Austria is a land-locked country, set in Central Europe, famous for its beautiful, mountainous scenery and its iconic cities, full of stunning architecture dating back to the 17th century. The capital is Vienna, an exquisite city full of palaces, castles and wonderful architecture, as well as the Vienna State Opera House. Salzburg, which translates to “Salt Fortress” in English, is said to be among the most beautiful cities in Europe, along with Innsbruck and its emblematic Old Town. Austria has a wine region named Wachau, where many an excellent bottle of wine is produced. Yet another city, Linz, is home to the Linz Botanical Garden, a wonderland exhibiting a wide range of plants natural to Austria and from elsewhere. The country also puts on an impressive display during the festive season, as can be seen at the top Christmas markets in Austria, listed below.
1. Christmas Village at Belvedere Palace, Vienna
The Christmas Market at Belvedere Palace couldn’t have a better backdrop, than the imperial splendor of its architecture. The “Weihnachtsdorf” or Christmas market is in a truly beautiful location, while the market is relatively small and easy to browse. The baroque Belvedere Palace looks truly beautiful at night, with the Christmas lights glistening across the lake. The various stalls in the market offer a range of quality arts and crafts, including jewelry made from amber, silver, Murano glass and steel. Woolly hats, cozy gloves and scarves are on sale, as well as handmade soaps, candles, wooden toys and decorations. As for food, there is a selection of sausages, hams and cheeses, as well as roasted chestnuts, doughnuts, crepes, cupcakes and the famous Apple Strudel, washed down with mulled wine or punch. Children will particularly enjoy a trip on the reindeer train or a ride on the small, quaint carousel.
Christmas Village at Belvedere Palace, Vienna
Address: Weihnachtsdorf Schloss Belvedere, Prinz Eugen-Strasse 27, 1030 Vienna
Website: Christmas Village at Belvedere Palace, Vienna
Opening hours: Mon - Fri: 11am - 9pm; Sat - Sun: 10am - 9pm
Dates: November 22 - December 31
2. Children's Advent Fair
This delightful children’s Advent Fair (Christkindlmärkte) is set in front of the Franciscan Church in Klein Neutorgasse. The fair features a beautiful carousel, a duck game, as well as an old-fashioned big wheel. Stalls offer every kind of sweet and candy to attract the little ones as they wait impatiently for Christmas to begin. Following Christmas, the market returns to hosting gastronomic stalls from December 26 to December 30.
Children's Advent Fair
Address: Kleine Neutorgasse, Graz, Austria
Website: Children’s Advent Fair
Opening hours - stalls: November 22 - December 24: Sun - Thu: 12pm - 8pm; Fri - Sat: 12pm - 9:45pm
Opening hours: Mon - Thu: 12pm - 8pm; Fri - Sat: 10am - 9:45pm; Sun: 10am - 8pm
Dates: November 22 - December 24
3. Christkindlmarkt
This beautiful Christmas Market is held in City Hall Square (Rathausplatz) and visitors enter through a tall, decorated archway. Here, they will find some 150 stalls offering traditional Christmas gifts, decorations, handcrafted items, sweets and confectionery, traditional treats and warm drinks such as mulled wine. All the trees along the boulevard are dressed with pretty lights and an ice rink is available for skating. Christmas World is part of the market and offers children a reindeer train to ride and a number of light installations throughout the park, relating to popular children’s stories. Children also get to meet a team of reindeer, ride on an old-fashioned carousel and a Ferris wheel, offering beautiful views over sparkling Vienna.
Christkindlmarkt, Rathausplatz
Address: Rathausplatz, 1010, Vienna, Austria
Website: Christkindlmarkt, Rathausplatz
Opening hours: Mon - Thu: 10am - 9:30pm; Sat - Sun: 10am - 10pm
Dates: November 15 - December 26
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4. Old Town Christmas Market in Innsbruck
Historic Old Town Innsbruck sparkles during the festive season at its Christmas Market, located next to the Golden Roof. A giant Christmas tree welcomes visitors and residents as they browse the 70 market stalls, selling handcrafted gifts, tasty treats and warming mulled wine (Glühwein). The market is surrounded by lovely medieval buildings, in front of which, 28 life-size fairy tale characters stand for the season. Children enjoy Riesengasse and its Giant’s Alley, with four giants to gaze at in awe. Father Christmas is often seen in the market, standing with an old street organ, offering biscuits and candy to the children. Should they pop a coin into his collection tin, a hidden gift will appear. Christmas music can be enjoyed at the market with trumpet players playing the old, traditional Austrian Christmas carols as a background to the fun.
Old Town Christmas Market
Address: Herzog-Friedrich-Straße 15, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria
Website: Old Town Christmas Market
Opening hours: 11am - 9pm (daily)
Dates: November 15 - December 23
Austria Tour Guide
Thomas Boeer
Dear travellers, since 1992, when I began my studies as an expert in tourism at the International School of Tourism in Zürich, my life has been completed thanks to representing this wonderful country to people from all over the world. Today we work for the most important companies from this country as a guide and driver. we know every corner of this beautiful paradise made by hand. We know their traditions and customs, their best routes and the best places that few tourists have had the opportunity to enjoy. We have had the great opportunity to guide very important people of different cultures and we have excellent references. Our passion for this job will offer you an unforgettable experience for a lifetime. We will make you feel at home. Welcome to Switzerland, the whole year around! The slowness gives us the time to enjoy what we do.
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5. Old Viennese Christmas Market (Altwiener Christkindlmarkt)
Freyung has been a market since 1772 and is the place in Vienna to buy organic produce all year round, but at Christmas, it turns into the Altwiener Christkindlmarkt. Visitors will still be able to buy organic fruits, vegetables, etc. but the market also offers a beautiful selection of glass decorations, candles, handicrafts, ceramics, traditional nativity scenes and tasty snacks, including sausage and warming drinks such as mulled wine. Items such as jam, honey, pickles and spices are also available for purchase. From 4 pm, visitors will hear Advent music playing throughout the square. Various arts and crafts demonstrations are held throughout the run of the market.
Old Viennese Christmas Market
Address: Altwiener Christkindlmarkt, Freyung, 1010 Vienna
Website: Old Viennese Christmas Market
Opening hours: 10am - 9pm (daily)
Dates: November 16 - December 23
6. Christmas Market on Cathedral Square in Salzburg
Christkindlmarkt at the Dom and Residenzplatz in Salzburg is a historic event and one of the oldest Advent markets in the world. Still running today, the market opens each year in November and runs through to December 26. Around 100 quaint and pretty stalls offer a range of Christmas tree decorations, gifts of all kinds, candles and incense, and tasty traditional Austrian Christmas treats. Christmas lighting stretches over the market, making it a truly sparkling event. Organizers of the Christmas Market also present daily events, including Krampus parades, choral concerts, readings of Christmas stories for the children, and visits from the “Christ Child.”
Salzburger Christkindlmarkt
Address: Salzburger Christkindlmarkt, Altstadt Salzburg, 5020, Salzburg
Website: Salzburger Christkindlmarkt
Opening hours: Mon - Thu: 10am - 8:30pm; Fri: 10am - 9pm; Sat: 9am - 9pm; Sun: 9am - 8:30pm
Dates: November 21 - December 26
7. Hallstatt Christmas Market
Hallstatt Christmas Market is held each year during the Advent season in the heart of the town. Stalls offer a range of local arts and crafts, decorations, gifts, souvenirs, traditional delicacies and cookies, all washed down with delicious hot punch or mulled wine. Another treat is the famous Bratwurst sausages and spicy smoked fish, fresh from the local lake. The heart of the market is a nativity scene and a large Christmas tree festooned with fairy lights.
Hallstatt Christmas Market
Address: Market Square, Halstatt, Austria
Website: Hallstatt Christmas Market
Opening hours: December 7 - 9: 11am - 6pm
8. Panorama Christmas Market at Hungerburg
Enjoy a Christmas market with a panoramic view over Hungerburg from the top of a hill. The Hungerburg mountain railway runs regularly to the top of the hill, where a market is laid out, selling all the traditional handcrafted gifts, jewelry, woodwork and other crafts, as well as delicious traditional Christmas food, mulled wine and the necessary hot punch. This is also the place to buy the perfect decorations for your own Christmas tree.
Hungerburg Christmas Market
Address: Hungerburg, Innsbruck, Austria
Website: Hungerburg Christmas Market
Opening hours: Mon - Fri: 1pm - 7pm; Sat & Sun: 12pm - 7pm
Dates: November 16 - December 23
9. Christmas Market at Hauptplatz in Linz
The Christkindlmarkt in Hauptplatz (Main Square) Linz runs from November 23 to December 23 each year. A special opening ceremony is held on November 23 with the official delivery of the Christmas tree to the main square. Stalls selling traditional handcrafted gifts, warm punch and delicious gingerbread, are backed by the beautiful baroque buildings of the city. The scent of sausages grilling over a charcoal fire is tempting too.
Christmas Market at Hauptplatz, Linz
Address: Hauptplatz, Linz, Austria
Website: Christmas Market at Hauptplatz, Linz
Opening hours: 10am - 8pm (daily)
Dates: November 23 - December 23
Enjoy Austria's Christmas spirit
The festive season is the perfect time to visit and explore all the beautiful and historic cities of Austria. It is also perfect timing for sampling the delicious traditional cuisine, warmed punch, mulled wine, hot chocolate and more while browsing the many pretty stalls at the top Christmas markets in Austria.
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