An Austria Christmas market tour by train is a scenic journey around some of Europe’s oldest and prettiest Advent celebrations.
The headliner is the vienna christmas market, one of the oldest and most celebrated in Europe, set in the elegant heart of the capital. Vienna’s rail connections fan out across the country and into neighbouring countries, enticing festive explorers on leisurely voyages around Alpine foothills and historic cities across the compact country.
It’s a sparkling time to explore the country, and this guide explores compelling itineraries and how trains elevate an Austria Christmas market tour into an unforgettable vacation.
If your heart is already set on touring Austria’s Christmas markets, ask our travel specialists for a tailored itinerary with the hotels and rail tickets you need for a relaxed festive vacation.
Austria is a compact country served by one of Europe’s most reliable rail networks, ÖBB. ÖBB offers a comfortable, uncomplicated way to explore Austria’s best Christmas markets at leisure.
The Vienna Christmas market shines brightest and is often ranked among Europe’s most spectacular. Trains head out of Vienna to charismatic cities like Salzburg and Innsbruck, providing travellers options to follow festive itineraries at their own pace.
Greener and less complicated than driving, trains skip from city centre to city centre. With a well-placed hotel, you can see more of Austria from your train seat, then hop off straight into the festive milieu. It’s the ticket to enjoying a deep immersion in Austrian culture.
Trains also open the opportunity to travel beyond Austria’s best Christmas markets into eight neighbouring countries. Including fast rail connections to Germany, where the Christmas market tradition began. For festive fun seekers, a christmas market tour germany and austria is arguably the ultimate way to experience a tradition that has been bringing festive cheer since the 1400s.
Austria might be compact, but it is home to some of the best christmas markets in Europe, destinations that combine centuries of tradition with spectacular Alpine and imperial settings.
Our destinations guide highlights absorbing rail tours of Austria for all seasons. A few destinations twinkle brightest during Advent as irresistible stops on an Austria Christmas market tour by train.
The Vienna Christmas market is one of Europe’s oldest and most celebrated.
A magnet for European explorers throughout the year, Vienna stars on some of our most popular rail tours. They include multi-country tours like our historic heartland tour from Berlin to Budapest via Prague; four cities that burst with festive colour during Advent.
Christmas markets pop up in neighbourhoods across the Austrian capital, but the main event fills the magnificent Rathausplatz public square. A photogenic gem whenever you visit, the twinkling illuminations transform the setting during Advent.
Overlooked by the majestic neo-Gothic town hall and centred around the fabled Tree of Hearts, it’s a picture-perfect Christmas scene. With a large ice rink, Ferris Wheel, and nativity scenes, it’s easy to see why the Vienna Christmas market is frequently voted Europe’s best.
While the main market has around 100 stalls, approximately 20 supporting Christmas markets are dotted across the walkable city, together making Vienna one of the best christmas market destinations in Europe.
There is so much more to see and do in the refined capital, whether visiting opulent palaces or tracing the heritage of great classical music composers who lived there. Add in excellent rail connections across the country and international borders, and Vienna becomes the ultimate anchor destination on an Austrian Christmas market tour.
Less than three hours by train takes festive explorers from Vienna to Salzburg. The riverside city overlooked by Alpine peaks is another jewel for an Austria Christmas market tour.
Mozart’s home is a city for all seasons that turns on the style during Advent with another of the region’s prettiest Christmas markets. Salzburg is a highlight of our Central Europe tour connecting the picturesque city together with three historic cities in Germany and Austria: Berlin, Munich, and Vienna.
Salzburg’s Christmas market unfolds on the urbane Domplatz and Residenzplatz squares at the heart of the old city, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The leading Christmas market is an understated yet stylish addition to a striking backdrop, with around 100 stalls to grab a warming gluhwein or enjoy local delicacies like cheesy käsespätzle.
Explore the city on foot, and you’ll find intimate Christmas markets popping up around unexpected corners, giving festive explorers plenty to discover.
Nestled in the Tyrolean Alps, Innsbruck is a busy winter destination. During the Advent countdown, the Innsbruck Christmas market sprinkles extra charm on the easy-to-explore city.
Innsbruck goes all in for the festive season, filling the compact old town with stalls, nativity scenes, and the occasional visit from Krampus. The famous Golden Roof peers over the illuminated scene.
A few small events around the city invite revellers to nibble on kiachl, a Tyrolean fried pastry, and slowly explore a city that sizzles with life during winter.
Travel during the Advent countdown and visit the Innsbruck Christmas market as part of our stunning Alps tour that skips along some of Europe’s most scenic rail routes from Munich to Zurich. A mountain journey of exquisite views punctuated by splashes of festive cheer at some of Europe’s most loved Christmas markets.
Austria pairs naturally with Germany when travelling by train. Vienna competes with Dresden for the title of the world’s oldest Christmas market, making a christmas market tour germany and austria the deepest possible immersion in a tradition that shaped festive celebrations across Europe.
Munich is the perfect bridge for a Christmas market tour of Germany and Austria, with Innsbruck and Salzburg reachable in less than two hours on direct, scenic train rides.
Our destination guide to Germany is a helpful starting point when planning a Christmas market tour of Germany and Austria. And our post spotlighting spellbinding tours of Germany, Switzerland, and Austria packs in even more ideas for cross-border journeys around the region.
One tour that illustrates the potential is our Central Europe itinerary linking Berlin and Munich in Germany with Salzburg and Vienna on an unhurried 8-night vacation packed with festive delights during Advent.
With rail connections to eight neighbouring countries, you can expand an Austria Christmas market tour into a multi-country adventure like those explored in our ultimate guide to visiting Europe’s Christmas markets by train.
Vienna is a pivotal destination on our expansive European Christmas tour around Alpine foothills from Switzerland to Austria via Bavaria in Germany.
And also features on our captivating Danube rail tour that heads east from Vienna to Prague and Budapest, cities that host some of Europe’s most spectacular Christmas markets.
From elegant Vienna to charming alpine towns, an Austria Christmas market tour is packed with festive gems. Here are some answers to the questions that matter when planning a winter getaway.
Traveling by train is the most relaxed and immersive way to enjoy an Austria Christmas market tour, linking twinkling town squares and Alpine jewels on a journey that puts you in charge of the itinerary and travel pace.
Absolutely. The Vienna Christmas market is one of Europe’s most celebrated, with the market at Rathausplatz drawing crowds for its illuminated town hall backdrop and inimitable atmosphere, making it a highlight of any Austria Christmas market tour.
Vienna’s Rathausplatz and Salzburg’s Christkindlmarkt are consistently ranked among the most magical, offering a mix of historic architecture, festive thrills, and traditional Austrian food and crafts.
Five to seven nights allows enough time to explore several cities at a relaxed pace on an Austria Christmas market tour, giving couples and families time to browse multiple markets without feeling rushed between destinations.
Yes, easily. A Christmas market tour of Germany and Austria is one of our most popular winter itineraries, linking cities like Munich, Salzburg, and Vienna by train so travellers can experience distinct holiday traditions across the countries where it all began in a single trip.
Yes, rail travel is a comfortable, low-stress way for families to enjoy an Austria Christmas market tour, with spacious trains, short city-to-city journeys, and markets designed with ice rinks, carousels, and activities for travellers of all ages.
While we’ve explored some of the most popular quotes for an Austrian Christmas market tour, the flexibility of trains means every trip can be tailored around you and your travel companions.
Whether you’re adapting existing itineraries or seeking something completely original, ask our travel specialists for a tailored itinerary. With premium hotels and the smoothest rail connections, you can look forward to seeing Austria’s Christmas markets on your terms and making every moment count.
You are currently viewing a placeholder content from TrustIndex. To access the actual content, click the button below. Please note that doing so will share data with third-party providers.
More Information