Austria at Christmas - not skiing

[parrotonmyshoulder]

Anyone been to Austria over the Christmas period? Thinking a car and airbnb. Family of four. Like walking, nice towns, scenery. Any experience?

Vienna at Christmas is fab - all the museums and galleries are open in the afternoon on Xmas Day.

Do you mean going to somewhere in the Austrian Alps but not skiing, or going to a city like Vienna, Linz, Salzburg?

The scenery and walks are going to be in the Alps, where the towns in the mountains are mainly geared towards skiing. Non-skiers can enjoy snowshoe walks, tobogganing, horse-drawn sleigh rides, chilling in a spa etc. and maybe a bit of shopping in Salzburg or Innsbruck where there will also be Christmas Markets in the weeks up to Christmas. Look for example at Zell am See, which you can combine with day trips to Salzburg (which is the best place to fly to and from) and Kitzbuhel. You won't need a car - public transport in Austria is excellent and reliable, and driving around in a few feet of snow is not much fun.

Salzburg or Vienna would be good destinations for a city break but will have fewer options for walks (other than walking around the city and parks) and scenery. Museums etc. will be open, shops and menus will be very Festive - but it can get very cold in December so most of the activities will be indoors. Neither city requires a car - just use buses and taxis - in fact, having a car in any major Austrian city is a bit of a pain as parking spaces are scarce and expensive.