First Christmas in Vienna?

Vienna Christmas Markets & Things To Do

Vienna runs more Christmas markets than most cities run bus lines, and that is the first worry. Which ones are worth your evenings, how cold does it get, how packed is the square in front of the City Hall, and which concert is more than a costume and a ticket desk? Each question gets a one-line answer below, with a link to the long version, so you can close a few tabs and start packing.

Only here for a weekend? Two evenings and a day

  1. Evening one · free, or from ~$140 with a guide Walk the markets

    Start under St. Stephen's Cathedral, then follow our route under the Graben chandeliers to Am Hof, the Freyung and the big square at the City Hall, ending in the old lanes of Spittelberg. Six markets in about 40 minutes of walking, or three hours once you stop for Punsch.

    Rather follow someone who lives here? Venture Vienna's local guides take eight people at most by tram to four calmer markets, with Käsespätzle and a hot Punsch at the stops.

    The seven markets on a mapWalk with a local guide
  2. Evening two · from ~$55 Warm up with music

    By the second night your feet will want a seat. An hour of Vivaldi and Mozart in the candlelit vaults of St. Peter's costs ~$55, two minutes off the Graben. For a bigger night, eat at the Schönbrunn market on a voucher, then hear Mozart and Strauss in the palace Orangery from ~$94.

    Christmas concertsWhat to eat and drink
  3. One day · from ~$73 Find the snow

    Vienna in December is more often grey than white. A coach day to Hallstatt swaps the drizzle for a lake village under the Alps, often with snow on the roofs. Would you rather collect capitals? Bratislava and Budapest fit into one long day.

    Day trips from ViennaThe palace markets

What to expect, in short

  • WhenFrom early or mid-November; most markets close on 23 December, a few run to 26 December and Schönbrunn to 6 January. Dates and hours
  • ColdAbout 37 °F (3 °C) by day, around freezing after dark, grey more often than snowy. Dress for standing still. What to wear
  • CrowdsRathausplatz is packed on Friday and Saturday evenings. Weeknights before 6 pm are calmer. Best evenings
  • CostEvery market is free to enter; your first drink carries a deposit on the mug. Tours on this page start at ~$55. All prices
  • KidsSkating paths and a reindeer train at the City Hall, a small Ferris wheel at Schönbrunn. With children
  • BookingMarkets need none. Concerts and small food walks fill on Advent weekends. Our picks

Or browse everything Vienna offers at Christmas

Plan my first evening Our three picks Find my market

The markets, cathedral to palace

Vienna's seven best Christmas markets, one by one

Vienna has more than a dozen Christmas markets. These seven are the ones we would send a first-timer to, numbered along our walk from the cathedral. Six sit within about 40 minutes on foot of each other, and the seventh, in front of Schönbrunn Palace, is a short ride on the U4. Tap a number to jump to it.

Vienna's markets are not copies of each other. One sits at the foot of the cathedral and another has sold glass ornaments since the 18th century. The biggest turns the City Hall park into skating paths, while the smallest hides in the Biedermeier lanes behind the museums. The only real decision is the order, and on foot that order makes itself.

01Christmas Village on Stephansplatz

  • Outdoors
  • U1 and U3 Stephansplatz
  • Open 24 to 26 Dec

About forty huts gather at the foot of St. Stephen's Cathedral, the Gothic church whose tiled roof you will see on every postcard. The stalls lean toward quality goods made in Austria rather than souvenirs, and the setting does the rest. It opens early, in the first week of November, and stays open over Christmas.

Start here at duskCome as the light goes, when the cathedral is lit and the shop windows around the square start to glow. Buy your first mug here, then walk up the Graben, the wide pedestrian street hung with giant chandeliers of light.

11 am to 9 pm every day; shorter hours over Christmas (to 4 pm on the 24th, to 7 pm on the 25th and 26th)

Old Town markets and lights

02The market Am Hof

  • Outdoors
  • About 8 min from Stephansplatz
  • Choirs

A big, square plaza a few minutes beyond the Graben, framed by a golden arch of lights and a church front with a balcony. The huts here sell top-end crafts in ceramic, wood, felt and glass, while choirs and brass groups take turns on most evenings. Food carries on an hour after the stalls close.

Go here for giftsThis is where to buy something hand-made to take home. Then stand by the music with a Punsch. The horse-drawn Fiaker carriages often wait at the edge of the square.

Monday to Thursday 11 am to 9 pm, Friday to Sunday from 10 am; food until 10 pm

A Fiaker driver with two grey horses in front of the golden light arch and wooden huts of the Am Hof Christmas market
The golden arch and a waiting Fiaker at Am Hof

03The old Viennese market on the Freyung

  • Outdoors
  • About 10 min from Stephansplatz
  • Since 1772

A market was held on this triangular square as early as 1772, and the Altwiener Christkindlmarkt still sells what it always did, above all blown-glass tree ornaments and hand-carved nativity figures. It is smaller and calmer than the big squares nearby, which is the point.

Time it rightAdvent music starts at 4 pm. Arrive just before, browse the glass stalls while it is still light, and stay for a song or two before you head on to the City Hall.

Daily 10 am to 9 pm; closes for the season on 23 December

The trick with Vienna's markets is not to pick one. Walk from the cathedral to Spittelberg, and let each square do the one thing it does best.

04The Viennese Christmas Market at Rathausplatz

  • Outdoors
  • U2 Rathaus
  • Ice paths
  • Open 24 to 26 Dec

The big one, and the one most visitors mean when they say "the Vienna Christmas market". You walk in under an arch of candles, past the neo-Gothic City Hall, into rows of stalls selling gifts and warm drinks. In the park beside it, children get a reindeer train and a 12-meter carousel on several levels, and the Vienna Ice World winds skating paths between the trees.

Go earlyOn Friday and Saturday evenings the lanes slow to a shuffle. Come at opening time or before 6 pm on a weekday, skate first while the ice is quiet, then find the tree of hearts in the park.

Daily 10 am to 10 pm; 24 December until 6:30 pm; ice skating until 6 January (closed 31 December)

The Rathausplatz market in detail

05Christmas Village on Maria-Theresien-Platz

  • Outdoors
  • U2 and U3 Volkstheater
  • About 70 stalls

Cross the Ring from the Hofburg and you are between two domed museums, the Kunsthistorisches and the Naturhistorisches. Around seventy stalls of crafts fill the gardens around the statue of Empress Maria Theresa, and the crowds are thinner than at the City Hall.

Stop for a mugThis is the place for a slower Punsch between the two lit facades, halfway along the walk. It opens a week after the others, so check the date if you arrive early in November.

Monday to Friday 11 am to 9 pm, weekends from 10 am; open until 26 December

Christmas market stalls under bare trees strung with warm lights, with people standing at high tables after dark
A smaller Vienna market after dark

06Spittelberg, in the Biedermeier lanes

  • Outdoors
  • About 5 min from the museums
  • Weekdays from 2 pm

Behind the museums the streets narrow into the old Spittelberg quarter, where low houses from the early 19th century line cobbled lanes. Stalls tuck into doorways and courtyards along four streets, with plenty of fair-trade and organic goods you will not see on the big squares.

End the evening hereIt opens late on weekdays and stays open until 9:30 pm, so it suits the last stretch of the walk. The bars in the lanes keep going after the stalls close.

Monday to Friday 2 pm to 9:30 pm; weekends and holidays 11 am to 9:30 pm

Spittelberg and the Old Town markets

07The Christmas market in front of Schönbrunn Palace

  • Outdoors
  • U4 Schönbrunn
  • Ice rink
  • Until 6 January

Huts and a tall tree fill the palace forecourt, with the yellow facade of the Habsburgs' summer residence behind. Children get a lit carousel, a handicraft workshop and a small Ferris wheel, and adults an ice rink and curling lanes. It opens first, in early November, and closes last, on 6 January.

Make a day of itTour the state rooms in the afternoon, then step out into the courtyard as the palace lights come on. If you are going to a concert in the Orangery, eat at the market first: it closes before the music ends.

10 am to 9 pm; closes at 4 pm on Christmas Eve, then runs 10 am to 7 pm until 6 January

Schönbrunn and Belvedere markets

6Within a 40-minute walk

4Open on 25 and 26 December

1772First market on the Freyung

6 JanLast day at Schönbrunn

Hours follow what the organizers published for the current season, and walking times are rough. Every date and opening hour in one table.

Also on the calendar. The K&K market in front of the Upper Belvedere keeps an imperial theme and no more than 35 huts. Art Advent on Karlsplatz serves only organic food beside the domed Karlskirche, students fill the Christmas village in the courtyard of the old university campus, and the winter market at the Prater's Giant Ferris Wheel runs into January. The palace markets and Vienna at Christmas with kids have the details.

The season in practice

How Vienna's Christmas season works

Most plans come down to two questions. Will you spend your evenings in town or a whole day out of it? And which week? The markets open in stages through November, and the crowds follow their own calendar.

Style · afternoons and evenings in town

Markets by night, music by candlelight

Market food walk · coffee and lunch walk · Schönbrunn concert · St. Peter's concert

2–10 pmdark from about 4:15; most huts open until 9 or 10

The markets look their best after dark, which in December means from late afternoon. Walk them on your own, then book one evening with a guide or a seat at a concert, because standing at a high table in the cold gets old by the third night.

Style · a day out

Alpine snow, or two more capitals

Hallstatt · two capitals in a day · Schönbrunn by day

2–13 hcoaches leave from near the State Opera

Days are short and often grey in the city, so use the daylight for a palace or a trip. A coach does the driving and has you back in time for a late Punsch, and Bratislava is only an hour away by train if you would rather go alone.

The season, fortnight by fortnight

  • How crowded the evenings get
  1. Early Nov2markets on our mapSchönbrunn, Stephansplatz

    The palace and the cathedral markets open first

  2. Mid-Nov6markets on our mapRathausplatz opens

    City Hall, Am Hof, Spittelberg and the Freyung open within two days

  3. Late Nov7markets on our map+ Belvedere, Prater

    Everything is open, weeknights still calm, first Advent Sunday

  4. Early Dec7markets on our mapHoliday on 8 Dec

    St. Nicholas on 6 December, a public holiday with shops open on the 8th

  5. Mid-Dec7markets on our mapBusiest Saturdays

    Office parties and day-trippers fill the big squares

  6. Christmas4open on the 25thSchönbrunn to 6 Jan

    Most small markets close on the 23rd; four on our map carry on over Christmas

The bars are rough guidance on how full the market lanes get in the evening. We would pick the highlighted fortnights, late November and early December. Every market is open by then, weeknights are calmer than in mid-December, and there is time for a day in the Alps. Every date and opening hour.

Opening hours, market by market

  • Open every day
  • Food served later
  • Some days only

Weekday hours as published by the organizers; the dashed segments mark the days a market opens earlier. The late segment is food at Am Hof, served for an hour after the stalls close.

  1. Go early on a weeknightBetween dusk and 6 pm on a Monday or Tuesday the lights are on and the City Hall square is at its calmest.
  2. Keep Saturday for a tripSaturday evenings in December draw the biggest crowds. Spend the day in Hallstatt or at a palace and come back late for Spittelberg.
  3. Mind the 23rd and the 24thMost of the smaller markets close for good on 23 December, and the rest shut early on Christmas Eve.
  4. Book concerts and small walks earlyThe food walks take a handful of guests, and Advent concerts sell the good seats first. Our picks.

Vienna in December covers the weather and the short days, plus what to wear for an evening of standing still on cold cobbles.

An evening on foot

A Christmas market walk, from the cathedral to Spittelberg

About 3 kilometers and 40 minutes of walking without stops, three hours with them. It links six markets and the best of the lights, and it costs nothing but the Punsch.

Giant chandeliers of white lights hanging over the Graben at night, with shoppers walking below
The Graben, a few minutes into the route

Inside the Ring, from about 4 pm

  • StephansplatzHuts at the foot of the cathedral. Buy your first mug here.
  • The GrabenWalk under the chandeliers of light, past the baroque Plague Column.
  • Am HofHand-made gifts and choirs under the golden arch.
  • The FreyungGlass ornaments and nativity figures at the oldest market, music from 4 pm.

Out to the Ringstrasse by the university

  • RathausplatzThrough the arch of candles into the big market, with skating paths in the park.
  • Maria-Theresien-PlatzA quieter mug between the two museum domes, across the Ring from the Hofburg.
  • SpittelbergStalls in the doorways of the old lanes, and bars for the end of the night.

Rather go with a local?

Venture Vienna's evening walk skips the famous squares and takes you by tram and metro to four smaller markets, including Spittelberg and the student market on the old university campus, with sweet and savory tastings and hot drinks at each. Groups stay at eight or fewer. It is new enough to have few reviews, 14 on GetYourGuide and 10 on Viator, all of them five stars. Book it for your second evening, once you have walked the route above on your own.

GetYourGuide Viator

Our picks

Three things we would book, one for each kind of day

The markets need no booking. These three add what a stall cannot: an evening at the markets locals use, an afternoon with a guide who knows which sausage stand earns the tram ride, and a day in the Alps when the city is grey.

A Glühwein and Punsch stand with a red neon sign and paper stars, with people holding mugs in the street at blue hour For the evening

Christmas market food and drinks walk

Venture Vienna · up to 8 guests, or private

5.0 on GetYourGuide (14) and Viator (10)

A local guide meets you near the Am Hof market and takes you by metro and tram to four of the city's smaller markets, from the hip 7th district to the old university campus and back. At each one you taste something, from Käsespätzle to Baumkuchen off the spit, with Glühwein or Punsch to wash it down (alcohol-free drinks too). You also learn to use the trams, which pays off for the rest of the trip.

Price
from ~$140 per person
Duration
About 4 hours
Start
Near Am Hof, first district
Catch
Few reviews yet, not for food allergies
GetYourGuide Viator

Full details and who should skip it

A smiling guide in a red jacket tasting a plate of goulash at a Viennese sausage stand For the afternoon

Food, coffee and market walk

Intrepid Urban Adventures · up to 16 guests

5.0 on Viator (1,278+) and GetYourGuide (338+)

Coffee and a homemade pastry in a classic coffee house, then the metro out to the Viktor-Adler-Markt for open sandwiches with mulled wine or a spritzer. An apricot ice cream dumpling and fresh Krapfen follow, then a sit-down lunch of Wiener Schnitzel or Tafelspitz with Kaiserschmarrn, and finally a Würstelstand in Ottakring. Come hungry; nobody needs dinner afterwards.

Price
from ~$145 on GetYourGuide, about $150 on Viator
Duration
5.5 hours
Start
Jasomirgottstraße, by Stephansplatz
Catch
Long, not for under-12s
Viator GetYourGuide

Full details and who should skip it

Hallstatt under snow, with its church spire and wooden houses above the lake and a small boat on the water For a day out

Hallstatt day trip by coach

7 TRAVEL · coach group

4.7 on GetYourGuide (7,164+) · 4.6 on Viator (1,479+)

The coach leaves from behind the State Opera in the morning and crosses into the Salzkammergut, stopping for half an hour at Schloss Ort, a castle on an island in the Traunsee. Then come about three hours in Hallstatt, the lake village under the mountains, with the Skywalk viewpoint as an option. In winter the roofs are often white and the tour groups thinner than in summer. You are back at the Albertina at about 8:15 pm.

Price
from ~$73 per person
Duration
About 13 hours
Start
Albertinaplatz, behind the State Opera
Catch
About 8 hours on the road
GetYourGuide Viator

Full details and who should skip it

Live availability for the Christmas market food walk on GetYourGuide

Powered by GetYourGuide

The 7 tours

Seven festive things to do in Vienna, with the catch

We read the winter listings for Vienna on both booking sites and kept seven we would book ourselves: five for an evening or afternoon in town, two for a day out. Each card shows the price and the operator. Next come the rating and the catch, with a button for each site that sells it.

Matching a tour to your trip

Our three picks suit most first visits, but a stopover calls for different bookings than a family week, and a tight budget changes things again. Find the line that sounds like your trip, then jump to the card.

What we left out. Many tours sold under a Christmas name in Vienna are new, with few or no reviews yet, and the private market walks cost several hundred dollars for a couple. The bigger Mozart concerts and the Sisi Museum appear in our concerts and palaces guides, with their catches spelled out.

One evening only
Walk the free route early, then duck into the concert at St. Peter's, two minutes off the Graben, once your feet are cold.
A weekend
The free walk on Friday, Hallstatt on Saturday, then the market food walk on Sunday evening, when the big squares are calmer.
Four or five days
Add Schönbrunn by day with the market and Orangery concert that evening, and the coffee and lunch walk on a grey afternoon.
A rainy day
The palace tour keeps you indoors for two hours, and the food walk stays mostly indoors between stops.
Bringing children
The rink and reindeer train are free to watch at Rathausplatz. Older children enjoy the palace and the snow in Hallstatt; the long food walk is for 12 and up.
On a tight budget
The markets cost nothing but the drinks. Two tours cost least, the St. Peter's concert at ~$55 and the Schönbrunn tour at ~$71.

In town Markets, food, music and a palace

Visitors with mugs at a Christmas market stand decorated with fir branches and lights in Vienna Our evening pick

Christmas Market Food and Drinks Tour, Venture Vienna

For travelers who have seen Rathausplatz and want the markets locals use.

A native English-speaking guide meets the group in the first district, then rides with you by metro and tram to four lesser-known Christmas markets, from the 7th district to the old university campus. Each stop comes with a taste of something sweet or savory, Käsespätzle at one, Kaiserschmarrn at another. Glühwein and Punsch keep you warm in between, with non-alcoholic drinks too.

  • DurationAbout 4 hours
  • OperatorVenture Vienna
  • RatingGetYourGuide 5.0 (14) · Viator 5.0 (10)
  • StartNear the Am Hof market, first district (depends on the option)
  • StrengthsFour calmer markets, tastings at each, a local's tips on transport
  • Ideal forA second evening, couples, solo travelers

Good to know: Few reviews so far, all of them five stars. Small groups go up to eight; a private option takes up to six. Not suitable for food allergies. Bring a hat and an umbrella, since much of the evening is outdoors. About $159 on Viator. Christmas food in Vienna.

~$140per person
GetYourGuide Viator
A cup of Viennese coffee and a slice of apple strudel on a marble coffee house table Our afternoon pick

Vienna Food, Coffee and Market Tour, Intrepid Urban Adventures

The one to book on your first full day, so you know where to eat for the rest of it.

It begins on the Graben with coffee and a pastry in a classic coffee house, then takes the metro to the Viktor-Adler-Markt in Favoriten, a market few visitors see, for a Viennese Jause of open sandwiches with mulled wine. An apricot ice cream dumpling and a family bakery come next, then a seated lunch of Schnitzel or Tafelspitz with Kaiserschmarrn and wine or beer. It ends at a sausage stand in Ottakring.

  • Duration5.5 hours, about 2 km on foot
  • OperatorIntrepid Urban Adventures
  • RatingViator 5.0 (1,278+) · GetYourGuide 5.0 (338+)
  • StartWEIN & CO, Jasomirgottstraße 3-5, by Stephansplatz
  • StrengthsA full meal and more, neighborhoods outside the center, metro tickets included
  • Ideal forCurious eaters, first-timers, friends

Good to know: Groups go up to 16. Vegetarian and vegan guests are catered for, but gluten-free is hard in a city of pastry. Not recommended for children under 12. Tips and extra drinks are not included, and a few reviewers found it pricey. About $150 on Viator. What to eat at Christmas.

~$145per person
Viator GetYourGuide
An orchestra playing under chandeliers in the Schönbrunn Orangery, with a decorated Christmas tree beside the stage Supper and Mozart

Schönbrunn Christmas Market and Classical Concert, Palace Concerts Schönbrunn

Supper at a stall, then Mozart where Mozart played.

A voucher for the Christmas market in front of the palace covers a mug, a hot drink and a dish at the food stands. Then you walk round to the Orangery, where Mozart performed in 1786, for the Schönbrunn Palace Orchestra with two singers, playing Mozart and Strauss and finishing with the Blue Danube. The higher categories add a glass of sparkling wine, and VIP adds priority entry and a programme.

  • DurationThe market at your pace, then the evening concert
  • OperatorPalace Concerts Schönbrunn
  • RatingGetYourGuide 4.4 (123+) · Viator 4.2 (45+)
  • StartOrangery, Schönbrunner Schloßstraße 47, U4 Schönbrunn
  • StrengthsSupper and a concert on one ticket, a palace setting
  • Ideal forCouples, a dressy evening, music lovers

Good to know: The market closes before the concert ends, so use the voucher first. Reviewers mention a badly signed entrance in the dark and a slow cloakroom afterwards. Seats are free choice within your category, so arrive early. About $96 on Viator. Christmas concerts in Vienna.

~$94per person
GetYourGuide Viator
The gilded baroque interior of St. Peter's Church in Vienna, lit for an evening concert Lowest price

Christmas and New Year's Concert in St. Peter's Church, Classic Ensemble Vienna

One quiet hour in a baroque church, between two markets.

St. Peter's, built between 1701 and 1733 to plans by Lukas von Hildebrandt, sits a few steps off the Graben. The Classic Ensemble Vienna plays in its vaults below: Eine kleine Nachtmusik and Vivaldi's Four Seasons sit alongside Bach and Schubert, with seasonal music woven in during Advent and over New Year.

  • DurationAbout 1 hour
  • OperatorClassic Ensemble Vienna
  • RatingGetYourGuide 4.6 (767+) · Viator 4.6 (157+)
  • StartPetersplatz, off the Graben, first district
  • StrengthsThe lowest price on this page, right on the walking route
  • Ideal forA short evening, a cold night, classical fans

Good to know: It is a classical programme with some Christmas pieces, and a few reviewers expected more carols. No shorts and no filming. Front rows sell first. About $56 on Viator. How to choose a Christmas concert.

~$55per person
GetYourGuide Viator
The yellow facade of Schönbrunn Palace seen across the main courtyard, with visitors walking toward the entrance Most reviewed

Schönbrunn Palace and Gardens Skip-the-Line Tour, Good Vienna Tours

The palace by day, before the market at its gates by night.

Your guide meets you at the fountain in the main courtyard with headsets and walks you past the ticket queue into 22 state rooms, including the 40-meter Great Gallery and the Hall of Ceremonies. The stories run from the Habsburgs and Empress Sisi to what became of the family. Afterwards the gardens and the Gloriette are yours to explore alone.

  • DurationAbout 2 hours
  • OperatorGood Vienna Tours
  • RatingGetYourGuide 4.7 (8,467+) · Viator 4.6 (1,788+)
  • StartEhrenhof fountain, Schönbrunn main courtyard
  • StrengthsNo ticket queue, a guide with humor, the Christmas market outside
  • Ideal forFirst-timers, history lovers, a rainy day

Good to know: Choose a small group of up to 8 or a standard group of up to 20. A few reviewers struggled with the headsets, and some wished for more garden time, which matters less in December, when the beds are bare. About $72 on Viator. Palaces in winter.

~$71per person
GetYourGuide Viator

Out of town Snow in the Alps, two capitals in a day

The view from the Hallstatt Skywalk platform over the lake and the mountains of the Salzkammergut Our day-out pick

Hallstatt Day Trip with Skywalk Option, 7 TRAVEL

For anyone who came to Austria hoping for snow and mountains.

A coach leaves from Albertinaplatz behind the State Opera, or picks you up at a central hotel if you choose that option. It crosses the UNESCO-listed Salzkammergut to Schloss Ort on the Traunsee for photos on its wooden bridge, then gives you about three hours in Hallstatt. The Skywalk viewpoint above the village is an option at booking; the rest of the time is yours for lunch and the lanes.

  • DurationAbout 13 hours, back around 8:15 pm
  • Operator7 TRAVEL
  • RatingGetYourGuide 4.7 (7,164+) · Viator 4.6 (1,479+)
  • StartTourist information at Albertinaplatz, U1, U2 and U4 Karlsplatz
  • StrengthsThe cheapest way to Hallstatt in winter, departures every day
  • Ideal forSnow seekers, photographers, a grey day in the city

Good to know: About 600 km and some 8 hours on the motorway, with a break on the way. Food is not included, and reviewers suggest a takeaway lunch so you do not lose your free time in a slow restaurant. The lake boat runs mainly from May to October. No tour on 31 December. About $102 on Viator. Christmas day trips from Vienna.

~$73per person
GetYourGuide Viator
The Hungarian Parliament on the Danube in Budapest, seen across the river with the city rooftops in front Two countries

Bratislava and Budapest Guided Day Trip from Vienna, GOAT CE

Two more capitals, and two more Christmas markets, in one long day.

A van picks you up in Vienna and reaches Bratislava in about 45 minutes, for a guided hour through the Old Town and up to the castle, then free time. An optional stop in Győr breaks the drive to Budapest. There the guide covers the Castle district and Fisherman's Bastion, then the Parliament and the Chain Bridge, before free time, enough for a walk round a Christmas market.

  • DurationAbout 12.5 hours
  • OperatorGOAT CE
  • RatingGetYourGuide 4.8 (1,069+)
  • StartPickup in Vienna, details after booking
  • StrengthsSmall groups, a guide who adapts the day, two countries
  • Ideal forTravelers with one spare day and a long list

Good to know: Sold on GetYourGuide only. Some reviewers found the vans cramped on the long drives. In December it is dark by about 4 pm, so most of Budapest happens under streetlights, which suits its markets but not its views. A private option is available. Day trips from Vienna.

~$209per person
GetYourGuide

Everything else to do in Vienna this winter

A small heads-up. These are GetYourGuide and Viator affiliate links, so when you book through one we earn a little commission and you pay exactly the same. It keeps this guide going and never touches our ranking or the catches we point out.

Before you go

Eight things about Christmas in Vienna that no listing puts in big letters

None of these sits at the top of a booking page or a market website, and each one decides whether your evenings feel easy or like a queue.

What you should know

  1. You pay for the mug, then get it back. Your first drink at each market comes with a deposit on the ceramic mug, the Häferlpfand. Hand the mug back for the money, or keep it: every market has its own design, and a few new ones each year.
  2. Punsch is not Glühwein. Glühwein is mulled red wine. Punsch is a hot fruit punch, often laced with rum and sold in dozens of flavors, and it tends to pack more of a kick. Children and drivers order Kinderpunsch, which has no alcohol. What to order.
  3. Rathausplatz is a different place before 6 pm. On Friday and Saturday evenings the City Hall square is shoulder to shoulder. Go when it opens or early on a weeknight, and spend busy nights at Spittelberg or the Freyung. The big market.
  4. Most markets end on the 23rd. The smaller squares close for good on 23 December, and Christmas Eve is a half day for those that stay open. The City Hall, the cathedral square and Maria-Theresien-Platz run to 26 December, and Schönbrunn until 6 January. Every date.
  5. 8 December is a holiday with the shops open. The Immaculate Conception is a public holiday in Austria, but shops may open, so visitors from the whole region come to shop and the center is at its fullest.
  6. Grey is more likely than white. Vienna sits low on the Danube, and December is mostly cold and cloudy, with snow that rarely stays. For a white landscape, head into the Alps. The weather in December.
  7. Skip the ticket sellers in wigs. Around St. Stephen's, sellers in Mozart costume hand out flyers for concerts. Some are fine, but you cannot compare prices on the pavement. Choose the venue and ensemble first, then book. Choosing a concert.
  8. Round up, do not count. No tour includes tips. In restaurants and cafes, Austrians round up or add five to ten percent, and a few euros for a guide you liked is plenty.

Everything in one table

Seven festive tours, catch included

The seven tours side by side, so each row shows a strength next to its catch.

Swipe the table sideways to see all columns →

Tour Ideal for Price How long Where it starts Operator and rating Strength and catch Book
Christmas market food walk (our evening pick) A second evening ~$140 About 4 h, evening Near Am Hof Venture Vienna
GetYourGuide 5.0 (14)
Viator 5.0 (10)		 Four calmer markets with tastings. Few reviews yet, not for allergies.
GetYourGuideViator
Food, coffee and market walk (our afternoon pick) Eating your way round ~$145 5.5 h, from late morning By Stephansplatz Intrepid Urban Adventures
Viator 5.0 (1,278+)
GetYourGuide 5.0 (338+)		 Lunch, market and coffee house. Long, 12 and over.
ViatorGetYourGuide
Hallstatt day trip (our day-out pick) Snow and mountains ~$73 About 13 h Albertinaplatz 7 TRAVEL
GetYourGuide 4.7 (7,164+)
Viator 4.6 (1,479+)		 A castle, then three hours in Hallstatt. About 8 hours on the road.
GetYourGuideViator
Schönbrunn market and concert A dressy evening ~$94 Market, then evening concert Schönbrunn Orangery Palace Concerts Schönbrunn
GetYourGuide 4.4 (123+)
Viator 4.2 (45+)		 Supper and Mozart on one ticket. Poor signs, slow cloakroom.
GetYourGuideViator
St. Peter's Christmas concert A short, warm hour ~$55 About 1 h, evening Petersplatz, off the Graben Classic Ensemble Vienna
GetYourGuide 4.6 (767+)
Viator 4.6 (157+)		 Baroque vaults, lowest price. More classics than carols.
GetYourGuideViator
Schönbrunn Palace tour History, a rainy day ~$71 About 2 h, by day Schönbrunn main courtyard Good Vienna Tours
GetYourGuide 4.7 (8,467+)
Viator 4.6 (1,788+)		 22 state rooms, no queue. Headsets, bare gardens in winter.
GetYourGuideViator
Bratislava and Budapest Two more capitals ~$209 About 12.5 h Pickup in Vienna GOAT CE
GetYourGuide 4.8 (1,069+)		 Two countries, flexible guide. Long van day, dark by 4 pm.
GetYourGuide

About the numbers. Prices are per-person "from" rates in US dollars (the lower one when a tour is on both sites), and ratings are what each site showed when we compared. Dates and group size move them a little, as do offers, so peek at both. The booking page has the final word.

Who went

Reviews from travelers who spent December in Vienna

Fourteen travelers, some with frost on the cobbles and some with drizzle down their collars, on what won them over and what they would do differently.

★★★★★Christmas market food walk

We had done Rathausplatz on our own the night before and found it a bit of a scrum, so we booked this to see where locals actually go. Four markets, none of them the famous one. Our guide showed us how to buy a tram ticket, which sounds dull but saved us the rest of the week. Käsespätzle at the campus market, Baumkuchen at Spittelberg, and a hot Punsch I would order again tomorrow. We were six in the group and it felt like going out with a friend who lives there.

RMRachel M. · Bristol, EnglandGrey and drizzly
★★★★★Christmas market food walk

Small group, warm drinks, four markets I would never have found. Gloria knew every stall owner.

TOTakeshi O. · Osaka, JapanCrisp and clear
★★★★★Coffee, market + lunch walk

I booked it for the coffee house and stayed for the Würstelstand at the end. In between we ate open sandwiches with mulled wine at a market in Favoriten where nobody spoke English, an apricot ice cream dumpling in December (do it), and a proper Schnitzel lunch. It is long, more than five hours, and it is not cheap, but we did not need dinner and I left with a list of places for the rest of the trip.

ESElena S. · Valencia, SpainGrey and drizzly
★★★★★Coffee, market + lunch walk

Do not eat breakfast. Krapfen, Kaiserschmarrn and a sausage stand finale.

JDJames D. · Toronto, CanadaCrisp and clear
★★★★★Hallstatt day trip

Twelve hours on a coach for three hours in Hallstatt sounds mad, and in summer it probably is. In December it was the best day of our trip. Snow on the roofs, steam on the lake, hardly any tour groups compared with the photos I had seen, and a tiny Advent market by the church. The guide told us to buy lunch to take away and walk up past the cemetery instead of queueing in a restaurant, which was exactly right. Back at the Albertina by 8 pm with time for a Punsch.

MBMarta B. · Kraków, PolandCrisp and clear
★★★★☆Hallstatt day trip

Hallstatt was lovely, the castle stop was short, and the coach was full. We skipped the Skywalk because of cloud. A long day for the time you get, but there is no easier way to do it in winter without a car.

DKDaniel K. · Munich, GermanyGrey and drizzly
★★★★★Schönbrunn market + concert

The voucher got us a mug, a Punsch and a plate of Kaiserschmarrn at the market in front of the palace, and then we walked round to the Orangery for the concert. The orchestra played the Blue Danube with a Christmas tree next to the stage, and the soprano had the whole room laughing during the Strauss polka. Go to the market first: it was closing by the time the concert ended.

SASophie A. · Lyon, FranceCrisp and clear
★★★★☆Schönbrunn market + concert

Good orchestra, lovely hall. Badly signed entrance in the dark, slow cloakroom at the end. Pay for seats near the front.

BWBen W. · Leeds, EnglandGrey and drizzly
★★★★★St. Peter's Christmas concert

Down the stairs into the vaults of St. Peter's and suddenly the city noise is gone. Five musicians, an hour of Vivaldi and Mozart with a couple of carols at the end, and candles everywhere. We sat in the front row on the 23rd and it was the calmest hour of our week.

ALAnna L. · Gothenburg, SwedenGrey and drizzly
★★★★★St. Peter's Christmas concert

An hour of music in a gold church for less than dinner. Book the front rows.

RGRobert G. · Phoenix, ArizonaCrisp and clear
★★★★★Schönbrunn Palace tour

We nearly did Schönbrunn with the audio guide alone, and I am glad we did not. The skip-the-line ticket got us in while the queue at the ticket hall went round the courtyard, and our guide made the Habsburgs funny, which is not easy. Twenty-two rooms in about an hour, Maria Theresa, Sisi, the Great Gallery. Afterwards we walked straight out to the Christmas market in the courtyard and had our first Glühwein before noon. In winter the gardens are bare, so we skipped the Gloriette.

CNChiara N. · Bologna, ItalyCrisp and clear
★★★★★Schönbrunn Palace tour

The guide was quick and funny and the headsets meant we heard everything, even in the busy rooms. Less time in the gardens than I wanted, but in December that did not matter.

PHPriya H. · SingaporeGrey and drizzly
★★★★★Bratislava + Budapest day

Two capitals in a day is a lot, and we knew that going in. The van was small but warm, our guide Dimitry was a walking history book, and Bratislava was the surprise of the trip: a castle above the Danube, a small Christmas market on the main square, and coffee for half the Vienna price. Budapest got the afternoon, with the guided part around the Castle district and the Parliament before free time. We went straight to the Christmas market by the basilica and only just made it back to the van. Tired, very happy.

MFMichael F. · Dublin, IrelandCrisp and clear
★★★★☆Bratislava + Budapest day

Great guide and a good taste of both cities, but by Budapest we were short on daylight and long on van time. Next time I would stay a night there instead.

LTLinda T. · Sydney, AustraliaGrey and drizzly

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Book an evening and an afternoon, then a day out

Walk the big markets on your own; they are free, and the route above does the job. Spend the money on a second evening with a local in the smaller markets, on a long lunch that starts in a coffee house and ends at a sausage stand, and on one clear day in the mountains.

On GetYourGuide all three can be cancelled for free up to 24 hours ahead, and you can reserve there now and pay later. On Viator, check the terms on each listing. December weekends can fill, so if your dates are fixed, book those first.

  • ✓ Free cancellation up to 24 hours before on GetYourGuide
  • ✓ Reserve now, pay later on GetYourGuide

Good to know

How Vienna keeps Christmas, and what you are looking at

Five minutes of reading, and the souvenir mugs, the devil in fur on 5 December and the child who brings the presents will all make sense.

Vienna was the capital of an empire for centuries, and at Christmas it still dresses like one. The markets fill squares in front of palaces and museums, the shopping streets hang lights like ballroom chandeliers, and in between the city keeps customs that visitors from further west rarely meet at home.

01A market in front of the City Hall

Vienna's December markets go back to the Middle Ages, and the big one has moved around the city over the centuries. Since the 1970s it has stood in front of the City Hall, a neo-Gothic building finished in 1883, with the park beside it turned into a skating ground and a children's Christmas world. The Rathausplatz market in detail.

02A mug for every market

Warm drinks come in ceramic mugs, and each market designs its own, often with a new motif every year. You pay a deposit with your first drink. Many visitors keep one mug from each market they visit and go home with a set. Punsch, Glühwein and what to eat.

03Nikolo and the Krampus

On the evening of 5 December, Saint Nicholas, called Nikolo in Austria, brings children nuts and chocolate. With him, in the Alpine regions especially, comes the Krampus, a horned figure in fur with bells and a bundle of twigs for children who have misbehaved. Some towns hold Krampus runs through the streets, loud and best watched from a step back.

The moment to look out for is not a stall. It is walking under the arch of candles into the square, with the City Hall lit behind the trees and the first Punsch warming your hands.

04A carol from Austria

Silent Night was first sung on Christmas Eve 1818 in Oberndorf, a village near Salzburg, with words by a young priest and music by the local schoolteacher. You will hear it in churches and on market stages all through Advent, and in many languages. Christmas concerts in Vienna.

05Music for every evening

In the city of Mozart and Strauss, December fills every concert hall and many churches. The Vienna Boys' Choir sings Sunday Mass in the Imperial Chapel of the Hofburg for much of the year, and baroque churches hold Advent concerts of their own. How to choose one.

06The Christkind brings the presents

In Austria the presents arrive on the evening of 24 December, brought not by Santa but by the Christkind, a golden-haired child figure that gave the traditional market its name, the Christkindlmarkt. That is why the city empties on Christmas Eve afternoon, when families go home to trim the tree. What is open over Christmas.

7Markets on our map

12 mCarousel at the City Hall

70Stalls between the museums

1818Silent Night first sung

Want snow and a market in a mountain village? Christmas day trips from Vienna lists the ones worth a long day.

Questions and answers

Frequently asked questions about the Vienna Christmas markets

Fourteen questions we hear again and again, with the full answer.

When are the Vienna Christmas markets open?

They open in stages. Schönbrunn and Stephansplatz start in the first week of November. The City Hall square, Am Hof, Spittelberg and the Freyung follow in mid-November, the Belvedere and Maria-Theresien-Platz about a week later. Most of the smaller markets close on 23 December, the big squares on 26 December, and Schönbrunn on 6 January. Dates and hours for every market.

What are the opening hours of the Vienna Christmas markets?

Most open between 10 and 11 am and close at 9 or 10 pm. Rathausplatz stays open until 10 pm every day. Spittelberg opens at 2 pm on weekdays and closes at 9:30 pm. On Christmas Eve the markets that open close early, between 4 and 6:30 pm.

Which Christmas market in Vienna is the best?

It depends on the evening. For the full spectacle and ice skating, Rathausplatz. For tradition and glass ornaments, the Freyung. For hand-made gifts, Am Hof. For atmosphere in old lanes, Spittelberg. For a palace backdrop, Schönbrunn. Six of them lie on one evening walk, so you do not have to choose.

Are the Vienna Christmas markets free?

Yes. Entry to every market is free. You pay for what you eat and buy, plus a refundable deposit on the ceramic mug that comes with your first hot drink. Ice skating at Rathausplatz and rides such as the carousels cost extra.

Which markets are open on Christmas Eve and after Christmas?

On 24 December the City Hall square, the cathedral market and Schönbrunn open with shorter hours. On 25 and 26 December Maria-Theresien-Platz joins them. Schönbrunn and the Prater winter market keep going until 6 January, as does the skating in the City Hall park.

What is the difference between Punsch and Glühwein?

Glühwein is red wine heated with spices. Punsch is a hot punch made with fruit juice or tea and often rum, in flavors from orange to berry to chocolate, and it is usually stronger. Kinderpunsch is the alcohol-free version for children and drivers. What to drink and eat.

Where can I go ice skating at Christmas in Vienna?

The Vienna Ice World at Rathausplatz winds skating paths through the City Hall park from mid-November until 6 January, with a separate area for children and skates to rent. The Schönbrunn market has a smaller rink and curling lanes. The City Hall square.

Should I book a guided Christmas market tour in Vienna?

Not for the big squares, which are easy to walk alone. A guide earns the price on a second evening, when you want the smaller markets and the food stalls locals use. The walk we list (from ~$140) reaches four of them by tram and metro.

Which Christmas concert in Vienna should I book?

For a short, low-cost hour, the ensemble in the vaults of St. Peter's from ~$55. For a grand evening, a Mozart and Strauss concert at the Musikverein or in the Schönbrunn Orangery, which can be combined with the palace market. Book with the venue or a known listing rather than a street seller. Christmas concerts compared.

Which day trips from Vienna are good at Christmas?

Hallstatt for snow and a lake village, Salzburg for its Christmas market below the fortress, and Bratislava, an hour away by train, for a smaller capital with markets of its own. Budapest makes a long day. The Wachau valley is quiet in winter. Christmas day trips from Vienna.

Will it snow in Vienna at Christmas?

It might, but do not count on it. December days hover around 37 °F (3 °C), often grey and damp, and snow in the city rarely lasts. For a white landscape, take a day trip into the Alps, where Hallstatt and the Salzkammergut are far more likely to have it.

What should I wear to the Christmas markets?

Warm layers, with a hat and gloves, plus waterproof shoes that grip on wet cobbles. You stand still a lot at a market, and that is when the cold gets in. A small backpack leaves your hands free for a mug and a plate. What to wear in December.

Is Vienna at Christmas good for kids?

Very. Rathausplatz has a reindeer train, a nativity trail, a multi-level carousel and a skating area for children in the park. Schönbrunn adds a Ferris wheel and a handicraft workshop. Go in the afternoon, before the evening crowds. Vienna at Christmas with kids.

Can I cancel the tours for free?

On GetYourGuide, yes. It shows free cancellation up to 24 hours before for all seven tours on this page, and lets you reserve now and pay later. On Viator, check the terms on each listing. Late cancellations and no-shows are charged in full, so check the forecast before a day in the Alps.

Read before you travel

Guides to Christmas in Vienna

Ten questions that keep coming up, each with the long answer instead of the short one.