Austria trip over Christmas

If you have an interest in live theatre and/or The Sound of Music, there will be performances at the Salzburg Landestheater (Salzburg State Theatre) on several dates in November and December including Dec. 22 and 27. It's in German with English subtitles. We saw it a few years ago while spending a week in Salzburg and enjoyed it immensely.

I think the Vienna-Munich idea is very good. I've done it the other way, into Munich and out from Vienna with both Prague and Salzburg as mid-trip stops. But do remember that 24-25 & 26 Dec are national holidays. Also 31 DEC-1 JAN. Very little will be open, although in the major cities (Munich & Vienna) there will be more choices. You can work with this, but it takes a bit of work. Expect major fireworks New Years Eve!

It's a bit early, and the dates for the markets are not yet set, but look into those. Some do stay open after Christmas. Some will end on the 23rd.

Take a look at Oberndorf, and see if you can get there on the evening of the 24th.

You'll be too late for Krampus, but there should be some other local events, you'll have to check as you get closer to the trip. Especially as to musical and theater events, because those can be things that you never thought of an yet become excellent memories. Last year I managed to attend, totally by accident, choir practice for the Christmas program at the cathedral in Metz; that stays with you. I would especially keep an eye on the State Theaters and the Opera's as they will have holiday programs. Those may be listed, as I just saw some of the season events in Paris start selling tickets and most of the bigger shows are planned well in advance. Just going to an event in any of those places is a big deal.

I would switch the times between Vienna and Munich, i.e., 4 days in Vienna and 2½ for Munich.

You could do your trip the other way, i.e., flying into Munich, have your week in Salzburg, and end in Vienna. This would give you the opportunity to spend New Year's Eve there, experiencing the famous New Year's Eve Trail, a 12 hours festivity in the city (2pm-2am).
https://wienersilvesterpfad.at/en/

Between your destinations and transportation allowing, you should consider going into the Austria Alps. Finding an overnight accommodation might be a challenge during this Hi Season. Most Christmas deko should be still there. From Munich, Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Mittenwald, Ehrwald, Seefeld in Tirol, Alpbach etc. From Salzburg to Schönau am Königssee, Ramsau am Dachstein, Schladming, Hochkönig etc. With luck some nice snow. Go up on the slops to a Ski Alm. Some places have evening dinners... Take the Bergbahn up, dinner on the Alm and Bergbahn back down. Make reservations.

Agree with the suggestions to flip Vienna and Munich. I truly enjoy both cities and think a little more time in Vienna is the better option. Sounds like a great trip.

I forget if it was the Sound of Music tour or the Hallein salt mine, but we did one on Christmas and one on the 26th.

if you are in Salzburg on thev24th, you might want to do the train ride and walk to the Silent Night villages.

we had planned on doing it but the weather was too miserable.

It would be helpful to know your exact dates of travel to make good, specific recommendations. A lot is open and closed during the holiday period, so suggestions on how to split your time depends on dates and what is open.

Good suggestion, Emily. Based on the many extremely helpful suggestions from this group (thank you!!) we are currently planning to arrive in Munich on the morning of December 21st. We will stay in Munich until the 23rd when we will travel to Salzburg and will be posted there until the 30th of December. We were then planning to travel to Vienna on the afternoon of the 30th and stay until the morning of the 3rd and fly home from there.

I am so grateful for all of these suggestions - keep them coming. The RS community never disappoints. Thank you for taking the time!

Great.

So if that is your plan for now, then I suggest that you get yourself as quickly as possible to Salzburg for the magical Christmas Markets. Fortunately, the main market in the city is operating until January 1. The best Christmas Market I have ever visited is at Schloss Hellbrunn, just outside of Salzburg and reachable by bus in a few minutes. As that market closes on Dec. 24, you will definitely want to prioritize that visit as soon as you arrive in Salzburg. Unfortunately, you will miss the best market experience of all - the one in Wolfgangsee. Once Christmas hits, Salzburg will go quiet. Prepare for shops to be closed from noon on Dec. 24 and to remain closed until Dec. 27. In Vienna, a few markets will still be happening - some of the larger ones like the Rathaus and Schonbrunn. You will be in Vienna for the Silvesterpfad (Silvester is the German word for New Year and pfad is the German word for path). This is a huge street party with stages, music and fun atmosphere. I'm sure your family will love it.

So overall, I think that the plan to arrive in Munich and depart from Vienna makes sense, but just prepare for some real down time during the Christmas days.