In depth · Christmas & New Year
Christmas in Vienna: the markets, the Rathausplatz ice rink and Advent music
In Advent, Vienna fills its squares with wooden stalls, mulled wine and the smell of roasted chestnuts, and its churches and concert halls with music. Here are the 2026 dates, from the markets’ own websites.
Updated October 2026
The Wiener Christkindlmarkt on the Rathausplatz
The city’s best-known market fills the square in front of the neo-Gothic Rathaus from 13 November to 26 December 2026, open daily 10am–10pm and until 6.30pm on 24 December (christkindlmarkt.at). Trams 1, 71 and D stop at Rathausplatz/Burgtheater.
The Ice Dream rink opens with it, from 13 November 2026 to 6 January 2027, daily 10am–10pm, closed on 31 December; the larger Viennese Ice Dream follows from 22 January to 7 March 2027.
Spittelberg
In the Biedermeier lanes behind the MuseumsQuartier, the Spittelberg market runs from 13 November to 23 December 2026; its organisers run it as an eco-event, with crafts and fair-trade goods (spittelberg.at).
Ringstrasse & MuseumsQuartier guide
The Altwiener Christkindlmarkt on the Freyung
On the Freyung in the Innere Stadt, the Altwiener Christkindlmarkt runs from 14 November to 23 December 2026, daily 10am–9pm (altwiener-markt.at).
Advent music
Advent is a season of concerts in Vienna’s churches and halls. See the State Opera, the Musikverein and the Konzerthaus for their December programmes, and the Vienna Boys Choir for its dates.
On to Budapest and Zagreb
Make it a journey: the Railjet to Budapest and the direct train on to Zagreb link three capitals’ Christmas markets in December.
Between the markets
Warm up in a coffee house: Café Central, Demel or Café Sacher in the old town, Café Landtmann by the Rathaus.
Our advice: visit the markets on a weekday afternoon, before the evening crowds, and keep your bag in front of you.
Questions and answers
When is the Vienna Christmas market on the Rathausplatz in 2026?
From 13 November to 26 December 2026, daily 10am–10pm; on 24 December, 10am–6.30pm (christkindlmarkt.at).
Is there ice skating at the Rathaus?
Yes: the Ice Dream rink runs from 13 November 2026 to 6 January 2027, closed on 31 December.
Dates from the markets’ own websites (christkindlmarkt.at, spittelberg.at, altwiener-markt.at), checked 25 October 2026. Check before you go.