Where to Go in Austria: Vienna, Salzburg, Innsbruck & Tyrol

Auf geht’s! let’s go

Updated October 2026

Short answer: For a first trip, most families pick two or three of these five: Vienna for palaces and coffee houses, Salzburg for the old town and fortress, Innsbruck for an Alpine city with the mountains right behind it, the small towns of Tyrol, and Hallstatt and the Salzkammergut lakes. All of them except Hallstatt’s lakeside villages are on Austria’s main rail line.

I’m Brian, and we live in a small German village near the Austrian border. Here’s how I’d think about where to go. City guides for each place are on the way, so for now each section links to the guide we already have.

Vienna

Austria’s capital is the one for palaces, museums, coffee houses and music. In Advent it has six big Christmas markets, from the huge one in front of the City Hall to the palace market at Schönbrunn, and they’re close enough together that you can see two or three in an evening by U-Bahn and tram.

Best for: a city break of at least two or three days. In winter: Schönbrunn’s market opens first, on 6 November 2026, and stays open until 6 January 2027.

Salzburg

Mozart’s city has a compact old town under the Hohensalzburg fortress, and it’s the easiest Austrian city to reach from Munich: the Meridian regional train runs hourly to Salzburg Hbf, and the Bayern-Ticket covers the whole ride. The Christkindlmarkt around the cathedral runs from 19 November 2026 to 1 January 2027.

Best for: a day trip or a weekend, and a great first taste of Austria if you’re based in Bavaria.

Innsbruck

The capital of Tyrol is an Alpine city with a medieval old town and the Golden Roof, and the mountains start right at the edge of town. The Hungerburgbahn funicular starts near the old town and climbs to the Hungerburg, where there’s even a Christmas market with a view over the city.

Best for: one or two days, and a base for day trips to Hall, Seefeld and the ski areas.

Tyrol: Kufstein, Rattenberg, Kitzbühel, Hall and Seefeld

This is the part of Austria closest to us, and the small towns are the ones I’d point families to first. Kufstein sits on the Inn River with a huge fortress on the rock above it. Rattenberg is a tiny medieval glass-making town that lights its Advent with candles and torches. Kitzbühel has its Advent in the old town and park, Hall in Tirol has a beautiful old town just east of Innsbruck, and Seefeld sits up on a plateau above Innsbruck.

Best for: slower days, small markets, sledding and village life. Good to know: many of the small Advent markets only open on certain days, often Friday to Sunday, so check our hub before you go.

Hallstatt and the Salzkammergut

Hallstatt is the lakeside village everyone has seen in photos. It’s tiny, so it’s one of the most popular places in Austria for its size, and an early start makes the visit much calmer. Its Christmas market is on one day only: Tuesday, 8 December 2026, from 10:00 to 18:00. Nearby, the Wolfgangsee Advent is shared by three lake villages (St. Wolfgang, St. Gilgen and Strobl) from 20 November to 20 December, Wednesday to Sunday.

Best for: a scenic day or an overnight stay by the lakes.

Also worth a look

Linz: the Hauptplatz and Volksgarten markets run from 21 November to 23 December, with a free hop-on hop-off Christmas train on Advent weekends.
Graz: the market on Hauptplatz in front of the town hall runs from 20 November to 24 December, and an ice nativity scene opens in the Landhaushof on 28 November.
Mariazell: a pilgrimage town with a big traditional market in front of the basilica on five long weekends.
Klagenfurt: the market on Neuer Platz runs from 14 November to 24 December.

How to choose

If you want…	Go to
Palaces, museums and the full imperial Christmas	Vienna
An easy trip from Munich	Salzburg
A city with mountains right behind it	Innsbruck
Small-town markets and village evenings	Tyrol (Kufstein, Rattenberg, Hall)
Lake views and winter calm	Hallstatt and the Wolfgangsee

Questions about where to go

What is the best city to visit in Austria for a first trip?

Vienna if you love palaces, museums and coffee houses, Salzburg if you want a compact old town that’s easy to reach from Munich, and Innsbruck if you want the mountains right at the edge of town. Many first trips combine two of them by train.

Can you see Austria without a car?

Yes. ÖBB trains link Vienna, Linz, Salzburg and Innsbruck, and regional trains reach towns like Kufstein, Hall and Seefeld. Hallstatt and the lake villages take a little more planning, but buses and trains reach them too.

When is the Hallstatt Christmas market in 2026?

Only on Tuesday, 8 December 2026, from 10:00 to 18:00 on the Marktplatz. Entry is free.

Pfiat di (take care),
Brian