Finally, it’s that time of the year again! Stopped by the pandemic for the past two years, the famous Salzburg Mountain Advent in the Grossarl Valley now returns in its 14th edition. If my husband, my little son Liam and I were already thrilled by our hiking trip there last autumn, this time we knew right away: Coming here in winter will also be very special. Joining us this time: Liam’s newly arrived little brother Levin and my two wonderful parents. So let’s go.
Family trip to Grossarl valley: The horse-drawn carriage ride at the end of the valley, at the entrance to the Hohe Tauern National Park, leaves nothing to be desired. It is also perfectly suitable for babies and small children.
Fairytale atmosphere in Grossarl during the Mountain Christmas market.
When we arrive in Grossarl mountain village at the start of the mountain Christmas market season, the beaming winter sun matches the cheeriness in our mood. The town, dusted in recent snow, lies before us like a fairy tale, the air is crisp, fresh, wonderful.
After lunch at the Steakhouse Grossarl, a short torchlight hike through Grossarl takes us past the local Christmas market, up to the church and into its nativity scene exhibition. Everything in Grossarl is within walking distance and easily accessible even with strollers; the traffic routes are quickly cleared in snowy conditions. In no time at all we start feeling at home here.
Arrive, revive: A view of the pretty little village Grossarl from our bed & breakfast place.
Upon entering the main market square …
… we can literally feel the historic origins of the place, as expressed by this ancient little farm house for instance.
As the town gears up for opening its annual Mountain Christmas Market …
… we have a parallel date with our torchlight hiking group.
As dusk sets in, the real magic of the advent season unfolds.
As for our little torchlight walking group, this activity takes place every Friday at 4.30 p.m. in the weeks leading up to Christmas …
… accompanied by this lovely duo …
… taking us all the way up the illuminated church hill …
… where we get to admire an exhibition of perfectly hand-crafted nativity scenes.
Real works of art, created in up to 80 hours of handwork, enchant Liam, my parents and me.
Where to sleep, eat & drink in Grossarl: Pension Kendlbacher, Hotel Das Edelweiss & Großarlerhof.
Apart from the Advent market itself, you can of course grab food and drinks almost everywhere in Grossarl. As for spending the night, I can recommend our bed & breakfast apartments run by the Kendlbacher family. They are super centrally located, ideal for us as a family travelling with baby and toddler in tow.
The Kendlbacher family even lend us a second stroller “for the bigger baby”, which makes all the difference. (speaking of mountain fatigue – it’s real, especially in kids! 😉 ) Another bonus for the little ones: The apartments offer a spacious playroom in the basement; next to it is a small but nice sauna area for the adults. Come and take a look!
Cosy, spacious apartments for rent (either with or without breakfast) by the Kendlbacher family…
… including a view over Grossarl town …
… complete with home-made cakes for breakfast …
… and home-made jams, of course: Thank you so much for such a yummy breakfast each morning here!
If you’re digging further local foodie recommendations, go check out Hotel-Restaurant Das Edelweiss …
… a truly magnificent hotel resort in Grossarl …
… also worth mentioning is the hotel Grossarlerhof …
… where we go for dinner on our second night and I get to eat my first chamois venison meat!
Salzburg Mountain Advent: A village, a Christmas fairytale.
So what is there to know about the Salzburg Mountain Advent itself? Until December 18, 2022, it takes place on Friday, Saturday and Sunday on each of the four weekends leading up to Christmas in the middle of Grossarl. In addition, an attractive support program is offered: Sometimes we hear the angels sing (we do!), other times, it’s a matter of posting local Christmas cards, or learning how to bake your own Christmas cookies!
We see lots and lots of people flock to the village, whose main nativity scene with its life-size wooden figures acts as a visitor magnet. The Mountain Christmas Market also masters the sometimes delicate balance between kitsch and art in a formidable manner. Check this out.
Welcome to the local mountain Christmas market in Grossarl…
… a true feast for the senses!
Every Saturday, the angels are out to sing …
… and of course, there’s lots of opportunities to get (part of) your Christmas shopping done …
… I also like that they have a part of the market designed especially for kids …
… complete with their own pavilion, merry-go-round, pet zoo and more.
By the way, here’s another view of the village nativity scene and its lively-looking wooden figures: “Mum, who are they?” Yes, who indeed? 🙂
Horse-drawn carriage through the Grossarl valley winter wonderland.
The Grossarl Valley has yet another attraction to offer in winter: a ride in a horse-drawn carriage through deeply snow-covered mountain landscapes. Such rides are themselves nothing unusual (only earlier this year we enjoyed a magical horse-drawn carriage ride in the neighbouring Gastein Valley).
The setting in Grossarl Valley, however, is: Coachman Sepp Kirchner welcomes us at the end of the valley road in absolute silence and against a true winter wonderland. His two very strong horse ladies, Pauline and Sissi (each weighing in at a hefty 700 kg!), drive us into a mountain landscape that rightly bears the title of national park. At the foot of the Hohe Tauern, where only nature surrounds us in its winter rest and hardly a soul is on the way, we gently fall in love with the special feeling of winter, nature, mountains. Wow.
Hello, Pauline and Sissi! I love how strong you are for your two horse powers.
Coachman Sepp Kirchner takes us towards the Hohe Tauern National Park. He loves relating the beauties of his homeland to us …
… beauties such as this peaceful little lake here …
… all worth protecting, he argues.
Thank you so much, dear Sepp, for this truly special family experience!
Sustainable travel: Out and about in Grossarl Valley by public transport.
Finally, I would like to encourage you to leave the car as we did and travel by public transport – even and especially with two very small children. This is possible (even easy!) if you inform yourself in time and get organised. We reserved the train tickets on the busy route Vienna – St. Johann im Pongau about six weeks before our travel dates and received quite good deals for it; luggage for the five of us was easily distributed on three adults plus the one baby stroller.
A well-timed bus runs from the train station to Grossarl; for a little more comfort (“door to door”) we opted for the local cab 600 from the station to our accommodation (and back). All the rest was easily accessible on foot; also to be on the road with strollers is really no handicap in the entire Grossarl Valley.
Using public transport to get to and from Grossarl Valley was easy for us as a travelling family.
So all that’s left to say is: See you soon again in the beautiful Grossarl Valley! I already feel a little longing again … “Mum, I want to go there again,” Liam says to me the day after the trip. Let’s make it happen, then!
Check out my entire picture gallery of our trip to Grossarltal and its famous Mountain Christmas market:
Disclaimer: We have been invited on this weekend trip by the local tourism association supported by the province of the Salzburger Land Tourismus. All opinions are my own.