Place a pile of pig dung in the Schönbrunn Palace courtyard and it would soon acquire a certain imperial elegance, nostalgic charm, and it’s own souvenir range of pitchforks. You simply cannot beat the setting for the Easter market here.
- Beautiful surrounds in the forecourt of the Habsburg summer palace
- Top quality wares and edibles, with a fair bit of seating
- The giant Easter eggs make excellent photo motifs
- 2021 dates: March 20 – April 6
- See also: Easter markets
The market
Given the location, the Schönbrunn Easter market already has an advantage over its colleagues elsewhere in Vienna. Then add in that it’s the biggest and you have – in my opinion – the number one.
I like, for example, the organic foods on the Freyung and the art of Am Hof, but there is something special about meandering past truffles and trinkets in the shadow of the great summer Habsburg palace. See for yourself in this (promotional) YouTube video from the organisers:
Two rows of market stands curve around one part of the giant square, with huge Easter eggs at each end. And most of these stands contain high-quality arts and crafts, some familiar from the Christmas market held at the same location.
The stalls offer jewellery, glassware, wooden toys, handmade soaps, crockery and ceramics, textiles and more. But plenty sell Easter decorations, too (including the inevitable painted eggs), thereby ensuring the Easter feeling flows through the market.
Expect to find wonderful assortments of regional meats (like rare breed hams), jams, chutneys, oils, honeys, alpine cheeses, and vinegars, not to mention schnapps and liqueurs.
Not that all the food is to take away and enjoy later.
Who could say no to wild boar Leberkäse, poppy seed potato gnocchi, sweet apricot dumplings, fried potatoes with Easter ham, Kaiserschmarrn (shredded pancake), crepes, waffles, or dark bread served with gherkins, horseradish and cold roast pork?
(Actually, I can say no to horseradish.)
Vegetarian alternatives grow in number each year; such options as hummus in pita bread or red bean and lentil salad.
There are more seats than usual at a seasonal market, and standing tables, too. So you can relax with your food and wash it down with a traditional drink, like Viennese beer and wine, or a not-quite-so-traditional one, like a mango fruit punch (German: Bowle).
Be warned, though, that even with all these seats and tables, space can get scarce when the market is busy (and it’s often busy). It was already quite full on the early April morning I visited in 2019, though visitors still had enough space to get close to the wares and the only real queues were at the food stands.
The Schönbrunn market also makes an effort to keep the kids happy. For example, an Osterhasen Werkstatt (Easter rabbit workshop) offers various activities for children, and I spotted a little carousel made from items left in lost property.
Opening times 2021
The Schönbrunn Easter market begins on March 20th and ends on April 6th, 2021, opening daily from 10am to 6pm.
How to get to the Schönbrunn market
Follow these directions, or…
Subway: U4 (either to the Schönbrunn or Hietzing stations, then a short walk).
Tram/bus: Take tram lines 10, 52, and 60, or bus line 10A, to the Schloss Schönbrunn stop.
Address: Schloss Schönbrunn, 1130 Vienna | Website