Where to stay in Salzburg for the Christmas markets? If you’d like one last Glühwein (hot mulled wine, spiced with cinnamon, cloves and orange) at the Salzburg Christmas market at Mirabellplatz in the evening and then walk to bed, stay close to the market: around Mirabellplatz, in the Old Town or by the main station (Hauptbahnhof). A little further out you’ll often sleep more quietly and ride into town by trolleybus (Obus) – and the ticket for that already comes with your overnight stay.
What is the Guest Mobility Ticket? The Guest Mobility Ticket is a public transport ticket for everyone staying overnight in the state of Salzburg (SalzburgerLand). You get it when you check in at your accommodation, and it’s valid on buses and trains in the state of Salzburg for the whole of your stay.
How to get from your accommodation to us, with trolleybus lines and opening hours, is further down.
Which area suits your Christmas market visit?
In short: the walks are shortest from the Old Town’s right bank around Mirabellplatz and from the area around the main station. In the heart of the Old Town you’re right by Domplatz, and from the outskirts you ride into town by trolleybus.
| Area | To the Christmas market at Mirabellplatz | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| The Old Town’s right bank (Mirabellplatz, Linzer Gasse) | on foot, right next door | evenings at the market, Sound of Music tours starting from Mirabellplatz |
| The Old Town’s left bank (Cathedral, Getreidegasse) | on foot across the Salzach | the Christkindlmarkt on Domplatz (Christkindlmarkt is the Austrian name for a traditional Christmas market), the fortress |
| Around the main station | a 10 to 15-minute walk, trolleybus 1, 2, 3, 5 and 6 | arriving by train, day trips |
| Outskirts and surrounding area | by trolleybus or bus | quieter stays, into town with the Guest Mobility Ticket |
We’re open from 19 November to 31 December 2026, Sunday to Thursday 10 am – 8 pm, Fridays and Saturdays until 9 pm. You’ll find all the times, including on public holidays, on our info page.
The Old Town’s right bank: around Mirabellplatz and Linzer Gasse
The Old Town’s right bank is the side of the Salzach where Schloss Mirabell (Mirabell Palace) stands. From here it’s just a few steps to our market, to the Mirabell Gardens and to the meeting point for the Sound of Music tours on Mirabellplatz. Trolleybus lines 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 stop right at Mirabellplatz.
A good place to meet at the market is the big Christmas tree in front of the palace. And on Linzer Gasse, Markus Germayer, who has a jewellery stall at our market, has his shop.
The Old Town’s left bank: around the Cathedral and Getreidegasse
Right in the Old Town, you stay between the Cathedral, the Residenz and Getreidegasse. From here you’re quickly at the Christkindlmarkt on Domplatz, and you cross one of the footbridges over the Salzach to reach us. By car, the Old Town is harder to reach in 2026: the Neutor tunnel has been closed to cars and buses since 14 September 2026, according to media reports probably until spring 2027.
You can compare all the markets in the city in our overview of the Salzburg Christmas markets.
Near the main train station: short walks for rail travellers
If you’re coming by train, you can stay right by the station. It’s a walk of around 10 to 15 minutes to us, or you can take trolleybus line 1, 2, 3, 5 or 6 to Mirabellplatz. What you need to know about tickets and getting here by rail is in our article By train to the Salzburg Christmas market.
Outskirts and surrounding area: into town with the Guest Mobility Ticket
If you stay on the edge of the city or in a village nearby, it’s often quieter, and you ride into town by bus or train. With the Guest Mobility Ticket, that’s already included in your overnight stay. Important: the ticket is only available for overnight stays in the state of Salzburg. If you sleep in Freilassing, Bad Reichenhall or Berchtesgaden on the Bavarian side of the border, you won’t get it.
Even without an overnight stay, buses and trains in the city’s core zone are free on the Advent Saturdays – 28 November and 5, 12 and 19 December 2026. There’s more on this in our guide to the Salzburg Christkindlmarkt.
The Guest Mobility Ticket: what it covers and how to get it
The Guest Mobility Ticket has been available since May 2025 to everyone staying overnight in the state of Salzburg. It’s financed through a mobility levy on each overnight stay, so you don’t buy it separately.
- What it covers: city and regional buses, S-Bahn trains, and regional and long-distance trains in the state of Salzburg – according to the ticket, “in the network area in accordance with the SVV tariff regulations” (SVV is the Salzburger Verkehrsverbund, the regional transport network).
- How long: for your entire stay, from the moment you arrive.
- How to get it: at check-in at your accommodation, or in advance via pre-check-in, in which case it’s already valid for your journey there. You get it as a PDF or for the wallet on your phone; you don’t need a separate app.
- When you board: scan the code on the ticket on the bus.
- Note: according to the Salzburger Verkehrsverbund, your accommodation’s guest card is not a travel ticket. Only the Guest Mobility Ticket with its code counts.
Whether the ticket is also valid on the FestungsBahn funicular, for journeys across the state border or on your day of departure isn’t stated clearly by the providers. Check beforehand in the Salzburg Verkehr app or ask at your accommodation.
Opening hours & getting here
Hop on the trolleybus with your Guest Mobility Ticket: lines 1 to 6 stop right at Mirabellplatz. Opening hours and directions at a glance.
Two nights in Salzburg: tips for international visitors
In winter, visitors from overseas and Asia stay an average of one to two nights in Salzburg: around two from the USA and the UK, around one and a half from Japan, Taiwan and China (City of Salzburg, winter season 2024/25). Two nights means two evenings: the Advent music in front of the palace usually starts at 5.15 pm, and all the dates are on our programme page.
- From Salzburg Airport, trolleybus 2 takes you to the main station and on to Mirabellplatz without changing.
- By train: tickets, routes and the walk from the main station are in our article By train to the Christmas market.
- Luggage: there are luggage lockers at the main station.
- Evenings at the market: for something hearty, such as hot Speckbrot (bread topped with Austrian bacon) and Kaspressknödel (fried cheese dumplings), head to the Rettenbacher family; there’s more in our article on food and drink at Mirabellplatz. To take home: tea and spices from the St. Wolfganger Kräuterhaus or incense with Swiss stone pine (Zirbe) from Alexandra Wirnsberger.
Christmas programme
Advent music in front of the palace, the lighting of the Christmas tree and St. Nicholas: all dates for 2026 for your evenings in Salzburg.
Frequently asked questions
The walks are shortest from the Old Town’s right bank around Mirabellplatz and from the main station, which is a 10 to 15-minute walk from Mirabellplatz. Right in the Old Town around the Cathedral, you’re right by Domplatz and cross the Salzach to reach us.
Trolleybus lines 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 stop at Mirabellplatz. From the main station it’s a walk of around 10 to 15 minutes. All the details on getting here are on our info page.
The Guest Mobility Ticket is a public transport ticket for overnight guests in the state of Salzburg. You get it at check-in, it’s valid on buses and trains in the state of Salzburg for the whole of your stay, and it’s already included in your overnight stay.
Yes. It’s valid on city and regional buses – including the trolleybus in the city of Salzburg – and on S-Bahn, regional and long-distance trains in the state of Salzburg.
No. You only get the Guest Mobility Ticket if you stay overnight in the state of Salzburg. If you sleep in Freilassing, Bad Reichenhall or Berchtesgaden, you won’t get it.
No. According to the Salzburger Verkehrsverbund, the guest card is not a travel ticket. To ride, you need the Guest Mobility Ticket with its code, which you get at check-in.
Sources
All details retrieved on 23 October 2026: Guest Mobility Ticket · SalzburgerLand Tourism, press information Guest Mobility Ticket 2026 · Salzburg Tourism: Guest Mobility Ticket · Salzburger Verkehrsverbund, User Manual Guest Mobility Ticket (2025) · City of Salzburg, tourism statistics winter season 2024/25 · City of Salzburg: special network map for the Neutor closure · Salzburg24, full closure of the Neutor