Salzburg in December

[TheHodgeoftheHedge]

Has anyone done the Christmas Market in Salzburg? I’ve always wanted to go to Salzburg and I love Christmas so figured the two combined is an ideal trip.
Any recommendations really appreciated!

Yes I have been . It was lovely. I did the saltzberg, Munich and innsbrook markets twice. It was v cold (minus 17 one day ). Loads of snow and v festive obviously. Well worth a tour of the city to see the main sights.
Of the markets I have done I think Munich was the best . But they were all lovely and really set me up for Christmas.

It can be a bit confusing, but there are two Mozart homes in Salzburg to be aware of: the Mozart birthplace, where he was born and spent his early years, and the Mozart Residence, which is grander and where the family moved later. I’ll be honest: we toured the residence and found it somewhat interesting, but overpriced. If you’re not particularly interested in Mozart or classical music, you can probably skip it… though that being said, it makes a great backup option on a bad weather day. We didn’t visit the birthplace, but it looks a bit more interesting.
Much of The Sound of Music was filmed in and around Salzburg. Some film locations are fairly easy to find independently (like the steps in the Mirabell Gardens where Do-Re-Mi was filmed), others are a bit outside of Salzburg–if you choose to book a tour, you’ll be able to check out filming locations you probably wouldn’t see otherwise (like Nonnberg Abbey and Leopoldskron Palace, which was the exterior of the Trapp home).
Austrian Christmas markets all have a system of mug rental, which is incredibly fun once you get the hang of it. On your first drink at a Christmas market, you’ll be charged a mug rental fee (usually 3-5 Euros). From there, you can go from stall to stall and have your mug filled with as many drinks as you like.
At the end of your visit, you can then turn in your mug at any of the drink stalls and get your deposit back or keep the mug as a cute and inexpensive souvenir. Each market has its own distinct mugs.
Unsurprisingly, Salzburg’s main Christmas market is a bit pricier than some of the lesser-known ones.
If you’re looking for something that will be available just about anywhere (like Mozartkugeln), consider picking it up at one of the smaller markets.

It was gorgeous. Lots of snow, on the ground and falling. I don't think the temperature climbed above -10 the whole time we were there, but it was particularly cold right across Europe that year. Hot mulled wine and a few shots if schnapps helped with that

I would love to do this with my Austria obsessed DD. Does anyone know of any easy package deals?

I went last year with a group of my DDs friends and their mothers. It was very festive, but I wouldn't say the markets were the best I've been to. But we had a fabulous 48 hours - went to a Mozart concert in the marble Hall where he used to play, did a (self guided, downloaded off the Internet) Sound of Music tour, went ice skating, went to the fortress (can't remember it's name), the Mozart Residence etc. Get a Salzbug card and it saves you loads on attractions and you can jump on and off buses.....

Salzburg card is the best value city card ever. Earlier this year, it was €38 for 48 hours and included everything we wanted to see plus the regular bus service, the funicular to the fortress, a cable car outside the city and the lift to the museum of modern art. The only exception was the staterooms in the fortress. It was a stunning city.
The airport is close and well served by public transport so very easy to travel to independently.

Thanks everyone, this is all fabulous. And I am a bit Mozart obsessed so thanks for the tips on the residence.
Does anybody have any top picks for hotels?
Thanks again.

We stayed at the H Hotel, just above the station. It's right by the bus station so got a bus straight from the airport to the hotel very easily. Was clean, did a great breakfast and wasn't too expensive.

We went around 5 years ago - booked a flight and hotel package with BA and stayed at the Hotel Stein overlooking the Fortress.

I second (third?) the recommendation of the Salzburg card. We used it on the buses, the Untersburg Cable Car, the funicular railway up to the fortress, the lift to the Museum of Modern Art, one of the Mozart houses (can't remember which one) and possibly more.

One of the best days we had was taking a public bus from near the Mirabel Palace to the Austrian Lake District (Salzkammergut). We got off the bus at Strobl, looked around that village, then got a boat across the lake to St Wolfgang and had a look round there, then got a boat to St Gilgen and looked around there (all have Christmas Markets). We then got the bus back to Salzburg from St Gilgen. Beautiful scenery and something a bit different.

We had unseasonably warm weather for the weekend before Christmas, so spend most of the time boiling in our warm clothes!

2Parrotonmyshoulder
We have gone withLedger Holidays by coach and it has been great both times. And v good value as well.