Magical Christmas Markets in Vienna

A magical city of nostalgia, romance and old-time glamour, Austria’s capital, Vienna, is also known for staging a pretty magical advent and one of the best Christmas markets in Europe. No newbie to the market scene, Vienna’s first Christmas market can be traced back to 1298, when a certain Albrecht I allowed the people to set up a December market. Well, the tradition stuck, and they got really good at it.

With 20 official advent markets in Vienna there is a huge amount of Christmas joy floating around in the crisp, Austrian air, making the city a perfect destination for a spot of Christmas shopping. There are two markets in particular that deserve a special mention as ones you simply can’t miss. The first of which is the Viennese Christmas Market, also known as the Christkindlmarkt, the biggest in Vienna. 

Open from mid November until the 24th December 2021, you enter the Christkindlmarkt under a large, sparkling archway of advent candles, baubles and Christmas lights. Perfect for adults and children alike, the 151 stalls inside will shower you in an array of Christmas goodies, from roasted chestnuts to presents for under the tree to hot chocolate and fruit punch to warm your toes. 

Staged in front of Vienna’s beautiful City Hall, and with international choirs singing carols in the background, this is a backdrop and an atmosphere that will fill you with more Christmas joy than you will know how to handle. 

Another popular Christmas market is the beautiful Christmas Village outside Vienna’s Belvedere Palace. A fabulous place to go, the Palace offers a breath-taking backdrop to the twinkling lights and is one of Austria’s most famous historic buildings. 

Here, more than 40 beautifully lit stalls offer handmade presents, authentic decorations and culinary delights, all of which you can bring home and give to loved ones (if you don’t end up eating and keeping them yourself that is, there’s always next year…)

With 18 more advent markets to discover, a weekend trip to Vienna, especially in the lead up to Christmas, is a weekend very well spent indeed.

Slink back into stylish luxe after a day of Christmas sights, smells and presents, at the beautiful Hotel Altstadt Vienna, an off-radar, ‘insider’s boho art den’ of lavish apartments, suites and rooms dressed in a plush melange of period styles, furnishings and artistic installations. This discrete little number is famed by writers, artists, actors and thinkers alike. You're welcome.