So, Easter, the time of frolicking lambs and, wait…there are no lambs in Vienna (or Austria). Or very few – different country, different traditions.
In fact, it’s the rabbits that rule the Easter menagerie – as you’ll notice if you enter any supermarket in the weeks leading up to the holiday.
Read on for details of Easter markets and events in Vienna, as well as tips on seasonal travel, weather, food, and traditions.
- See also: Vienna at Christmas | What to do in April
2021 dates
- Maundy Thursday: April 1st
- Good Friday: April 2nd
- Easter Saturday: April 3rd
- Easter Sunday: April 4th
- Easter Monday: April 5th (the only public holiday in Austria over Easter)
The official Easter school holidays in Vienna run from March 27th to April 5th.
Tip: all kids aged 14 or less travel free on the transport authority’s subways, trams and buses during the Easter break.
Easter markets
(Easter market on the Freyung)
The city is a popular destination for an Easter trip: visitors swap places with the Viennese, who often head to the Alps for a final ski before the spring sun melts all the snow.
The Easter markets head up the list of seasonal attractions at this time. Think of them as high-quality arts and crafts markets with a truck-load of eggs and several high-calorie pinches of local cuisine.
As well as an enjoyable experience in their own right, the markets also make a decent source of unique souvenirs and gifts. The top locations for visitors are:
- Schönbrunn: outside the golden Habsburg palace
- Am Hof: very close to the city centre
- Freyung: includes an organic farmer’s market
The Easter market in Palais Niederösterreich is rather special, but only runs for two days, unfortunately.
Easter events in 2021
Specific events likely during the Easter period include:
(The Konzerthaus)
- The Vienna Blues Spring music festival, which pulls together blues musicians from around the world (usually runs from late March and through April)
See also the general concert and events pages and the specific event suggestions for March and April.
Easter traditions
(An Osterbaum or “Easter tree”)
Two words – eggs and rabbits.
You paint, colour, decorate, hang up, or eat the former, and the Easter rabbit brings the things in the first place. Given my understanding of reproductive biology, I’m going to assume the rabbit doesn’t actually lay them.
Oh, technically, it’s the Easter hare, since the German word is Osterhase (Ostern = Easter and Hase = hare).
Listen closely on the morning of Easter Sunday and you’ll also hear the sound of a million hard-boiled eggs cracking in gladiatorial combat. Learn more about this and other Austrian Easter traditions here.
Easter food
(Easter chocolate, including some imports from the UK)
There isn’t any.
At least, it’s nothing like Christmas, with its wide range of seasonal specialities.
Plenty of
There’s the Osterpinze – a relative of the Striezel – which is a soft breadlike pastry made from yeast dough. And Osterschinken (Easter ham), which as far as I can tell is basically various varieties of normal ham with the word Easter added to the front. But I might be wrong.
Easter weather
This is a difficult one to call. March and April in Vienna can see
Travel advice
The Easter period is still relatively low key
The same principle applies to public transport. A “Sunday service” operates on April 5th, but
Since the week leading up to the Easter weekend is a school holiday, the “Ferien” timetables apply to trams and buses. This basically means slightly longer intervals in the morning, when kids no longer need transport to school.
Have fun.