In December the sun doesn’t rise over the Mirabell Gardens until around a quarter to eight, and the gardens lie quiet in the morning light. Later, at the front by Schloss Mirabell (Mirabell Palace), the stalls of our Christmas market open. Here’s what to expect in Mirabell Gardens in winter – what’s open and what isn’t.
What are the Mirabell Gardens? The Mirabell Gardens (Mirabellgarten) are the Baroque gardens of Schloss Mirabell, on the right bank of Salzburg’s Old Town. They have been open to the public since 1854, and entry is free. They’re world-famous as the filming location of “Do-Re-Mi” from the film “The Sound of Music”.
The gardens are right next to our Christmas market at Mirabellplatz (Mirabell Square). You’ll find out when the stalls are open further down.
Mirabell Gardens in winter: are they open?
Yes. According to the City of Salzburg, the Mirabell Gardens are open daily from 7 am to 10 pm from October to April, and freely accessible during the day all year round. In winter some areas are closed off; the barriers are removed again in spring. Salzburg Tourism gives different times: “approx. 6 am until nightfall”. The opening hours posted at the entrance are the ones to rely on.
Entrance fee: there’s no entrance fee for the Mirabell Gardens, not even in winter.
Our Christmas market in front of the palace is open from 19 November to 31 December 2026, usually from 10 am. You’ll find all the times on our info page.
What’s closed in the Mirabell Gardens in Advent?
As of October 2026 (Salzburg Tourism and City of Salzburg):
- Zwergerlgarten (Dwarf Garden): closed in the winter months
- Heckentheater (Hedge Theatre): closed in the winter months
- Orangery Garden: closed until December 2026 for redesign
The Orangery itself is open all year round from 9 am to 4 pm. The Rose Garden is being renovated in 2026; the city and Salzburg Tourism don’t say whether this will lead to closures in Advent.
You’ll see on site exactly which paths are closed off in Advent 2026.
Where are the Do-Re-Mi steps?
The Do-Re-Mi steps are the steps up to the Rose Hill in the Mirabell Gardens. This is where Maria and the children sing the finale of “Do-Re-Mi” in the film, after dancing around the Pegasus Fountain. Both are in the gardens right next to Schloss Mirabell.
In winter the gardens look different from the film: there are no flowers, but you can see the shapes of the Baroque garden all the more clearly. Which other filming locations you can reach in winter is covered in our article on The Sound of Music in Salzburg in winter.
Pegasus Fountain: history and winter
The winged horse on the Pegasus Fountain was created in 1661 by the sculptor Caspar Gras, commissioned by Archbishop Guidobald von Thun. The fountain has stood in the Mirabell Gardens since 1913. The city and Salzburg Tourism don’t say whether it has water in winter, but you’ll see the figure either way.
When is the best light for photos in December?
In December the sun rises in Salzburg between 7.35 and 7.56 am and sets between 4.15 and 4.24 pm. For the gardens, that means:
- Early morning: soft light. Panorama Tours’ Original Sound of Music Tour leaves Mirabellplatz at 9.15 am and 2 pm – if you want to see the gardens before the first tour, come a little earlier.
- Midday: the sun is low in December, so the light stays soft even at midday.
- Late afternoon: the sun sets at around 4.15 pm. At the front by the palace, the Christmas tree of our Christmas market is lit up by then.
From Mirabell Gardens to the Christmas market
From the gardens it’s just a few steps to our stalls in front of the palace. When it gets dark, brass players perform in front of the palace at 5.15 pm on many Advent evenings; all dates are on our programme page.
After a chilly walk round the gardens, a bag of freshly roasted (candied) almonds from Ludwig Glier will warm you up – at his stall “everything is made fresh in the stall”. For something heartier, the Rettenbacher family has hot Speckbrot (bread topped with Austrian bacon) and Kaspressknödel (fried cheese dumplings). And if your fingers are cold: Alexandra Wirnsberger has fur slippers, alpaca socks and, new this year, alpaca gloves and hats. Her tip: the heart-shaped felt hot-water bottles.
You’ll find all the markets in the city in our overview of the Salzburg Christmas markets.
Opening hours & getting here
From the Pegasus Fountain it’s just a few steps to our stalls. Opening hours and directions at a glance.
Practical: wheelchair access, toilets and getting there
- Wheelchair accessible: according to Salzburg Tourism, the gardens and the palace are wheelchair accessible.
- Toilets: in the gardens there’s the public toilet “Vogelhaus” – wheelchair accessible with a Euro-Key (the European key for accessible toilets), for a fee.
- Getting there: from the main station it’s a 10 to 15-minute walk, and trolleybus (Obus) lines 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 stop at Mirabellplatz. More on getting there and parking on our info page.
- For visitors from further away: inside the palace, the Baroque Angel Staircase (Engelsstiege, a staircase decorated with putti) is open during the day from Monday to Saturday according to Salzburg Tourism, but not on Sundays and public holidays. The Landestheater performs the musical “The Sound of Music” from 18 December 2026 – more in our Sound of Music article.
Christmas programme
The gardens at dusk, then brass music in front of the palace: all Advent music dates for 2026.
Frequently asked questions
Yes. According to the City of Salzburg, Mirabell Gardens is open daily from 7 am to 10 pm from October to April. Some areas, such as the Zwergerlgarten and the Heckentheater, are closed in winter.
No. Mirabell Gardens is freely accessible all year round, so you don’t need a ticket.
The Do-Re-Mi steps are the steps up to the Rose Hill in the Mirabell Gardens, right next to Schloss Mirabell. This is where Maria and the children sing the finale of “Do-Re-Mi” in the film “The Sound of Music”.
In the winter months the Zwergerlgarten and the Heckentheater are closed. The Orangery Garden is closed until December 2026 for redesign (as of October 2026).
Yes – according to Salzburg Tourism, the gardens and the palace are wheelchair accessible. The public toilet “Vogelhaus” in the gardens is wheelchair accessible and can be used with a Euro-Key.
Just a few steps: the Christmas market at Mirabellplatz stands right in front of Schloss Mirabell, and the gardens are next door. You’ll find our opening times on the info page.
Sources
Retrieved on 23 October 2026: City of Salzburg: Mirabellgarten · Salzburg Tourism: Schloss Mirabell & Mirabellgarten (as of 10/2026) · Salzburg Tourism: Vogelhaus public toilets · Sunrise and sunset times December 2026: timeanddate.de