Rounding out the collection of Viennese Christmas markets is the one in the Spittelberg area: a collection of narrow streets, galleries, art stores, organic grocers, and similar in Vienna’s 7th district.
- Street-based market
- Eclectic mix of arts & crafts
- Early 19th-century ambience
- Typically around 123 stands
- 2025 dates: TBA (was Nov 16 – Dec 23 in 2024)
- Free entry
- Book a concert experience* for your trip
- Nearby:
- See also:
The Spittelberg market
(The street layout adds a unique ambience)
Spittelberg represents the classic urban regeneration success story.
In the mid-1980s, the area looked set for demolishment to make way for speculative construction projects. Timely intervention by activists and politicians brought renovation, then rejuvenation.
A thriving collection of bars, restaurants, and shops has since sparked Spittelberg to life, and the Christmas market is a symbol of this success. This somewhat bohemian location even featured in the movie, Before Sunrise.
Unlike most of its colleagues, the Spittelberg market doesn’t occupy a large square or open area.
(Press photo © Reinhard Podolsky / mediadesign.at)
Instead, the stalls fill narrow streets, alleyways and small courtyards, flanked by lighted doorways that lead into galleries, craft shops, busy bars and mystical worlds filled with woodland sprites.
Many of those surrounding buildings date back to the early 1800s, and Spittelberg remains one of the best areas to see Biedermeier architecture: a kind of homely conservative style that reflected the rise of the middle class and a safety-first attitude in an era of state paranoia and censorship.
The layout gives the market a particularly cosy feel, a sense that the stands are embedded in the life of the area. It also means it can get busy at peak times.
The other distinctive element to the Spittelberg market is its more random, organic feel.
The booths do not all share the same design, as you typically find elsewhere. And they scatter across the area, growing out into a sprawling mini-metropolis of lights, scents, and the noise of Christmas revellers.
The market enjoys a particular reputation for its eclectic and extensive collection of arts and crafts, and shares that accolade with the Art Advent market on Karlsplatz.
(The Amerlinghaus in Spittelberg, as drawn by Marie Arnsburg and produced by Brüder Kohn KG (B. K. W. I.) around 1910; the house is still there and was the birthplace of the renowned artist Friedrich Amerling in 1803, Wien Museum Inv.-Nr. 245267; excerpt reproduced with permission under the terms of the CC0 licence)
You’ll certainly find a different selection to most other locations.
At the last edition, stands selling jewellery, ceramics, leather goods and clothes felt like a slightly upmarket version of London’s Camden market. And an alternative vibe manifested in, for example, candle art, upcycled finery or a booth run by independent music labels.
On my visit, I was particularly impressed by the vessels at the Glaswerkstatt stand, with the glass blown directly onto coral tree roots.
(One of the quieter alleyways during the market)
The market is also usually run as an Öko-Event, indicating it reflects the numerous criteria required by the city for recognition as an environmentally-friendly event.
Food and drink booths permeate the place, of course. Enjoy the usual seasonal treats like roasted almonds, punch, chocolate-coated fruit, Kaiserschmarren, waffles, Baumkuchen (spit cakes), dumplings, and sausages.
But I also found international flavours on my trip around with, for example, raclette, arancini, churros, Caribbean snacks, Polish pierogi, and souvlaki. Even good old fish and chips.
It might just be my perception, but it feels like the market has taken a huge leap of quality since the pandemic years. Which makes me happy, because Spittelberg was my first ever Christmas market way back in 1994, and I have a big soft spot for the event.
2025 dates and times
I don’t have 2025 details at the time of writing. For the record, the 2024 market ran from November 16th to December 23rd. Opening times were:
- 2pm to 9.30pm (Mon-Fri)
- 11am to 9.30pm (Sat, Sun and public holidays)
How to get to Spittelberg
You can reach Spittelberg easily via public transport:
- Tram 49 (get out at Stiftgasse)
- Buses 2A (to Stiftgasse) and 48A (to Sankt Ulrichs Platz)
- Subway: U3 (station Neubaugasse or Volkstheater)
Frankly, it’s close to Vienna’s old town centre, should you choose to walk.
And if Christmas overload starts to get to you, and you want the warm drinks but without too many reindeers and Santas, then wander straight toward the city centre from Spittelberg and into the nearby MuseumsQuartier complex for their winter event.
Address: Spittelberggasse, 1070 Vienna | Website