Vienna, Austria’s capital, is one of the most beautiful European cities I’ve ever visited, and theres no denying that this charming city appeals all year round. But imagine the fairy-tale streets being draped in a blanket of shimmering Christmas lights, dotted with festive Christmas markets and the sweet scent of cinnamon and Glühwein filling the air.
Pretty special, right?
Vienna has been on our Christmas destination wish list for a while. So when Jet2 got in touch with me, asking if I’d like to enjoy a gifted Jet2CityBreak to explore Vienna’s Christmas markets I couldn’t reply quick enough! Especially as Jet2 was voted the UK’s number one Which? Travel Brand of the Year in 2024.
So, if you’re wondering what Vienna is like during the heart-warming festive season. Or how you can book your own winter adventure on a Jet2CityBreak, then keep reading.
In this article...
Which is Vienna’s best Christmas market?
No joke. There are Christmas markets dotted all over Vienna! You walk a few streets and you’ll soon come across the next one. Although the markets are much of a muchness, they do all have slightly different offerings and vibes. We managed to squeeze in visiting seven different ones during our 3 nights in Vienna, so I’ll give a little breakdown of each one.
As a general rule of thumb, the festive ambiance really comes to life in the evening, but that does make them all much busier. Also, all the Christmas markets in Vienna sell hot drinks in their own ceramic mug design. You can either keep them as a fun souvenir, or return them to the stall for a partial refund. I think that’s such a good idea. It prevents using disposable cups and you get to take a little bit of Vienna’s Christmas magic home with you. Win-win.
In no particular order, here’s an overview of the 7 Christmas markets we visited in Vienna.
St.Stephens Cathedral Christmas market
The Christmas market at St.Stephens Cathedral isn’t the biggest. However, what it lacks in size, it certainly makes up for in ambiance. When darkness falls, St.Stephens Cathedral gets illuminated in a wash of purple lights which looks absolutely gorgeous against the dark nights sky and glistening Christmas tree.
We first visited this Christmas market during the day, as that was when we went up St.Stephens North tower (read about that in this blog post) and it was relatively calm, unlike when we returned later in the evening. This Christmas market has wooden stalls almost circling the Cathedral. The majority of them are trinkets and knits, with a couple bars selling mulled wine in the cute little red boot mugs.
Theres not many food stalls at St.Stephens Christmas market, although we did buy a doughnut type cake. It was stuffed with a berry jam, coated in an icing shell, and had a similar texture to a bread roll rather than a fluffy doughnut. More like an iced-bun here in England.
Although its relatively small, this market had such a charming aura, and it’s one you should certainly visit whilst in Vienna. It’s right by Graben street too, so if you really want to hit the shops, then this is a great one to fit in.
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Weihnachts Markt Hof Am
We spotted the Hof Am Christmas market whilst on a horse-drawn carriage ride around Vienna’s picturesque cobbled streets. I think it’s fair to say that this Christmas market doesn’t have the same wow factor as the one at St.Stephens Cathedral. However, its still surrounded by grand 6-story buildings, and set inside a square with Mariensaule (Madonna column) in the middle.
Am Hof had a great selection of stalls and so many tasty Austrian and European food options to try! We tried Racklette (seasoned roast potatoes covered in delicious oozy-melted cheese) along with a crispy Langos (like a super thin and crispy fried garlic bread) which was incredibly garlicky, but very enjoyable.
The fronts of the wooden huts were simply decorated with chunky white bulbs, like you’d see on a carnival float, and a starburst of fairy-lights were strung overhead. Small potted Christmas trees were dotted about, and there was a beautifully illuminated arched entrance sign welcoming you into Weihnachts Markt am Hof.
They had plenty of lovely handmade gift items in this market too, from wooly scarfs, to glass ornaments and wooden keychains. To goodies like rich lavender body-butter, sweet honey and blocks of tasty Alpine cheese from The Cheese Gentleman.
All foodies should put Am Hof at the top of their list, as this is a brilliant Christmas market for anyone looking to indulge in tasty delights.
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Belvedere palace Christmas market
The Belvedere palace Christmas market is strikingly beautiful. How could it not be when the backdrop is a pristine white palace?!
I recommend entering via the South entrance, where you’ll walk through a pair of grand gates with the palace in the distance. From this entrance you’ll be welcomed by the lake, which is a perfect spot to snap a stunning photo of the palace and its reflection.
This Christmas market is fairly small and relatively quiet compared to others. It had one single loop of around 40 market stalls in total, all running along the front of the palace. There was such a chilled, but merry atmosphere at this Christmas market. Lots of people standing beside small tables, laughing with their loved ones whilst sipping on hot mulled wine and cream-topped hot chocolates. It was a vibe.
We bought a ‘Lillet, Apfelstrudel Punsch’ which came in the cute red boot mugs. It tasted delicious. Like a cosy spiced apple rum punch. The evening we visited Belvedere palace was extra chilly, so this steaming drink was a scrumptious warm hug in a mug.
This market had a good variety of stalls. We saw tree decorations, mesmerising stainless steel wind chimes, jewellery, crafting stamps, fluffy slippers, and crockery to name a few.
As for food items, there was roasted chestnuts and Kasekrainer, which is similar to a hot dog. Although they hollow out the crusty bread roll, and then slide the sausage in! They had a choice of plain, spicy or cheese infused sausages. We went for the latter.
There was a small carousel at this market, although that was really all there was that would interest children. I loved the laid back, friendly atmosphere of this Market. It never got overly busy either.
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Art Advent – Karlsplatz Christmas Market
This was the most unique Christmas market we visited in Vienna. It has a completely different vibe to all the others. Much more crafty and makeshift, which reminded us of the rustic type stalls you find at Glastonbury Festival.
This market is situated right In front of the Baroque style Karlskirche church and nestled beneath multiple string’s of white festoon & fairy lights. It’s known as the ‘Art Market’ so you can expect to see many handmade arts and crafts from this particular Christmas market. In fact, only handmade items are allowed to be sold here, which makes Karsplatz quite different from all the other markets in Vienna. A great one to come to if you’re looking to buy a special gift for someone.
There are a few food stalls sprinkled throughout the market, however, unlike the other Christmas markets in Vienna everything here is organic. You won’t find the popular chimney cakes or twisted Nutella pretzels here, but you will be able to try Kiachl (which is like a flat doughnut) potato goulash and Blunzengröst. If you’re wondering what that is, it’s blood sausage. Personally i’m not too keen on the idea of that one!
The heart of this market has a big open area designed for children to play and have fun. It had farmyard animals like sheep and ponies, plus stacks of hay bales which they were all throwing about and rolling around in. There was even a quirky carousel that could have been created on an episode of Scrapheap Challenge! It had two bicycles welded to the frame, and required two adults to cycle as the carousel spun on pedal-power. There weren’t any traditional carousel horses in site though, instead the kids were sat inside bird cages and on old bikes!
Karlsplatz certainly has its own unique flair, which could honestly be a little marmite. We personally loved this Christmas market because of its uniqueness. It’s a great one to come to if you would like to buy something handmade directly from the artisan.
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Prater – Wintermarkt at the Riesenradplatz
Prater amusement park has a small Christmas market sat in the shadow of Vienna’s famous (and really old) ferris wheel, which was erected way back in 1897. Told you it was old!
This Christmas market isn’t the same as the others in Vienna. Instead, this market was all about hanging out with friends whilst enjoying good food and sipping alcoholic drinks. You’ll certainly want to scratch this Christmas market from your list if you’re looking to come shopping for gifts. You really wont find them here.
This foodie market is set in the Prater square, right beneath the mighty ferris wheel that protrudes into Vienna’s skyline. Surrounded by restaurants and Vienna’s Madame Tussauds wax works museum, the buildings and signage had more of a Disney feel about them to me.
Because this market is nestled within the amusement park, surrounded by high rollercoasters and spinning funfair rides. It also reminded me a little bit of a far smaller version of Winter Wonderland in Hyde Park, London. You might want to avoid going on the rollercoasters after a couple mulled wines though!
The wooden shacks were all painted in greens and reds with patterned designs. Finished with simple artificial garlands and colourful LED rope lights.
Wintermarkt has live music performances in the evenings too, covering a variety of musical genres from pop to gospel. This is something we didn’t hear or see at any of the other Christmas markets we visited.
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Weihnachtsdorf on Maria-Theresien-Platz
Weihnachtsdorf is sandwiched between two regal buildings. Vienna’s Natural History Museum on one side, the Art History Museum on the other and the Maria Theresa memorial in the middle.
This Christmas market is fairly big, with around 70 market stalls in total. Each one decorated with trailing icicle lights and a single star in the apex of the timber roofs. As this is one of the larger Christmas markets in Vienna, they have a great variety of stalls to admire. Along with the regular items such as tree decorations, keyrings, cosy knits, and jewellery. We also spotted a cheese and dry cured meat stall.
James got the Gulasch (goulash beef) soup which is served inside a hollowed out bread bowl (if you’re wondering, no it didn’t leak out!) The little chunks of beef were tender, and packed great flavour. Other options included Kurbiscreme (pumpkin cream) or Knoblauchcreme (Garlic cream) soup, all of which cost €9.90 each.
We also tried a Baumkuchen (chimney cake) which won hands down for the best sweet-treat we tried during our time in Vienna. Although not typically Austrian, Chimney cakes are popular in a lot of european countries, and oh my goodness. They are so scrumptious. The soft dough is rolled out into a long sausage shape, then wrapped around something not too dissimilar to a rolling pin. They then get baked in the oven and you can pick from a selection of flavours.
We went for Zimt (Cinnamon) which was encased in a crunchy but sweet cinnamon sugar coating. It was steaming hot, and the soft dough easily uncoiled as we ripped bits off. Absolutely divine! If you see a Baumkuchen stall, don’t pass it by! It was totally different to the chimney cake we had in New York City.
Not many of the Christmas markets had public toilets, but this one had a big toilet block which cost €1 each if you needed to use it.
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Christkindlmarkt on the Rathausplatz
This is Vienna’s big one! Christkindlmarkt is ginormous, but so are the crowds.
Wiener Christkindlmarkt is stunning, and the backdrop of Rathaus city hall really is a site to behold. Plus this particular Christmas market goes all out with Christmas lights, decorations, rides and more. Which is something none of the others really did. Not in comparison to this one anyway.
The dense crowds did make this beautiful Christmas market tricky to navigate. It was shoulder to shoulder and a hard task to get anywhere near to the front of the displays. It’s great for festive atmosphere, but it can get a little overwhelming when it’s swarming with people. Because of that, I recommend visiting this one a smidge earlier in the day when things are a little calmer.
There is a brilliant selection of stalls here, from gourmet delights to so many gifting options including some of the best Christmas tree decorations we’ve seen during our time in Vienna. This market has it all going on; food, crafts, scenery, decorations and fun. It probably is the best Christmas market in Vienna. Sadly it just gets overwhelmingly busy, which can spoil it a bit.
Here’s everything you can expect to see at this market.
Tree of hearts
Something thats wildly different to your regular Christmas lights of wrapped presents, reindeers and penguins. Christkindlmarkt has ‘The Tree of Hearts’.
Every 30 minutes, a giant red love heart flys 75 meters across the sky to kiss the tree. The veins light up and wrap their way around the branches in a pulsating white light, until the tree turns red and flashes like a heartbeat. Eventually loads of little red hearts start appearing, lighting up inside the tree canopy.
I loved the Tree of Hearts, it was enchanting and unique.
Ice skating
There is a brilliant ice rink at Christkindlmarkt. It’s unique too, because its not just a regular rectangle shape rink. Instead, this one goes off on winding pathways that dart between the trees. It’s so pretty and illuminated with different coloured lights.
I recommend pre-booking your ice-skating slot as the queues looked chaotic and never-ending. Not only that, but it’s also a smidge cheaper if you prebook your iceskating tickets online. We went back the following afternoon, but the skating queue was still quite long so we had to give it a swerve as we didn’t have long before it was time to fly home.
You’ll need to pay for skating, and then theres an additional charge on top to hire skates. Or you can bring your own skates if you have some.
Rides
Right at the heart of this Christmas market is a charming two-story carousel, which looked absolutely beautiful at night. They also have a decent sized ferris wheel here, giving you a fantastic aerial view over the entire Christmas market.
Although it wasn’t half as pretty during the day, it did mean we could actually browse all the market stalls with ease which was far more enjoyable. It’s actually where we ended up doing most of our gift buying. We got gingerbread trees for our boys, Christmas tree decorations and some hazelnut chocolate for family and friends.
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Which UK airport’s can you fly with Jet2?
Jet2 now fly from 13 different airports across the UK, so you should be able to find one that’s fairly painless to get to. We flew from Bristol as thats the closest to our neck of the woods. I always like it when we can fly from there, as the airport is relatively small which makes navigating your way around rather straightforward.
Jet2 have many flights departing from Bristol airport, but If Bristol isn’t your closest option, here’s the list of all the other UK airports you can currently fly from with Jet2.
Belfast (BFS), Birmingham (BHX), Bournemouth (BOH), Bristol (BRS), East Midlands (EMA), Edinburgh (EDI), Glasgow Intl (GLA), Leeds Bradford (LBA), Liverpool John Lennon Airport (LPL), London Stansted (STN), Manchester (MAN), Newcastle (NCL) and London Luton (LTN).
Jet2 now fly to over 75 European destinations, making them the third largest airline in the UK. Plus all their Jet2CityBreaks are fully ATOL and ABTA-protected, so you can relax knowing your holiday’s in safe hands.
Jet2 online check in
Checking-in online with Jet2 was so straight forward and simple to do, i’m convinced even your technophobe relative would be able to do it! You’re able to check in online anywhere from 28 days, up until 6 hours before departure, you’ll just need your booking reference and passport details to hand.
During the check-in process you’ll be able to add on any extras that you may like or need. For example, things like in-flight meals, airport parking and extra baggage (not that you should need it as you already get a generous allowance of 1x10kg and 1x22kg per person). As flights to Vienna are just shy of 2.5 hours, we didn’t buy any cooked meals. Instead, we settled for a classic pot of Pringles from the airport.
Once checked in, you’ll be able to select if you want to print out your boarding pass, or have it digitally. We went for the latter, and electronically added the boarding passes to our Apple wallets. This felt so streamlined in comparison to pulling out a slightly crumpled piece of paper. Instead, we could just grab our phones, double click, and up they popped. Effortless.
Airport parking
We booked our airport parking direct with Bristol Airport, and used the cheaper option of Silver Zone parking. This carpark is slightly further away, so you drop your car off, and leave your car key with them. Then take the shuttle bus to the airport which runs every 15 minutes.
I recommend booking your airport parking either with Jet2 (for simplicity) or direct on the airports website. I’ve heard many horror stories about using cheaper outsider companies, which can sometimes be a little dodgy. Personally I would avoid using them. Even if it does save you a little money. It’s probably not be worth the risk.
Jet2 Flight from Bristol to Vienna
It’s all self service at the Jet2 check-in counter at Bristol airport. Thankfully there are plenty of friendly Jet2 staff nearby to help if you’re looking a little baffled on what to do. You’ll need to scan your boarding pass at one of the self-serve kiosks, which will then print out luggage tags for the bags you want to check in. Simply attach the sticky label to your hold luggage handle (the screen shows you how), wheel it over to the belt, press the button and wave it goodbye!
We then went straight up through Bristol airports new and improved security, where you no longer need to remove liquids or electronics from your carry-on bags. This drastically sped up the process, and the entire check in and security ordeal took us less than 20 minutes to get through.
After a quick breakfast stop, it was time to make our way to the gate and begin boarding the plane. This was done in 3 priority groups; A, B & C which helped ease congestion on our full flight. Our seats were at the rear of the plane on the last row, making them super easy to locate.
Overhead lockers were pretty full with luggage and thick winter coats, so we just kept our rucksacks by our legs. We still had enough leg room for a short-haul flight. James had a little less space, but he is 6ft 2, whereas I’m 5ft 7 and was fine.
The plane is illuminated with red lights as you board, and they play the iconic ‘Hold My Hand’ by Jess Glynne, which you’ll recognise from all the Jet2 TV ads! The safety briefing instructions are demonstrated by the Jet2 cabin crew, but we found the audio amusing because it was the same male and female voices from the TV ads. All very on-brand.
Our flight out was on-time, we just had to wait 5 minutes for air traffic control to grant us access to the runway. I popped on my noise cancelling headphones, read a Christmas themed book on Kindle, and before I knew it we were starting to make our decent down into Austria.
How to get from VIE to the city centre
Airport transfers aren’t included with Jet2CityBreaks, so you’ll need to figure out any onward travel yourself. Luckily, there are a few options to get from VIE into the city centre.
CAT
First up there is the CAT (City Airport train) which will take you directly from the airport to Wien Mitte. It runs every 30 minutes between 5:37am to 11:38pm (very precise, I know). Single tickets cost €14.90pp, whilst a return will set you back €24.90 each. Even though under 15’s are free, I’ve seen a lot of people advising you avoid using this as it’s too expensive. Especially if theres more than two of you.
Taxi
The most simple option is to grab one of the taxis which are all ready and waiting right outside the arrivals terminal. I can’t comment on how much these cost as we didn’t use a taxi. We used Uber instead, which is my next option.
Uber
The Uber app explains where you need to go, but you basically have to go up a level inside the airport. To do so, follow the signage that says ‘check in arrivals’ (which is a little confusing!) But you’ll then be able to exit the building on the correct level. This is the only place you’ll be able to get the Uber from, not the level below. Only taxi’s go there.
Also, a lot of the Ubers will have light up yellow ‘Taxi’ signs on their roof. Again, a little confusing. But it will be charged through your Uber app.
Imperial Riding School Hotel in Vienna
Our Jet2CityBreak hotel of choice was the Imperial Riding School Autograph Collection and oh-my-goodness, it did not disappoint. This terracotta hotel is seriously stunning, both inside and out. I already had high hope as the photos on Jet2’s website looked beautiful, but it was even fancier in real life. Not to mention how the foyer area always smelt like freshly cut crisp apples!
If you would like to know more about this gorgeous hotel, check out my Imperial Riding School review!
Was the hotel’s location good?
We love exploring cities on foot, purely because you stumble across so many great places along the way. Thats actually how we managed to find somewhere for a roast dinner in NYC on Christmas day!
The location of The Imperial Riding School was ideal for us. It was only a 15 minute walk to the beautiful Belvedere Palace, and about 25 minutes in the other direction to reach St.Stephens Cathedral. Which is roughly 2.1K/1.3 miles away.
Public transport is super popular and reliable, plus there are trams running all over Vienna. So that’s also an option if you didn’t want to always walk everywhere like we did. However, we thought the location of Imperial Riding School was perfect.
The hotel does sit beside a railway line, however we never heard it from our room. This is where it is on a map
Return flights from Vienna to Bristol
Vienna airport feels a little disjointed to me. We had to leave the main terminal, cross the road and check-in inside a different building. Once we dropped off our bags, we crossed back over the road back into the main airport building. There are a few shops and a Burger King on the first level, you’ll then go through another section for security (liquids and electronics need to be removed here, unlike Bristol) again, a few more shops and a bar here. Then you’ll get to the next part which is passport control.
Once you’re through passport control there are only a couple shops and restaurants. One serves traditional Austrian food, the other more of a light bite Italian, and then a take away cafe with pastries and sandwiches.
Once you’ve gone through each section you can’t get back through, so if you see somewhere you fancy eating, or something you want to buy. Make sure you go whilst you’re there, as Vienna International Airport doesn’t come to a big open area of shops and restaurants all in one place.
Although our plane arrived in Vienna on time, a warning light appeared on one of the switches after landing. This resulted in engineers needing to take a look, which did cause a small delay to our return flight. Thankfully they got it fixed and we were able to board after 45 minutes. The staff kept us updated, and in the grand scheme of airport delays this was very minimal.
Tips for visiting Vienna
Currency – Euros. A lot of places accepted card, but some were cash only. The majority of the Christmas market stalls only accepted cash, along with the carriage rides and some of the rides at Prater. Therefor, I recommend taking both with you.
Language – German. However most people spoke good English.
Water – The tap water in Vienna is safe and drinkable. They have free water refill stations dotted all over the city. So save your money, you don’t need to buy bottled water.
Tips – Aren’t included at restaurants, nor are they compulsory. However, we did find all the waiters asked if we wanted to leave one when settling the bill. We went for 10-15%, but thats down to your own discretion.
Conclusion
We had the best long weekend exploring Vienna on a winter adventure with Jet2CityBreaks. It felt really festive, Christmas markets were abundant and we loved how welcoming and friendly all the locals were. Vienna has so much to offer, with endless things to do and places to eat. Take a look at my post ‘18 Best Things to Do in Vienna‘.
The Jet2 flight times were also brilliant, I don’t know if we just got lucky? But our travel days worked out perfectly due to the flight times. We left the UK at 8am, which meant we got a good half day in Vienna upon our arrival. As for our departure, our flight wasn’t until 8pm, meaning we had another great full day of exploring.
We would revisit Vienna, and fly with Jet2 again in a heartbeat. We were both really impressed with the entire trip, including the hotel and service that we received. If you fancy a winter adventure to get in the festive spirit, then be sure to take a look at Jet2’s holidays to Vienna!
Thanks again to Jet2 for giving us this incredible opportunity!
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