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.
Table of Contents
- Best Places to Spend Easter in Austria
- Best Destinations for Easter Ski Holidays
- Austrian Easter Traditions
- Tips for a Pleasant Easter in Austria
- Frequently Asked Questions
Best Places to Spend Easter in Austria
The best place to spend Easter in Austria depends on what date Easter falls on. If it’s in March, you can head to the mountains for some spring skiing. But if Easter is in April, you’re better off closer to a city or town where you can opt for sightseeing, spring hiking, or attend an Easter concert.
Vienna, Salzburg, and Tyrol (particularly Innsbruck and Hall in Tirol) are great places to spend Easter in Austria. They offer Easter markets and musical highlights during the holiday. For first-time visitors, these are also the must-see cities in Austria.
Easter in Tyrol
Innsbruck, the capital of Tyrol, and the neighbouring town of Hall in Tirol are known for their Easter celebrations. 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: 11 April to 21 April 2025
The Easter market in Innsbruck takes place in the historic old town under the Golden Roof and showcases Tyrolean traditions. In addition to Tyrolean handicrafts, visitors can experience old customs such as palm bush tying and “ratcheting” with loud wooden instruments on Good Friday. The market offers attractions for children, including special activities in the inner courtyard of the town tower.
A second Innsbruck Easter market is held on the market square just around the corner from the Golden Roof. This is also where the locals come to soak up the springtime sun against the backdrop of the colorful row of houses in Mariahilf and the Nordkette mountains. Over 30 exhibitors from various countries will be presenting their artistic handicrafts here.
Find the full Innsbruck Easter market programme here.
Hall in Tirol Easter Market
Dates: 11 and 12 April 2025
The Haller Ostermarkt or Easter market of Hall in Tirol is a must-visit even if it’s held over two days only.
Over 25 vendors offering handmade Easter decorations are situated around the Stiftsplatz in this charming medieval town. In the Baroque hall of the adjacent primary school, artists create and showcase their distinctive Easter egg art. This exhibition is titled “Kunst am Ei”.
Tyrol Easter Festival
Dates: 4 to 20 April 2025
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.
Check out some highlights and the 2025 programme here.
Instead of attending one of the Easter concerts, you can also opt for a Tyrolean evening with traditional dance and food.
Easter Markets in Vienna
Schönbrunn Palace Easter Market
Dates: 27 March to 21 April 2025
With a stunning Viennese Palace as a backdrop, there´s no more romantic setting for an Easter market in Vienna.
Besides the stalls offering Easter gifts and culinary delights, children will especially enjoy this market. There is a straw maze, two boules courses, a children´s train and a Ferris wheel for them to enjoy.
Old Viennese Easter Market on Freyung
Dates: 3 to 21 April 2025
This market on the Freyung square in Vienna´s old city is well known for the tower of 40,000 beautifully painted Easter eggs that is erected here every year. This is also where you´ll find Easter specialties such as Osterpinze and roast lamb, handicrafts, and flowers. Plus there is daily musical entertainment starting at 16:30.
Am Hof Easter Market
Dates: 4 to 21 April 2025
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 spring concert. This year´s TV concert, on Sunday 13 April, features pieces about Italy by Johann Strauss (son), Piotr I. Tchaikovsky and more.
Easter in Salzburg
Grossgmain Open-Air Museum
Date: 12 April 2025
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.
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
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.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Easter a holiday in Austria?
Only Easter Monday is a public holiday in Austria. That means all shops are closed except for a few food stores in busier centres and at bigger train stations.
How does Austria celebrate Easter?
Austrian Easter traditions include the painting of Easter eggs and tying of Palmbuschen, which are blessed in churches on Palm Sunday. On Easter Sunday, the Easter Bunny hides colourful eggs, chocolate, and small gifts for children. Seasonal foods, such as tender Easter lamb and sweet Reindling cake are enjoyed by everyone.
How do you say Happy Easter in Austria?
Frohe Ostern is the phrase to use when wishing someone a happy Easter in Austria.
Is Vienna closed for Easter?
In Vienna, Easter Sunday and Easter Monday are public holidays, which means many shops, offices, and some attractions are closed. However, restaurants and tourist sites typically remain open during these days. Good Friday and Easter Saturday are considered regular working days, so all operations continue as usual.
Is Easter big in Vienna?
Vienna comes alive with numerous markets in various districts over the Easter period. These markets offer a huge variety of hand-blown decorated eggs, carved bunnies, assorted wooden toys, handicrafts, and sprays of spring flowers. For your holiday meals, you can find lamb and baked goods that are both traditional and delicious.
*Disclosure*
Having fun in Austria, and then writing about it is hard work 😆 . That’s why some links in this article are affiliate links. I may earn a small commission, at no additional cost to you, if you use any of them to make a purchase. It’s totally cool if you don’t. I love to help anyway. If you do, it will help us discover another part of Austria to write about.
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