The Schönbrunn Christmas market now continues through into the New Year rather than morphing into a decidedly separate event.
So this article is now largely obsolete: simply check my review of the Christmas event to discover what to expect.
- Beautiful setting; lovely selection of wares, food, and drink
- Nice way to experience a seasonal market with fewer Christmas crowds
- 2025/2026 dates: Nov 7 – Jan 6
- Book a concert experience* for your New Year visit
- Nearby:
- See also:
Previous review
The market had a different character in the years before 2024/2025. For the record, you can find a review of the old market below…
The Old Neujahrsmarkt
Call me a sucker for imperial grandeur, but I do like the Schönbrunn approach to a New Year market.
It’s big and expansive but not gaudy; like a well-fed courtier dressed in elegant robes and just enough jewellery to make their status clear without resorting to vulgar showing off.
Given the wide-open space it occupies in front of the former Habsburg residence, you spend less time dodging other visitors than at most markets. And someone has given the layout thought.
The market huts encircle the palace forecourt, but the food booths typically either stand alone near the centre of the circle or sit next to the broad entrances, thereby keeping the arts and crafts booths clear for browsing and shopping.
This New Year market (Neujahrsmarkt) follows on directly from the Christmas market.
Not all booths survive the change; those that don’t are covered by a uniform screen wishing you a Happy New Year in various languages.
The palace surrounds make for a fantastic setting, of course, and the Christmas lighting continues through New Year. Which means you can combine a market visit with a tour of the Imperial rooms or perhaps take in an evening concert in the Baroque orangery.
Despite fewer stands, the variety and quality still creates the flair of a top-notch arts and crafts market, where the transition from Christmas to New Year is near seamless.
Most places sell the same wares as they did at the preceding Christmas market. But you may find one or two switching motifs to the colours and shapes of New Year: pigs, horseshoes, mushrooms and more.
And, of course, the market offers much more than just New Year symbols.
On my last visit, I spotted booths full of handmade ceramics, delicate glass decorations, wooden toys echoing bygone days, honey, regency-style writing materials, beeswax candles and much more…the list goes on.
And, of course, you had the ubiquitous snow globes, strong on Viennese motifs such as cityscapes and cakes.
Which brings me to the food side of the market.
Dotted among the usual baked potatoes, punch, soup in bread rolls, and similar, I found numerous regional specialties, such as sweet dumplings, slices of dark bread topped with black pudding and onion, and Bauerngröstl (fried potatoes and chopped meat).
Even the standard Leberkäse had a certain panache, with the meatloaf also coming in chilli and Emmentaler flavours.
And if all the above sounds rather meat heavy, I spotted vegan goulash, vegetarian Gröstl, and lentil dumplings, for example.
All-in-all, then, probably the city’s best New Year market experience.
How to get to Schönbrunn
I have a whole article on how to get there. Follow directions for the main entrance to the complex or for the palace itself.
The market fills a huge portion of the courtyard between the palace proper and the grand-looking gates. Don’t forget to take a look at all else Schönbrunn has to offer, including palace tours, the park & gardens, the zoo, and more.
Address: Schloß Schönbrunn, 1130 Vienna | Website