Discover Vienna at Christmas

It’s December and with the first snowfall that we received last week, I’m more and more in the mood for Christmas. Christmas is one of my favorite holidays. I love all the lights, colors, and decorations.

Europe has many traditional Christmas Markets. For this post, I’d like to reminisce and share with you my trip to Vienna, Austria this time last year where I discovered Vienna at Christmas!

If you’ve never been to Vienna at Christmas time, put it on your to-do list! It is sensational! There are tons of huge light displays all over the city and many Christmas markets to visit. Vienna was among the first Christmas markets in the world, starting from 1298. They host around 20 different markets across the city from mid-November to late December.

I believe most Christmas markets are canceled for 2020 due to COVID-19, but hopefully, we can think about going next year. It still brings me joy to describe my special experience and share my photos with you.

When planning this trip, my girlfriend and I both did in-depth research on what to see and where to go. This included the markets but also restaurants and cafes. I’d say we were quite successful to cover the BEST Vienna Christmas spots in the few days we were there.

To start with, we found an Airbnb apartment close to the center of town within easy walking distance. If you like walking, you can cover most of Vienna on foot without having to take any transportation. We took an Uber a couple of times after a long day of walking and late evening dinners.

The Best Christmas Markets

Vienna has to be one of the best locations for checking out traditional European Christmas Markets. We went to at least six different outdoor markets, all very unique with their own charm. Most of the markets were located near historic buildings, but you’ll find smaller ones on side streets or near local churches.

Maria-Theresa-Square

The Christmas Village Maria-Theresa-Square shown here was one of my favorites. It is situated in a large park between the Kunsthistorisches Museum and the Museum of Natural History. We went here once during the day before having lunch in the beautiful restaurant inside the Kunsthistorisches Museum.

We also returned to the same market at night where it takes on a whole other ambiance. Each of the wooden stands is lit up and individually decorated.

Rathausplatz

Another ‘don’t-miss’ market is at Rathaus City Hall, Vienna’s most important non-religious building in the Neo-Gothic style. It is the official seat of the Mayor and the meeting place of the city senate/provincial government.

At every Christmas market, you will find Glühwein (hot spice wine). They may offer both white and red mulled wine. You can buy the wine with a nice mug for an additional cost. When you leave the market, you can either keep the souvenir mug or return it to get your deposit back. I love this concept!

The Rathaus Market usually offers outdoor free concerts. They also had a cool ice skating circuit (3000 square meters) where you could rent ice skates.

Belvedere Palace

Belvedere Palace offers a spectacular setting and a very nice market. We didn’t go inside the palace but visited the nice gift shop just next door and walked around the 40 gift and food stalls.

Vienna offers so much history with its palaces and museums, but it’s even more special at Christmas time.

Schönbrunn Palace

We took an Uber to get to the Christmas Market at Schönbrunn Palace as the location is a bit outside of central Vienna. It was well worth the journey as this was a huge market with the beautiful Palace building as the backdrop.

What I especially loved about all the Vienna Christmas Markets was the selection of gifts in the market stands. There were many handmade items to choose from. I found the prices to be reasonable for such unique items.

Karlsplatz

The market at Karlsplatz was smaller but very cute. What makes Vienna Christmas markets special is the spectacular architecture at each location.

One of the Austrian specialty foods from the Christmas markets you need to try is Käsekrainer, cheese-stuffed sausages. They are made with pork or a mixture of pork, beef, and a variety of spices. Swiss Emmental cheese is used for the filling. I found them to be quite delicious.

Spanish Riding School

We happened to stumble upon this beautiful market setting while walking the streets of Vienna. It was the courtyard of the Spanish Riding School, an Austrian institution dedicated to the preservation of classical dressage and the training of Lipizzaner horses.

What made this tiny market unique was the red lighting in all the archways, a big champagne bar in the middle, and real horses standing in the ground-floor stalls!

For more info about all the Christmas markets in Vienna, check out this website.

In addition to the many Christmas markets, there are also year-round food markets to visit. These were just as impressive with many food stands and choices. I loved seeing all the varied food on display, especially the colorful flavored cheese. In my opinion, the best food market is the Naschmarkt with its massive 120 stands.

The Best Restaurants and Coffee Houses

Café-Restaurant Kunsthistorisches Museum

There are many museums in Vienna that you can visit. Because we wanted to focus mostly on the outdoor Christmas markets and decorations, we only went to one museum. The primary reason for that was to have lunch at the majestic Café-Restaurant inside the Kunsthistorisches Museum.

I would definitely recommend making reservations for this popular eating spot if you don’t want a long wait. One thing we didn’t know was that you need to buy a ticket to the museum in order to access the Cafe-Restaurant.

Café Central

Café Central is a very popular place for a meal, afternoon tea, or just a sumptuous dessert. The inside area is very large, but there is always a crowd and long line to get in. We had to wait 30 minutes outside but it was worth it.

Vienna is known for its coffee houses. As Café Central advertises, ‘There are coffeehouses and there’s Café Central‘. The café opened in 1876 and became a key meeting place of the Viennese intellectual scene in the late 19th century.

Café Landtmann

Another well-known coffee house is Café Landtmann. We stopped off here for a late afternoon cocktail after visiting the nearby Rathaus Christmas Market. The wait here was only 10 minutes.

Dating back to 1873, the interior is rich and elegant with its high ceilings and dark wood furnishings. There was also an enclosed outdoor patio.

Demel’s Café

On another day, we made our way to the historical Demel confectionary shop and café, a great place for dessert!  What initially started as a pastry shop in 1786, the Demel has been a popular spot since 1856.

Demel is known for their Austrian Sacher-Torte (chocolate cake with chocolate icing and an apricot jam filling), but they have many other delicious cakes and pastries to choose from.

No trip to Vienna is complete without trying the classic Wiener Apfelstrudel (Viennese apple dessert known as Apple Strudel). I chose this dessert at the Demel Cafe – no regrets!

Pürstner

The last restaurant I’d like to share with you is the small, quaint Pürstner Restaurant that we found and really enjoyed. I was looking for my dose of wiener schnitzel and I found it here!

Wiener schnitzel, sometimes spelled Wienerschnitzel, is made of a thin, breaded, pan-fried veal cutlet. It is one of the best-known specialties of Viennese cuisine, and one of the national dishes of Austria. At Pürstner, they serve a variety of traditional Austrian dishes and large portions as well!

Summary

I had so much to share about what to discover in Vienna at Christmas! I hope you’ve enjoyed reading about and seeing the many delights that Vienna offers. I’ve been to this European city a few times but this was my first experience at Christmas time.

My girlfriend and I spent a few days at the same time last year in Prague, but I preferred the Christmas holiday decorations and events in Vienna.

I hope you can plan to go there soon. I would love to help organize your itinerary! Pin this post for future reference and send me an email at jan@janadventures.com when you’re ready!

If you are interested in other European Christmas markets, be sure to check out my post on Switzerland’s Montreux Market and Switzerland’s Basel Market!

For more photos of my trip to Vienna as well as Prague, check out my Facebook Photo Album here!