From the main station it’s a 10 to 15-minute walk to us at Mirabellplatz (Mirabell Square), and our huts open at 10 am. One day in Salzburg in December works well on foot: to us in the morning, through the Old Town at midday, up to the fortress in the afternoon and back past Mirabellplatz to your train in the evening. We at the Salzburg Christmas market at Mirabellplatz have put together this one-day itinerary with walking times and 2026 opening times.
What does one day in Salzburg in Advent look like? A day on foot through Salzburg’s Advent markets, from the main station to the fortress and back. From the main station via Mirabellplatz and the Old Town to the FestungsBahn funicular it’s around 2.5 kilometres, about 35 minutes of pure walking time. With the markets, the fortress and breaks, the route fills a whole day.
Our opening hours and how to get to our market are further down.
One day in Salzburg in December: the itinerary at a glance
| Stage | Walking time (approx.) | Open in 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Main station → Christmas market at Mirabellplatz | around 10 to 15 minutes | 19 Nov – 31 Dec 2026, Sun–Thu 10 am–8 pm, Fri/Sat 10 am–9 pm |
| Mirabellplatz → Marko-Feingold-Steg footbridge (formerly Makartsteg) | around 6 minutes | |
| Footbridge → Sternadvent (Getreidegasse/Griesgasse) | around 3 minutes | 19 Nov 2026 – 6 Jan 2027, Sun–Thu 11 am–7 pm, Fri/Sat 11 am–8.30 pm |
| Sternadvent → Christkindlmarkt – the Austrian name for a traditional Christmas market – on Domplatz and Residenzplatz | around 7 minutes | 19 Nov 2026 – 1 Jan 2027, Mon–Thu 10 am–8.30 pm, Fri 10 am–9 pm, Sat 9 am–9 pm, Sun 9 am–8.30 pm |
| Domplatz → FestungsBahn | around 2 to 3 minutes | November 9 am–5 pm, December 9 am–8.30 pm |
| FestungsBahn → Mirabellplatz (on the way back) | around 15 to 18 minutes |
The walking times were measured with a route planner, without breaks or inclines. The markets on Domplatz and Residenzplatz, in Getreidegasse and at the fortress are markets in their own right, and we’re happy to recommend them. Times can change, so check with the organisers again on the day.
The day hour by hour: from Mirabellplatz to the evening train
- 10 am, Mirabellplatz: from the main station it’s a walk of around 10 to 15 minutes to us. The morning leaves time for a look round the huts, for instance at the lanterns and candle holders from Gordon Buller or the ceramics from La Poterie de Taizé. Right next door are the Mirabell Gardens in winter.
- 11 am, Old Town: over the Marko-Feingold-Steg to the other side of the Salzach, then through Getreidegasse to the Sternadvent in the courtyard.
- 12 noon, Domplatz and Residenzplatz: lunch at the big Christkindlmarkt. What’s on there in 2026 is in our guide to the Salzburg Christkindlmarkt.
- 1.30 pm, fortress: take the FestungsBahn up while it’s still light. On the Advent weekends and on 7 and 8 December, the Advent market at Hohensalzburg Fortress is on up there.
- Around 4.15 pm: the sun sets. After that, ride back down and walk through the Old Town and back across the Salzach.
- 5.15 pm, Mirabellplatz: on many Advent evenings there’s Advent music in front of Schloss Mirabell (Mirabell Palace), usually on Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays, plus Tuesday 8 December. Afterwards there’s still something warm at the market, such as Bauernkrapfen (traditional fried dough pastries) from Christl-Alm, and the station is 10 to 15 minutes away.
For cold hands up at the fortress: Alexandra Wirnsberger has fur gloves and alpaca socks. All the dates for the Advent music are in our article on Turmblasen (brass music played from the city’s towers) and Advent music in Salzburg.
Opening hours & getting here
The start and finish of your Advent day: our Christmas market in front of Schloss Mirabell, around 10 to 15 minutes’ walk from the main station, is open daily from 19 November to 31 December 2026.
Weekend or weekday? When the fortress fits in
In 2026 the Advent market at the fortress is only open on 14 days: according to the organiser’s list of dates, on 27 to 29 November and on 4 to 8, 11 to 13 and 18 to 20 December, each day from 11 am to 7 pm. These are the Advent weekends from Friday to Sunday, plus Monday 7 and Tuesday 8 December.
- At the weekend: the whole itinerary works, including the Advent market at the fortress. On all four Advent weekends there’s Advent music in front of Schloss Mirabell on Saturdays and Sundays at 5.15 pm; the dates are on our programme page.
- On a weekday: the fortress and the FestungsBahn are open even without the Advent market; in December, according to the operator, the fortress is open from 9.30 am to 5 pm. On weekdays our Advent music plays on Wednesdays and on Tuesday 8 December, each time at 5.15 pm. Between Christmas and New Year, from 27 to 30 December, it plays every day, and earlier, at 3.30 pm.
8 December 2026: a public holiday in Austria
8 December (Immaculate Conception) is a public holiday in Austria; in 2026 it falls on a Tuesday. It isn’t a public holiday in Bavaria. On this day the whole itinerary works:
- Christmas market at Mirabellplatz: 10 am to 8 pm; at 5.15 pm the Posaunenquartett Bernegger plays in front of the palace.
- Christkindlmarkt on Domplatz and Residenzplatz: 9 am to 8.30 pm according to the organiser, so on the public holiday it opens as early as 9 am.
- Advent market at Hohensalzburg Fortress: 11 am to 7 pm.
- FestungsBahn: in December 9 am to 8.30 pm.
Many shops are allowed to open on 8 December, but not all of them do. We can’t predict how busy it will be.
Christmas programme
The end of your itinerary: on many Advent evenings there’s Advent music in front of Schloss Mirabell at 5.15 pm. All the 2026 dates at a glance.
Only half a day: Mirabellplatz and the Old Town
If you only have half a day, leave out the fortress. Walk from the main station to us at Mirabellplatz, across the Marko-Feingold-Steg into the Old Town, to the Sternadvent and the Christkindlmarkt on Domplatz and Residenzplatz, and back the same way. There and back, that’s around 4.5 kilometres and about an hour of pure walking time; the rest of the time is for the markets.
Practical: getting there, darkness and where to stay
- By train: tickets, routes and the walk from the station are in our article By train to the Salzburg Christmas market.
- Darkness: days are short when you spend one day in Salzburg in winter. In December the sun sets in Salzburg between 4.15 and 4.24 pm, and it’s dark by around 5 pm. So plan the fortress for the early afternoon.
- Free public transport: according to a decision by the City of Salzburg (as of 4 May 2026), buses and trains in the city’s core zone are free for everyone on 28 November and on 5, 12 and 19 December 2026.
- More than one day: where best to stay is in our article Where to stay in Salzburg for the Christmas markets. For the Hellbrunner Adventzauber, the Christmas market at Hellbrunn, it’s best to plan a separate half day.
You’ll find all the markets in the city compared in our overview of the Salzburg Christmas markets.
Frequently asked questions
For the Old Town, the big Christmas markets and the fortress, one day is enough if you walk and start early. The pure walking time from the main station to the FestungsBahn is around 35 minutes. For Hellbrunn or trips into the surrounding area, you’ll need more time.
From the main station it’s a walk of around 10 to 15 minutes to the Christmas market at Mirabellplatz. From there it’s another 10 minutes or so across the Marko-Feingold-Steg into the Old Town and to the Sternadvent, and around 7 more minutes to Domplatz.
According to the organiser’s list of dates, on 27 to 29 November and on 4 to 8, 11 to 13 and 18 to 20 December 2026, each day from 11 am to 7 pm. These are the Advent weekends from Friday to Sunday, plus 7 and 8 December.
The Christmas markets are open: the Christmas market at Mirabellplatz from 10 am to 8 pm with Advent music at 5.15 pm, the Christkindlmarkt on Domplatz and Residenzplatz from 9 am to 8.30 pm according to the organiser, and the Advent market at Hohensalzburg Fortress from 11 am to 7 pm. Many shops are allowed to open, but not all of them do.
In December the sun sets between 4.15 and 4.24 pm, and it’s dark by around 5 pm. That’s when the markets light up, and on many evenings there’s Advent music in front of Schloss Mirabell at 5.15 pm.
From the valley station of the FestungsBahn it’s a walk of around 15 to 18 minutes through the Old Town and across the Salzach to Mirabellplatz, and from there another 10 to 15 minutes to the main station. With breaks at the market, it’s safer to allow an hour.
Sources
All retrieved on 23 October 2026: Christmas market at Mirabellplatz: programme 2026 and info page · Hohensalzburg Fortress, “Opening hours” and “Advent market at the fortress” (list of dates) · Salzburg Tourism: FestungsBahn · Salzburg Tourism: Sternadvent with winter market · Organiser of the Salzburg Christkindlmarkt, “Opening hours” · City of Salzburg: free public transport on Advent Saturdays · Austrian Rest Periods Act (Arbeitsruhegesetz), § 13a · Bavarian Public Holidays Act (Feiertagsgesetz), Art. 1 · timeanddate.de: sun in Salzburg, December 2026 · Walking times: OpenStreetMap foot routing