets are the toilets by the Mozart Museum and the toilets by the river.

Christmas markets elsewhere

If you’re planning Advent weekends elsewhere too, we’ve put together a guide to the Prague Christmas markets. And if you’re driving through Austria, it’s worth having what to see in Vienna and Vienna on a budget.