On the morning of 24 December, lots of people come to us at Mirabellplatz to pick up one last present and have a Glühwein (hot mulled wine, spiced with cinnamon, cloves and orange) before heading home. At 3 pm our huts close, and Salzburg goes quiet. Here’s how you can spend Christmas Eve in Salzburg in 2026, with the Christmas market, Silent Night (“Stille Nacht! Heilige Nacht!”) in Oberndorf and Midnight Mass (Christmette) in the cathedral.
What is on in Salzburg on Christmas Eve? On 24 December 2026, our Christmas market at Mirabellplatz is open from 10 am to 3 pm. At 5 pm the Silent Night commemoration begins in Oberndorf, and at 11.30 pm Midnight Mass begins in Salzburg Cathedral. Most shops are allowed to stay open until 2 pm.
Our opening hours for the holidays are further down.
Christmas Eve in Salzburg: the day at a glance
| Time | What | Where |
|---|---|---|
| 10 am–3 pm | Christmas market | with us at Mirabellplatz |
| until 2 pm | Shops open (legal limit) | city |
| around midday | Christkindlanschießen (a gun salute from the fortress welcoming the Christ Child) | Hohensalzburg Fortress |
| 3 pm | Pontifical Vespers | Salzburg Cathedral |
| 5 pm | Silent Night commemoration | Silent Night Chapel, Oberndorf |
| 11 pm | Christmas carols before Midnight Mass | Salzburg Cathedral |
| 11.30 pm | Midnight Mass with Mozart’s Organ Solo Mass | Salzburg Cathedral |
All times are for Thursday 24 December 2026. Dates from other organisers are as of 28 October 2026.
Morning: the Christmas market at Mirabellplatz until 3 pm
On Christmas Eve we’re open from 10 am to 3 pm. That’s the time for last-minute shopping. In Advent you’ll find things like frankincense from the incense hut, warm fur slippers or Lebkuchen hearts (gingerbread hearts) with us. There are ideas in our article on gifts from the Christmas market. If you’d like to burn incense, you’ll find everything about the Rauhnächte (the “rough nights” between the winter solstice and Epiphany), which begin on 21 or 24 December depending on how you count them, in Rauhnächte 2026 in Salzburg.
On Christmas Day and St. Stephen’s Day (26 December) we’re open again from 11 am to 6 pm, and after that until New Year’s Eve. Which Christmas markets in Salzburg are still open on 24 December and afterwards is listed day by day in our article Salzburg Christmas markets after Christmas.
Opening hours & getting here
On 24 December we’re open from 10 am to 3 pm. You’ll find all opening hours up to New Year’s Eve and how to get here on our info page.
Midday in the Old Town: the Christkindlanschießen
Around midday, the Festungsprangerstutzenschützen, the fortress’s traditional gun club, greet the Christkind (Christ Child, who brings the presents in Austria) up at Hohensalzburg Fortress with salutes from their Prangerstutzen (ceremonial muskets). This is the Christkindlanschießen. So in Austria, the presents in the evening don’t come from Father Christmas. There’s more about this and other traditions in our overview of Christmas traditions in Austria.
Silent Night Chapel in Oberndorf on 24 December: celebration at 5 pm
In Oberndorf, “Silent Night” was heard for the first time on Christmas Eve 1818, in the St.-Nikola-Kirche (St. Nicholas Church). Today the Silent Night Chapel (Stille-Nacht-Kapelle) stands in its place. In front of it, the commemoration begins at 5 pm on 24 December 2026. According to stillenacht.info (as of 28 October 2026), the carol is sung in its original version for two singers, guitar and choir. The celebration has also been streamed live since 2002.
How to get there:
- From Salzburg to Oberndorf by train: the Salzburger Lokalbahn (local railway) runs from Salzburg Hauptbahnhof (main station) to Oberndorf in around 25 minutes. A new timetable applies from 13 December 2026, and in previous years there were special trains on Christmas Eve. So check your connection shortly before you travel.
- With a tour: according to its website, Panorama Tours runs a trip to Oberndorf every year on 24 December, with a walking tour and the carol in its original version in the Silent Night Chapel. It leaves Mirabellplatz at 3 pm and takes around four hours (as of 28 October 2026).
It gets very crowded around the little chapel in the evening. Allow plenty of time and dress warmly. From Mirabellplatz to the main station it’s a walk of around 10 to 15 minutes, so heading to the Lokalbahn fits in well after a morning with us. How to travel to Salzburg by train is in our article By train to the Salzburg Christmas market.
Joseph Mohr: how Silent Night is linked to the city of Salzburg
The words of “Silent Night” were written by Joseph Mohr, a Salzburg native. He was born in the city of Salzburg on 11 December 1792; according to the Stille Nacht Gesellschaft (Silent Night Society), the exact house he was born in isn’t known. He wrote the words in 1816 as an assistant priest in Mariapfarr in the Lungau. Two years later, as assistant priest in Oberndorf, he asked the teacher Franz Xaver Gruber to write a melody. On Christmas Eve 1818, the two of them sang the carol for the first time.
Midnight Mass in Salzburg Cathedral
According to Salzburg Tourism’s events calendar, Pontifical Vespers begin in Salzburg Cathedral at 3 pm on 24 December 2026. At 11 pm the Jugendkantorei youth choir sings Christmas carols before Midnight Mass, and at 11.30 pm the Christmas Eve mass begins, with Mozart’s Organ Solo Mass (Orgelsolomesse). Come early, as the cathedral fills up quickly on this night.
According to the organiser, there’s no Turmblasen (brass music played from the city’s towers) on Domplatz and Residenzplatz on Christmas Eve in 2026; the last one is the Junges Turmblasen (“young Turmblasen”) on Wednesday 23 December (as of 23 October 2026). There’s more in our article on Turmblasen and Advent music.
What’s open on Christmas Eve in Salzburg, and what isn’t
- Shops: 24 December isn’t a public holiday in Austria. Under the Opening Hours Act (Öffnungszeitengesetz), shops may stay open until 2 pm, shops selling sweets and flowers until 6 pm, and Christmas tree sellers until 8 pm. Many close earlier.
- Christmas market: with us at Mirabellplatz from 10 am to 3 pm.
- Buses and trolleybuses (Obus): in previous years they ran to a special timetable on Christmas Eve. The passenger information for 2026 hasn’t been published yet (as of 28 October 2026).
- Restaurants: many have a set festive menu in the evening or are closed. Book early.
Frequently asked questions
With us at Mirabellplatz, the Christmas market is open from 10 am to 3 pm. Shops may open until 2 pm, shops selling sweets and flowers until 6 pm. Churches hold services in the evening and at night, and many restaurants need a reservation.
On Thursday 24 December 2026 at 5 pm in front of the Silent Night Chapel, with a livestream according to stillenacht.info (as of 28 October 2026).
By Salzburger Lokalbahn from the main station in around 25 minutes, or with a tour, for example Panorama Tours from Mirabellplatz at 3 pm, according to the operator. A new timetable applies from 13 December 2026, so check your connection shortly before you travel.
On 24 December 2026 at 11.30 pm, with Christmas carols beforehand at 11 pm, according to Salzburg Tourism’s events calendar.
From 10 am to 3 pm. On 25 and 26 December we’re open from 11 am to 6 pm.
In the city of Salzburg, on 11 December 1792. According to the Stille Nacht Gesellschaft, the exact house he was born in isn’t known.
Sources
Retrieved on 28 October 2026: our page Opening hours and directions · Stille Nacht Gesellschaft (stillenacht.at), history of the carol and “Auf den Spuren von Joseph Mohr in der Stadt Salzburg” (On the trail of Joseph Mohr in the city of Salzburg) · stillenacht.info, commemoration on 24 December · Salzburg Tourism, events calendar “Heiliger Abend im Dom zu Salzburg” (Christmas Eve in Salzburg Cathedral) · Panorama Tours, tour “Silent Night – Holy Night” · Austrian Opening Hours Act 2003 (Öffnungszeitengesetz), § 6 · Salzburg24, Christkindlanschießen (24 December 2025) · SalzburgerLand Tourism, “Heiliger Abend in Salzburg” (Christmas Eve in Salzburg) · Wikivoyage, Oberndorf bei Salzburg