Hallstatt snow or Budapest markets? Day trips from Vienna

Daylight decides the day

In December the sun comes up around 7:45 am and goes down around 4 pm, so a trip out of Vienna has roughly eight hours of light to work with. A long coach or van day spends a good share of that on the motorway, and some of the travel happens in the dark at one end of the day, or at both. A town with a Christmas market of its own suits winter well, because its stalls light up just as the views fade.

The calendar matters as much as the clock. Saturday evenings draw the biggest crowds to the squares in Vienna, so Saturday is the natural day to be somewhere else. The Hallstatt coach does not run on 31 December, and shops close on 25 and 26 December. The markets in Vienna and in the towns below only fix their dates and hours shortly before each season, so check each market's own page before you set off. Our Vienna dates and opening hours cover the city side.

Six trips side by side

Hallstatt by coach, for a chance of snow

Hallstatt is the trip most people picture when they hope for a white Christmas. The village sits on a lake in the Salzkammergut with the mountains rising straight behind it, and snow settles there far more readily than in Vienna, although even up there it is never a promise. By train you face several changes and a much longer journey, so in winter a coach is the simple answer.

7 TRAVEL's Hallstatt day trip, from ~$73, leaves from the tourist information on Albertinaplatz behind the State Opera, with hotel pickup as an option. The first stop is half an hour at Schloss Ort, the castle on the Traunsee with its wooden bridge. After that you get about three hours in Hallstatt, and the Skywalk viewpoint above the village can be added when you book. The round trip covers about 370 miles (600 km), some 8 hours of it on the road with a break, and you are back at Albertinaplatz around 8:15 pm. It scores 4.7 from 7,164+ reviews on GetYourGuide and 4.6 from 1,479+ on Viator, where it costs about $102. The catch is all that time on the bus. The group fills a big coach and food is extra. Plenty of reviewers also wished for longer in the village, so grab a takeaway lunch instead of waiting for a restaurant table. The lake boat runs mainly from May to October, and the trip does not suit children under 3 or wheelchair users.

An 8:15 pm return still leaves you an evening in town. The market at Rathausplatz stays open until 10 pm, and until 23 December the food stalls at Am Hof serve until the same hour, so a late Punsch after the coach is easy to arrange.

Bratislava and Budapest in one long day

Two capitals in a day sounds like too much, and in December it is a lot. GOAT CE's Bratislava and Budapest trip, from ~$209, makes it workable by doing the driving in small vans. A pickup in Vienna gets you to Bratislava in about 45 minutes, where a guided hour takes in Michael's Gate and the Primatial Palace, the Main Square and the Blue Church, plus the castle, before some free time. Győr is an optional break on the way into Hungary. In Budapest the guide covers Buda Castle and Fisherman's Bastion, Matthias Church, the Parliament, the Chain Bridge and Heroes' Square, then leaves you free to explore on your own.

It holds 4.8 from 1,069+ reviews on GetYourGuide, the only site that sells it, and guides such as Dimitry earn steady praise. The catch is the length, about 12.5 hours. Some reviewers found the vans cramped on the long stretches, and with darkness by about 4 pm, much of Budapest passes under streetlights. That suits its Christmas markets more than the views from the castle hill. A private option exists for families or friends who want a van to themselves.

Bratislava or Budapest by train

If you would rather set your own pace, Bratislava is the simplest capital to add to a Vienna stay, about an hour away by train. Its Christmas markets fill the Main Square and Hviezdoslav Square in the Old Town, compact enough for one afternoon. Leave after lunch and watch the squares light up. You can still be back for a last mug at Spittelberg, open until 9:30 pm.

Budapest asks for more, 2.5 to 3 hours each way by train. Its best-known markets stand on Vörösmarty Square and in front of St. Stephen's Basilica. As a day trip that means a long, dark ride home, so think about staying a night if your plans allow.

Salzburg and the home of Silent Night

Salzburg lies about 2.5 hours west by train. That makes a full day, but a restful one, since the train does the work. Its Christmas market fills the squares around the cathedral below the fortress, a setting few markets can match. The carol Silent Night was first sung in 1818 in Oberndorf, a village near the city, so this is the song's home ground.

Take a morning train, so the old town is still in daylight when you arrive, then stay for the market lights after 4 pm. Back in Vienna, our guide to Christmas concerts finds the carol in a church near you.

The Wachau, quiet in winter

The Wachau follows the Danube west of Vienna, and Melk and Krems are each about an hour away by train. In December the vineyards are bare and the valley goes very quiet. The baroque Melk Abbey is the obvious anchor for a winter visit, while Dürnstein and Krems suit a slow walk. Many wine taverns close for the winter, so check opening times for the abbey and any tavern you hope to visit before you buy a ticket.

Packing for a long day out

• Layers you can peel off. Coaches and vans are heated, while lake shores and castle hills are not;
• Boots with grip. Expect wet cobbles somewhere along the way, if not snow. Our December weather guide covers the rest of the wardrobe;
• Food and water. Meals are not included on the coach day, and a snack in your bag saves time at the stops;
• Your passport. The Bratislava and Budapest day takes you into two other countries;
• A charged phone and a power bank. Cold drains batteries fast, and most of your photos will be taken after dark.

Traveling with small children? A 13-hour coach day is a lot to ask of them. Vienna at Christmas with kids has ideas that stay closer to the hotel.