What surprised me the most about the Vienna Christmas Markets is just how many markets there actually are. Before visiting Vienna, I envisaged one huge market with perhaps a couple of spin offs. How wrong I was. With Christmas markets around every corner of the city, it feels more like a festive take-over, and one which makes the city feel very special and sparkly; perfect for getting you in the right mood for a period of celebrations with friends and family – convivial and fun.
With over 20 Christmas (Advent) Markets in Vienna, there is plenty of choice. The largest one, Weiner Christkindlmarkt, takes place outside Vienna’s Rathaus (Town Hall). Our favourite was the
Schönbrunn Palace Christmas Market with its Imperial palace background. Each market offers regional foods, festive drinks, and the opportunity to buy decorations, local crafts and gifts.
The Vienna Christmas Markets started life in a different format and were not Christmassy at all. Back in medieval 1296, Duke Albrecht I granted citizens the right to hold December markets, with the practical purpose of allowing citizens to buy goods of necessity to help them through the long, cold winter months to come.
The December Markets did not have a set location in the early days, moving around to Am Hof, Stephansplatz, Freyung, and Neubaugwtel during and in-between the two World Wars.
Over the years, these markets evolved to include festive items, as well as those of necessity, and the modern concept of Christkindlmarkt was born.
Most of the Vienna Christmas Markets fall within the period of mid-November until 26th December. The Schönbrunn Palace Christmas Market, however, usually runs slightly longer until the end of the first week in January.
We visited on the first weekend in December and the markets were in full flow.
The busiest times of day at the Vienna Christmas Markets are usually the evenings and weekends. Most people like to visit when it’s dark, so they can best see the Christmas lights and decorations.
If you visit slightly earlier in the day, at Golden Hour or just before it gets dark, then the Christmas Markets are usually quieter, but you can still get the atmosphere of the lights.
As mentioned above, there are winter markets all over the city. We managed to come across a good number of Vienna Christmas Markets simply in the course of exploring the city; some we spent time in, and some we passed by. If you visit all the markets, then you won’t get to see anything else!
Pick just a couple of Christmas Markets to spend time in and let the rest go, to avoid spending your entire winter weekend break in Vienna in a blur of baubles, glühwein and Lebkuchen.
The biggest Christmas Market in Vienna, with up to 200 stalls, is held in the square in front of the City Hall (the Rathaus). The Weiner Christkindlmarkt has been held in this location since 1975. It is sometimes referred to as the Wiener Weihnachtstraum or ‘Vienna Christmas Dream’.
Each year, as an act of friendship, a different Austrian province gifts a large Christmas tree to the event, which stands proudly in front of the City Hall.
Once you’ve explored the stalls in the market, you can walk through the neighbouring park, Rathauspark, to admire the light displays and find the illuminated ice-rink.
This is a smaller Christmas Market located around St Stephen’s Cathedral (Stephansdom), Stephansplatz, in the middle of Vienna’s Old Town. Back in medieval times, traders would have used the space around the church for regular markets throughout the year, so this one keeps up with that trading tradition.
If you’re planning on climbing the 343 steps to the top of the Cathedral’s South Tower, then grabbing a hot chocolate (maybe with a shot of rum!) from the Christmas market in Stephansplatz afterwards will be the perfect reward.
Stephansplatz is the place to pick up a Fiaker (traditional horse-drawn carriage) for a relaxed but pricey tour of the picturesque Old Town; approximately 55 Euros for a 20-minute rise (prices may vary). Look for the smart ‘white gloves’ on the horses' ears!
The Christmas Market at Am Hof is in a very central location, surrounded by historic buildings, such as the Kirche am Hof (Church of the Nine Choirs of Angels) and the Madonna column in the centre of the square. As far back as 1358, it was the location of a wine market and so the Christmas Market tradition of drinking glühwein (warm wine) seems very appropriate here.
The Am Hof Christmas Market is well organised, with arts and crafts stalls all together on one side of the market, and food and drink stalls grouped together. The market offers some more upmarket items with a champagne bar.
The Weihnachtsdorf at Maria-Theresien-Platz sits in an impressive location in the Museum Quarter (MQ), sandwiched between the mighty Kunsthistorisches Art Museum and the Natural History Museum, both housed in impressive Imperial buildings. There is a large monument to Empress Maria Theresa (1888) in the centre, and you can get a good view of the stalls around the monument from the stairs up to either museum.
This market stalls are heavy on arts and crafts. Whilst you are exploring, look out for the stall selling traditional Snow Globes made by a Viennese family, The Perzy Family, which was issued with the first patent for a snow globe. Alternatively, you could visit the Original Vienna Snow Globe Museum run by the family and see great-grandfather’s original workshop.
In front of the Baroque wonder of St Charles Church (Karlskirche Church). The Christmas Market at Karlsplatz is called Art Advent. There are around 80 artisan stalls selling products which have been approved for quality and authenticity by a committee – effectively ‘the craft police’!
As a result, this Christmas Market is one of the best for finding unusual gifts and souvenirs for home. If you want to eat here, then all the foods are organic. This helps make it the greenest of the Vienna Christmas Markets.
For a more down-to-earth Christmas market experience, with a bit less glitz and glamour, visit the Winter Market at Riesenradplatz on the edge of Prater Park, the home of the Prater Fun Fair.
One of the big pulls to this Vienna Christmas Market is to ride the Weiner Riesenrad Ferris Wheel, the World’s Oldest Ferris Wheel. It has been turning since 1897 and you can still take a ride in one of the wooden cabins which rise to a height of 65 meters, offering super views over wintery Vienna. You might recognise it from the 1949 film, The Third Man, starring Orson Welles.
Of all the Vienna Christmas Markets that we visited on our winter city break to Austria’s capital city, the Schönbrunn Palace Christmas Market was my favourite. I think this was because you can combine a visit to the market with a tour of the Schönbrunn Palace, and then enjoy the palace backdrop as you peruse the market and participate in festive activity.
Discover why it’s so special in my blog, Vienna: Schönbrunn Palace Christmas Market, Guided Tour and Gardens.
The Belvedere Palace Christmas Market is a fairly small Christmas market but in a very pretty setting with the Belvedere Palace behind it.
Time your visit to the Belvedere Christmas Market with a visit to the Belvedere Museum to see the incredible paintings by Gustav Klimt (1862 – 1918), including his most famous painting, The Kiss. For more details, check out my blog about Planning a winter city break in Vienna.
The Vienna Christmas Markets are likely to be very busy, but in particular at weekends and in the evenings. At peak times, you may need to wait a couple of minutes to get to the front of a stall, so be prepared to wait your turn, or pick a different stall and return later. Don’t visit if you’re in a rush or feeling impatient; visit when you have lots of time and are happy to ‘go with the flow’ (of people).
To be honest, once you’ve visited a couple of markets, you’ll start seeing the same things in each one. If you try to visit too many markets, then ‘market fatigue’ can arise.
A visit to any of the Vienna Christmas Markets is guaranteed to make you feel festive and get you in the mood for the winter party season.
If you visit a Christmas Market in the early evening, then you can follow your market visit with a classical music concert (Mozart, Strauss or Beethoven) at a nearby venue. Book a music concert in advance and then visit the Christmas market closest to your chosen venue.
Classic items to buy at the Vienna Christmas Markets include:
Baubles – I would argue that this is a compulsory purchase, and a lovely permanent reminder of your trip to Vienna when you get home. I still have mine from my first trip to Vienna in 2007.
Paper star decorations to hang in your windows.
Seasonal greetings cards.
Ornaments and snow globes.
Christmas gnomes with long beards and stripey tights.
Gingerbread houses, and much more...
I would advise spending at least one visit to a Vienna Christmas Market where you eat and drink from the market stalls as your main meal (lunch or dinner). Then you can sample lots of traditional and regional Austrian cuisine. But, go hungry!
Glühwein (hot wine) or Christmas Punsch (using spirits) in a boot shaped mug.
Apfelwein – hot cider.
Eierpunsch – with eggs, like egg nog.
Hot chocolate, with all the extras.
Bratwurst – German sausage.
Kasekrainer – sausage with cheese inside.
Kasknockerl – dumplings with melted cheese and fried onions.
Langos – deep fried flatbread (originates from Hungary).
Pretzels – giant!
Roast chestnuts – a winter classic.
Schnitzel - flattened piece of meat, crumbed and fried); Weiner Schnitzel is made from veal, but you can get pork and chicken schnitzels if you prefer.
Schinkenfleckerl - ham and pasta bake.
Thuringian raclette – melted cheese sandwich.
Baumkuchen (split cake) - looks like layers or tree rings inside.
Buchteln – sweet buns made of enriched yeast, brushed with butter and baked, then topped with sweet things. Best served warm.
Bethmannchen – pastry with marzipan.
Christstollen - fruit bread of nuts, spices, and dried or candied fruit.
Gebrannte Mandeln – candied almonds.
Kaiserschmarrn (‘Emperor's Mess') - named after Habsburg Emporer Franz Joseph, it is a shredded pancake often served with butter, icing sugar and/or a sauce such as apple or plum. Sometimes it has raisins.
Lebkuchen – soft gingerbread.
Strudel – ideally apple!
Waffles or crepes, donuts or churros.
Zwetschgenmann (prune man) – figure made from dried prunes, figs, with a painted walnut head.
The list goes on. Did I mention you need a good walk before your eating extravaganza at the Vienna Christmas Markets? Well, here’s a good walk to set you up for an evening of market food, Explore Vienna Old Town on a leisurely self-guided walk.
The Vienna Christmas Markets generally open between 10.00am and 11.00am in the morning and run until 9.00pm or 10.00pm in the evening.
Most stalls will accept payment by card, but it’s best to have some cash with you just in case the card machines are not working.
A system exits across most of the Vienna Christmas Markets whereby you can pay a deposit for a festive cup (this was 5 Euros when we visited). You can then use it for your drinks during your visit, deciding whether to return it at the end for your money back, or keeping it as a souvenir.
There are no toilets at most of the Christmas Markets, so bear this in mind with your drinking volumes. There are paid toilets at the Maria-Theresien-Platz Christmas Market.
It can be very cold in Vienna during the Christmas Market season, so wear lots of thin layers and wrap up warm. Don’t forget about your feet as they can get the coldest standing around at market bars – invest in a pair of merino wool socks (they are the warmest) and thick soled boots. You can use a mug of hot wine or cider for your handwarmers!
Before you travel to Austria to visit the Vienna Christmas Markets, research how to best take night pictures on your phone or camera. It can be difficult to capture the beauty of the lights without camera blur in your night photos – trust me, I’ve had some disasters. It's work in progress!
In closing
The thing that I like the most about the Vienna Christmas Markets is that they are used as much by locals as by tourists, which stops them from feeling like too much of a commercial enterprise. When you’re enjoying your glass of punch, you could be sharing your stand-up table with locals coming straight from work. It’s very convivial!
Prost!
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