Every winter, our city puts on the show it does best. From the second weekend of November until 23 December, more than a dozen Christmas markets, the famous Viennese Christkindlmärkte, fill our squares and palace courtyards with the smell of roasting chestnuts, the glow of fairy lights and the warmth of a mug of Punsch […]
Every winter, our city puts on the show it does best. From the second weekend of November until 23 December, more than a dozen Christmas markets, the famous Viennese Christkindlmärkte, fill our squares and palace courtyards with the smell of roasting chestnuts, the glow of fairy lights and the warmth of a mug of Punsch cupped in cold hands. Those weeks are exactly when we run our own Christmas market tours, right where the season comes alive. A few of the very largest markets stay open a little longer over the holiday itself, but the heart of Advent in Vienna runs from that second November weekend through to 23 December, and there is no more romantic place to be.
We are Prime Tours, an owner-run company that has been showing people around this city for ten years. We are Vienna’s original free-walking-tour company and the local operator behind SANDEMAN’s New Europe Vienna, so we have spent a decade walking these streets in every season. This is our honest, local guide to the Christmas markets we love most, what to eat and drink while you are there, and how to make the most of a short winter visit.
Here is the short answer if you only have a minute. Vienna’s markets run from the second weekend of November until 23 December, which is exactly the window in which we run our own market tours, while a few of the largest at Rathausplatz, Schönbrunn, Belvedere and Stephansplatz often stay open through to 26 December. They are free to walk into. The biggest and most famous is the Christkindlmarkt am Rathausplatz in front of City Hall. The prettiest, if you ask us, are the smaller ones tucked into the old lanes: Spittelberg, Freyung and Am Hof. Read on for the full picture.
This is the one on the postcards. Set on the great square in front of the neo-Gothic City Hall, the Christkindlmarkt am Rathausplatz is Vienna’s biggest and most photographed market, with a towering Christmas tree, a park of illuminated trees behind it and the ice-skating paths of the Winter Dream once the season is underway. It is busy, it is bright and it is unapologetically festive. If it is your first time in Vienna at Christmas, start here, ideally in the early afternoon before the evening crowds arrive, then come back after dark to see the whole square lit up.
In the forecourt of Schönbrunn Palace, the former imperial summer residence, the Christmas market trades the crowds of the city centre for a sense of grandeur. A large tree stands in front of the palace and the wooden chalets lean towards handmade Austrian crafts, ceramics and delicatessen products rather than mass-produced trinkets. It pairs beautifully with a morning at the palace and gardens, so we often suggest guests treat the two as a single half-day out.
The market at the Upper Belvedere sits in the grounds of one of Vienna’s most beautiful Baroque palaces, the former home of Prince Eugene of Savoy. The setting does a lot of the work here: the palace reflected in the ornamental pond, the city skyline behind, and a compact, elegant market in front. It is a favourite for anyone combining Christmas shopping with a visit to the Belvedere’s art collections.
Framed by the twin façades of the Kunsthistorisches Museum and the Naturhistorisches Museum, the Christmas Village at Maria-Theresien-Platz is one of the most architecturally striking settings in the whole city. Around seventy stalls offer traditional crafts and gift ideas, and the square’s symmetry makes it feel like a stage set. It is an easy add-on to the Museum Quarter and the nearby Ring.
If you only visit one of the smaller markets, make it Spittelberg. The cobbled Biedermeier lanes behind the Museum Quarter fill with stalls selling genuinely lovely handicrafts, and the narrow streets give the whole thing an intimate, village-like feeling you simply cannot get on a big open square. This is where we send friends who want the atmosphere more than the spectacle. Go slowly, wander the side alleys, and let yourself get a little lost.
On one of the oldest squares in the historic centre, the Am Hof market is a refined, design-led affair with a focus on quality crafts and Austrian producers. It sits within a few minutes’ walk of Freyung, so the two make a natural pair for an afternoon in the old town.
The Altwiener Christkindlmarkt on the Freyung square is the oldest of them all, a market with roots going back to the eighteenth century. It is a gentler, old-Vienna kind of place: carefully chosen stalls with traditional handicrafts, hand-blown glass decorations, ceramics and nativity scenes. If you want to feel the history behind the tradition, this is the market to seek out.
In front of the Karlskirche, the Art Advent market takes a deliberately different path. Everything on the craft stalls is made by independent artists rather than mass-produced, the food is organically certified, and there is a genuine programme of workshops, live music and activities for children. It has a relaxed, creative, slightly bohemian spirit that we think makes a lovely contrast to the grander markets.
Half the joy of a Viennese Christmas market is edible. Here is what to reach for.
Our advice: eat as you wander rather than looking for a sit-down meal, hold your warm mug for as long as you can, and do not fill up at the first stall you see.
You can absolutely wander the markets on your own, and many people happily do. But a good guide turns a pretty evening into a story. Why is Freyung the oldest market? What was happening on Am Hof five hundred years before the first stall appeared? Which alley in Spittelberg is worth the detour? After ten years of walking this city, these are exactly the threads we love to pull.
Our Vienna Christmas Market Tour with Tastings is the easiest way to experience the season with a local, combining the history of the old town with tastings of the food and drink that make Advent here special. If you would rather have your guide entirely to yourselves, our Private Christmas Market Tour is tailored to your pace, your group and your interests, and is a favourite with families and couples.
Prefer to keep exploring? Our free walking tour of Vienna’s historic city centre takes you through the same squares that host the markets, and looks especially beautiful in December. For something more atmospheric, the Vienna at Night free walking tour shows the old town lit up after dark. You can see the full range on our free walking tours page. And if you would like to warm up indoors, a session of Austrian wine tasting in the centre of Vienna is a lovely way to round off a cold day. Groups and special occasions are welcome through our private experiences in Vienna.
To plan or book, drop us a line at bookings@primetours.at or through our contact page. We would be glad to help you make the most of the season.
Vienna’s Christmas markets open on the second weekend of November and run until 23 December, which is also the period when we run our own Christmas market tours. Several of the largest, including Rathausplatz, Schönbrunn and Belvedere, stay open a few days longer over the holiday. Individual markets can vary slightly, so it is still worth checking each market’s current-year dates before you travel.
It depends on what you are after. For scale and spectacle, the Christkindlmarkt am Rathausplatz in front of City Hall is the biggest and most famous. For charm and atmosphere, we love the smaller markets in the old lanes, especially Spittelberg, Freyung and Am Hof. For imperial grandeur, Schönbrunn and Belvedere are hard to beat.
Yes. The markets are free to walk into. You only pay for what you eat, drink and buy, and there is usually a small refundable deposit on the mug your hot drink is served in.
The two classics are Glühwein, spiced mulled wine, and Punsch, a sweeter, often fruitier hot punch that comes in many varieties. Both are served warm in a mug you can return for your deposit or keep as a souvenir.
Look for Maroni (hot roasted chestnuts), Kartoffelpuffer (fried potato pancakes), Bratwurst (grilled sausage in a roll) and Lebkuchen (spiced gingerbread), which also makes an easy gift to take home.
The Altwiener Christkindlmarkt on the Freyung square is the oldest, with roots going back to the eighteenth century. It has a quieter, old-Vienna feel and specialises in traditional handicrafts and decorations.
There are more than a dozen markets across the city each year, ranging from the huge Rathausplatz market to small, curated ones like Spittelberg, Freyung, Am Hof and the Art Advent at Karlsplatz.
Pick two or three rather than trying to see them all, arrive in the early afternoon for space and stay after dark for the lights, and use public transport to move between them. A guided market tour is a lovely way to add the history and the tastings, which is exactly what our Christmas market experiences are built around.
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