Although one of Vienna’s newer seasonal markets, you might argue that the Stephansplatz Christmas market could well be the city’s most traditional…
- Very central Christmas market
- The cathedral provides a nice backdrop
- Normally just over 40 stalls
- 2025 dates: TBA (was Nov 8 – Dec 26 in 2024)
- Book a classical concert experience* for your Vienna trip
- Nearby:
- Stephansdom (& advent concerts)
- See also:
The market
(View across to the cathedral and 2024 market at night)
Back in “days of yore”, traders often used the space around a church for a market, particularly if that church also served as a place of pilgrimage. So you could get your relics and radishes at the same location.
The Stephansplatz Christmas market follows in that tradition.
Stephansplatz is the square surrounding Stephansdom (St. Stephen’s), the huge gothic cathedral that dominates the pedestrianised area at Vienna’s heart.
(Stephansdom at Christmas time around 1843-1853 in a painting by Rudolf von Alt; Wien Museum Inv.-Nr. 224462; reproduced under the terms of the CC BY 4.0 license; photo by Birgit and Peter Kainz, Wien Museum)
The market, then, harks back to medieval times, with its wooden stands clinging to the sides of the cathedral, offering tourists and city dwellers refreshing victuals and a selection of handicrafts and gifts.
No relics, though. Or, sadly, radishes.
You might even make a Christmas evening of it: browse the market, grab something to eat, then pop into the cathedral for one of the advent concerts always held there.
The location, in particular, helps the Stephansplatz market stand out.
(Around the back)
Townhouses and other buildings from the time of Mozart (whose former home is but a street away) form a backdrop, not to mention the magnificent cathedral itself with the mosaic roof, towers, catacombs and long (long) history.
Fiakers (horse-drawn carriages) also gather behind Stephansdom, adding another historical touch to the ambience.
With typically just over 40 stalls, the Stephansplatz market is smaller than, say, the Christkindlmarkt. But it still manages to cover pretty much the entire spectrum of market stands.
Wandering around the previous edition, I saw (handcrafted) decorations made of wood, tin, papier-mâché and other materials, but also plenty from the more secular side of life.
For example, I found Italian truffles, jars of pesto, candles, woolen hats and gloves, artistic candle holders and ceramics, Lebkuchen, jewellery, snow globes, wooden toys, novelty chocolates, regional wine & schnapps, honey and even kitchen utensils made from olive wood.
Incidentally, if you want Lebkuchen, Vienna’s renowned Pirker Lebkuchen store sits opposite the fiakers.
Of course, mixed in among all this are the stands serving food and drink, seasonal and otherwise.
I spotted pastries and potato fritters, soups served in giant bread rolls, Baumkuchen (spit cakes), Käseknockerl (pasta / small dumplings with melted cheese and fried onions), hotdogs, and similar. And Weihnachtspunsch (of course) in all its variations.
(Wine, schnapps and gothic architecture)
If you’re taking in the Christmas lights display along the Graben and Kärntner Straße, then the market allows you to complete your Christmas experience bingo without much effort: it sits at the junction of those two streets (see map below).
If you wander along the Graben street away from the cathedral square, then go left at the end to walk down Kohlmarkt to Michaelerplatz square: this looks rather lovely at night with all the historical buildings (including a wing of the mighty Hofburg complex) lit up.
And Michaelerplatz sometimes has its own small Christmas market, too.
Alternatively, continue straight on beyond the Graben (going northwest) to reach the markets at Am Hof and the Freyung.
2025 dates and times
I don’t have 2025 details at the time of writing. The 2024 dates for the Stephansplatz market were November 8th to December 26th. Opening times were:
- 11am to 9pm
- Closed at 4pm on December 24th
- Closed at 7pm on December 25th and 26th
How to get to Stephansplatz
The market is slap bang in the middle of town, so you should find it on any typical walk around the city.
Access the market right outside the Stephansplatz subway station on the U1 and U3 subway lines. You also reach it on bus lines 1A, 2A and 3A (the correct stop is also called Stephansplatz).
The same square often has another special advent offering, too. The Haas&Haas tea rooms behind the cathedral typically use an inner courtyard for punch and Glühwein among open fires.
Address: Stephansplatz, 1010 Vienna | Website