Where children skate and ride at Vienna's Christmas markets
Children get more out of Vienna's markets than most parents expect, from a reindeer train in the City Hall park to a Ferris wheel at the palace gates. Timing does most of the work. Darkness falls around 4 pm, so the lights are on well before bedtime, and afternoons are far calmer than late evenings. This guide picks the markets with rides and room to move, then sorts the tours that suit children from the ones that do not.
When to go with children
In December the sun sets around 4 pm, which works in a family's favor. The markets are lit by late afternoon, long before bedtime, so you see them at their brightest and can still be back at the hotel for supper. Weekday afternoons are the calmest time to go. Friday and Saturday evenings pack the big squares, and 8 December, a public holiday when shops may open, brings in shoppers from far around.
Children can join the round of hot drinks too. Kinderpunsch is the alcohol-free punch at the drink stands, served in the same ceramic mugs as the grown-up versions, with a refundable deposit on the mug. Every market has its own design, and a kept mug costs only the deposit. Our Punsch and food guide covers what else to order.
Rathausplatz and the Christmas world in the park
The Viennese Christmas Market in front of the City Hall gives children the most to do in one place. In the park beside the square they can ride a reindeer train and follow a nativity trail. Close by stand a children's chalet and a carousel about 39 feet (12 m) tall, built on several levels. Skating paths of the Vienna Ice World loop through the park, and a separate rink keeps small skaters away from the fast ones. Skates can be rented, and both the skating and the rides cost extra.
Stalls trade every day between 13 November and 26 December, opening at 10 am and closing at 10 pm, or at 6:30 pm on Christmas Eve. The ice stays until 6 January, apart from 31 December, when it is closed. Take the U2 to Rathaus. Come at opening time or on a weekday afternoon, and skate before the after-work crowd. The Rathausplatz guide has the full layout.
Markets with rides, at a glance
| Market | For children | Dates | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rathausplatz, U2 Rathaus | Reindeer train, nativity trail, carousel, children's rink | 13 November to 26 December | 10 am to 10 pm every day |
| Schönbrunn, U4 Schönbrunn | Ferris wheel, children's train, carousel, handicraft workshop | 6 November to 6 January | 10 am to 9 pm every day; 7 pm closing from 25 December |
| University campus (Altes AKH) | Children's railway, old carousel, curling lanes | 13 November to 23 December | Weekdays from 2 pm (until 10 pm, Friday until 11 pm); Saturday 11 am to 11 pm; Sunday 11 am to 9 pm |
| Prater, Riesenradplatz | Children's rides, the Giant Ferris Wheel | 20 November to 6 January | Weekdays from noon, weekends from 11 am; closes at 10 pm |
| Türkenschanzpark, 18th district | Crafts at weekends | 14 November to 23 December | Weekdays from 3 pm, weekends from noon; closes at 10 pm |
| Art Advent, Karlsplatz | Workshops and activities for children | 13 November to 23 December | Noon to 8 pm every day |
Each organizer confirms its dates and times shortly before the season opens, so look up the market's own page before you promise anyone a carousel. Every other market is in our table of dates and opening hours.
Schönbrunn, with the zoo next door
The market in the palace forecourt adds a small Ferris wheel and a children's train to the usual huts, along with a carousel and a handicraft workshop for children. An ice rink and curling lanes keep older children busy. Its hours are 10 am to 9 pm daily, with an early 4 pm close on 24 December and a 7 pm close from 25 December until the market ends on 6 January. The U4 stops at Schönbrunn.
The zoo in the palace park is the oldest in the world, founded in 1752, and makes a fine daytime half of the plan. Spend the light hours with the animals, then walk round to the forecourt as the palace lights come on. Older children who like a story can see the inside of the palace too. Good Vienna Tours' skip-the-line Schönbrunn tour, from ~$71, meets at the fountain in the main courtyard and spends about two hours in 22 state rooms, among them the Hall of Ceremonies and the Great Gallery, which runs some 131 feet (40 m), with tales of the Habsburgs and Sisi. GetYourGuide reviewers rate it 4.7 (8,467+) and Viator reviewers 4.6 (1,788+), with a Viator price of about $72. As for the catch, a few reviewers had trouble with the headsets, and there is little time left over for the gardens, which are bare in December anyway. Two hours of state rooms can feel long to a five-year-old. The palace markets guide covers the forecourt in more detail.
The state rooms first, the Ferris wheel after
A guide takes you past the ticket queue into 22 rooms of Schönbrunn in about two hours, with headsets so nobody misses the stories, from ~$71. Choose the small group of up to 8 if your children like to ask questions.
Ferris wheels and rides further out
The winter market on Riesenradplatz in the Prater sits below the Giant Ferris Wheel, which has turned since 1897, with children's rides around the stalls. It stays open until 6 January, which helps a family arriving after Christmas. On 24 December it closes at 5 pm.
Students run the market in the courtyard of the old university campus, where the children's railway and an old carousel share space with curling lanes. Out in the 18th district, the market in Türkenschanzpark adds crafts at weekends. Both close on 23 December.
Nikolo and the Krampus, then the Christkind
On 5 and 6 December, Saint Nicholas, called Nikolo in Austria, visits children with small gifts. In Alpine regions he comes with the Krampus, a horned figure in fur who rattles bells and carries a bundle of twigs. Krampus runs are loud, and the masks can frighten small children, so watch from well back and let them choose whether to come closer.
Christmas Eve is the big night, when the gifts come from the Christkind rather than Santa. Markets still open that day close early in the afternoon, so plan any Christmas Eve visit for the morning or around lunchtime.
Strollers in the crowds and keeping feet warm
A stroller is easy at Rathausplatz on a weekday afternoon and hard work on a Saturday night, when the lanes between the huts barely move. In the narrow lanes of Spittelberg a baby carrier is the better choice at any hour. Small children chill quickly, partly because so much of a market visit is standing still. Dress them in layers and waterproof boots, with hats and gloves on top, and stop for a warm break in a café every hour or so. Our page on Vienna in December has the full packing list.
Which tours suit children
Indoor history works well for school-age children. Rosotravel's Sisi Museum and Hofburg tour, from ~$54, takes in the gardens as well and gives 2 to 2.5 hours to the empress's story and the Imperial Apartments. Groups go up to 25 people, and headsets come out once a group reaches 18. Reviewers give it 4.8 on GetYourGuide (8,031+) and 4.5 on Viator (525+), where it costs about $55. Its catch hits families hardest, because the tour bans strollers. Large bags and umbrellas are not allowed either. Renovation work at the Sisi Museum also puts some rooms off limits, and since the gardens have no green and no lights in winter, book a morning slot.
The food walks are trickier. Intrepid's food and coffee walk, from ~$145, is not recommended for children under 12 and lasts 5.5 hours. Venture Vienna's market food walk, from ~$140, has a review from one family who loved it. It lasts about four hours, almost all of it outdoors. It also does not suit food allergies. The Hallstatt coach, from ~$73, is not for children under 3 and makes a 13-hour day. Our day trips guide weighs it against shorter outings.