Vienna at Christmas is a magical place to be. Throughout December, the city goes all out for Christmas, putting up elaborate decorations and decking its streets with glimmering lights. Combine the fun, festive atmosphere with its backdrop of historic buildings, museums and galleries and you have the perfect destination for a December city break.
Of course, we can’t forget about the Christmas Markets. Vienna has over 20 festive markets, each offering unique gifts, food items and festive attractions such as ice rinks. We spent 4 days in Vienna over Christmas, and in this guide, we’ll list the top places to visit.
Read our Christmas in Vienna guide to discover the top markets, sites and activities to check out, plus some helpful travel tips.
Google Map of all locations in our guide
Vienna’s must-see Christmas markets:
Rathausplatz Christmas Market
We’re starting our guide with Vienna’s biggest and most visually impressive Christmas market. Located in front of the city hall building, Rathausplatz Christmas Market is a vast collection of food and craft stalls, light displays, decorations and interactive activities. It also has one of Vienna’s best outdoor ice rinks.
This market receives almost 3.5 million visitors each year, making it the most popular Christmas market in Europe. As such, it can get pretty busy. We recommend visiting during the day for a quieter atmosphere and a chance to browse the stalls without the crowds. There’s also a smaller queue for the ice-skating. Return in the evening to see a series of beautiful light displays, live music and a a livelier atmosphere.
Stephansplatz Christmas Market
Stephansplatz Christmas Market is one of the main Christmas markets of the city centre. With a grand Christmas tree and the imposing silhouette of St Stephen’s Cathedral in the background, it’s a small but picturesque place to shop, eat and enjoy a warm drink. The best time to visit Stephansplatz Market is on an evening. The cathedral is lit up a festive shade of pink and the stalls are packed with people enjoying their mulled wine. There’s also a huge Christmas tree.
We found the market stalls at Stephansplatz to be excellent for handmade craft items and Christmas decorations. There are less food options here compared to the other markets.
St Stephen’s Cathedral
Whilst visiting the market, be sure to take a moment to appreciate the beauty of St Stephen’s Cathedral. It has a history dating back to the 12th-century and a grand, Romanesque design. The outside of the church stands out as one of the most beautiful buildings in the city.
After admiring the cathedral from afar, walk inside to see the altar, the organ and stained-glass windows. You can also pay a small fee to climb the 343 steps to the top of the tower, which provides excellent views of the city and market stalls below.
Throughout December, the church hosts frequent advent concerts with the Vienna Orchestra. Be sure to book tickets online in advance as they sell out quickly.
Art Advent Christmas Market
We found Art Advent Market to be one of Vienna’s most charming Christmas markets. Small, compact and full of locals buying Christmas gifts, it’s a top spot to buy handmade craft items from independent vendors. As it’s a craft market, stallholders have strict quality rules, so you can be assured you’re buying unique items. We found the items on sale to be very good, though prices may be a little higher than other markets.
Visit Art Advent Market day or night for completely different atmospheres. Evenings are great time of the day to grab a warm drink, stand under the fairy lights and admire the view of the iconic buildings that surround the market.
Schönbrunn Christmas Market
Located right in front of Schönbrunn Palace, the grand summer residence of Austrian royalty, Schönbrunn proved to be our favourite Christmas market in Vienna. The beautiful façade of the palace, ornate decorations, hanging fairy lights and Christmas tree centre-piece create a magical, festive atmosphere. Stalls are spread out, so even when it’s busy, it doesn’t feel too crowded.
Sample some traditional snacks and drinks, including Punch, Mulled Wine and a variety of sweat treats, or buy decorations at the market stalls. We found the quality and variety of stalls at Schönbrunn market to be very good. In addition to the stalls, you’ll find an ice rink, a Ferris wheel and one of the best attractions, a Lindt hot chocolate stall.
Visit Schönbrunn Christmas Market during the day for a laid-back browse of the stalls. Return in the evening to see the Christmas lights and an illuminated Schönbrunn palace.
Schönbrunn Palace and Gardens
After exploring the market stalls, you can’t leave Schönbrunn without touring its palace and gardens. Schönbrunn Palace is a Baroque residence with over 1400 ornately decorated rooms. It’s regarded as one of the most important architectural and cultural sites in the country, with tours taking place throughout the day.
Schönbrunn Gardens are free to visit. They stretch out over 160-hectares, featuring many scenic walking trails, 18th-century buildings and a selection of flower gardens and greenhouses. Even in the winter months, they’re a great place to enjoy a leisurely walk.
Belvedere Christmas Market
Another Vienna Christmas Market that’s located next to a grand palace is Belvedere. Built in the 1700’s Belvedere is a collection of gardens, a horse stables and two palace buildings. You can pay to see the rooms and galleries of the palace on a guided tour during the day. However, if you’re just visiting for the free Christmas Market, we recommend stopping by on an evening. When the sun sets, the front of Upper Belvedere Palace is illuminated with lights, casting a magical reflection on the lake in front of it. It sets the scene for a night of shopping, eating, drinking and enjoying the festivities.
Belvedere Christmas market is smaller than many of the others on our list. However, it has a good collection of stalls and the palace setting makes it a must-see.
Am Hof Christmas Market
Am Hof Christmas Market is one of the best Vienna markets for foodies. It has a good selection of warm food and snack options, and all of the drinks you’d find in other markets. It’s located in the centre of Am Hof Square in the city centre, surrounded by museums, hotels and other grand buildings. As it’s so central and compact, it’s one of the busier markets, giving it a bustling, lively atmosphere on an evening.
In addition to the foodie delights at Am Hof Market, you’ll find plenty of gift, jewellery and decoration stalls. We recommend visiting during the day if you want to shop as it can be quite crowded later in the day.
Freyung Christmas Market
Freyung Christmas Market is just a 4-minute walk along the road from Am Hof Market, so we recommend visiting both at the same time. A little smaller than its neighbour, Freyung is in just as historic of a location, but it isn’t as busy. It has a range of craft and Christmas decoration stalls, making it a great place to buy an ornament for your living room.
It’s a less popular market compared to the others on our list, suiting those that want to grab a warm drink quietly without being pushed around by crowds. Visit during the day for a relaxing, festive shopping environment.
Spittelberg Christmas Market
Spittelberg Christmas Market is regarded as one of Vienna’s most local and traditional markets. Unlike the other options in our guide that are all centred around squares or big attractions, the market stalls of Spittelberg are tucked away on a duo of streets near Vienna’s museum district. At first glance you’d think the streets are like any others in the area. Venture down them and you’ll find an upbeat atmosphere with plenty of stalls and shops.
The stalls on offer at this market are heavily based around food and drink, though you will find craft and Christmas gift stalls too. It’s full of locals enjoying a warm drink with friends after work and has a better nightlife scene than other Christmas markets on our list. We recommend visiting Spittelberg Christmas Market in the evening after exploring Vienna’s museum district.
We’ve included a selection of our favourite, must-see markets in the city centre. For a full list of Christmas markets in Vienna, check out this list on the Visit Vienna website. https://www.visitingvienna.com/entertainment/christmas-in-vienna/
Sightseeing in Vienna at Christmas
Sightseeing in Vienna can be enjoyed at any time of the year. The museums, monuments, beautiful architecture and galleries are some of the best in the world. When visiting in November and December, the city’s buildings can have a frosty, snow-touched appearance, which really adds to their charm. Whilst visiting Vienna over Christmas, we recommend allocating plenty of time to see the main sites alongside the Christmas-orientated attractions.
Top sites of the city centre worth checking out include Hofburg Palace, the many museums of the museum quarter, The National Library, Mozart’s former apartment and several squares, churches and historic squares. Vienna has a rich history that’s waiting to be explored.
Butterfly House
One of the most unique attractions to visit is the Butterfly House, which is located in the grounds of ‘Burggarten’, or ‘Castle Garden’. It’s a greenhouse full of tropical plants, walkways and colourful butterflies. They flutter around you as you walk around the dome.
Note down some of Vienna’s key sites on your map and visit them alongside the Christmas markets. They’re scattered around the city centre.
Christmas shopping
Christmas shopping in Vienna is like no other. All of the shops, no matter how big, take Christmas very seriously. You have all of the well-known high street brands, including Zara, Mango, H&M and Sketchers, but also countless Austrian department stores, chocolate specialists and thousands of independent stores.
The streets in the city centre are decorated with beautiful Christmas decorations and the inside of stores is just as festive. Browse the shopping streets of the city centre to find Christmas gifts or buy yourself something special. Many people flock to the flag ship Swarovski store, Steffl Department Store or Peek & Cloppenburg.
Ferstel Passage
Ferstel Passage is one of the quaintest and most picturesque areas to shop and eat. Built in 1860, the passage is a hidden street of upscale cafes, restaurants and shops. Its dimly lit façade, grand fountain and beautiful architecture give it an almost enchanting appearance, especially at Christmas-time.
We recommend visiting Ferstel Passage for a browse around the shops or to enjoy a drink outside one of the cafes. The specialist chocolate store inside the arcade is a must-see for anyone that loves high quality sweat treats.
Kohlmarkt
Another iconic shopping street in Vienna is the Kohlmarkt. It’s the number one place in the city for designer shopping, featuring flagship stores for brands such as Rolex, Louis Vuitton, Gucci and Versace. The street is lit up with bright Christmas lights and it has an upbeat, festive cheer at any time of the day. Even if you don’t want to browse the luxury stores, you can appreciate their impressive Christmas decorations from the outside.
Alongside the shops, Kohlmarkt has several iconic cafes, beautiful architecture and a nice view of the Michaelerplatz building at the bottom of the street.
Vienna’s café scene
You can’t visit Vienna and not enjoy a drink and a pastry in one of its world-famous Cafes! It’s an activity you can enjoy year-round, but the warming atmosphere of a Viennese café is particularly special at Christmas-time. Some of the city’s most iconic cafes date back over 200 years and are located in spectacular buildings.
Traditional Viennese cafes can be found everywhere. However, there are some that are more beautiful than others. Café Central, Demel and Café Sacher are some of the must-sees, though they can attract large queues. We recommend visiting out of peak breakfast, lunch or dinner hours for a hot drink and sweet treat. Apple Strudel is the number one thing to try.
Christmas Lights
There’s nothing more magical than Vienna’s city centre streets on an evening. Almost every street is decorated with elaborate lights, ranging from giant baubles to flickering candles and twinkling stars. The Christmas lights are classy, elegant and a warm shade of yellow. Take time to appreciate these marvellous light displays by wandering the main streets of the city centre in the evening.
A street called ‘Graben’(view on Google Maps) is where you’ll find some of the boldest light displays. Lights can also be found on department stores, churches and historic buildings. We’ve been to many European cities at Christmas-time and found the evening lights in Vienna to be the best.
Christmas Decorations
It’s not just the lights that give Vienna its wonderful festive appearance. Christmas decorations are everywhere to be seen. Everywhere from the metro stations to the churches, shops, restaurants and bakeries have been decorated for the holiday season. The business owners of Vienna really go all out with their decorations at this time of the year!
We found the Christmas decorations throughout the city to be very classy and traditional, with large garlands, wreaths and baubles adorning windows, entrances and walkways. Take time to appreciate the decorations as you wander through Vienna.
The giant bow on the outside of the Popp & Kretschmer department store and the luxurious decorations of Vienna’s Kohlmarkt street are some of the must-sees.
Parks
In amongst all the museums, shops, markets and restaurants of Vienna are some beautiful green spaces. Even in wintertime, they’re a great place to explore to get away from the hustle and bustle of the city. Add some of the top Vienna parks to your itinerary and take a break from sightseeing. Some of the top parks to visit in the city centre include:
- Stadtpark – A large 19th-century public park with a classical English design. It has several monuments, a concert hall, a lake and several walking routes.
- Burggarten – Located behind Hofburg Palace, Burggarten is a nice place to walk and relax after visiting the sites of the area, including Albertina Gallery and the Butterfly House.
- Volksgarten and Rosengarten – This duo of parks is one of Vienna’s largest green spaces. In spring, it comes alive with colourful floral displays. Winter is a little duller, but its frosty appearance and scenic walkways still give you an appreciation for the park.
Votive Church ‘Light of Creation’ show
We saw the ‘Light of Creation’ show at Vienna’s Votive Church on the last evening of our trip and we were blown away by the sound, visuals and setting of this unique experience. Located inside a neo-Gothic church that was built in the 1800’s, the show uses projectors and sound to display colourful visuals onto the grand interior of the church. The show is moving, dramatic and a great experience to enjoy at Christmas-time.
Visit Vienna’s Votive Church during the day to see the beauty of the outside of the building. Return in the evening for a showing of ‘Light of Creation’. Be sure to buy tickets online in advance as they sell out fast. We recommend paying a little extra for tickets without a restricted view.
Food to try
The food and drink scene are a major part of what makes Christmas in Vienna so unique and exciting. You’ll find stalls selling traditional foods, from Austrian cheese noodles and baked potatoes, to Bratwurst, fried garlic flatbread and soup served in a giant bread roll.
When it comes to sweat treats, Apple Strudel is the must-try. However, you’ll walk past stalls selling waffles, donuts and all sorts of traditional Austrian pastries. We found some dishes to be hit and miss, but overall, the food scene was excellent.
Finally, you can’t visit Vienna’s Christmas markets without sampling Gluwein, Punsch or another warming festive drink. They come in a variety of flavours, with both alcoholic and non-alcoholic versions.
That brings us to the end of our Vienna Christmas guide. The city is truly one of Europe’s most magical Christmas destinations and we highly recommend planning your own visit. If you have any questions about any of the places we’ve listed, be sure to post a comment.
For more information on event times and the latest festive attractions, check out the official Visit Vienna website. https://www.wien.info/en/now-on/christmas
By Ricky Marshall
Author bio:An adventurer at heart that loves anything outdoors. Beaches, mountains and amazing scenery is everything I love about travel! I also enjoy home comforts and need a nice place to relax and re-charge after every trip.