If you’re visiting Vienna, Austria during the Christmas holidays, you are in for a treat!
Even if you aren't there around Christmas Day, you’ll still get to bask in the city’s lights and holiday spirit through much of November and December.
I'm a tour guide with Tours by Foot who travels abroad often. Last year, I went to Vienna in mid-December. I connected with local tour guides who steered me toward the best Christmas activities.
In this post, I'm passing along what I learned on my wonderful holiday trip to Vienna.
One of the special things in Vienna during the holidays is that its landmarks and many streets are illuminated. making our free Vienna walking tour that much more festive.
Let us show you some of the best ways to celebrate the holidays in Vienna!
1. Enjoy Shopping at Christmas Markets
There are over 20 official holiday markets in Vienna and I felt like every corner I turned I discovered a new one.!
Almost every major landmark and public square in Vienna will have at least a few booths serving festive treats and selling bits and baubles.
Here are a few of the holiday markets to check out:
- Christkindlmarkt (Rathausplatz)
- Wintermarkt (Prater)
- Schönbrunn Palace
- Belvedere Palace
- Riesenradplatz
- Stephansplatz
- Spittelberg
- Karlsplatz
Our post on the best Christmas Markets in Vienna tells you about locations, hours, vendors and other activities.
Most of these markets open in mid-November through the holidays but are closed on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day
Some of these locations run past Christmas and become New Year Markets on December 27th.
Most markets have additional attractions and activities, like live holiday concerts, ice skating rinks, carousels and more.
You can expect a lot of delicious food and drink for sale, including roasted chestnuts, Christmas punch, mugs of mulled wine (Glühwein), melted cheese and sausage. Yum!
Just soem of the things I saw at these Christmas market stalls selling homemade souvenirs and handcrafted items including candles, leather goods, scarves, gloves, and even snowglobes.
One of my favorite markets is at Prater, right next to Vienna’s giant Ferris wheel.
While you’re enjoying the amusement rides, you can also grab some delicious treats, and see concerts almost every night!
2. Attend Christmas Concerts
Another unique opportunity in Vienna at Christmas is attending official holiday concerts at some of the most historic places in the city.
Here are some of the best places to catch a Christmas concert in Vienna:
- St. Stephen’s Cathedral
- St. Peter’s Church
- St. Anne’s Church
- Capuchin Church
- Minoritenkirche
- Kursalon
- And more!
My favorite was at the magnificent St. Stephen’s Cathedral which is nearly 500 years old!
Some locations such as Kursalon also offer dinner with the concert, making for an excellent date night.
Tickets for these services tend to be a bit more expensive, but most concerts range from €15 - €40.
There are also opera houses such as Volksoper and Staatsoper (State Opera House) that offer either Christmas or New Year’s Eve performances that you might want to attend.
You can also see regular concerts at the Mozarthaus, but those aren’t necessarily holiday-themed events. But hey, who doesn't love Mozart?
3. See the Christmas Lights
Everywhere you turn in Vienna from mid-November through December, you'll see impressive holiday light displays.
I especially loved Rathauspark, as it’s home to the Tree of Hearts that's decorated every holiday season with heart-shaped lights!
Here are a few locations where you'll see splendid holiday lights:
- Michaelerplatz
- Stephansplatz
- Rathauspark
- Annagasse
- Belvedere
- Graben
An easy way to see a lot of the light displays in a short time is to take a free Vienna walking tour or a hop-on hop-off bus tour.
4. Go Ice Skating
Ice skating in beautiful Vienna was a real treat for me!
There are ice skating rinks all over the city, with some at the Christmas markets so you can do both in one visit.
Most ice rinks are open from mid-November to January, but some are open even longer.
Here are some of the best Christmas ice rinks in Vienna:
- Vienna Ice Dream
- Wilhelminenberg Palace
- Wiener Eislaufverein
- EisStadthalle
I thikn that Vienna Ice Dream is the best place to skate since it is next to the charming Rathausplatz (City Hall) and it’s over 6,000 sq meters in size.
They offer skating lessons and ice skate rentals for a relatively low price.
EisStadthalle is an excellent option for those visiting out-of-season, as it’s open all year long.
From time to time, the Danube River freezes up enough for ice skating.
What could be more romantic than ice skating on the famous Danube?
5. Celebrate Viennese Holiday Traditions
Every culture has some unique Christmas traditions and Austria is no different. it's not quite the same as it is in other parts of the world.
Most notably, most locals consider Christmas Eve to be the day of festivities, while Christmas Day is the day to relax afterward.
Rather than Santa Claus, kids in Vienna look forward to Christkind on December 24th, who decorates the Christmas tree and brings gifts for the children.
Christkind will ring a bell to announce that they have been to the house and signal to the children that they are welcome to come look at the tree!
Although this is still one of the most popular traditions in Vienna, some families still celebrate with Santa Claus and his flying reindeer.
If you are traveling with kids, they may enjoy living like the local kids do and celebrate on the 24th and chill out on the 25th!
6. Eat Festive Dishes
Oh, this was my favorite part of being in Vienna during the holidays!
Tradition brings out roasted chestnuts and mulled wine (Glühwein). I love Stollen, which is a fruit cake.
I don't like fruit cake in other countries, but the Viennese have a special recipe that I cannot resist.
Another is Vanillekipferl, a crescent-shaped vanilla-flavored cookie, typically dusted with powdered sugar. You can see how they are made in this video.
Here are a few of the best Christmas dishes you can find in Vienna:
- Spekulatius
- A spicy biscuit (or cookie) that has a hole in the center somewhere and a festive design.
- Lebkuchen
- Gingerbread biscuits (cookies) with a Viennese twist.
- Weihnachtskekse
- Christmas biscuits (cookies), typically in a variety of flavors, usually small enough to eat in one bite.
- Weignachtsgans
- Christmas goose, like the one eaten by the family of Bob Crachet in A Christmas Carol!
- Backapfel
- A baked apple with chocolate, cinnamon, hazelnuts and other delicious flavors included.
- Schaumrollen
- A holiday pastry shaped like a tube and filled with soft, foamy cream.
- Zimsterne
- Cinnamon biscuits (cookies) shaped like stars.
- Weihnachtskarpfen
- The fishier version of the Weignachtsgans, a Christmas carp!
- Pumpkin Soup
- As the name implies, this is a soup mostly made of pumpkin.
Most of the popular festive dishes are baked goods, so even if you can't find them at a Christmas market, you'll easily find them at a bakery.
7. See 'A Christmas Carol'
Vienna usually hosts at least one performance of the classic tale.
As in past years, the Open House Theatre is putting on 'A Christmas Carol'.
The Open House Theatre is an independent, self-funded, non-profit theater company.
I've seen this classic play in many cities around the world, and Open House puts on an excellent version at a very affordable price.
In 2025, the dates are December 17 to 24, 2025. The play starts at 19:30 (7:30 pm) each night.
Tickets are €29,40 per person. There are reduced prices for seniors, children and students.
Learn more or purchase tickets.
Happy Holidays Vienna-Style!
