Vienna’s Christmas market season opens with new and returning venues
Friday 6th November 2026 on 05:30 in
Austria
Vienna’s first Christmas markets open on Friday, with stalls at Schönbrunn Palace and Stephansplatz, ORF reports. This year’s lineup includes a new market at Schwarzenbergplatz and the return of the Christmas village at Maria-Theresien-Platz after a year’s break.
Fifteen markets are planned across the city, with 814 stalls in total, including about 200 food and drink stands. Other established markets include those at Rathausplatz, Freyung, Karlskirche and Spittelberg. All the markets are due to be open by 20 November.
The market at Schönbrunn opens on 6 November and runs until 6 January. Visitors can try curling, ride a carousel or Ferris wheel, and explore a straw maze. Children aged three and over can make wooden items at the Holz Circus. A weekly Radio Wien ice disco will be held at the rink, and choirs, brass bands and ensembles are scheduled to perform in about 50 concerts.
The market at Stephansplatz, in front of St Stephen’s Cathedral, also opens on 6 November. It is relatively small and quiet despite its central location, and closes on 26 December. The Rathausplatz market opens on 13 November and has 97 stalls. It includes the market itself, an ice rink and a Christmas-themed area in Rathauspark. Nearly three million people visit it each year. It also closes on 26 December.
Spittelberg’s market has 122 stalls spread across the neighbourhood’s narrow lanes. It focuses on local, regional and organic products, with vegetarian and vegan food as well as crafts and design goods. It closes on 23 December.
The Art Advent market at Karlsplatz opens on 13 November and also closes on 23 December. It focuses on art and crafts, with daily craft workshops for children aged three and over in a large yurt. Children’s theatre group Tabula Rasa performs on the stage every Sunday at 2pm.
For a quieter visit, the market in Türkenschanzpark has 21 stalls and runs from 13 November to 23 December. The park has a playground and carousels for children. Dogs are welcome on a leash, and a stand will offer them treats and “dog punch”, which the article describes as water.
A new market called Winterzauber Schwarzenbergplatz will open on 13 November, at the same location as last year’s X-MAS Winterstories. It will feature traditional crafts and regional food between the Palais and the Hochstrahlbrunnen. The opening event will include the Nexus Now Ensemble and the chamber choir of St Augustine’s church music group.
The Christmas village at the university campus also opens on 13 November, with regional specialities, crafts and design goods. On 14 November, Radio Wien DJ Mel Merio is scheduled to play Christmas hits and party classics from 5.30pm. The Christmas village at Maria-Theresien-Platz, between the Art History Museum and the Natural History Museum, reopens on 20 November.