The 6-day plan, rearranged for 2 days: the best-ranked places stay, and each day keeps to one part of town.
From average weather, 2021 to 2025: days that are warm but not hot, with few rainy days, score highest. Crowds and prices change through the year, so check them before you book.
Built from the plan’s must-sees, grouped so each day stays close together and ordered by time of day.
The yellow summer palace of the Habsburgs, with an Advent market that usually sets up in front of it in the weeks before Christmas. The gardens are bare and calm in winter. Check ahead for market dates.
Go when Morning, then lunch near the palace.
Local tip The market usually sits in the courtyard in front of the palace. Check ahead for dates and for which rooms are open inside, and wear boots in the garden.
A pleasure palace of the 1600s south of the city, with a park, a pond and playful water works. An Advent market usually sets up in the courtyard in the weeks before Christmas, but dates and hours change, so check ahead.
Go when Afternoon, then stay for the market lights.
Local tip It is a short ride south of the old town. Check ahead for the market dates and for how to get there, and wear boots, because the park paths can be icy.
The tall neo-Gothic town hall, in front of a huge Advent market on its square, with a skating rink usually set up in the park beside it in winter. The most famous of the Vienna markets. Check ahead for dates and for the rink.
Go when Evening, when the stalls are lit.
Local tip It is the busiest market in the city, so go at an early or late hour if you can. Check ahead for the dates and for the skating rink, which usually sets up beside it.
A small quarter of old lanes and low houses behind the museum quarter, where an Advent market with craft stalls usually fills the cobbled streets. Smaller and calmer than the City Hall market. Check ahead for dates.
Go when Evening, after the City Hall.
Local tip The lanes are narrow and the stalls sit close together. Look for handmade crafts, and bring cash for the small stalls.
A Beisl is a traditional Viennese pub that serves old home cooking: soups, goulash and roast pork. A hot meal at a table makes a calm end to a night on the market lanes.
Local tip Many are small, so go early or book ahead. Say the word Beisl to a local and they will point you to a good street.
Built from the plan’s must-sees, grouped so each day stays close together and ordered by time of day.
The baroque cathedral with a pale front and two towers, standing on a square that holds a lasting Advent market in the weeks before Christmas. Look at the dome from the square, then step in.
Go when Morning, before the stalls fill the square.
Local tip Look at the front from the middle of the square, then step inside and look up into the dome. Come back in the evening to see the same square lit and full.
The big fortress on the hill above the old town, one of the largest in Central Europe. Winter is a good time for the view over the snowy roofs. Check ahead for how to go up and for the hours.
Go when Afternoon, so you see the town before the lights come on (about 4:15 PM).
Local tip Winter days are short and cold up on the hill, so wear a warm layer. Check ahead for how to go up and for the hours, which change in winter.
Kasnocken are soft dumplings baked with mountain cheese and topped with crisp fried onions, a lasting dish of the Alpine country. A good, filling lunch after a climb in the cold.
Local tip It comes in a hot pan, so let it cool a little. Add a green salad if you want something fresh.
The Advent market between the cathedral and the Residenz squares, a lasting Salzburg tradition with wooden stalls, ornaments, candles and warm drinks, under the towers. Opening dates change every year, so check ahead.
Go when Evening, once the lights are on.
Local tip Walk the stalls once before you buy. Many drinks come in a mug with a deposit, so ask how it works before you pay, and keep a little cash for the stalls.
The narrow old shopping lane, known for its iron shop signs and tall houses packed side by side. In Advent it is lit up in the evening and busy, so walk slowly and look up.
Go when Early evening, when the signs and the windows are lit.
Local tip Look up at the iron shop signs. The lane is narrow and crowded in Advent, so keep a hand on your bag and step into a doorway when you stop.
Gluehwein is hot red wine with cloves, cinnamon and orange, served in a mug at nearly every stall. Pair it with a grilled sausage in a roll for a simple supper.
Local tip Mugs usually carry a deposit. Ask when you buy, and return the mug to get it back, or keep it as a souvenir if you like.
By average weather from 2021 to 2025, June and September to October are the most comfortable months for walking around Salzburg and Vienna. This plan is built for early December, which is less comfortable, so check the forecast before you go. Crowds and prices change through the year, so check them before you book.
It covers 2 days in Salzburg and Vienna, planned for early December. Each day is built around a small number of stops, with room to rest.
It was planned for most travelers. The pace and the places reflect that, so check it fits how you travel.
No. Places marked "book ahead" need a reservation. Hours, prices and availability change, so confirm before you go.
Yes. Archie drafts a day by day plan for your dates and takes your pace, the weather and who is travelling into account. You can start one from the Archie app.
Yes. It is a starting point you can change to fit your own trip: swap a place, add a day or move the pace.
Each day has about 1.1 to 497.2 kilometers between its stops, and 498.3 kilometers in all across 2 days. A short hop is a walk and a longer one a ride. Distances are straight-line estimates, so allow extra for the streets.
3 days in Cesky KrumlovAbout 100 km awayAn easy add-on
5 days in Hallstatt and the Salzkammergut lakesAbout 100 km away
7 days in ViennaAbout 110 km awayMake it yours in a minute, then move days around and add what you want.
A trip idea · Updated October 2026
Want your own days planned like this? Plan your own trip on the web or get the Archie app.
