Vienna’s Christmas markets are already open: the first stalls lit up at Schönbrunn Palace and Stephansplatz on Friday 6 November 2026, and the season runs to Wednesday 6 January 2027. More than a dozen markets spread across the city, and entry to every one is free.
The main market waits a week: the Wiener Christkindlmarkt on Rathausplatz opens on Friday 13 November. Because the markets sit in and around the old town, the trip works best when the arrival is sorted: land, ride in, drop your bags, and you can be holding a hot Punsch the same evening.
What is happening
The headline market is the Wiener Christkindlmarkt on Rathausplatz, in front of City Hall with the Burgtheater opposite, running from Friday 13 November to Saturday 26 December 2026, daily from 10 in the morning to 10 at night, closing at 6:30 pm on 24 December. It sells Christmas gifts, tree decorations, handicrafts, sweets and hot drinks under a tall arched gateway lit with candles.
Rathauspark behind the market holds a tree of hearts, a 12 meter multi level carousel and a children’s area with a reindeer train and a nativity trail. The Ice Dream skating rink runs on the park paths from 13 November to 6 January, though it closes on 31 December.
Two markets bookend the season. The Schönbrunn Palace market runs the full span, 6 November to 6 January, in front of the palace, with traditional crafts, an ice rink, curling lanes and a Ferris wheel. The Stephansplatz Christmas Village runs 6 November to 26 December at the foot of St. Stephen’s Cathedral, with around 40 stalls selling Austrian products.
The rest fill the old town and beyond: Am Hof and Spittelberg from 13 November to 23 December, the Old Viennese market on the Freyung from 14 November, Maria-Theresien-Platz with around 70 stalls between the two big museums from 20 November to 26 December, Belvedere Palace from 20 November to 31 December, and the Winter Market at Riesenradplatz in the Prater to 6 January.
Eat and drink the season: Punsch and Glühwein served hot in ceramic mugs, with a deposit you get back when you return the mug, plus toasted almonds, roasted chestnuts, Vanillekipferl biscuits and Christstollen to take home. Staying to the end of the year? Our New Year’s Eve in Vienna post covers the Silvesterpfad trail on 31 December.
Getting there after you land
Fly into Vienna International Airport, VIE, about 18 km southeast of the center in Schwechat. The station sits directly beneath the terminal: follow the green CAT signs or the red ÖBB signs from arrivals. Every ride below lands at Wien Mitte or another central stop.
S7 trainCheapest
The suburban train to Wien Mitte with stops along the way: the price includes the Vienna zone ticket.
City Airport Train
The fast ride to Wien Mitte, currently running as a replacement coach during rail works.
Airport bus
VAL buses to Schwedenplatz, Westbahnhof and Donauzentrum: good if your hotel is on the route.
Taxi
Meter plus airport supplement from the rank: best value for three or four with bags.
Rail works mean the CAT and S7 sometimes run as replacement buses or terminate short, so check the operator’s live status on your travel day. In town, Rathausplatz is served by the U2 and U3 lines and trams 1, 71 and D. See our Vienna first hour guide for every option priced and compared side by side.
The full first hour: Vienna guide
The ride in, the first ticket and the first meal, plus where to stay for your first nights in Vienna.
Where to stay, and getting back
For a Splurge, Hotel Sacher Wien sits behind the State Opera in the Innere Stadt, home of the original Sachertorte and the definitive Viennese grand hotel. Rathausplatz and Stephansplatz are both an easy walk, so the markets start at your door.
For the Sweet spot, Hotel Das Tyrol is a boutique favorite on Mariahilfer Strasse, the main shopping street, with a rooftop terrace, a generous breakfast and the U3 at the door. For Budget, Wombat’s City Hostel Vienna sits right by the Naschmarkt, with clean dorms and private rooms and a bar downstairs, a short ride from the old town markets.
The first hour, sorted
Buy a 24 hour or 7 day ticket from the machines in arrivals: it covers the U-Bahn, trams and buses across the city, and a single ticket covers one ride on the whole network. Validate before your first ride: inspectors fine on the spot.
The guide names Airalo for an eSIM, so you are online as the plane taxis in, and cards are accepted almost everywhere, including ticket machines and most cafes. Carry a few coins anyway: some classic coffee houses still prefer cash for small bills.
For a first meal, do the coffee house ritual: a Melange and a slice of Sachertorte, at Café Central for the grandest stage or any corner Kaffeehaus. Book the Schönbrunn palace tour ahead, as the guide advises: the morning slots sell out, and the palace market runs right outside.
Browse the events calendar for what else is on while you are in town, and use plan your trip to line up the days around it.
Schönbrunn Palace, Hallstatt on its lake and the Wachau Valley vineyards, for the days around the markets.
Get the Vienna first hour checklist by email
The ride in, the first ticket and the first meal, in the Vienna guide PDF you can read on the plane.
The checklist, free, from After You Land.
What else is on
The events calendar tracks every guided city, strikes and stoppages included.
Events calendarLine up the rest
Plan your trip pulls the guide, the stays and the bookings for this trip into one place.
Plan your trip