December 2018 - Germany, Austria and beyond.

Bouldering might be difficult in December, either due to winter weather or sites simply not being open in the winter. Some more isolated castles may also be unpleasant to get to, or closed, in winter. The Geiger Museum is in Gruyeres, on the opposite side of Switzerland from Germany and Austria (it doesn't look a long distance, but the travel will be slow, if scenic), so it would be worth planning on visiting some other places in that half of the country as well.

Do you want to see Austrian Christmas markets as well ? Salzburg is excellent, Innsbruck also. (Note that Salzburg region was built on the success of nearby salt mines.)
If you're planning to see Budapest, Vienna is only 2+ hours away by train, and full of art museums. And Christmas markets.
Where is your departure point for your flight home ?

@Phillip
Bummer about the bouldering, I'll have to do a little more research (I've finally replaced my dead laptop to make this easier) and see whether they are all closed. Weather isnt as much of a concern for me, Ive always preferred cold to warm, so it will just be a case of layering right.
In regards to Switzerland, do you have any suggestions? While I am not a skier I do really like open landscapes and pretty scenery, which there seems to be a lot of in Switzerland. I've heard the trains through can be absolutely stunning, so the extended time wouldnt be too bad.

@Laura
I am happy with ANY christmas markets, I just dont want it to all get too same-same. I fully intend on going to a few across the different countries.
Have you had much experience with the salt mines in Europe, are they all a bit different and worth seeing every one you can, or is seeing one like seeing them all? Naturally if seeing one is like seeing all, that brings my area of travel down a bit since i'd originally planned on Krakow.
I definitely plan on heading to Vienna, I was there for just a few days a few years ago, but there is much more to offer than what I saw. Depending on the bouldering search results, Vienna may even take a few days off Budapest (Would consider removing entirely)
My departure point isnt set in stone, as I havent worked out which route to take. I know that Salzburg needs to be the start point, but after that I am not sure which direction to go to make the most of my time. As per my original post, I'd love to see the northern lights if the timing worked out, so the departure points are really open.

Now that I have a working laptop again, and I'm not writing while I am at work, I can put some extra time into it.
I was reading up on the Zotter chocolate factory and it sounds amazing, would certainly love to see it.
So currently, depending on bouldering and salt mines, it would likely look something like;
Austria ~7 days
Switzerland ~4 days
Germany ~11 days
Norway ~4 days

If it is too much of a stretch, I could take Norway out and do that on another trip (I should be up for long service leave next year, and would like to use the 8 weeks for Canada and Scandanvia).

Salzburg has a very small airport and would definitely never be in a position to run long-haul flights to Australia. I think that the salt mine in Poland is very different from the one in Hallstatt (and others in Austria). In addition to the Krampuslauf, you might be actually more interested in the Perchtenhlauf, so look into that.

I would also add that I have been to Zotter Chocolate Factory three times. It is great. You will need a car to get there, really. The Riegersburg Castle nearby is also a fantastic scene.

@Emily

Thanks for the reply! Yeah, I had a look and concluded that Munich or Vienna were the way to go to get to Salzburg. In regards to cost, do you know if either way is significantly cheaper? I believe Munich is 1-2 hrs and Vienna is 2-3, so cost would be the main influence in which way I come in from.

In your experience, would you say that it is worthwhile to reduce time somewhere else to head to the Polish salt mines?

The December 1st event in Salzburg does list at least 1 Perchten group, as follows;
"featuring Alt Gnigler Perchten and more than 40 Krampus groups.
From Turnerstraße via Linzer Bundesstraße to Schillinghofstraße"
That said, as the events are run across many towns, do you have any towns in particular you would suggest looking at?

Thanks for the Castle suggestion. I may rent a car for a few days in Germany to explore the Castles properly.

@Phillip

Ive had a quick look at Switzerland again, would like to perhaps do a little hiking, some sledding etc. Would it be reasonable to visit St Gallen, Moleson sur Gruyeres, the HR Geiger museum and the Oberalppass train ride in 3-4 days? Would it be difficult to squeeze Mt Pilatus in there?
Is there anything you can suggeest as "Not to miss" while in the country?

Krampuslauf: I was lucky enough to be in Munich this year for the Krampuslauf. It was on December 10. What I would really like to experience is the event at Hallstatt. I believe this is held on December 5 each year. Check it out on YouTube. There are salt mines in Hallstatt, too, not sure of winter openings.