St Gilgen Advent Market
Wolfgangseer Advent St. Gilgen47°46′ N 13°22′ ESt Gilgenfrom Nov 20Seasonal
St Gilgen works well for a calm half day on the lake, and it's the Wolfgangsee village nearest to Salzburg. Like its neighbours it shuts on Mondays and Tuesdays, and Wednesday is only a small promenade market.
Photo IIya Kuzhekin · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 3.0 and others, credited in the gallery
St Gilgen Advent Market runs November 20, 2026 to December 20, 2026 · confirmed by the organizer (source)
Advent SundaysGaudete, 13 DecemberChristmas Eve
Dates and hours
- November 20, 2026 to December 20, 2026Confirmedsourcechecked Oct 10, 2026
Hours · Mon–Tue closed; Wed 13:00–19:30; Thu–Fri 11:00–19:30; Sat–Sun 10:00–19:30
- Dec 7, 2026 · 10:00–19:30
- Dec 8, 2026 · 10:00–19:30
Access and crowds
- Getting around
- The organizer publishes no access details.
- Busiest
- Saturdays and Sundays, and the 7 and 8 December holiday pair.
- Quieter
- Thursday and Friday, when the full market opens at 11:00.
St Gilgen calls its market the baroque Advent. Craft stalls line the Kirchenplatz by the parish church, and hundreds of red and gold candles hang on the houses. The big candle stands at the water's edge, eleven metres tall. Raja Schwahn-Reichmann's painted figures of people, angels and animals take their style from baroque ceilings, and other stall scenes show St Nicholas and the Glöckler, who belong to the region's old Advent customs.
The village is the Wolfgangseer Advent's western end, and boats run from here to Strobl and St Wolfgang on market days. Mozart's mother, Anna Maria Pertl, was born in St Gilgen, and his sister Nannerl moved here after she married. A nativity exhibition in the Salettl beside the Gasthof zur Post keeps the market's hours.
Worth knowing
- Buy the St Gilgen Advent candle at the market if you want a souvenir. It's an electric copy of the lakeside candle made for home.
- Start here in the late morning, take the boat to St Wolfgang and stay there for the lantern at dusk.
Quick answers about St Gilgen Advent Market
When is the St Gilgen Advent market open in 2026?
From 20 November to 20 December 2026, Wednesday to Sunday, plus 7 and 8 December. Wednesdays bring only a small market on the lake promenade.
In the journal and guides
