Looking for a special way to celebrate Christmas? Vienna is one of the best cities to visit at Christmas, with amazing Christmas markets. Here’s my guide to the Vienna Christmas markets.
Vienna at Christmas is just magical. The Vienna Christmas Markets are some of the best in Europe. There are Christmas Markets in Vienna in a variety of different places around the city, so you have lots of places to explore.
The Vienna Christmas Markets are a great place to enjoy lots of festive food and drink, as well as try some traditional German and Austrian food. The food and drink are a definite highlight of any visit. But there’s more at the Christmas Markets as well, with fun activities like ice skating, and also lots of stalls where you can go shopping for the perfect Christmas gifts for your friends and family. Here’s my guide to the Vienna Christmas Markets.
Where to stay in Vienna for Christmas Markets
The best place to stay for the Vienna Christmas Markets is anywhere in the centre of the city. Ideally, you want to be walking distance from places like the Rathaus and the Hofburg Palace, because these places have great Christmas Markets. The Christmas Markets are at their best in the evening, so it’s ideal to stay somewhere close so you can easily walk there and back in the evening. The centre of Vienna is really safe at night, so as long as you stay in a hotel that is fairly central then you should feel safe walking to and from the Christmas Markets at night.
Vienna as excellent public transport. So if you stay in a hotel in the centre of Vienna, you’ll easily be able to use public transport to visit the Christmas Markets that are a bit further out from the centre, such as the Schonnbrunn Palace.
The best Christmas Markets in Vienna
There are lots of Christmas Markets in Vienna. I recommend spending several days in Vienna if you’re visiting for the Christmas Markets, so you’ll have time to explore all the different areas of Christmas Markets.
It’s difficult to say which are the best Vienna Christmas Markets. All of the main areas of Christmas Markets are beautiful. They all offer great food and drink, with Christmas decorations and festive music.
There are three main areas of Christmas Markets:
- Rathausplatz
- Hofburg Palace
- Schonnbrunn Palace
The Rathausplatz and the Hofburg Palace markets are right in the centre of Vienna. These places are easy to walk to from lots of central hotels in Vienna. So if you’re staying in central Vienna, I recommend focussing on exploring these two areas in the evenings. There’s lots to see and do here, and it’s a great way to spend a festive evening in Vienna.
The Christmas Markets at the Schonnbrunn Palace are beautiful as well. However, the Schonnbrunn Palace is a bit further out from the centre of the city. You’ll need to use public transport to get there. So I recommend exploring the Schonnbrunn Palace Christmas Markets during the day, as part of a day trip to the palace area. And then you can visit the more central Vienna Christmas Markets in the evenings.
Here’s more detail about these top three Vienna Christmas Markets.
Rathausplatz – the best Vienna Christmas Markets for ice skating and food
Just outside the Rathaus (the City Hall) is a huge square, called the Rathausplatz. This huge square has some of Vienna’s best Christmas Markets. It’s a huge area, so you can easily spend hours here walking around and enjoying the festive atmosphere.
The markets at Rathausplatz are some of the best in the city for food. There’s a great range of food and drink here. You definitely have to try the food called Kartofflepuffen! It’s one of my favourite Christmas Market foods. It’s a deep fried potato snack, served with apple sauce. I ate so many when I was in Vienna, they were just so good.
There are also lots of stalls selling mulled wine in this area. Mulled wine is a perfect drink to warm up on a cold evening when you’re at the Christmas Markets in Vienna.
The Rathausplatz Christmas Markets are also a great place to go for Christmas activities. There’s an outdoor ice rink here, so you can go ice skating. It’s a great activity for kids, and also a romantic date night idea for couples. The giant snowman next to the ice rink is a great place to take photos as well. The Rathausplatz Christmas Markets in Vienna are definitely some of the liveliest and most fun Christmas Markets, with lots of activities and food and drink.
One thing to remember – the Christmas markets in the whole of Vienna did tend to close fairly early, earlier than a lot of other Christmas markets I’ve been to. So if you’re planning to get dinner at the market, make sure you don’t leave it much past 8pm or a lot of the stalls may have already closed.
Schonnbrunn Palace – the best Vienna Christmas Markets for buying gifts and eating lunch
Outside the front of the Schonnbrunn Palace are another great set of Christmas Markets. The Schonnbrunn Palace is just outside the centre of Vienna, but it’s really easy to get to by public transport.
I recommend visiting the Schonnbrunn Christmas Markets as part of a day out at the Schonnbrunn Palace. The Palace here is stunning, with a really impressive interior. Make sure you go inside the palace – you can find out more about opening times and buying tickets in advance here.
The Schonnbrunn Palace Christmas Markets are a great place to buy Christmas gifts for family and friends. There are lots of stalls here selling beautiful, hand-made gifts that you can take home. I particularly liked the wooden gifts, they were so intricately carved and detailed. There are also food gifts you can buy, such as fudge and other sweets. And there’s clothing as well, with some great hats, scarves and gloves. You can spend a long time walking around and browsing for gifts to buy, for yourself and also your family and friends.
The Schonnbrunn Christmas Markets also have great food. You can get a great lunch here before heading inside the Palace. My favourite food from the markets here was goulash soup, which was served in a bread bowl. It was a really delicious, warm lunch on a cold day.
Hofburg Palace – the best Vienna Christmas Markets for mulled wine and atmosphere
Right in the centre of Vienna, the area in front of the Hofburg Palace is smaller than some of the other areas of Christmas Markets. But there’s still plenty here to enjoy in an evening. And, being so central, the markets here are really easy to get to.
The Hofburg Palace is beautiful as well – make sure you also spend some time enjoying the palace here before you explore the Christmas Markets. You can find out more about visiting the palace and buying advance tickets here.
The Vienna Christmas Markets at the Hofburg Palace have a great atmosphere. I loved the setting of these markets, right outside a beautiful palace. For me, that really added to the magical atmosphere of these Christmas Markets, where you could see all of the beautiful Christmas decorations with the stunning palace in the background.
The stalls here sell lots of beautiful gifts and some snacks. There’s plenty of mulled wine here as well. I loved drinking mulled wine while enjoying the atmosphere at the Hofburg Palace Christmas Markets.
Other things to do in Vienna
As well as the Christmas Markets, there’s lots more to do in Vienna. Vienna is a great city at all times of the year. If you’re visiting Vienna, make sure you also check out all of the top sights and things to do in the city.
You can read more about the top things to do in Vienna at Christmas here. You can visit stunning palaces, see a performance at the Spanish Riding School, visit the zoo, and so much more.
New Year celebrations in Vienna
As well as enjoying Christmas in Vienna, you can also stay in Vienna for New Year. There’s loads to do in Vienna at New Year. And the Christmas Markets in Vienna continue after Christmas into the New Year, so you can spend New Year in Vienna and also enjoy the Christmas Markets.
Check out my guide to New Years in Vienna for everything you need to know about New Years in Vienna and all the fun activities you can do at New Years.
New Years in Vienna is magical. You can experience free waltz lessons on Stephensdomplatz on New Year’s Eve. Or you can watch live opera from the Staatsoper (Vienna Opera House) on giant screens outside the opera house. You can also watch fireworks on New Year’s Eve on Rathausplatz, and see performances on the giant stage there. You can also watch the New Year’s Day concert on Rathausplatz on giant screens in the large city square. There’s lots to do in Vienna at New Years, so you can plan a really magical trip to Vienna to experience both the Christmas and the New Year magic.
Enjoy the Vienna Christmas Markets! Make sure you also check out my guide to visiting Vienna at New Years for more winter magic. You can also read my 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.
Your blog is a testament to your expertise and dedication to your craft. I’m constantly impressed by the depth of your knowledge and the clarity of your explanations. Keep up the amazing work!
Thank you so much! That’s so kind and means a lot, thank you.