When the lights come on on the Christmas tree at Mirabellplatz or St. Nicholas hands out sweets, the kids are right at the front. But Salzburg in December with kids means more than one Christmas market: there’s a Kinderweihnachtswelt (children’s Christmas world), ice rinks and museums for cold days, most of them within walking distance of us. Here’s what’s waiting for you and your children at the Salzburg Christmas market at Mirabellplatz and around the city, with the 2026 dates for kids.
Which Salzburg Christmas market is good for kids? At our market at Mirabellplatz there’s the tree-lighting on 25 November 2026, St. Nicholas and Krampus – a horned, fur-clad figure from Alpine folklore who accompanies St. Nicholas – on 2 December 2026, Kinderpunsch (alcohol-free punch for children) and sweets. According to the organiser, the Kinderweihnachtswelt at the Hellbrunner Adventzauber, the Advent market at Hellbrunn Palace, offers its own children’s programme with a Christmas train and a petting zoo.
All our dates are further down.
Salzburg Christmas market for kids: what’s waiting at Mirabellplatz
Our market is small and level, and you can get between the huts easily with a pushchair (stroller). Two evenings are something special for children:
- Tree-lighting: on Wednesday 25 November 2026 at 6 pm, the lights on the Christmas tree come on.
- St. Nicholas and Krampus: on Wednesday 2 December 2026 at 6 pm, St. Nicholas and Krampus from the Altgnigler Krampus- und Perchtenpass come and hand out sweets to the children. Before that, at 5.15 pm, the Weisenbläser – wind players performing traditional Alpine melodies – of Postmusik Salzburg play.
To warm up, there’s Kinderpunsch at the Christl-Alm and at Alexander Reisinger’s. Markus Dimmer has candyfloss, popcorn and Maroni (roasted chestnuts), Ludwig Glier has chocolate-dipped fruit and roasted (candied) almonds, and Susanne Meixner has Lebkuchen hearts (gingerbread hearts). We don’t have a carousel or a separate children’s area at Mirabellplatz, but the Toy Museum, the Haus der Natur, the Marionette Theatre and the ice rink on Mozartplatz are all within walking distance. What an evening with Krampus is like for younger children is in our article on Krampus in Salzburg.
Christmas programme
Tree-lighting on 25 November and St. Nicholas and Krampus on 2 December, both at 6 pm: all the dates at our market at Mirabellplatz are in the programme.
Kids’ dates in Salzburg in Advent 2026 at a glance
Dates of other organisers according to the organisers or Salzburg Tourism, as of 26 October 2026:
| When | What | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Wed 25 November, 6 pm | Tree-lighting | Mirabellplatz |
| Wed 2 December, 6 pm | St. Nicholas and Krampus | Mirabellplatz |
| Sun 6 December, 3.30 pm | St. Nicholas and Kinderkrampus (children’s Krampus) | Christkindlmarkt (the Austrian name for a traditional Christmas market) |
| Sun 29 November, 6, 13 and 20 December, 4 pm | The Christkind (Christ Child, who brings the presents in Austria) arrives | Christkindlmarkt on Domplatz |
| Wed 25 November, 2, 9, 16 and 23 December, 4 pm | Children’s reading by the Christmas tree | Christkindlmarkt, Residenzplatz |
| Sun 29 November, 6, 13 and 20 December, 11 am | Children’s tour “Dem Christkind auf der Spur” (“On the trail of the Christ Child”) | Hohensalzburg Fortress |
| from 20 November | Kinderweihnachtswelt | Hellbrunner Adventzauber |
Kinderweihnachtswelt, fortress, Christkindlmarkt: where there’s a children’s programme
- Hellbrunner Adventzauber: according to the organiser, from 20 November the Kinderweihnachtswelt has a Christmas train, a petting zoo, a Christmas post office, a face-painting corner and a fairy-tale treasure hunt. The Christmas train and the petting zoo are there Tuesday to Friday from 2 to 6 pm, and at weekends and on public holidays from 11 am to 6 pm. The market is closed on Mondays, except on 21 December. There’s more in our article on the Hellbrunner Adventzauber.
- Hohensalzburg Fortress: according to Salzburg Tourism, on the days the Advent market at the fortress is open there’s a supervised children’s programme with crafts, music and biscuit baking, plus, on four Sundays in Advent at 11 am, the children’s tour “Dem Christkind auf der Spur”, which costs extra and which you need to book no later than 48 hours in advance.
- Christkindlmarkt on Domplatz and Residenzplatz: according to the organiser, St. Nicholas and the Kinderkrampus come there on 6 December at 3.30 pm, the Christkind on the four Sundays in Advent at 4 pm, and on five Wednesdays from 25 November there’s a children’s reading at 4 pm.
When it’s cold: Toy Museum, Haus der Natur, Marionette Theatre
On cold or wet days, three places nearby help out, all around 6 to 12 minutes’ walk from Mirabellplatz according to OpenStreetMap routing:
- Salzburg Toy Museum (Spielzeug Museum): according to Salzburg Museum, open Tuesday to Sunday from 9 am to 5 pm, closed on 24 and 25 December. It’s designed for children up to the age of 10, with baby-changing tables on every floor. According to Salzburg Tourism, there’s free supervision there for children aged 5 to 10 at the Advent weekends, on Fridays from 2 to 6 pm and on Saturdays from 9.30 am to 6 pm.
- Haus der Natur (Museum of Natural History and Technology): according to the museum, open daily from 9 am to 5 pm, until 4 pm on 24 December, closed on 25 December.
- Salzburg Marionette Theatre: a few minutes’ walk away on Schwarzstraße. According to the theatre, the 2026/27 winter programme includes Hansel and Gretel, Snow White, Rumpelstiltskin and The Nutcracker.
Ice skating with kids: Mozartplatz and Volksgarten
According to Salzburg Tourism, the Eiszauber ice rink on Mozartplatz is open daily from 10 am to 10 pm from 12 November 2026 to 31 January 2027 (shorter hours on 24 and 31 December), with skates and helmets to hire. It’s around a quarter of an hour’s walk from us. In the Volksgarten, according to Salzburg24, another Eiszauber opens on 12 November 2026, with an outdoor skating circuit.
Practical tips with kids and toddlers: routes, toilets, darkness
- Getting around: our market is level and right by the Mirabellplatz trolleybus (Obus) stop. Everything about pushchairs and wheelchairs is in our article with a dog, pushchair or wheelchair.
- Toilets: in the Mirabell Gardens there’s the public toilet block “Vogelhaus”, step-free and with a charge.
- Darkness: in December it gets dark at around 5 pm, and that’s when the lights at the market look their best. With small children you can also come in the afternoon; we’re open from 10 am.
- Public transport: on the four Advent Saturdays, 28 November and 5, 12 and 19 December 2026, buses and trains in the core zone are to be free for everyone, according to a decision by the City of Salzburg.
Frequently asked questions
That depends on what your children are looking for. According to the organiser, the Kinderweihnachtswelt at the Hellbrunner Adventzauber has its own children’s programme with a Christmas train and a petting zoo. At our market at Mirabellplatz there’s the tree-lighting, St. Nicholas and Krampus, Kinderpunsch and sweets, on a small, level market.
On Wednesday 2 December 2026 at 6 pm. St. Nicholas and Krampus then hand out sweets to the children.
Yes, at the Christl-Alm and at Alexander Reisinger’s. What makes Kinderpunsch different from Glühwein (hot mulled wine, spiced with cinnamon, cloves and orange) and Punsch (hot punch) is in our article Glühwein or Punsch.
The Toy Museum (Tuesday to Sunday) and the Haus der Natur are open in December, and the Marionette Theatre’s winter programme includes fairy tales such as Snow White and The Nutcracker. All three are a short walk from Mirabellplatz.
Yes. According to Salzburg Tourism, the Eiszauber on Mozartplatz is open daily from 12 November 2026 to 31 January 2027, with skates to hire. There’s another ice rink in the Volksgarten.
Yes. The market is level, and the Mirabellplatz trolleybus stop is right next to it.
Sources
Retrieved on 26 October 2026: our programme, our info page and the exhibitor overview · organiser of the Hellbrunner Adventzauber (Kinderweihnachtswelt) · organiser of the Salzburg Christkindlmarkt (Krampus, St. Nicholas, children’s reading) · Salzburg Tourism (children’s programme at the fortress, Eiszauber on Mozartplatz) · Salzburg Museum: Toy Museum · Haus der Natur: opening times and prices · Salzburg Marionette Theatre: winter programme · Salzburg24 (Eiszauber Volksgarten, 30 September 2026) · City of Salzburg (free public transport on the Advent Saturdays) · walking times from OpenStreetMap routing