Salzburg Cathedral
Dom zu Salzburg47°48′ N 13°03′ E
Salzburg's baroque cathedral is the place for a Christmas Eve service with Mozart, and it stands right over the Christkindlmarkt. Sightseeing costs €7 and stops for services.
Photo Ray Swi-hymn from Sijhih-Taipei, Taiwan · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 2.0 and others, credited in the gallery
Archbishop Paris Lodron consecrated the present cathedral in 1628, and its front looks straight onto the Domplatz, where the Christkindlmarkt stalls stand in Advent. The bronze font from 1311 inside is where Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was baptised. So was Joseph Mohr, who later wrote the words of Silent Night.
On Christmas Eve 2026 the cathedral holds pontifical Vespers at 15:00. The youth choir sings carols from 23:00, and the Christmas Mass follows at 23:30 with Mozart's Organ Solo Mass, K. 259, sung by soloists, the youth choir and the cathedral orchestra.
Worth knowing
- Hear the choirs on the cathedral steps at 17:00 on any Advent weekday for free, then step inside before the 18:00 closing in December.
Quick answers about Salzburg Cathedral
What time is Christmas Mass at Salzburg Cathedral in 2026?
Salzburg's tourist board lists carols from 23:00 on 24 December and the Christmas Mass at 23:30 with Mozart's Organ Solo Mass. Pontifical Vespers is at 15:00 the same day.
