Drink · Austrian
Mulled red wine with cinnamon, cloves, star anise, and orange peel, served steaming in a ceramic cup at the Christmas markets. The smell of it at the Christkindlmarkt Salzburg is as much a part of Advent in Salzburg as anything you can see.
Glühwein arrives in a ceramic cup, often branded with the market’s emblem, which you can keep or return for a deposit. The wine is heated with cinnamon sticks, whole cloves, star anise, strips of orange peel, and sugar, then served steaming. You hold the cup with both hands. In December in Salzburg, with stone buildings and cobblestones around you, it is almost an archetype: the warmth of the cup against cold fingers, the spice smell cutting through the cold air.
The drink is not complicated, but its quality varies more than it should. The base wine matters: a thin, acidic red wine sweetened heavily to compensate tastes exactly like that. The best versions at the Salzburg markets use a proper wine base and restrain the sugar. Hellbrunn Advent Market, set in the baroque garden of Hellbrunn Palace south of the city, tends to hold a higher standard than the central market stands.
The Christkindlmarkt Salzburg on Domplatz is where most visitors encounter Glühwein first, surrounded by the cathedral facade and the castle above. The Mirabell Christmas Market in front of Mirabell Palace is smaller and calmer. Both are worth visiting; the Glühwein is the thread that connects them to the same city at the same time of year.
Where to find it
One of Austria's most atmospheric Christmas markets. Late November to 24 December. Main market on Domplatz, additional on Residenzplatz and Mirabellplatz. Baroque facades, fortress on the hill, Glühwein. One of the most visited Christmas Market destinations in the German-speaking world.
The Hellbrunn Advent Market sets up inside the Baroque grounds of Hellbrunn Palace each December, turning the trick-fountain gardens and arcaded courtyards into something the city-center markets simply cannot offer: 700 lit conifers, a palace facade that becomes a giant Advent calendar window by window, and a Krampus run that draws locals who have seen it
The Mirabell Christmas Market sets up on Mirabellplatz in front of Mirabell Palace from late November to January 1, running daily with extended hours on weekends. It is one of several Salzburg Christmas markets, smaller and calmer than the Domplatz market across the river. The Lions Club Salzburg Mirabell runs it with proceeds going to local charities.
