Christmas in Vienna is a Sparkling, Magical Time

Dazzling decorations, amazing markets, and warm hospitality make Christmas in Vienna the perfect winter getaway.

Christmas arrives early in Vienna, Austria. This largely Christian city goes all out for the holidays.

Visitors to the city during late November and early December will quickly recognize that Christmas in Vienna is like nothing else they've ever experienced.

Advent: Getting Ready for Christmas
On the Christian calendar, Advent is a season of fasting that occurs four weeks before Christmas arrives on December 25th. To the citizens of Vienna, this is just as important a part of the holiday season as Christmas itself.

Families prepare by lighting a new candle on their Advent wreath during the four Sundays of the season, sharing stories of the birth of the Christ child, singing carols, and shopping for gifts or baking goodies.

If you're in Vienna during Advent, be sure to pick up an Advent calendar, featuring 24 small bags or windows, traditionally opened one per day beginning on December 1st. You'll find a small illustration, a little gift, or a piece of chocolate waiting for you on each day.

Shopping During Advent
While the warmth of the holiday season is evident throughout the city, it's Vienna's amazing Christkindlmarkt and other similar smaller indoor/outdoor markets that entice most visitors to travel here at this time of year.

The largest market of its kind, set up in the city's Rathauspark near City Hall, the Christkindlmarkt boasts about 150 stalls selling some of the most amazing Christmas items you'll ever see, from wonderful handiwork produced by local artisans to tempting Viennese pastries and chocolate.

This market, and most of the other Christmas markets set up around the city, open in mid-November and close on Christmas Eve. During the six weeks that they're open, business is almost non-stop, with stalls opening by 9 a.m. and closing at 9 p.m.

You'll not only enjoy great buys here and no doubt gather wonderful presents to take home to family and friends, but you'll also savor the aromas of the holidays during Christmas in Vienna, from roasting chestnuts to warm cider-type drinks to the finest sugary-sweet goodies that are certainly free of calories…but only at Christmastime, of course!

St. Nikolaus and Krampus
What fun to be in Vienna on December 5th and 6th, the days set aside to honor these two well-known characters! Krampus is known to be out and about, eager to punish your wrongdoings. If you see him on the street, dressed in his fur suit with a carved mask, carrying cowbells and a birch, it's best to walk the other way.

On the other hand, St. Nikolaus (who looks rather like Santa Claus, of course) will be eager to present you with a gift from his sack full of goodies. If you run into him on December 5th or 6th, recite a poem and he'll give you a present.

Spending Christmas in Vienna
For the Austrians, Christmas Eve is the most sacred part of the holiday and largely spent with very close family. However, if you're visiting during that time, there's still plenty to do, from enjoying a fine meal at one of the city's incredible restaurants to strolling the sparklingly decorated streets of the city on this holy night.

Christmas Day is set aside for visits, receptions, and lots of food. It's a grand and merry time for the Viennese and their visitors, so eat, drink, and have a great time enjoying the sights of the city.

Ring in the New Year!
If you hang around until New Year's Eve as part of your Christmas in Vienna excursion, your options will be many, from grand balls to outdoor parties to concerts by the famed Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra. You'll be doing the waltz before the night is over!