The Salzburg Christkindlmarkt, with the cathedral as a backdrop.

The Salzburg Christkindlmarkt is set up in the heart of the old town, next to the cathedral, on the Domplatz and the Residenzplatz. It is a market with choirs, trumpets from the tower and nativity scenes, closer to tradition than to a funfair.

Dates and hours

In 2026 it opens on Thursday 19 November and closes on Friday 1 January 2027. The usual hours are Monday to Thursday from 10:00 to 20:30, Friday from 10:00 to 21:00, Saturday from 9:00 to 21:00 and Sundays and public holidays from 9:00 to 20:30. Some days have their own hours: 8 December from 9:00 to 20:30, 24 December from 9:00 to 15:00, 25 and 26 from 11:00 to 18:00, 27 to 30 from 10:00 to 20:30, 31 with the sales stalls open until at least 18:00 and the food and drink ones until 1:00, and 1 January from 11:00 to 18:00.

What you see

There are choir performances, singing open to the public, the sound of trumpets from the tower, appearances of the Christkind and an exhibition of nativity scenes in the Residenzhof. The traditional dates of 2026: the Krampuslauf, on 5 December at 18:30; the Nikolo with the Kinderkrampus, on 6 December at 15:30, and the Perchtenlauf, on 21 December at 13:00.

How to organise it

The old town is explored on foot. Combine the market with the Getreidegasse, Mozart's birthplace and the Hohensalzburg fortress, which can be seen lit up from the square.

Getting there and when to go

The Domplatz is in the centre of the old town, at the foot of the Mönchsberg, and you reach it on foot from the central station in about 25 minutes or by city bus. If you come by car, leave it in a car park on the outskirts and walk in, because the centre is a pedestrian zone. The market can be seen comfortably in an hour and a half, and combines with the climb to the fortress or an afternoon of museums if the weather is bad.