Although one of Vienna’s newer seasonal markets, you might argue that the Stephansplatz Christmas market could well be the city’s most traditional…
- Very central Christmas market
- Stephansdom cathedral provides a wonderful backdrop
- Some 40+ stalls, with plenty of nearby shops and restaurants, too
- 2024 dates: TBA (was Nov 10 – Dec 26 in 2023)
- Book a concert experience* for your Vienna trip
- See also:
The market
(View across to the cathedral and market at night)
Back in “days of yore”, traders often used the space around a church for a market, particularly if that church also served as a place of pilgrimage. So you could get your relics and radishes at the same location.
The Stephansplatz Christmas market follows in that tradition.
Stephansplatz is the square surrounding Stephansdom (St. Stephen’s), the huge cathedral that dominates the pedestrianised area at Vienna’s heart.
The market, then, harks back to medieval times, with its wooden stands clinging to the sides of the cathedral, offering tourists and city dwellers refreshing victuals and a selection of handicrafts and gifts.
No relics, though. Or, as far as I can tell, radishes.
(Around the back)
The location, in particular, helps the Stephansplatz market stand out.
Townhouses and other buildings from the time of Mozart (whose former home is but a street away) form a backdrop, not to mention the magnificent Gothic cathedral with its mosaic roof, towers, catacombs and long history.
Fiakers (horse-drawn carriages) also collect at one end of the market, adding another historical touch to the ambience.
With around 40 stalls, the Stephansplatz market is smaller than, say, the Christkindlmarkt. But it still manages to cover pretty much the entire spectrum of market stands.
So you typically have your handmade and hand-painted decorations made of wood, tin, paper and other materials, but also plenty from the secular side of life.
I found Italian truffles, jars of pesto, candles, woolen hats and gloves, artistic candle holders and ceramics, Lebkuchen, jewellery, snow globes, wooden toys, specialist chocolates, wine, schnapps, and more.
(Incidentally, if you want Lebkuchen, Vienna’s renowned Pirker Lebkuchen store sits opposite the fiakers.)
Of course, mixed in among all this are the stands serving food and drink, seasonal and otherwise.
I spotted pastries and potato fritters, soups served in giant bread rolls, Baumkuchen (spit cakes), Käseknockerl (pasta / small dumplings with melted cheese and fried onions), and similar. And Weihnachtspunsch (of course).
(Wine, schnapps and Gothic architecture)
If you’re taking in the Christmas lights display along the Graben and Kärntner Straße, then the market allows you to complete your Christmas experience bingo without much effort: it sits at the junction of those two streets (see map below).
If you do wander along the Graben street away from the cathedral square, then go left at the end to walk down Kohlmarkt to Michaelerplatz square: this looks rather nice at night with all the historical buildings (including a wing of the mighty Hofburg complex) lit up.
And Michaelerplatz sometimes has its own small Christmas market, too.
Alternatively, continue straight on beyond the Graben (going northwest) to reach markets at Am Hof and the Freyung.
2024 dates and times
I don’t have 2024 details to hand just yet. For the record, the dates for the last Stephansplatz market were:
- November 10th to December 26th
Opening times were 11am to 9pm (but the market closed at 4pm on December 24th and at 7pm on December 25th and 26th).
How to get to Stephansplatz
The market is slap bang in the middle of town, so you should find it on any typical walk around the city.
Access the market right outside the Stephansplatz central subway station that’s on the U1 and U3 subway lines. You can also reach it on bus lines 1A, 2A and 3A (the stop is also called Stephansplatz).
The same square has another special advent offering, too. The Haas&Haas tea rooms behind the cathedral generally use an inner courtyard for drinks and snacks among open fires.
Address: Stephansplatz, 1010 Vienna | Website