Austria public holidays and festivals: dates and closures

Austria's public holidays are fixed by federal law. Nine fall on fixed dates; the rest move with Easter. When a holiday lands on a Saturday or Sunday, there is no substitute day off, so the closure simply passes.

The table below lists the nationwide holidays. Regional and local holidays exist in some provinces, and schools add their own breaks; check with your hotel or the province before relying on a specific date.

On a public holiday, most shops, supermarkets, banks and post offices close for the day. Grocery stores in major train stations and some petrol stations stay open, and restaurants, cafés and bars generally trade as normal, though popular places book out. Museums vary: many state museums close on 25 December and 1 January, and some close on Mondays throughout the year regardless of holidays.

Public transport runs. Trains, trams, buses and the Vienna U-Bahn operate on a Sunday or holiday timetable, which means less frequent services on some lines. Long-distance trains usually run as normal, but seats on the Christmas and Easter peaks sell out days ahead. Taxis and ride-hailing work, often with holiday surcharges.

Pharmacies rotate: each area has an emergency pharmacy (Notdienst) open on holidays, listed in local newspapers and on pharmacy doors. If you need one, ask at your hotel or check the Austrian pharmacy chamber's duty roster.

The Salzburg Festival in July and August is Austria's headline cultural event: opera, concerts and drama in the city where Mozart was born. Tickets go on sale months ahead and the best seats sell out; if you are not going to a performance, expect higher hotel prices and busier streets in Salzburg during those weeks.

Vienna's ball season runs from January to early March, with the Vienna Opera Ball in February as the best known. The city's Christmas markets run from late November to late December, with the Rathausplatz market the largest; they close on 24 December or shortly after. Innsbruck and Salzburg have their own Christmas markets on similar dates.

In the Alps, the ski season shapes the calendar more than any single festival. Kitzbühel's Hahnenkamm race in January and the New Year week are the busiest and most expensive times in the western resorts. Summer brings village festivals, brass-band days and wine harvest events in the Wachau and Styria, usually on weekends from late August to October.

The two weeks around Christmas and New Year are the hardest to book and the most expensive, especially in Vienna and the ski resorts. If you want that period, reserve hotels and trains three to six months ahead. Easter is the next busiest, followed by the May–June run of Ascension, Whit Monday and Corpus Christi, when Austrians take long weekends.

For quieter travel, aim for late April, early May after the holiday cluster, September or early October. City sights stay open, prices drop outside the Christmas markets and ski peaks, and you avoid the school-holiday crowds. Note that some mountain cable cars and lake ferries close outside the summer season, so check opening dates if your trip depends on them.

If a public holiday falls during your stay, treat it as a Sunday: shop the day before, book restaurants, and check museum hours. Trains still run, so a holiday is a fine day to move between cities.

Austrian holidays are observed nationwide, but individual provinces and towns add local dates, and school breaks differ by province. If you are travelling for a specific event, confirm the date with the organiser or the local tourist office before booking.

Sunday closing applies every week, not just on holidays, so plan grocery shopping on Saturday. Larger train stations, motorway service areas and some airport shops are the reliable exceptions.