Vienna is known for its diverse and dreamy Christmas markets, each with its own unique charm that transform the city into a winter wonderland every holiday season. From the heart of the Old Town to the grandeur of Schönbrunn Palace, these markets offer the most magical experience:
Viennese Dream Christmas Market at Rathausplatz
Rathausplatz | more infos here.
The Viennese Dream Christmas Market in front of the City Hall is considered one of Europe’s biggest and most beautiful Christmas markets.
The roots of this market go back to the late 18th century, though it only moved to its present location in 1975. The unique backdrop gives this market a charm of its own but
here are many more highlights this christmas market has to offer:
✨ The large Christmas tree in front of the City Hall has a large nativity scene at its feet. Each year, a different Austrian province gifts the giant tree to Vienna in a traditional gesture of friendship.
✨ In the center of the market you'll find a beautiful giant carousel.
✨ In the Rathauspark a Ferris Wheel provides glorious views of City Hall, the park and the Christmas market. The romantically lit nostalgic Ferris wheel is an unforgettable delight for all ages.
✨ At Rathauspark a tree is decorated with around 200 illuminated red hearts which is alluminated every half an hour by a large heart that flies across the christmas market. The hearts are a symbol of love, which is what we all come back to in the Christmas season. At the Herzerl Standl ("heart stand") under that tree you can take one of these hearts back home.
✨ Numerous art and craft stalls offer handmade decorations, gourmet honeys, candles, clothing accessories for winter, toys and other traditional christmas items and gifts. You’ll also find traditional seasonal cuisine at various places that sell pastries, oven potatoes, Baumkuchen, sausages, Käsespätzle and more! And of course hot punch and mulled wine (Glühwein) that all can be enjoyed at standing tables under the shelter of pergolas.
✨ The Ice Dream at the Christmas Market is a dreamy ice trail that winds through the romantic Rathauspark surrounded by the atmospheric Christmas lighting. Whether sporty or leisurely, beginners or advanced ice skaters: the Ice Dream provides a multitude of ways to enjoy this popular winter sport. (After christmas there will be a larger ice skating rink!)
✨ Inside the City Hall on the ground floor, there is an area dedicated to children, where they can learn how to make Christmas cookies or candles. You can also listen to international choirs singing carols with free entrance on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays.
✨ A countdown full of possibilities: in cooperation with the Austrian Lotteries, visitors to the Christmassy Rathauspark have the opportunity to win prizes with the giant scratchcard Advent calendar. Three prizes per day await guests behind the calendar’s doors.
Whether you’re strolling across Rathausplatz and sampling the wide range of delicacies and buying Christmas presents, ambling leisurely through the park, enjoying the wonderful sea of lights while gliding across the ice or taking a photo at the Bussiplatz (“kissing spot”). There’s so much to discover! One day at the Vienna Christmas Market is usually not enough to fully experience the enormous offer.
🕐 Opening times:
Nov 10th - Dec 26th: 10am - 10pm
Dec 24th: 10am - 6:30pm
Art Advent at Karlsplatz
©Divina Art, Art Advent | more infos here.
This beautiful christmas market differs from the other famous markets: As the name "Art Advent" suggests it is focused on arts and crafts and is excellent for unique and high-quality gifts. One of the organisers requirements for those wishing to run a stand is that the products on sale must be made by the applicant themselves (no traded goods) and must gain the approval of a qualified jury. This selection process ensures quality, but also more originality and diversity than at Christmas markets elsewhere in Vienna. Here are some other highlights:
✨ An attraction that makes this market stand out is that the pond in front of the church is transformed into a nativity scene. Here you can marvel at some domestic animals like sheeps or goats.
✨ The range of products available covers clothing, jewellery, ceramics, fine art, household items, and much more. You even find art studios and design workshops.
✨ The Art Advent is the only Advent market in the whole of Austria whose gastronomy is fully certified organic. Food Booths offer delights such as Raclette, Fladenbrot (flat breads), Kiachl (a kind of flat doughnut), potato goulash, Käsespätzle, crepes and more. Of course you can get punch and mulles wine as well.
✨ This market offer a great children's program: Straw landscape, trolley express, carousel of found objects, barrel organ music, supervised creative crafts in the star workshop in the large yurt at the pond area (3 - 7 p.m.) and storytellers:inside in the sky tent.
✨ There are many live acts on a mobile stage.
🕐 Opening times:
Nov 24th - Dec 23rd: 12pm - 8pm
Christmas Market at Schönbrunn Palace
©Andreas Tischler | more infos here.
Advent in Schönbrunn in one of the best-known historical settings in Vienna is a time for strolling at leisure, enjoying the atmosphere and looking for unusual presents. The courtyard in front of Schönbrunn Palace is festively decorated with countless lights and more than 80 lovingly decorated huts. A varied supporting program create a festive atmosphere and christmas melodies and the smell of roasted almonds, mulled wine and punch are sure to put you in the Christmas spirit! Here are some other highlights:
✨ Live concerts will be staged in front of the brightly lit Christmas tree. Local and international choirs, brass bands and music ensembles will take you on a melodic trip with Christmas classics and Austrian tunes, spirituals and gospel, swing and jazz.
✨ A lot of stalls encircle the giant courtyard, offering quality arts and crafts from the workshops of candle makers, glass blowers, wood carvers, metal workers, potters, needleworkers, and other artists and artisans.
✨ On the culinary front there are plenty of gourmet food booths selling cheese, gingerbread, jams, honey, hams, schnapps and sauces, waffles, crepes, soups, dumplings, kaiserschmarrn, punch, mulles wine and much more.
✨ Children can have fun in the Children’s Hut or solve tricky puzzles and exciting tasks in the Interactive Game.
✨ From 27 December, the New Year's Market will take place in Schönbrunn. The selection in the huts will be expanded to include lucky charms, diaries and hand-blown champagne glasses, among other things.
🕐 Opening times:
Nov 18th - 23rd: 10am - 9pm
Dec 24th: 10am - 4pm
Dec 25th - Jan 4th: 10am - 6pm (new year market)
Christmas Market at Spittelberg
©Reinhard Podolsky | more infos here.
Spittelberg is a very lively neighborhood in Vienna’s 7th district with a a variety of pubs, small shops, organic grocers, art galleries and studios. Unlike most of the other christmas markets this one doesn’t occupy a large square or open area. Instead this charming street-based christmas market is integrated into the surrounding shops. The stalls fill the narrow streets, alleyways and small courtyards, flanked by lighted doorways that lead into galleries, craft shops and busy bars. These are the highlights:
✨ The market carries official status as an Öko-Event, indicating it has met the numerous criteria required by the city for recognition as an environmentally-friendly event.
✨ Numerous exhibitors offer fairly traded or produced handicrafts of various kinds like leather goods, clothes or jewelry.
✨ Food and drink booths sell seasonal treats like roasted almonds and sausages, giant hams, pulled pork burgers, a variety of arancini (stuffed Italian rice balls), punch, mulled wine and much more! They also offer vegetarian and vegan alternatives.
🕐 Opening times:
Nov 16th - Dec 23rd
Monday - Wednesday: 2am - 9pm
Friday: 2am - 9:30pm
Saturday: 10am - 9:30pm
Sun & Holiday: 10am - 9pm
Christmas Village at Stephansplatz
©wienkultur.info | more infos here.
This central and traditional christmas market is located in the heart of Vienna right in front of its symbol, St. Stephen's Cathedral. Against this iconic backdrop and surrounded by festive decorations, the market creates a picturesque scene. It draws both locals and visitors into its enchanting ambiance. Its highlights:
✨ The market is a treasure trove of seasonal delights, with wooden stalls offering a variety of handcrafted gifts, jars of pesto, candles, woolen hats and gloves, artistic candle holders and ceramics, Lebkuchen, jewellery, snow globes, specialist chocolates, wine and more. This market showcases the rich tradition of Austrian craftsmanship.
✨ The air is filled with the irresistible scents of Christmas, emanating from stalls offering food and drinks like roasted chestnuts, aromatic mulled wine, and an array of traditional Austrian treats.
✨ The central location of the market allows visitors to seamlessly blend their holiday shopping with exploring the historic of Vienna's city center. Whether it's the impressive architecture of St. Stephen's Cathedral or the surrounding charmingly decorated streets such as Rotenturmstraße, Kärntner Straße or Graben, the Christmas market in front of St. Stephen's Cathedral is a must-visit destination.
🕐 Opening times:
Nov 10th - Dec 23rd: 11am - 9pm
Dec 24th: 11am - 4pm
Dec 25th& 26th: 11am - 7pm
Christmas Village at Belvedere Palace
@irkkuliri | more infos here.
This christmas market is located right in front of Upper Belvedere Palace. The market is very divergent from the usual ones you find in the city. It’s more quiet and a touch smaller and adorned with perfect Christmas presents, artistic decorations, and handicrafts to shop your heart out. These are the highlights:
✨ Strolling through the 40 market's stalls, visitors can discover an array of handcrafted treasures like jewellery, scented woods, ceramics, wooden toys and woolly hats and more.
✨ Most romantic flair with an amazing baroque backdrop.
✨ The christmas market offers a small carousel and a reindeer train for children.
🕐 Opening times:
Mo - Fr: 11am – 9pm
Sa - So: 10am – 9pm
Dec 24th: 11am – 4pm
Dec 25th & 26th: 11am – 7pm
Christmas Village at Maria Theresien Platz
©Christian Kremser | more info here.
The Christmas village on Maria-Theresien-Platz is one of the most atmospheric Christmas markets in Vienna. Surrounded by the imperial ambience of the Hofburg and located between the Museum of Art and the Museum of Natural History, the Christmas Village delights with rustic handicrafts, handmade Christmas decorations and a wide selection of culinary delights. These are the highlights:
✨ At the market you'll find a lot of food and drink stalls. The end nearest the Kunsthistorisches Museum typically includes some covered areas with bar tables, just in case it rains or snows.
✨ In about the colorful wooden huts visitors can find souvenirs, decorations and gifts for the holiday and more!
✨ It is situated directly on the Ring, in the midst of numerous Viennese sights such as the Hofburg Palace or the MuseumsQuartier (where you can visit the beautiful Winter Market as well).
🕐 Opening times:
Nov 15th - Dec 23rd: 11am- 10pm
Dec 24th: 11am - 3pm
Dec 25th & 26th: 11am- 8pm
Christmas Village at the Campus of the University of Vienna
©Schlossko, MAGMAG | more info here.
The Christmas Village on the campus of the University of Vienna (Altes AKH) is known and loved for its cozy atmosphere and has more of a local feel to it. Craftsmen and businesses from all over Austria transform the Christmas Village into an impressive world of enjoyment, indulgence and experience, where traditional Austrian Christmas can be experienced and enjoyed in all its facets.
✨ The Altes AKH is a great market for families, as smaller kids can always find a few extra activities there including pony rides, merry-go-rounds, a Christmas train and a playground.
✨ You’ll find a selection of the usual booths offering a variety of accessories, jewellery, decorations and similar.
✨ Altes AKH has always been one of the better markets for food and drink, with a wide choice of warm winter fare and regional specialties from Austria’s provinces. Many of these food and drink stands surround a self-contained plaza with loads of bar tables available for convenience and conversation.
🕐 Opening times: Nov 10th - December 23rd
Mon - Wed: 2pm - 10pm
Thu - Fri: 2pm - 11pm
Sat: 11am - 11pm (Sat)
Sun: 11am - 8pm
Winter Market at Riesenradplatz
©Winter Market Riesenradplatz | more infos here.
This eventful christmas market is located right in front of Vienna's Giant Ferris Wheel at Prater! The Wintermarkt offers you the typical Viennese Christmas market atmosphere and gives you an opportunity to leave your everyday life behind. Rides on the winter train, high-altitude flights on the chain carousel, excitement in the Autodrom, as well as hot drinks and culinary delicacies ensure a cool winter atmosphere.
Here are some other highlights:
✨ There you'll find of course all the delicious classics – from (children’s) punch, mulled wine, chocolate fruits, baked potatoes, waffles, langos and more.
✨ Every Thursday, Friday and Saturday there are music performances from 7pm. Artists and bands from pop, rock, blues, soul, and gospel perform live on stage.
✨ The Vienna Philharmonic New Year’s Concert will be broadcast live on January 1st at 11am!
✨ This market is perfect to combine it with some action! Wether combine it with a visit to Vienna's Madame Tussauds, a ride on the Ferris wheel or on a rollercoaster, the winter market is not just for tourists.
🕐 Opening times:
Nov 18th - Jan 7th
Mon - Fri: 12pm - 10pm
Sat, Sun & Holiday: 11am - 10pm
Dec 24th: 11am - 5pm
Dec 31st: 11am - 2pm
Old Viennese Christmas Market at Freyung
©Michael Hedl | more infos here.
The small historical Freyung square hosts the Altwiener Christkindlmarkt. This charming market is held there every year since 1772. Today, it is a place to buy handicrafts, glass decorations, traditional mangers and ceramics. It is a short walk from the big Christmas market at Rathaus (city hall) along the Ringstrasse to Freyung where the crowds are smaller and the atmosphere is a bit quieter. It's the gentler alternative to the larger markets. These are the highlights:
✨ The wooden booths offer handicrafts, Christmas decorations, candles or textiles. There you'll also find all the delicious classics – from (children’s) punch, mulled wine, chocolate fruits, baked potatoes and more!
✨ At this christmas market traditions such as making Advent wreaths are maintained. Santa Claus also visits the children at the market and encourages them to sing Advent carols. Every day, from 4:30pm various musical events with Christmas spirit are held.
✨ Along the rear of booths backing onto the street is a 150-foot long nativity scene mural based on an 1830 painting by Austrian artist Josef Ritter von Führich.
🕐 Opening times:
Nov 16th - Dec 23rd
Mon - Fri: 11am - 9pm
Sat - Sun: 10am - 9pm
Dec 24th: 11am - 4pm
Advent Market am Hof
@vienna_alexxandra | more infos here.
Am Hof is a large central square that is located in the middle of historical buildings from different eras. The Christmas market is ideal for those who like their sights and activities packed together, being close to St. Stephen’s Cathedral in the city centre and a short walk from the Freyung Christmas market as well.
✨ The market features over 20 huts selling arts and crafts but also booths that offer more traditional items and seasonal classics like decorations, punch, honeys, jams, ceramics, jewellery, accessories, textiles, and more.
✨ Am Hof offers a wide range of food and drinks like langos, roast nuts, chocolate-coated fruits, Lebkuchen, soups, cheeses, Baumkuchen, Tyrolean specialties, open cured ham sandwiches, raclette, sausages, oven potatoes, bubble waffles, churros and more.
✨ Some of the music is live. Choirs perform there and Christmas carols are sung. Traditionally, a radio station is also a partner of the Christmas market and provides the audience there with live moderations.
🕐 Opening times:
Nov 10th - Dec 23rd
Mon - Thurs: 11am - 9pm
Fri - Sun & Holidays: 10am - 9pm
Food & drink served an hour longer
Main Pic: ©S. Borisov
Also visit Visiting Vienna fore more infos.
Vienna's Christmas Markets
16 mins reading time
Nov 14, 2023
Yvonne Heigl
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