Glorious Advent and Christmas time in Vienna

The Advent and Christmas time in Vienna offers an exceptional atmosphere of festivity, which makes the city more attractive. If the city is covered with snow, then it’s like a fairy tale.

The Advent season in Vienna has already started. Streets and parks are illuminated with decorations, and Christmas markets have opened.

Christmas markets in Vienna have a long tradition. They are called Christkindlmarkt, Weihnachtsmarkt, or Adventmarkt, and are open from mid-November until Christmas or the first days of January. These are street fairs, usually held in squares or pedestrian zones. In open-air stalls, they sell Christmas tree decorations, handicrafts, art, and food. Very popular items include Lebkuchen (gingerbread), Mandeln (toasted almonds), Bratkartoffeln (fried potatoes), Bratwurst (grilled sausages), and hot drinks like Punsch (glögg) and Glühwein (mulled wine).

At most markets, such as those on Altwiener Christkindlmarkt Freyung, Schönbrunn, or Spittelberg, you can experience the traditional, and I would say, old-fashioned atmosphere of Advent in Vienna. The biggest Christmas market (Christkindlmarkt) is the one in front of the City Hall (Rathaus). You can try also ice scating there!

I invite you to enjoy the Christmas atmosphere in Vienna on my Vienna by night Tour.

Curiosity!! Do you know those glass globes with a small figure inside that gets covered in snow when you shake the globe? No? These are snow globes produced in the Vienna Snow Globe Factory in the 17th district of Vienna, which has been in operation for more than 120 years. The history of the snow globe goes back to Erwin Perzy I, who invented the first snow globe while experimenting with cold light and a shoemaker’s globe. Today, snow globes from Vienna are a popular souvenir. Visit the Factory to learn more about the world of snow globes!