Vienna Christmas Markets
European Christmas markets date back to medieval times, and have been a beloved tradition for centuries. Their popularity has zoomed in the last few years, and they have become a global phenomenon. There seem to be Christmas markets everywhere nowadays. But the most famous markets are also among the oldest, in Germany, Austria, France, and other parts of continental Europe.
I was curious to see Christmas markets, but I was hesitant to plan a trip around them. Since we no longer have a house for collecting and displaying “stuff,” shopping doesn’t hold my attention the way it used to. When Steve suggested Vienna, it felt right - it had famous Christmas markets, but it was also a destination on my travel wish list, and would offer plenty to see and do at any time of year.
My impression is that Europeans who live near Christmas markets enjoy them as a holiday tradition, with local food treats, carnival rides, and live entertainment - similar to the way we might enjoy a day at a state fair. I have also seen hard-core Christmas market goers, typically from the United States and other countries, who see the Christmas markets as a shopping extravaganza and a competition to collect the most souvenir mugs. I considered myself in neither of these camps; for me, the Christmas markets were part of a European culture that I was curious to learn more about.
Vienna has around twenty Christmas markets! We visited just a handful of them, which was plenty. We targeted three to visit on our third day, when the weather was sunny and (relatively) warm. The others just happened to be in places we were visiting for other reasons. Here’s a recap:
Weihnachtsdorf Maria-Theresien-Platz - We wandered through this “Christmas Village” on our first day in Vienna, because it was right near our hotel. It was on the Ringstrasse, in the plaza between the palatial Art Museum and History Museum buildings. I liked the aromatic dried fruit decorations, but didn’t have anywhere to hang one. The glühwein came in cute boot-shaped mugs, but we were jet-lagged and didn’t partake.
Weihnachtsdorf Belvedere - We encountered this market as we left the Belvedere Museum. We didn’t spend much time there, so it doesn’t really count as a proper market visit. But with the Upper Belevedere as a backdrop, it was quite pretty.
Art Advent Karlsplatz - This was my favorite market, in front of Karlskirche (Charles Church), with its odd mishmash of architectural styles. All of the stalls sold high-quality handcrafted items. It was family-oriented, with a rural vibe: there were piles of straw for kids to build forts, and a steampunk carousel powered by moms on bicycles.
Christkindlmarkt Rathausplatz - This huge, iconic “Christ Child Market” in front of the City Hall had an impressive ice skating path, lots of colorful holiday lights, and a nice variety of stalls, many with handcrafted items.
Henriettenmarkt - This charming little market was tucked away on a side street and had just eight stalls. We learned about it from our greeter, who said it was an authentic, traditional neighborhood Christmas market (in contrast to the huge, more commercial ones so popular with tourists).
Schönbrunner Weihnachtsmarkt - We wandered this large market while waiting for our tour time at Schönbrunn Palace. By this point, all of the markets were becoming a blur, with the stalls looking the same. The big Christmas tree was nice.
Here’s what I learned:
Glühwein (hot mulled wine) is sold at every market. It comes in mugs that cost an extra five euros, and each market has its own distinctive mug for that year. If, like us, you don’t want to keep the mug, you can return it and get your money back. Glühwein is okay, but I didn’t love it. One mug of it was plenty. As Steve said, at least it was hot.
The markets are all outdoors, in the winter. I knew this beforehand, of course, and we dressed warmly and visited the markets during the day, when the temperatures were around 40℉. But I’m not a cold weather person, and I didn’t feel like lingering at any of the markets. Give me a warm, cozy coffeehouse any day!
There was plenty of food, but no seated dining. Many snacks looked interesting, but I didn’t feel like standing at one of the little high-top tables and (see #2 above) trying to eat the food before it cooled. Fortunately, we were able to try kaiserschmarm (torn up pancakes), one of the most popular market treats, at one of the restaurants.
Visiting a handful of markets was more than enough for me. After a while, the big markets started to look the same. I’m glad I did a little research early in our trip so that I knew which markets to see before getting burned out.
Verdict: I enjoyed seeing the Christmas markets in Vienna and would be happy to see them in other cities some day, as long the market visits are short, we include smaller ones, and there is plenty of other stuff to do inside, where it’s warm.
