Another month that feels like the young child staring forlornly through the sweet shop window while December gets to buy all the nice things. Though November in Vienna brings its own pleasures.
In particular, you get to enjoy the Christmas flair, but without so many crowds.
- Book a classical concert experience* for November
- See also:
Activities for November 2025
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 in November in 2025, 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 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 start much earlier in Vienna.
On the positive side, this means November offers seasonal spirit with fewer crowds than you get later.
Those responsible tend to switch on Vienna’s Christmas lights sometime in the middle of the month. For example, the giant tree on the Rathausplatz lit up on November 16th last time out and the main street displays in the centre did so the day before.
The city’s seasonal lights take a relatively upmarket approach, especially the white chandeliers in the very centre of town.
Anyway, LED joy is all well and good, but the real fun starts with the Christmas markets.
(The market at Belvedere)
The main markets all normally begin opening in November (the earliest date I’ve seen so far is November 7th for the Schönbrunn market).
All continue through to at least December 23rd. The huge Christkindlmarkt, for example, opens until December 26th and the Schönbrunn one until January 6th.
While 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 baked, cooked and crafted delights (of which there are many).
Look out, also, for little bonus markets. For example:
- Palais Niederösterreich hosts the lovely So Schmeckt NÖ Adventmarkt, with food, drink, crafts and other items from the province of Lower Austria (November 28th and 29th)
- The Weihnachtsquartier exhibition and market brings together loads of independent designers, small producers and other creatives (November 28th to 30th)
- Cream Vienna with arts & crafts, gourmet offerings, and similar (2025 dates TBA)
- …and the historical Advent market (2025 dates TBA) takes place at the Heeresgeschichtliches Museum: our Museum of Military History
Exhibitions in November 2025
(The gorgeous Kunsthistorisches Museum has a major Wautier 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.
Highlights
We can already look forward to these delights:
- Lower Belvedere has two particular joys for us. Highlights from the Museum Langmatt’s private collection of French impressionist art visit Vienna (think Cézanne, Monet, Renoir etc.), and a second exhibition builds around Messerschmidt’s extraordinary character busts
- The Kunsthistorisches Museum‘s big year-end exhibition features baroque artist Michaelina Wautier and contemporaries
- Enjoy the last days (until November 9th) of the Brigitte Kowanz exhibition at the Albertina. Meanwhile, their century-spanning look at how medieval art influenced modernists like Kollwitz continues, as do solo exhibitions for Lisette Model and (from November 21st) Leiko Ikemura
- Contemporary artist KAWS receives a special exhibition at the Albertina Modern. And their Moving Images exhibition showcases the art and illusion mastered by Victor Vasarely and Marc Adrian
- The Leopold Museum explores modernist art around 1900 Vienna within the context of spiritual philosophies and sociocultural change
- Performance artist Marina Abramović gets a special exhibition at the Kunstforum Wien
- Visit the 1960s in mumok’s Mapping the 60s art and cultural history exhibition. They also feature an in-house retrospective for the 1980s
- Among Belvedere 21‘s notable exhibitions: a look at renowned sculptor Fritz Wotruba’s art from an international perspective
- Delve into some seasonal joy at the MAK with their exhibition of historical Christmas tree decorations
- What scars did the Shoah and WWII leave on landscapes and cityscapes across the subsequent decades? A photo exhibition at the Jewish Museum has some answers. They also explore skin colour as it relates to prejudices and Jewish identity
- The Mozarthaus reveals how Mozart’s dining habits relate to his music and compositions
- Finally, find out Who’s Wearing the Pants? at the Weltmuseum: a journey through various aspects of the garment’s history
Check the listings page for more suggestions.
Bonuses
- Bonus 1: the 21st edition of Vienna Art Week brings together numerous players in the art space for tours, talks and more (November 7th to 14th)
- Bonus 2: the Photo+Adventure fair and festival (November 8th and 9th) 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 21st to 30th) celebrates analogue photography with exhibitions and an event programme
Watch the stars
(Just one entrance to the huge complex that hosts Comic Con; press photo © Reed Exhibitions / G. Szuklits)
November offers a big opportunity for those who favour scifi, fantasy, Japanese pop culture, comics and/or cosplay: Vienna Comic Con at the VIECON / Messe Wien complex remains my favourite event of the year (November 22nd and 23rd).
Last time out, for example, we had the following guests:
- 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, book and TV stars, the event also features numerous professional artists, illustrators, screen voices, and cosplayers. And huge exhibitor, merchandise and art halls, a Star Wars parade, and heaps more.
See you there. I always attend both days.
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 joy continues at other events:
- The Art&Antique fair at the Hofburg palace (November 13th to 17th) 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 7th to 9th) typically covers design and lifestyle themes including watches and jewelry, travel, mobility, crafts, and more
- The international Blickfang design fair (November 7th to 9th) 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 (October 30th to November 30th) highlights the work of contemporary composers and performers with some of the world’s top orchestras participating
- The KlezMORE festival (November 7th to 16th) celebrates this traditional form of Jewish music with performances, readings, films, and more
- Voice Mania (November 7th to December 7th) 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 15th and 16th)
- Beer lovers should find their way to the Super Bier Fest (2025 dates TBA), 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; I’ll have a slice of something unfeasibly unhealthy, please.