Vienna Christmas Markets

This year, a few friends and I decided to visit the Austrian capital to take a tour of the Christmas markets we’ve heard so many great stories about.

They open from mid-November onwards, where in addition to gorgeous views and a fairytale atmosphere, you’ll delight in the aromas of orange, cinnamon and mulled wine.

Vienna is gorgeous, the architecture will surely impress you, where you will be fascinated by the magnificent imperial buildings and where you won’t know what to look at first when you arrive in this wonderful city.

In our three days here, we strolled every alleyway and visited the city’s most beautiful Christmas markets.

I recommend the following Christmas markets in Vienna

1. Stephanplatz

The Christmas fair here is near St. Stephen’s Church. Here, you’ll find numerous stalls selling mulled wine, punch, gingerbread and many other goodies that make you think of Christmas.

For €5, you can enjoy a delicious orange punch, and for another €5, you can keep the mug, which can become a souvenir to take home. If you don’t want to keep it, you get a 5 euro guarantee, which you’ll get back when you return the mug.

Not far from it, on Tuchlauben street you can find all the luxury shops in the world, with very attractive bright shop windows.

2. Schonbrunn

Set in a royal setting, the Schonbrunn fair is located in front of the palace of the same name. Numerous stalls with different varieties of food, mulled wine, handmade decorations and objects made of natural materials can be found here.

Besides, if you don’t want to pay to enter to visit it, you can take a walk around the surroundings, through a very beautiful garden, where you will see many statues and trees trimmed to the stripe. Everything is clean and very well cared for.

3. Maria Theresien Platz

Between two stately, identical, mirror-image buildings, where one is a natural history museum and the other an art history museum, you’ll find a tiny Christmas market, but where you’ll find the famous little houses with goodies and drinks to keep you warm in the winter months. It’s extremely cute and you should put it on your list when touring Vienna’s Christmas Fairs.

4. Rathausplatz

The most beautiful Christmas market in Vienna seemed to me the one at Rathausplatz. From what I understand, it is also one of the most famous Christmas fairs. It takes place in the park in front of the town hall.

It’s so beautifully lit, full of activities for both grown-ups and little ones. Here, you’ll find an ice rink, a carousel, a Ferris wheel from which you can admire the fair from above, as well as sleigh rides for the little ones. In addition to the famous Christmas fair houses, you’ll see the most beautiful lights, a beautiful Christmas tree and a tree decorated with hearts and red balls. I thought it was quite spectacular.

5. Museum Sissi

If you want to teleport back in time, you can opt for a carriage ride through the fairy-lit streets. One place where you can purchase such a tour is in front of the Sissi Museum. Horse-drawn carriages wait patiently in an alleyway, where if you pay 55 euros for 20′ you will be taken on a tour of the surroundings, and if you want a 40′ tour you will have to pay 95 euros.

Next to them, you will also find small stalls with flavoured drinks and specific Viennese sausages. The place is very nice, but I’m not sure what the name of the fair here is. If you end up in the area, I recommend you don’t miss it.

The bad part about these Christmas fairs is that everywhere there are lines you have to stand in for whatever you want to purchase. From a mug of mulled wine, wurst sausage or other decorations you want to take home, you have to wait for minutes.

Vienna has been dressed up for a holiday since mid-November. Everywhere smells of cinnamon, mulled wine and oranges. The whole city is fairytale, lit up with countless beautiful Christmas decorations. If you’re a lover of winter celebrations, you should definitely add this town to your list.

Where to eat in Vienna

In addition to the Christmas markets, when we wanted to warm up and recharge our batteries, we popped into the famous Central Café, where we queued for 30′ and where you’ll always see people waiting to grab a table. It has been open since 1876, where you can enjoy a cake to live piano tunes.

Besides, you can also try Cafe Einstein, where it’s always full and you can enjoy a Viennese schnitzel. One place where I had a burger and it was pretty good was at Le Burger.

Also, for a quick and cheap meal, you can always opt for street food.

Good to know

• It gets very cold in Vienna in winter, so be sure to dress thickly, because there’s a biting wind that you’ll feel to the bone if you don’t have a few layers on.
• Be prepared to walk a lot. Me, I walked apx. 40 km walking in 3 days spent there.
  You can also opt for public transport, but be aware that you will have to wear a mask. In Vienna, it is still mask mandatory.
• If you come by personal car, be careful where you park it. Make sure you choose designated parking areas, as cars get picked up and you risk paying a hefty fine.
• We spent our 3 days in Vienna smelling of mulled wine, cinnamon, baked chestnuts, gingerbread, baked potatoes and glazed nuts. The magic of the imperial capital for sure will wrap you.

Travel, live, love…in the wonderful spirit of Christmas.

Mada