Christmas Markets from Nuremberg to Vienna

Route Overview

Nine days through the markets that most people picture when they say Christmas market: Nuremberg's Christkindlesmarkt on the Hauptmarkt, Munich's market on Marienplatz, Salzburg's Christkindlmarkt under the fortress, and Vienna, where a dozen markets run from the Rathausplatz to Schönbrunn. Two nights each in Nuremberg, Munich and Salzburg, then three in Vienna. Every leg is a direct train: Nuremberg to Munich in an hour, Munich to Salzburg in ninety minutes, Salzburg to Vienna in two and a half hours.

Weather Patterns

This is the coldest of the market routes. Nuremberg averages highs of 5°C and lows of 0°C in December with precipitation on 14 days. Munich is 5°C to -1°C with 13 wet days. Salzburg is the wettest: 6°C highs, -2°C lows and 105mm of precipitation over 15 days, some of it as snow when the temperature allows. Vienna is the driest, 5°C to 0°C with only 47mm over 10 days, so the last three days of the trip are the ones most likely to stay dry. Days are short everywhere, dark by four in Vienna.

Planning Considerations

The route runs from west to east, and the markets close in roughly the same order. In 2026 Nuremberg runs from 27 November to 24 December and Munich's Marienplatz market from 20 November to 24 December; both close on Christmas Eve, Nuremberg at two in the afternoon. Salzburg opens on 19 November and runs to 1 January. Vienna's Rathausplatz market runs from 13 November to 26 December, and Schönbrunn from 6 November to 6 January. All four cities have a market open between 27 November and 24 December. A trip that starts in mid December and ends over Christmas works only in this direction: the German markets first, the Austrian ones for the closing days. This year's dates for every market on the route are on the Christmas markets hub.

Why This Depends on YOUR Trip

• When are all four markets open at once? – 27 November to 24 December in 2026, with Nuremberg the last to open and, together with Munich, the first to close. Start there.
• Will there be snow? – Nobody can promise it, but lows sit at or below freezing in every city and Salzburg has 15 wet days in December, so something is falling half the time and some of it will be snow. Pack for it there either way.
• How cold does it get? – Lows around freezing in every city and -2°C in Salzburg. Two hours at a market on a December evening is colder than the numbers suggest; bring gloves and plan the mulled wine stops as warm-ups, not treats.
• Is nine days too long? – Not for four cities with this much indoor culture. Munich's museums, Salzburg's fortress and Vienna's palaces each absorb a wet day without touching the market evenings.

Ready to Test This Route?

Enter the four cities and your dates in the trip planner and it marks which markets are open on each stop, warns about the Christmas Eve closures in Nuremberg and Munich, and shows the day-by-day weather so you can decide where the extra night goes.