December is the month Vienna is famous for, and the city knows it. Every square seems to have a market, the shopping streets are strung with lights, and by 4 pm the smell of punch has taken over the Innere Stadt. It is also the busiest, most expensive and most crowded month of the winter, so a little planning goes a long way.
You will not have the city to yourself. But if your idea of a winter trip involves a mug of hot punch in front of Schönbrunn, a light trail in a palace garden, a coffee house where it is warm and nobody hurries you, and a New Year’s Eve with waltzing in the streets, December is the month that delivers the picture on the postcard.
What is Vienna like in December?
Cold, dark early and very festive. Daytime temperatures hover around 3–4 °C (37–39 °F) and nights regularly drop below freezing. The sun sets around 4 pm, which sounds grim until you realise that the whole city is designed for exactly that moment: the market lights come on, the Graben and Kärntner Strasse light up, and everyone heads outside.
December has three distinct phases. Until 23 December it is Advent: all the markets are open, and the weekends are packed. From 24 to 26 December the city goes quiet, because Christmas in Austria is a family affair. From 27 December, the build-up to New Year’s Eve begins, with fewer markets and a lot of visitors who came for the Silvester party.
Vienna weather in December
Average daytime highs are around 3–4 °C (37–39 °F), with nights around −1 to −2 °C (28–30 °F). Cold, damp and grey is the most common combination. Clear, frosty days happen too, and those are the best days of the month.
Does it snow in Vienna in December? Sometimes. A few snowy days in December are normal, but snow that stays on the ground in the city centre for days is not guaranteed, and a white Christmas in Vienna is more hope than forecast. Pack for cold and wet, and treat snow as a bonus.
The real challenge is not the temperature but the time you spend standing still outdoors. A long evening at the markets gets cold, even on a mild day.
What to do in Vienna in December
The big sights are open all month, apart from a few changes around Christmas. They are busier than in November, so book time slots where you can and visit first thing in the morning. Save the evenings for the things that only work in December.
Do the Christmas markets the smart way
Every market is open in December, and most close on 23 or 26 December. The big ones, Rathausplatz and Schönbrunn, get very crowded on Friday and Saturday evenings. Go on a weekday, or go early: at 11 am on a Tuesday you can walk through Rathausplatz without being carried along by the crowd.
The smaller markets have more character. Spittelberg winds through narrow Biedermeier lanes and sells more crafts than souvenirs. The Freyung has been doing its Old Viennese market for decades. The market at Karlsplatz, in front of the Karlskirche, focuses on arts and crafts and has a pen of straw for small children.
New in 2026: a market at Schwarzenbergplatz, around the illuminated Hochstrahlbrunnen fountain, and a new, smaller market in front of the Upper Belvedere that stays open until New Year’s Eve. Read our guide to the Belvedere Christmas market for the details.
One tip for your mug: the markets charge a deposit (Häferlpfand) for the mug your punch comes in. Hand it back and you get the deposit back. Keep it and you have a souvenir; most markets have a new design every year.
All Christmas markets in Vienna
Walk through Klanglicht
Klanglicht im Park, the light and sound trail in the Schwarzenberg Garden next to the Belvedere, runs throughout December and until 10 January 2027. With sunset around 4 pm, even an early time slot is in full darkness. It combines well with the Belvedere Christmas market a few minutes’ walk away, and it is one of the few evening options that is still running between Christmas and New Year. Read our guide to Klanglicht in Vienna.
Warm up in a museum
New this month: from 2 December, the Kunsthistorisches Museum shows a portrait that was recently attributed to Gian Lorenzo Bernini, the sculptor of Baroque Rome, with around ten international loans. The exhibition is not at the main museum but at the Theatermuseum in Palais Lobkowitz, a short walk from the Albertina. Picasso and Bacon at the Albertina, Tatort Ephesos at the Neue Burg and the Franz West show at Albertina Modern are all still running.
Museums are busiest in the afternoon, when visitors come in from the cold. If you want the Bruegel room at the Kunsthistorisches Museum to yourself, go in the morning.
Go to a concert
December is concert season: Advent concerts in churches, Christmas programmes at the Musikverein and Konzerthaus, and the Vienna Boys’ Choir. On New Year’s Eve, the Staatsoper traditionally performs Johann Strauss’s Die Fledermaus.
The New Year’s Concert of the Vienna Philharmonic on 1 January 2027 is conducted by Tugan Sokhiev. Tickets for it, and for the preview performances on 30 and 31 December, are allocated by lottery long in advance. If you did not win, you can watch it live on a big screen or on TV like the rest of Austria.
Go ice skating
At Rathausplatz, the Vienna Ice World (Wiener Eiswelt) runs alongside the Christmas market, with skating paths through the park in front of the City Hall, until 6 January 2027. Skate rental is available on site. The Wiener Eislaufverein near the Konzerthaus is the traditional alternative, and much bigger.
Vienna events in December 2026
All markets open. Most close on 23 or 26 December; Schönbrunn and Riesenradplatz stay open until 6 January, Belvedere until 31 December.
Light and sound trail in the Schwarzenberg Garden next to the Belvedere, until 10 January 2027. Timed tickets via the official ticket shop.
Kunsthistorisches Museum exhibition at the Theatermuseum, Palais Lobkowitz, until 4 April 2027.
Design market with independent designers and makers at the Marx Halle. Good for gifts you will not find at the Christmas markets.
A public holiday, but most shops open. One of the busiest days of the year in the city centre, with shoppers from all over Austria and the neighbouring countries.
The Silvesterpfad (New Year’s Eve Trail) with stages across the Innere Stadt, Die Fledermaus at the Staatsoper and the Vienna Philharmonic’s New Year’s Eve concert. The 2026 programme is usually published in December.
When do the Christmas markets close in December 2026?
- 23 December: Spittelberg, Freyung, Am Hof, Karlsplatz, Altes AKH (university campus) and Türkenschanzpark
- 26 December: Rathausplatz, Stephansplatz, Maria-Theresien-Platz and Schwarzenbergplatz
- 31 December: Belvedere Palace
- 6 January 2027: Schönbrunn Palace, Riesenradplatz in the Prater and the ice rink at Rathausplatz
On 24 December, the markets that are still open close early, usually between 4 and 6.30 pm. Check the market’s own website before you plan around a specific date.
Christmas in Vienna: What’s open on 24, 25, and 26 December?
In Austria, the main celebration is on Christmas Eve, 24 December. Shops close early in the afternoon, many restaurants close in the evening, and the city empties. If you are in Vienna on 24 December, book dinner well in advance, preferably at a hotel restaurant or a place that explicitly advertises a Christmas Eve menu. Midnight Mass at St. Stephen’s Cathedral is open to everyone, but arrive early.
25 and 26 December are both public holidays. Shops are closed; many museums and attractions are open, but with adjusted hours and some closures on 24 and 25 December. Schönbrunn, Stephansplatz and Rathausplatz keep their markets open on 25 and 26 December, so there is still plenty to do.
New Year’s Eve in Vienna
Vienna celebrates the turn of the year in the streets. The Silvesterpfad turns the Innere Stadt into a route of stages, food stands, and punch stalls, from Rathausplatz to the Prater. At midnight, the Pummerin, the great bell of St. Stephen’s, rings in the new year, and then the Blue Danube waltz plays and people start dancing in the street.
The Winter Market at Riesenradplatz stays open until 2 am on New Year’s Eve. The ice rink at Rathausplatz is closed on 31 December. Public transport runs through the night, but the U-Bahn stations in the city centre get very busy after midnight, so plan your way back.
Is Vienna crowded in December?
Yes. December is the busiest month of the winter, and the Advent weekends are the busiest days. Coach groups arrive from all over Europe, and Rathausplatz and Schönbrunn can be shoulder to shoulder on a Saturday evening. 8 December is also extremely busy in the shopping streets.
There are quieter windows. Weekdays in the first half of December are manageable, especially during the day. From 24 to 26 December the city is calm, and so are the museums on 26 December. The rush comes back between Christmas and New Year.
What to wear in Vienna in December
Dress for real winter. You will be outside for long evenings, and most of that time you will be standing still.
- Warm winter coat, ideally water-resistant
- Thermal layer underneath
- Warm, waterproof shoes with good grip
- Hat, scarf and gloves (you will need a free hand for your punch)
- Thick socks
- Umbrella
Where to stay in Vienna in December
Stay central if you can. In December, being able to go back to the hotel between the museums and the markets makes a big difference, and the Innere Stadt puts most of the main markets within walking distance. Neubau and Josefstadt are close to Spittelberg and the Altes AKH, and slightly cheaper. For New Year’s Eve, staying within walking distance of the Innere Stadt saves you a crowded trip back after midnight.
Is Vienna expensive in December?
Yes, especially at weekends. The Advent weekends and New Year’s Eve are among the most expensive nights of the year for hotels. Book early; good central hotels for December weekends can be full months in advance.
Midweek stays in early December are noticeably cheaper. The Christmas days themselves, 24 to 26 December, can also be good value, as long as you are happy with a quieter city.
Is everything open in Vienna in December?
Mostly. Museums, palaces and public transport run as normal, apart from shortened hours or closures around 24, 25 and 31 December. Shops are closed on 25 and 26 December and close early on 24 and 31 December. Most Heurigen are closed for the winter.
Airport transport disruption — December 2026: The S-Bahn line through the city centre (the Stammstrecke, between Praterstern and Hauptbahnhof) is closed for construction work until the end of October 2027. The CAT is operating as a replacement bus rather than a train. Check current airport transfer options before travelling and allow extra time for the journey into the city.
December or November: which is better for Vienna?
You want the full Advent experience: every market open, concerts, the city at its most festive and a better chance of snow. Or you want to spend New Year’s Eve in the streets of Vienna.
You want the Christmas markets without the crowds or the prices. From mid-November most markets are open, and on weekday evenings you can still reach the punch stand without queuing.
If you are coming for the markets and can travel midweek, early December gives you the best of both.
The bottom line on Vienna in December
December is Vienna at its most festive and its most crowded. You will pay more for your hotel, you will queue for your punch on a Saturday night, and you may not get your white Christmas.
What you get in return: markets in front of two palaces, a giant moon in a garden next to the Belvedere, Die Fledermaus on New Year’s Eve and a city that waltzes at midnight. Go midweek, dress warmly, and hold on to your mug.