Celebrating Easter in Austria: The Best Markets, Concerts, and Skiing

Easter in Austria is a time to experience Austrian traditions at their best. Plan your Easter holidays in Austria with this guide to the best markets, music concerts, and resorts for an Easter ski break.

Best Places to Spend Easter in Austria

The best place to spend Easter in Austria depends on what dates Easter falls on. If it’s in March, head to the mountains for some excellent spring skiing and to enjoy the last of the snow.

If Easter is in April, you’re probably better off closer to a city where you can opt for some sightseeing and indoor activities if the mountain resorts are closed for the season.

Vienna, Salzburg, and Tyrol (particularly Innsbruck and Hall in Tirol) are good bases for Easter in Austria. While they all have Easter markets to visit, there are also a number of musical highlights in the cities to look forward to over the holiday period.

Besides, if you’re a first-time visitor, Vienna, Salzburg, and Innsbruck are the three cities in Austria you’d want to visit anyway.

Easter in Tyrol (Innsbruck and Hall in Tirol)

Innsbruck, the capital of Tyrol, and the neighbouring town of Hall in Tirol are the places to best experience Easter in Tyrol. Not only do both have great Easter markets, but this is where the Osterfestival Tirol or Tyrol Easter Festival takes place.

Innsbruck Easter Market

Dates: 31 March to 10 April 2023

Held in front of the famous Goldenes Dachl (Golden Roof) in the heart of the historic old town, the Innsbruck Easter market is where Austrian traditions are showcased best. You will see Tyroleans in their traditional dress performing Easter dances, and find out what “Frühschoppen” is.

Tip: If you want to join the latter, you must be prepared to have a beer before lunch!

Find the full Innsbruck Easter market programme here.

Hall in Tirol Easter Market

The Haller Ostermarkt or Easter market of Hall in Tirol is a must-visit even if it’s only held over two days. In 2023, it falls on 31 March and 1 April.

More than 25 stalls selling handmade Easter decorations are sprawled around the Stiftsplatz in this pretty medieval old town. In the Baroque hall of the adjacent school, artists work on and display their unique Easter egg art. The exhibition is called “Kunst am Ei”.

Tyrol Easter Festival

The Osterfestival Tirol is held in venues across Innsbruck and Hall in Tirol and presents different art forms under a new motto each year. From old to modern, from music and dance to dialogue and film – the Tyrol Easter Festival productions offer something for everyone.

In 2023, the Tyrol Easter Festival takes place from 24 March to 9 April. Check out some highlights and the programme here.

Instead of attending one of the Easter concerts, you can also opt for a Tyrolean evening with traditional dance and food.

Easter in Vienna

Vienna Easter Markets

2023 Dates: 25 March to 11 April

Schönbrunn Palace

With one of the most beautiful Viennese Palaces as a backdrop, you won’t find a more romantic setting for an Easter market in Vienna.

More than 60 exhibitors sell their handmade Easter decorations and traditional Easter treats.  An Easter bunny workshop keeps children busy while their parents browse through the stalls. They can also join the Easter nest hunt on Easter Sunday.

For adults, there is entertainment in the form of “Jazz at the Easter Market”.

Old Viennese Easter Market on Freyung

Imagine a tower of 40,000 beautifully painted Easter eggs. This is what you will find on the Freyung square in Vienna’s old city. The old Viennese Easter market is also known for Easter specialties such as Osterpinze and roast lamb, handicrafts, and flowers.

Easter Music in Vienna

There are always classical concerts in Vienna to pick and choose from. A highlight at Easter is the Vienna Symphony Orchestra’s annual televised “Springtime in Vienna” concert.

Easter in Salzburg

Easter Markets in Salzburg

The biggest traditional Easter market in Salzburg is held annually at the Open Air Museum in Grossgmain outside the city. You can try your hand at egg decorating, tying pussy willow bouquets, and fill your Easter basket with fresh produce and homemade delicacies from local farms.

The Open Air Museum Easter market is on 1 April in 2023. There is also a special Easter egg hunt for children on Easter Sunday.

Salzburg Easter Festival

Salzburg is better known for its Osterfestspiele (Easter Festival) than for its Easter markets. The Salzburg Easter Festival lasts for 10 days from the Saturday before Palm Sunday to Easter Monday. During this time, music lovers can look forward to high-quality opera, orchestral and choral concerts, and chamber music.

If you can’t find tickets for the Easter Festival, book one of the other popular concerts in Salzburg. I can personally vouch for the Mozart dinner concert in the baroque hall of the Stiftskeller, the oldest restaurant in the world. You can read my review here.

Best Destinations for Easter Ski Holidays in Austria

With Easter falling in March or April and the snow conditions still good, there is no reason why you shouldn’t combine your Easter visit to Austria with a skiing holiday. Tyrol is perfect for this. Why? While you are close to the ski slopes, Innsbruck and Hall in Tirol are also easily accessible if you want to visit some Easter markets or attend one of the Tyrol Easter Festival concerts.

Here are 5 perfect regions to use as a base for your Easter ski break in Austria. 

Innsbruck

Did you know there are 9 ski resorts totalling 300 km of runs within a 45 km radius from Innsbruck? I think this is more than enough reason to base yourself here for an Easter ski holiday in Austria. Free ski buses to all 9 resorts and an all-inclusive ski pass provide even better motivation.

Ziller Valley

This widest side valley to the Inn is home to the Zillertal Arena ski area, the largest in this part of the Alps. If you continue far enough, you will reach the Hintertux Glacier with its 60 km of diverse runs. After a day on the slopes, the villages in the Ziller Valley provide enough Easter entertainment for you to remember what time of the year it is.

Alpbach Valley

Adjacent to the Zillertal, the Alpbach Valley (Alpbachtal) is characterised by quaint Alpine villages and smaller ski resorts. The Ski Jewel Alpbachtal Wildschönau is especially popular among families.

Stubai Valley

The entrance to the Stubai Valley (Stubaital) is not even 10 minutes away from Innsbruck, with the first ski resort in Mieders only 5 minutes further. No doubt the big skiing attraction is the Stubai Glacier at the end of the valley but Schlick 2000 in Fulpmes shouldn’t be underestimated. Consider the 11er Lift in Neustift if you want to go sledding or paragliding.

Seefeld in Tirol

Seefeld in Tirol needs no introduction to regular visitors to Austria and Tyrol. It’s a picturesque town close to the German border about 27 km north of Innsbruck. The Bergbahnen Rosshütte, the largest ski resort in the area, is great for beginners and families.

TIP: For guaranteed snow at the end of April, the five glacier ski resorts in Tyrol are good options.

Austrian Easter Traditions

Easter in Austria is a spring celebration of the resurrection of Jesus Christ three days after his death on the cross.

Palm Sunday heralds the start of the Holy Week (Karwoche) in this predominantly Catholic country. However, in the absence of palm branches (with which the crowds welcomed Jesus in Jerusalem), the Austrians tie pussy willow branches together.

The Palmbuschen, as they are called, are decorated with ribbons, apples, and special Easter Bretze (pretzels). On Palm Sunday, churchgoers take the bushes to be blessed by the local priest.

Some Palm Sunday traditions are unique to specific towns. For example, in Thaur near Innsbruck in Tyrol, a carved wooden replica of the donkey Jesus rode into Jerusalem, with an almost life-size figure of Him, is pulled through the town on a cart.

In Kramsach and Imst, also in Tyrol, the pussy willow bushes are the main attraction. Young men compete to make the highest bush, with some reaching up to 30 metres and weighing around 300 kg.

Other towns in Austria silence their church bells between Maundy Thursday and Holy Saturday. Instead of the bells, children make noise with wooden instruments called Ratschen.

As in many other countries, Austrian kids frantically search gardens and homes for Easter eggs on Easter Sunday.

Easter in Austria is also a time where children receive presents from their godparents. My poor South African son struggles to understand that 1) this is not part of our tradition as Afrikaans Protestants, and 2) he has no godparents near to convince them otherwise.

Interestingly, Easter Friday is not a public holiday like in so many other countries around the world. Only Easter Monday is a religious public holiday. Find out how Easter is celebrated in other countries by answering this fun Easter quiz.

Hand-painted Eggs and Other Austrian Easter Decorations

Austrians love decorating their homes and gardens according to specific themes. By looking at their front doors, you can usually tell what time of the year it is. Easter is no exception.

Brightly coloured hand painted eggs hang from trees and shrubs, while colourful spring flowers bloom in pots resembling hens or eggs.

I wonder how many eggs are pricked with sewing needles every year during Easter in Austria to make tiny holes through which to blow the content out. The hollow shells become canvasses for big and small artists, with the serious artists taking pride in the variety of eggs they can find to create their masterpieces on.

We discovered from miniscule snails’ eggs to ostrich eggs at the annual Easter egg art exhibition in Hall in Tirol. One artist even paints on the first ever egg laid by a chicken, which he excitedly explains comes from a farmer friend. These are much smaller than normal eggs and contain no yolk.

Special Austrian Easter Treats

Many Austrians still adhere to the rules of fasting and abstinence during the 40-day period of Lent before Easter. Some give up alcohol, while others abstain from eating sweets. Even the kids are encouraged to give up something that is important to them.

When Lent is officially over on Easter Sunday, brunch tables are subsequently laden with recently forbidden treats. The delicacies include cakes in the shape of a lamb (the Osterlamm), sweet bread, cold cuts with horseradish, and lots of eggs.

The closest thing to a hot cross bun (the traditional sweet Easter bread roll in South Africa and Britain), is probably an Osterpinze with raisins. Freshly baked Osterpinze from the local bakeries is in high demand during this time.

Real hard-boiled eggs seem to be just as popular as their chocolate counterparts. As South Africans, we find this strange. The eggs are dyed different colours and sold in supermarkets. I completely understand why most kids are not impressed when given one of these instead of a chocolate egg. Of the latter, Austrians can pick and choose from the best European chocolate brands, including Lindt.

Reber is the chocolate brand mostly associated with Austria because of the famous Mozart-Kugel. Strictly speaking, Reber is a German brand. But because the factory in Bad Reichenhall in Bavaria is only 21 km from Salzburg where Mozart was born and raised, most people consider it to be “Austrian chocolate”.  Of course, Reber also brings out a special Easter range each year.

For Easter treats from true Austrian brands, try Casali Schokobananen and Manner wafer biscuits. If you don’t like them, no-one will blame you if you stick to the German Milka. The latter is by far the favourite among Austrian children.

Tips for a Pleasant Easter in Austria

• Remember almost all shops are closed on Sundays and public holidays. A few supermarkets at train stations and in city centres may be open but it’s best to be prepared by buying everything you need the day before.
• Join a church service in an Austrian village to witness Easter traditions first hand.
• The weather in March and April can be very unpredictable. We have walked around with bare arms at Easter markets, enjoying the lovely spring sunshine. We have also had to don full winter gear, including hats, scarves, and gloves. Expect any weather no matter what the forecasts say and pack accordingly for Easter in Austria.

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