Schönbrunn or Belvedere: which palace market to pick
Two of Vienna's Christmas markets stand in front of imperial palaces, and they could hardly be more different. Schönbrunn's fills the forecourt of the Habsburgs' summer residence and stays open until 6 January, while the imperial-themed market at the Belvedere keeps to no more than 35 huts, with Klimt's The Kiss inside the palace behind it. This guide covers both markets with their hours and transport, then shows how to pair each one with the palace itself.
Two palace markets, two kinds of evening
Neither palace market sits on the evening walk through the center, and both are worth the short ride out. Schönbrunn is the big one, with its own ice rink and rides for children. It also has the longest season in the city. The Belvedere's K&K market is a smaller affair, a few dozen huts with an imperial theme in front of the palace that holds Klimt's The Kiss. One suits a family afternoon that runs into the evening, and the other a calm hour after a museum visit.
| Market | Dates | Weekdays | Weekends | 24 December | Later |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Schönbrunn Palace | 6 Nov to 6 Jan | 10 am to 9 pm | 10 am to 9 pm | 10 am to 4 pm | 25 Dec to 6 Jan 10 am to 7 pm |
| K&K market, Belvedere | 20 Nov to 31 Dec | 11 am to 9 pm | 10 am to 9 pm, holidays too | 11 am to 5 pm | 31 Dec 11 am to 5 pm |
Both markets announce their final schedules just before each season starts, so look them up on each market's own page before the ride out. The rest of the city is in our table of market dates and opening hours.
The market in front of Schönbrunn Palace
Schönbrunn is a UNESCO World Heritage site with more than 1,400 rooms, and its market fills the great forecourt below the yellow facade. A tall Christmas tree stands among the huts, with a lit carousel close by. The stalls sell crafts, and children can choose between a handicraft workshop, a children's train, a small Ferris wheel and the carousel. Skaters have a rink, and the curling lanes are open to anyone willing to try.
It opens first, on 6 November, and closes last, on 6 January, trading from 10 am to 9 pm. On 24 December it closes at 4 pm, and from 25 December the hours run from 10 am to 7 pm. That long tail makes it the market for a trip between Christmas and 6 January, when most of the center has packed up.
Take the U4 to the Schönbrunn station, a short walk from the palace gates. On the hill behind the palace stands the Gloriette, and the zoo in the park, founded in 1752, is the oldest in the world, so families can fill a whole day here.
The state rooms by day, the market by night
The palace and the market fit neatly into one afternoon. Good Vienna Tours' skip-the-line palace tour, from ~$71, about $72 on Viator, meets at the fountain in the Ehrenhof, the main courtyard, and spends about two hours inside. Guests wear headsets and walk past the ticket queue into 22 state rooms, among them the Great Gallery, 131 feet (40 m) long, and the Hall of Ceremonies, with stories of the Habsburgs and Empress Sisi along the way. Groups come in two sizes, up to 8 guests or up to 20. The catch is twofold. Some reviewers found the headsets fiddly, and the tour leaves little time for the gardens, which hardly matters in December, when the flower beds are bare. Book an afternoon slot and you walk out into the forecourt just as the huts light up. Our guide to the palaces in winter covers Schönbrunn's interior in more depth.
A market supper, then Mozart in the Orangery
Palace Concerts Schönbrunn sells a combined market and concert ticket, from ~$94, which Viator lists at about $96. A voucher pays for a dish and a hot drink in a market mug that you keep. Then you cross to the Orangery, a hall where Mozart played in 1786, to hear the Schönbrunn Palace Orchestra play Mozart and Strauss with two singers, ending with the Blue Danube. The dearer seat categories include sparkling wine, and VIP brings priority entry and a programme, with no cloakroom fee.
The catch starts with timing. The stalls shut while the orchestra is still playing, so spend the voucher on the way in rather than afterwards. Reviewers also say the entrance is poorly signed once it is dark, and the cloakroom queue moves slowly at the end. Seats are free choice within your category, which rewards arriving early.
A market voucher and a palace orchestra
Eat at the Schönbrunn stalls on a voucher, then take your seat in the Orangery for Mozart and Strauss with two singers, from ~$94. Allow time to find the entrance after dark.
The K&K market at the Belvedere
The second palace market stands in front of the Upper Belvedere, and only there. To protect the gardens it stays on the open ground in front of the palace, and it has no more than 35 huts. The K&K in its name and its imperial theme nod to the old Habsburg monarchy, and the setting does much of the work.
It runs from 20 November to 31 December. It opens at 11 am on weekdays and at 10 am at weekends and on holidays, closing at 9 pm every day. On 24 and 31 December it keeps short hours, from 11 am to 5 pm. Tram D stops at Schloss Belvedere. Coming from farther out, the S1 and S3 run to Quartier Belvedere, and the main station, Hauptbahnhof on the U1, is nearby as well.
Inside the Upper Belvedere hangs Klimt's The Kiss. Spend the late afternoon with the paintings, then step out to the huts as it gets dark, around 4 pm. Being small, it makes a calmer evening than the big squares in the center.
One palace evening, or both
With children, choose Schönbrunn for the rink and the rides, and see Vienna at Christmas with kids for the other family stops. For art and a calmer mug, choose the Belvedere. If your trip falls after Christmas, Schönbrunn is the safer bet, since it trades until 6 January and the Belvedere stops on New Year's Eve. On 24 December both close in the afternoon.
For a larger rink, the skating paths at the City Hall market run through the whole park. Our guide to Christmas and Advent concerts compares the Orangery evening with the other options, and what to wear in December helps on a long evening outdoors at the palace gates.