Possibly my favourite month in Vienna. December is the Christmas season: the aroma of Glühwein and hot Punch courses through the streets and the city glistens under thousands of seasonal lights.
- See also:
Vienna in December 2022
We shall begin with December’s main and obvious attraction…
The Christmas season
(The lights on the pedestrianised Graben in the city centre)
May I simply direct you to 10 things to do in Vienna at Christmas?
Those are my top tips for enjoying a truly Viennese advent experience: from the best places to see the lights to roast chestnuts and sausages. For example, many historical churches and popular venues host special advent concerts.
The markets
The Christmas markets dominate the Viennese December. They start opening from mid-November and stay open until around December 23rd or later.
Popular with locals, too, almost all are long-established traditional markets: these are not gimmicks to keep tourists amused.
Colleagues, friends, and families collect at them to share a mug of Advent cheer and enjoy a bowl of goulash or a pair of frankfurters (and then take home a chocolate-coated strawberry or three).
I should mention at this point that the markets deserve their reputation. Atmospheric, packed with local food and beverages, and stuffed with stalls selling arts, crafts and enough Lebkuchen to delight a hungry whale.
If you only have limited time, these tips should help you choose which of the many markets to visit.
P.S. An alternative to the traditional open-air markets for finding gifts and handicrafts is the Edelstoff X-MAS edition: an indoor design fair in the MARX Halle (December 3rd and 4th).
Art & film in December 2022
(The Albertina art museum has Jean-Michel Basquiat)
In recent times, some of the more prestigious art museums have saved up their best exhibitions for the later part of the year, presumably to catch the December crowds.
In 2022, for example, we can already expect:
- The Idols & Rivals Old Masters exhibition at the Kunsthistorisches Museum, as well as their small special coin exhibition
- A huge Helmut Newton exhibition at the Bank Austria Kunstforum Wien
- Jean-Michel Basquiat at the Albertina and the likes of Pollack and Rothko at the Albertina Modern
- An intriguing exhibition of photos by Gregor Sailer at the Kunst Haus Wien featuring architecture from the more inaccessible parts of the planet
- Maori artist George Nuku with a major solo exhibition at the Weltmuseum
- The Natural History Museum has its special exhibition dedicated to Brazil, while Belvedere looks at the role of the tree in art history
- The MAK’s Fest exhibition throws a light on the creativity that has arisen from celebrations, parties, balls, and similar (from December 14th)
- See the main exhibition listings for more suggestions as schedules firm up across the year
If you prefer screens to canvas, consider the VIFA Vienna International Film Awards (December 10th to 11th).
Find accommodation for December
(Service provided by booking.com*, who I am an affiliate of)
Catch the football
The 2022 FIFA World Cup continues in Qatar until the final on December 18th. Austria did not qualify, but bars etc. will still show matches: here my pub choices for watching games.
Most big football tournaments see huge outdoor screens pop up for public viewing. The December date makes that less likely this year, but we might be lucky.
New Year’s Eve
A huge number of folk normally spend December 31st on the Silvesterpfad (cancelled the last two years, but let’s hope circumstances allow a full return for 2022/2023).
Essentially, Vienna builds a trail of locations through the city centre that includes temporary stages and all sorts of entertainment: from public ballroom dancing lessons to DJs and funk bands.
You don’t need to pack sandwiches, either: numerous food and drink stalls line the route.
The days leading up to the big night also feature the natural successor to the Christmas market. Several New Year markets spring up (often in the same locations as their predecessors). You miss the Advent ambience a little, but the big ones still remain rather wonderful.
Catch the New Year’s concert(!)
Yes, you read that right.
Should you wish to catch the prestigious and globally-recognised January 1st New Year’s Concert from the Wiener Philharmoniker orchestra, you can do so in December. The orchestra plays the full programme on December 30th and December 31st, too.
The only problem is you need to have applied for tickets via a lottery system much earlier in the year.
Escape the cold
The bracing December weather means you may wish to take advantage of Vienna’s classic cafés, where coffee is an art form and time stands still long enough for you to warm your toes on strudel and your hearts on sachertorte.
And, if you want to make a day of staying warm, Vienna has its own thermal spa. You can reach Therme Wien easily on the U1 subway and it also lives next door to one of the more famous Viennese patisseries: Kurkonditorei Oberlaa.
(So if you do choose to swim, rather than soak, you can earn yourself a slice or two of cake afterwards.)
Dance on ice
The huge Vienna Ice World complex doesn’t normally open until January. But that’s not the only famous open-air ice rink in Vienna. For example:
- The Eislaufverein holds a special place in the history of the city (and of ice skating) and the rink normally opens throughout December.
- The Christmas on the Rathausplatz festivities usually include lighted ice trails through the park as a taster for the larger Ice World event to come
Bonus tips for December
Dress warmly
December is winter time in Austria. And the Christmas markets are at their best at dusk and later, so you don’t even have the sun to keep you warm.
Time your market visit
The markets are usually popular, particularly the nearer you get to December 24th. So consider going midweek in the late afternoon, when you probably get the best tradeoff between atmosphere and crowds. Here are some more tips for visiting the markets.
Book early
December is typically the second most popular month for visitors in Vienna; occupancy rates in hotels are only higher in August. So plan and book accommodation early, especially if you want to stay in the city over the Christmas and New Year public holidays.