Another month that feels like the young child staring forlornly through the sweet shop window while December and August get to buy all the nice things. But November in Vienna has its own pleasures.
In particular, you get to enjoy the Christmas flair, but without so many crowds.
- Book a concert experience* for November
- See also:
Activities for November 2024
Here are a few suggested activities and events specific to November, beyond the usual museums, concerts, tours, etc.
My quick tip
With the Christmas markets opening early in November in 2024, create your own seasonal Viennese evening experience.
First visit a market at dusk for hot punch and a local dish or snack.
Then take in one of the special concerts put on for visitors in historical venues to give you a flavour of the light classical music made popular in Vienna. We recently enjoyed Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons in the central Karlskirche church, for example.
Christmas markets and lights
(The Rathauspark one Christmas)
Yes, the Christmas season seems like it ought to begin in December. However, the celebrations inevitably start much earlier in Vienna.
On the positive side, this means November offers seasonal spirit with (far) fewer crowds than you get later.
Those responsible tend to switch on Vienna’s Christmas lights sometime in the second half of the month. The big date was November 16th last year, for example. Though the giant tree on the Rathausplatz lit up from November 10th.
These lights tend to take a more upmarket approach, especially the white chandeliers in the very centre of town.
LED joy is fine, of course, but the real fun starts with the Christmas markets.
(The market at Belvedere)
These markets begin opening from around the 8th in 2024 and continue through to at least December 23rd. The huge Christkindlmarkt looks set to start on November 16th.
Although the full advent atmosphere does indeed come in December, it’s not a bad idea to pop into a market before then.
The markets get much busier close to Christmas, so a November visit means you have more space to enjoy the cooked and crafted delights (of which there are many).
Look out, also, for little bonus markets. For example:
- Palais Niederösterreich hosts the really lovely So Schmeckt NÖ Adventmarkt, with food, drink, crafts and other items from the province of Lower Austria (November 29th and 30th)
- The Weihnachtsquartier exhibition and market brings together loads of independent designers, small producers and other creatives (November 29th to December 1st)
- The Shades of Art group art exhibition includes a small Christmas art bazaar (November 18th to 20th)
- Cream Vienna with arts & crafts, gourmet offerings, and similar (November 30th to December 1st)
Last year, the Vinyl & Music X-Mas Market (2024 dates TBA) added the flavour of its main festival to the wider Weihnachtszauber event at Ottakringer brewery. And the Medieval Advent market (2024 dates TBA) started up at the end of November too.
Exhibitions in November 2024
(The gorgeous Kunsthistorisches Museum has a major Rembrandt exhibition in November)
With all its museums, Vienna hosts numerous exhibitions at any one time. But, now and then, a couple stand out from the crowd. And those top exhibitions often appear later in the year.
Top tip
Insider tip
Highlights
- Three big (BIG) year-end events:
- The Kunsthistorisches Museum gives us the gift of Rembrandt and Hoogstraten
- The Albertina treats us to the prospect of Marc Chagall
- The Bank Austria Kunstforum Wien spoils us with Paul Gauguin
- The Albertina also brings Egon Schiele’s lost works back to life in Adrian Ghenie’s special exhibition, offers up the monumental charcoal drawings of Robert Longo, and starts a Jim Dine exhibition from November 8th
- Over at the Albertina Modern, enjoy solo exhibitions for renowned Austrian artists Erwin Wurm (perhaps best known for his sculptures) and Alfred Kubin (drawings revealing his dark imaginative perspective on evil: Merry Christmas!)
- Explore art offering a particularly multisensory experience with the Heidi Horten Collection’s Light Sound Senses exhibition
- The Leopold Museum has two notable special exhibitions for us. One around Rudolf Wacker and New Objectivity. And the other (from November 13th) on the Backhausen company and the Wiener Moderne
- The Wien Museum MUSA has the intriguing Sold! exhibition revealing the challenges and practicalities of managing and displaying a contemporary art collection, with new purchases also on display
- The parent Wien Museum goes historical, cultural and seasonal with an exploration of Winter in Vienna
- Among the MAK‘s many exhibitions: the best of recent Austrian design and a look at the output of the iconic Auböck design workshop
- Lower Belvedere has Austria’s first solo exhibition for the Finnish artist Akseli Gallen-Kallela (1865-1931) but also a solo exhibition for the contemporary Ghanaian painter Amoako Boafo
- The Weltmuseum has a special exhibition on the cultural and socioeconomic importance of camels and other domesticated camelids. And a presentation of indigenous art from the Amazon. And a look at how the Qur’an has influenced life and culture in Europe
- View the art of the 1960s in mumok’s Mapping the 60s art and cultural history exhibition
- Get technical with a look at transitioning to sustainable energy sources at the Technisches Museum, who also dive into the world of coins and notes in the CASH exhibition
- Get musical with the National Library’s special exhibition around the life and music of Anton Bruckner (who celebrates his 200th birthday in 2024). or the Haus der Musik‘s small exhibition on Arnold Schoenberg
- Stay musical with insight into the role of food and dining in Mozart’s life and works at the Mozart at Table exhibition in the Mozarthaus
- Remaining with Austrian celebrities, the Literature Museum honours the acclaimed poet, Friederike Mayröcker
- Finally, the Jewish Museum looks at the legacy of the Holocaust, particularly from the viewpoint of the third post-Shoah generation. From November 6th, the museum also gives the Jewish perspective on Angst (fear)
Check the listings page for more suggestions.
- Bonus 1: November 8th to 15th is actually the 20th edition of Vienna Art Week, which brings together numerous players in the art space for tours, talks and more
- Bonus 2: the Photo+Adventure fair and festival (November 9th and 10th) is big on travel photography, for example, which means lots of photo exhibitions from top photographers covering various locations and/or themes
- Bonus 3: the ROTLICHT festival (November 15th to 24th) celebrates analogue photography with exhibitions and an event programme
Watch the stars
(Just one entrance to the huge Messe Wien complex that hosts Comic Con; press photo © Reed Exhibitions / G. Szuklits)
November offers a big opportunity for those who favour the geekier side of cinema, comics and/or cosplay: Vienna Comic Con at the Messe Wien remains my favourite event of the year (November 23rd and 24th).
Jonathan Frakes, for example, appeared last time out. Read about my 2023 Comic Con experience.
The organisers already announced the following guests for 2024:
- Vincent Regan (of 300, House of the Dragon and One Piece fame…and more)
- Actor and comedian Michael Winslow, who I remember well from Police Academy days
- Claudia Christian (of Babylon 5 fame and more)
- Aaron W. Reed (of Deadpool & Wolverine fame and more)
- Craig Fairbrass (of One Piece fame and more)
- Julian Seager (of Vikings Valhalla fame and more)
- Samantha Alleyne (the first female stormtrooper)
- Sarah Andersen (of Sarah’s Scribbles fame)
As well as the film and TV stars, the event also features numerous professional authors, artists, illustrators, screen voices, and cosplayers. And huge exhibitor, merchandise and art halls, a Star Wars parade, and heaps more.
See you there. I’m attending both days with my sister.
Pretty things
(The MAK, host of the Blickfang fair)
The Christmas markets include a great deal of unique craft items, and the theme of crafted beauty continues at other events:
- The Art&Antique fair at the Hofburg palace (November 7th to 11th) brings together numerous Austrian and international art dealers and galleries. A chance to view (and acquire) everything from the latest contemporary designs to works from antiquity
- The “Presse”-SCHAU fair (November 8th to 10th) typically covers design and lifestyle themes including watches and jewelry, travel, mobility, crafts, and more
- The international Blickfang design fair (November 8th to 10th) displays the work of independent designers in various fields…from fashion to furniture. You can buy what you see and, most importantly, usually discuss the pieces with the designers themselves
Music with a difference
(I watched and enjoyed Blackboxed Voices at a previous Wien Modern performance; press photo © Tobias Leibetseder)
Vienna is the home of classical music, with concerts everywhere. But among the pieces by Beethoven, Mozart and their ilk is a thriving modern and alternative scene.
- The Wien Modern festival (throughout November) highlights the work of contemporary composers and performers with some of the world’s top orchestras participating
- The KlezMORE festival (November 9th to 17th) celebrates this traditional form of Jewish music with performances, readings, films, and more
- Voice Mania (November 8th to December 8th) brings A Capella singing from around the world to Vienna
Food & drink
(“Souvenirs” from my last trip to the Craft Bier Fest)
The Advent season also brings fine fare in liquid and solid form. On the fair & festival front, for example:
- The Vegan Planet fair rolls into the MAK (November 16th and 17th)
- Beer lovers should find their way to the Super Bier Fest (November 8th and 9th) in the Marx Halle, when various breweries offer up their wares for the discerning consumer of the amber nectar
Seasonal tip(s)
Maroni?
(Roast chestnuts and more)
As the temperatures fall so the Maronistands rise up like mushrooms, peppering the city with their little huts and heated ovens.
This is your chance to travel back in time for some original fast food: Maroni (roasted chestnuts). And, I should add, various potato-based roasted snacks the medieval Europeans sadly missed out on.
Bon Appetit, as they don’t say in Vienna (try “Mahlzeit” or “Guten Appetit”).
A warm water dip?
(This way to the thermal spa)
Should the weather turn ugly, you might warm yourself in the welcoming embrace of heated water. Given the absence of a tropical coastline in Vienna, two strong options are:
- Schwerelos floating centre: let go of your stress by floating in a large salt water tub in the very middle of town
- Therme Wien: Vienna’s thermal spa complex, reachable on the U1 subway that leaves from the centre
Alternatively, simply drop into a warm coffee house. See you inside.