Christmas Markets, From Vienna to Nuremberg
The markets open on the Thursday before the first Sunday of Advent and close around Christmas. For four weeks the old squares of Salzburg, Munich and Nuremberg become small wooden cities, lit from above, smelling of pine and roasted almonds.
The mistake is to treat them as a checklist. The markets are the evenings. The days are for the things only Advent makes possible: strudel at the Sacher, a horse sleigh above the snowline, a chapel where a carol was first sung.
Vienna first
Start at the Hotel Sacher, opposite the Opera, the only family-run grand hotel in the city. A private apple strudel workshop teaches you to stretch the dough until you can read a newspaper through it. In the afternoon, a private tour of the Spanish Riding School, where the Lipizzaner stallions have been stabled in the Stallburg for more than 450 years.
Salzburg, since 1491
Salzburg’s Christkindlmarkt on Cathedral Square traces its roots to the late 15th century, which makes it one of the oldest Advent markets anywhere. The old city is a World Heritage site, Mozart was born three streets away, and the fortress above it is the largest intact one in Central Europe. Four nights here is right.
From Salzburg we go out to the Gmundner ceramics house on Lake Traunsee, founded in 1492, where you paint your own piece and it follows you home. Then to Oberndorf, where Silent Night was first performed on Christmas Eve, 1818. And up to Filzmoos, where a horse sleigh takes about 45 minutes to climb to the Hochalm for lunch.
Munich and the north
Munich’s market on Marienplatz dates to the 14th century, 140 stalls under the New Town Hall. From here the day trips are the point: Nuremberg, where you spend the morning in a gingerbread bakery on the main market square and the afternoon at the Christkindlesmarkt, the little city of wood and cloth. Rothenburg ob der Tauber, walled and medieval, with a Christmas museum of decorations from 1870 to 1950.
Between them, a candle-making workshop in Munich and a winter beer tasting at the brewery in Aying, which brews a beer you can only drink in this season.
What to know
It is cold, and the markets are outdoors. Good boots, a proper coat, and a plan that puts you inside something warm every two hours. Markets are busiest on weekend evenings; we go on weekday afternoons as the lights come on. Hotels in Salzburg and Nuremberg book out for Advent by early autumn.
Good questions
When do the Christmas markets open?
Most open on the Thursday before the first Sunday of Advent, in late November, and run until December 23 or 24. Salzburg’s runs to December 26.
Which is the oldest Christmas market?
Salzburg’s market on Cathedral Square has roots in the late 15th century; Munich’s on Marienplatz dates to the 14th. Nuremberg’s Christkindlesmarkt is the most famous, and the one with the Christkind who opens it each year.
How cold is it?
Expect freezing evenings and snow in the mountains. Filzmoos usually has snow from early in the season, which is why the sleigh ride works in December.
A sample journey: Sparkling Lights
- Day 01Vienna. Private transfer to the Hotel Sacher, opposite the Opera.
- Day 02Private apple strudel workshop. A private tour of the Spanish Riding School and the Lipizzaner stables.
- Day 03Private transfer to Salzburg and the Hotel Sacher Salzburg on the river. The Christkindlmarkt on Cathedral Square with a guide as the lights come on.
- Day 04Salzburg on foot: Hohensalzburg fortress, Mozart’s birthplace, Mirabell.
- Day 05Gmundner ceramics on Lake Traunsee, your own piece painted. Oberndorf: the Silent Night chapel and museum, the market in the afternoon.
- Day 06Filzmoos: a horse sleigh to the Hochalm, lunch, a walk round the lake, the sleigh back down.
- Day 07To Munich via Aying: a private brewery tour and a tasting of the winter beer. The Charles Hotel by the old botanical garden.
- Day 08Munich’s Christkindlmarkt on Marienplatz with a guide, snacks and drinks included.
- Day 09Nuremberg: a gingerbread workshop on the main market, then the Christkindlesmarkt with a guide.
- Day 10A winter candle-making workshop in Munich. Afternoon free.
- Day 11Rothenburg ob der Tauber with a private guide, and the Christmas museum.
- Day 12Private transfer to Munich airport.
Twelve days, Vienna to Munich. A starting point; every trip is bespoke, designed for you.
