New Years in Vienna: Your Ultimate Guide

New Years in Vienna is just magical, with so many activities and events throughout the whole city over the whole period. There are great Christmas markets as well. Here’s your ultimate guide to New Years in Vienna.

Updated: February 2025

Vienna is one of the best cities in Europe to spend New Year. New Years in Vienna is magical, with lots of events and things to do. You can enjoy free outdoor opera performances, explore Vienna’s Christmas Markets, see the famous Spanish Riding School, and of course experience Vienna’s New Year balls and concerts. There’s so much to do for New Years in Vienna.

What’s the weather like for New Years in Vienna?

The weather in Vienna in December and January can get very cold. You should be prepared for temperatures to be around freezing. The weather varies each year, so make sure you check the weather forecast before your trip.

New Years in Vienna can sometimes be rainy, so make sure you’ve got a good waterproof coat. There may occasionally be snow, but snow is unlikely in the centre of Vienna. It’s more likely to be cold, with chances of rain.

Remember that daylight hours for New Years in Vienna are quite short as well. It will be getting dark around 4pm in Vienna in December and January. So if you want to do some activities that need daylight, make sure you plan these for earlier in the day.

What should I wear for New Years in Vienna?

To fully enjoy New Years in Vienna, but most important thing you’ll need is a good, warm, waterproof coat. It can be cold and rainy, so make sure you’ve got a good coat. A lot of the best New Years activities in Vienna involve being outside, so make sure you’ve got a good coat so you can enjoy being outside whatever the weather.

If you’re planning on being outside in the evening for New Years in Vienna, make sure you wear plenty of layers. It’s a good idea to pack lots of layers, so then you have a choice of how many layers to wear that day and evening. You don’t need to buy any specific clothing, but you can be imaginative with what clothes you can layer. Think of things like a vest top, t-shirt, cardigan, and a hoody on top. Think about wearing leggings underneath jeans, or wear two pairs of socks. And a hat, scarf and gloves are essential as well.

Some of Vienna’s New Year activities have a specific dress code. For example, if you’re heading to a ball or to a concert, check out the dress code and make sure you dress smartly. But if you’re just planning to walk around the city and enjoy the city’s outdoor entertainment, you don’t need to dress smartly and it’s more important that you’re warm and dry.

The best activities for New Years in Vienna

There are lots of different ways to enjoy New Years in Vienna. Here are some of the best things to do in the city to make it a really special New Years Eve. A lot of these activities can be enjoyed for free. If you’re willing to brave the cold and sit outside, you can see world-class opera and concerts for free on giant screens outside. There’s something for all budgets in Vienna at New Year.

Take free Viennese Waltz lessons on Stephansdomplatz waltz

Outside the front of the Cathedral in Vienna is the huge square, Stephensdomplatz. On New Year’s Eve there’s a huge stage with lots of different performances throughout the afternoon and evening. My favourite was when they gave free Viennese Waltz lessons to everyone in the square. It was truly magical to be waltzing around in a huge group, getting everything wrong and bumping into people but having a great time. The free Viennese Waltz lessons on Stephansdomplatz was a highlight of spending New Years in Vienna.

Watch live opera for free on giant screens outside the Staatsoper – Vienna Opera House

The Vienna Opera House is one of the most famous and best opera houses in the world. On New Year’s Eve they broadcast their performance onto giant screens on the side of the opera house for everyone to enjoy.

The opera performance when I was there was Die Fledermaus. The performance was outstanding, as was the atmosphere of sitting outside in the crowd enjoying world famous opera. I have to admit it did get a bit cold after a few hours though – but it was an amazing experience. It felt so uniquely Viennese, to be sat outside in the freezing temperatures to watch world-class opera.

See the New Year in at Rathausplatz stage with fireworks

Another huge stage set up for New Year’s Eve is on Rathausplatz, the huge area just in front of the impressive Town Hall. The stage here had some great concerts and performances throughout the afternoon and evening. It was all completely free to enter and leave whenever you wanted.

Rathausplatz is also the location for one of the main New Year’s Eve firework displays in Vienna. It was really busy, as you’d expect for any New Year’s Eve fireworks, but well organised and it felt really safe.

Watch Vienna’s New Year’s Day concert for free on Rathausplatz

The world famous New Year’s Day Concert in Vienna is broadcast on TV all around the world, so as you’d expect it’s super difficult to get tickets. You need to book tickets really far in advance if you want to go in person.

Even if you don’t manage to get tickets to Vienna’s New Year’s Day concert to see it in person, you can still enjoy the music of the concert. There are giant screens outside Rathausplatz that show Vienna’s New Year’s Day concert. It’s a great way to experience the beautiful music, and it’s completely free to watch as well.

Visit the famous Spanish Riding School and watch a performance

The Spanish Riding School is a famous horse dressage show in Vienna. The winter season is when they do their main performances. So spending New Years in Vienna is the perfect time to visit Vienna if you want to see the Spanish Riding School.

You’ll need to book tickets in advance. Some of the tickets can be fairly expensive, especially if you want to sit closer to the front. But if you’re willing to sit a bit further back and higher up, you can still get a good view for a more reasonable price.

I got tickets for the Galavorführung and sat near the back in the Gallery. It was a really enjoyable evening, and the technique of both the riders and the horses was amazing. It was another really special and unique thing to do in Vienna around New Year’s Eve.

Go to a traditional Viennese New Year Ball

One of the most famous ways of spending New Years in Vienna is to go to a traditional Viennese New Year Ball. There are several balls that happen around the city, so you’ll need to research the type of ball that will suit you. All the balls have expensive tickets and a strict dress code, so you’ll need to buy or hire a ball gown as well. But, if you have the budget and the time in Vienna, attending a traditional Viennese Ball will be an unforgettable experience.

Walk around Vienna’s Christmas Markets on New Year’s Eve

Another free thing you can enjoy when spending New Years in Vienna is to spend time walking around Vienna’s Christmas Markets. There are Christmas markets in several different places around Vienna. They’re a great place to get into the festive spirit, with lots of Christmas music and decorations. You can go ice skating on an outdoor ice rink, or browse the cute wooden stalls for late Christmas presents for friends and family.

You can find out more about the Vienna Christmas Markets here.

Eat traditional Austrian food at Vienna’s Christmas Markets on New Years Eve

Another highlight of New Years in Vienna is the chance to try lots of different food and drink at Vienna’s Christmas Markets. The Christmas Markets in Vienna are a great chance to try traditional Austrian and German food. You can eat traditional German Bratwurst, or have a warming Goulash stew served in a bread bowl. The drinks available at Vienna’s Christmas Markets are great as well, with plenty of mulled wine and Eggnog to help you celebrate New Year.

Visit some of Vienna’s top palaces and other attractions

Spending New Years in Vienna is also the perfect chance to explore some of Vienna’s top sights and attractions. There are loads of things to do in Vienna, and almost everything is open all year round. So you can enjoy visiting Vienna’s top attractions over the Christmas and New Year period. Just make sure you check the opening times of some of the palaces and museums, as a few can be closed on New Year’s Day.

When you’re spending New Years in Vienna, you can also visit some of Vienna’s fascinating palaces, such as the Hofburg Palace and the Schonnbrunn Palace. Vienna Zoo is a great attraction, and Vienna’s Museum of Illusions is a really fun place to visit and great for a rainy day. There’s so much to do in Vienna – check out the top things to do in Vienna at Christmas here.

Enjoy spending New Years in Vienna! Make sure you also check out my guide to the Christmas Markets in Vienna, and also the top things to do in Vienna. Christmas and New Year is a great time to visit lots of European cities, so why not also visit Prague at Christmas, spend a weekend in Berlin, or visit Gdansk in Poland for great Polish food and Christmas Markets.