![]() Make sure to walk over to the famous Herzerlbaum, too. Vienna’s biggest Christmas tree stands majestically in front of the city hall, although it may not be the most popular. More than 150 Christmas booths welcome you to an extravaganza of flair and spirit. Rathausplatz is home to Vienna’s most famous Christmas market: an elaborate winter wonderland that sprawls in front of the dramatic, neo-Gothic city hall. Although I loved wandering through all the markets while glowing with the warmth of Glühwein (mulled wine), these were my favorites: Vienna Christmas World on Rathausplatz ![]() Far from the hectic fury of Black Friday at home, I’m here listening in to the chatter of people from near and far, embracing the season to the tune of Mozart and Beethoven in the city’s squares.ĭo as the Viennese do and head to these markets in the early evening when the lights turn on and the day quiets down. The Austrian capital is a dreamy destination for a holiday hiatus, complete with layers of culture that elevate this place to the world's most livable city. Dropping into The Dorotheum, the famed Austrian auction house? A five-minute walk toward Stephansplatz brings you to the city’s towering gothic church, where glittering stalls wrap around it like a Christmas wreath. Going to the Upper Belvedere to see Gustav Klimt’s The Kiss? Top off your visit with gooey Raclette at the market outside. Austrians often refer to the three-week period as the country’s “fifth season.” Festivities unfold in stunning squares and pedestrian spaces, making the walks from cafés to museums and shops even more delectable. Vienna always shines, but during the Advent season, it sparkles. Even beyond the Christmas markets, most street corners feature a mulled wine or punch stand where people huddle together under those same lights, wrapped in layers of wool as the sun sets. Intricate sparkling light displays hang between grand palaces reminiscent of adorned wedding cakes. Vienna, where snow globes were invented in the 19th-century, doesn’t look quite like a snow globe-it’s even more magical. The 2023 dates are November 15th to December 26th, after which the market transitions into the Sylvesterdorf New Year market from December 27th to December 31st.A decorated Christmas tree tucked into a Viennese courtyard. Alternatively, if you want to enjoy a Christmas market without too much of the Christmas bit (or much of the market bit, frankly), then wander up to the MuseumsQuartier for their Winter event.The famous Christkindlmarkt sits a bit further along the Ring boulevard (clockwise on a map).If you’re still up for more after visiting, you have two close options: The MQ also has the Libelle viewing platform on top of the Leopold Museum, which might offer a rather fine view down over the Weihnachtsdorf. This is one of the few markets where you can take reasonable photos from above: climb the steps leading up to either museum or go up to the top of the small slope at the MQ side of the square.The end nearest the Kunsthistorisches Museum typically includes some covered areas with bar tables, just in case it rains or snows The market takes a similar form to a Celtic cross, where the four ends usually have the highest density of food and drink stalls.(Market view before we had to worry about energy costs) The square’s other side leads to the main entrance to the Museumsquartier (MQ). ![]() This location means you can feast on sausages and pastries at the market, then view the Feast of Venus by Rubens, then discover how our ancestors coped when the giant animals of prehistory objected to being turned into meat products.Īfter all that science and culture you might need a bracing drink (also available from the Christmas market).Īs well as the two museums, the square borders the Ring boulevard, beyond which lie the giant Burgtor gates and the Hofburg palace complex. The opposite side has the equally-monumental Naturhistorisches natural history museum, which has its own special exhibition running too (on the changing polar world of the Arctic in 2023). ![]() The Maria-Theresien-Platz square has the monumental Kunsthistorisches art museum on one side, which always features a cracking year-end exhibition (Raffael and Renaissance tapestries in 2023). (View down from the Naturhistorisches Museum)
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