Vienna's Christmas markets open in three waves in November 2026: Schönbrunn Palace and Stephansplatz on 6 November, the Wiener Christkindlmarkt on Rathausplatz and most others on 13 and 14 November, and Belvedere, Maria-Theresien-Platz and the Prater on 20 November. They close in waves too: six on 23 December, Rathausplatz and three others on 26 December, and Belvedere on 31 December. Only Schönbrunn, the Prater Wintermarkt and the Rathausplatz ice rink (closed on 31 December) carry on to 6 January 2027.
On Christmas Eve, the markets still trading close between 16:00 and 18:30. New Year's Eve belongs to the Silvesterpfad, the city's free street party, whose 2026/27 stage programme is not out yet. Every market date and hour below was read on the organiser's website, or on wien.info, the city's tourist board, on 1 October 2026.
Vienna Christmas market dates and holiday hours 2026
All dates are confirmed. A dash means the market has closed for the season. Where an organiser lists no separate Christmas hours, the table shows its daily or public-holiday hours.
| Market | Dates | 24 Dec | 25–26 Dec | 31 Dec | 1–6 Jan |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rathausplatz (Wiener Christkindlmarkt) | 13 Nov–26 Dec | 10:00–18:30 | 10:00–22:00 | – | – |
| Rathausplatz ice rink | 13 Nov–6 Jan | 10:00–18:30 | 10:00–22:00 | Closed | 10:00–22:00 |
| Schönbrunn Palace | 6 Nov–6 Jan | 10:00–16:00 | 10:00–19:00 | 10:00–19:00 | 10:00–19:00 |
| Prater Wintermarkt | 20 Nov–6 Jan | 11:00–17:00 | 11:00–22:00 | 12:00–02:00 | Until 22:00 |
| Belvedere Palace (K&K market) | 20 Nov–31 Dec | 11:00–17:00 | 10:00–21:00 | 11:00–17:00 | – |
| Stephansplatz | 6 Nov–26 Dec | 11:00–16:00 | 11:00–19:00 | – | – |
| Maria-Theresien-Platz | 20 Nov–26 Dec | 11:00–16:00 | 11:00–16:00 | – | – |
| Schwarzenbergplatz | 13 Nov–26 Dec | 11:00–16:00 | 11:00–16:00 | – | – |
| Freyung, Am Hof, Spittelberg, Karlsplatz, university campus, Türkenschanzpark | 13 or 14 Nov–23 Dec | – | – | – | – |
| Hirschstetten botanical gardens | 12 Nov–20 Dec | – | – | – | – |
Every Vienna Christmas market in 2026, by closing date
Hours can change; check the organiser's page the week you travel.
Open into January 2027
- Schönbrunn Palace Christmas Market: 6 November 2026 to 6 January 2027 in the palace's main courtyard (Ehrenhof), daily 10:00–21:00 until 23 December, 10:00–16:00 on 24 December and 10:00–19:00 from 25 December (organiser). Entry is free. Take the U4 to Schönbrunn, or tram 10 or 60 or bus 10A to Schloss Schönbrunn.
- Prater Wintermarkt on Riesenradplatz: 20 November 2026 to 6 January 2027, Monday to Friday 12:00–22:00, weekends and public holidays 11:00–22:00, 11:00–17:00 on 24 December and 12:00–02:00 on New Year's Eve (organiser). It stands at the foot of the Giant Ferris Wheel, entry is free, and free concerts start at 19:00 from Wednesday to Sunday. Praterstern (U1, U2) is about three minutes' walk away.
- Rathausplatz ice rink (Eistraum am Christkindlmarkt): 13 November 2026 to 6 January 2027, daily 10:00–22:00, until 18:30 on 24 December and closed on 31 December (christkindlmarkt.at).
Open until 31 December
- K&K Christmas Market at Belvedere Palace: 20 November to 31 December 2026, Monday to Friday 11:00–21:00, weekends and public holidays 10:00–21:00, and 11:00–17:00 on 24 and 31 December (organiser). wien.info lists a 14:00 close; trust the organiser's 21:00. Themed on the imperial and royal (K&K) era, it has at most 35 huts in front of the Upper Belvedere and an evening programme from 18:00. Take tram D to Schloss Belvedere, or the U1 to Hauptbahnhof.
Open until 26 December
- Wiener Christkindlmarkt, Rathausplatz: 13 November to 26 December 2026, daily 10:00–22:00, until 18:30 on 24 December, in front of City Hall (official site). Take the U2 to Rathaus, the U3 to Volkstheater, or tram 1, 71 or D to Rathausplatz/Burgtheater.
- Stephansplatz: 6 November to 26 December 2026, daily 11:00–21:00, 11:00–16:00 on 24 December and 11:00–19:00 on 25 and 26 December, in front of St Stephen's Cathedral (organiser). Take the U1 to Stephansplatz.
- Maria-Theresien-Platz: 20 November to 26 December 2026, Monday to Friday 11:00–21:00, weekends 10:00–21:00, and 11:00–16:00 from 24 to 26 December. Same organiser as Stephansplatz.
- Schwarzenbergplatz: 13 November to 26 December 2026, with the same hours and organiser as Maria-Theresien-Platz. It is new in 2026, by the Hochstrahlbrunnen fountain.
Closing on or before 23 December
- Altwiener Christkindlmarkt, Freyung: 14 November to 23 December 2026, daily 10:00–21:00 (organiser). Take the U3 to Herrengasse, or bus 1A or 2A to Freyung.
- Am Hof: 13 November to 23 December 2026, Monday to Thursday 11:00–21:00, Friday to Sunday and on 8 December 10:00–21:00, with food and drink until 22:00 (organiser). Take the U3 to Herrengasse or the U2 to Schottentor.
- Spittelberg: 13 November to 23 December 2026, Monday to Friday 14:00–21:30, weekends and public holidays 11:00–21:30, in the lanes of the Spittelberg quarter (organiser).
- Art Advent, Karlsplatz: 13 November to 23 December 2026, daily 12:00–20:00, with food until 21:00, an arts-and-crafts market (wien.info).
- University campus (Altes AKH): 13 November to 23 December 2026, Monday to Thursday 14:00–22:00, Friday 14:00–23:00, Saturday 11:00–23:00, Sunday 11:00–21:00, and 14:00–20:00 on 23 December, with rides and ice stock sport. Same organiser as Stephansplatz.
- Türkenschanzpark: 13 November to 23 December 2026, Monday to Friday 15:00–22:00, weekends and public holidays 12:00–22:00, craft stalls until 21:00 (organiser; wien.info says it opens on 14 November).
- Hirschstetten botanical gardens: a Christmas exhibition from 12 November to 20 December 2026, Thursday to Sunday 10:00–22:00 (wien.info).
Are Vienna's Christmas markets open on 24, 25 and 26 December?
Yes: seven markets and the Rathausplatz ice rink open on all three days. On Thursday 24 December they close early: Schönbrunn, Stephansplatz, Maria-Theresien-Platz and Schwarzenbergplatz at 16:00, Belvedere and the Prater Wintermarkt at 17:00, and Rathausplatz and its ice rink at 18:30.
On 25 and 26 December, public holidays in Austria, the same seven are open. Saturday 26 December is the last day for Rathausplatz, Stephansplatz, Maria-Theresien-Platz and Schwarzenbergplatz.
Which Vienna Christmas markets are open after Christmas?
Between 27 December and 6 January, four places: Schönbrunn, the Prater Wintermarkt, Belvedere and the Rathausplatz ice rink. From 27 to 30 December, Schönbrunn opens 10:00–19:00, Belvedere until 21:00, the Wintermarkt until 22:00 and the ice rink 10:00–22:00. On New Year's Eve, Belvedere closes for the season at 17:00 and the ice rink stays shut, while the Wintermarkt stays open until 02:00. From 1 January, Schönbrunn, the Wintermarkt and the ice rink remain, all until Wednesday 6 January 2027. For one more market, see Bratislava below.
New Year's Eve 2026/27 in Vienna: Silvesterpfad, Philharmonic and U-Bahn
The Silvesterpfad (New Year's Eve trail), the city's free open-air party, returns for its 35th edition. Its official site is counting down to 31 December 2026 and names eight locations, unchanged from 2025/26: Rathausplatz, Freyung, Am Hof, Graben, Stephansplatz, Kärntner Straße, Neuer Markt and the Wintermarkt on Riesenradplatz. The stage programme and hours are not out yet. Last time it ran from 14:00 on 31 December 2025 to 02:00 on 1 January 2026, and the city expected about 800,000 people at the midnight countdown (City of Vienna press release, 18 December 2025). That edition's FAQ banned fireworks and firecrackers (sparklers excepted), glass and plastic bottles, cans and bringing your own alcohol.
The Prater Wintermarkt has announced its night: open from 12:00, with a stage programme from 20:00 to 02:00 as a Silvesterpfad station.
Tugan Sokhiev conducts the Vienna Philharmonic's New Year's Concert on 1 January 2027. Tickets for it, the 30 December preview and the 31 December New Year's Eve concert are sold only by lottery, and registration closed on 28 February 2026 (Vienna Philharmonic); the orchestra advises against resale sites. To watch it for free, the Wintermarkt plans to show the concert live on its LED wall from 11:00 on 1 January 2027; last year the city also screened it at Stephansplatz. The next lottery is expected in February 2027.
The same FAQ said all U-Bahn (metro) lines and several tram and bus lines would run through the night. On 31 December 2024, Stephansplatz U-Bahn station closed from 21:00 for security reasons (MeinBezirk, 30 December 2024), so plan to walk in from another station, and check Wiener Linien, the city's transport operator, before you set out.
How do you get from Vienna Airport to the markets?
Until the end of October 2027, works close the S-Bahn (suburban rail) line through the city centre, so no airport train stops at Wien Mitte (wien.info). Take an ÖBB Railjet or Intercity to Wien Hauptbahnhof (about 15 minutes, twice an hour) or the REX 7 regional train (about 20 minutes). The S7 now ends at St. Marx, outside the centre, and the City Airport Train runs as a bus to Wien Mitte. An adult train ticket costs €5.50, including the onward journey within Vienna (wien.info, 1 October 2026). From Hauptbahnhof, the U1 runs to Stephansplatz and Praterstern.
In 2024, as in earlier years, Wiener Linien closed the Rathausplatz/Burgtheater tram stop (lines 1, D and 71) from Friday to Sunday, 15:00–22:30, because of the market crowds (MeinBezirk, 18 November 2024). If that happens again, take the U2 to Rathaus.
Day trips: Bratislava, Budapest and Prague
Bratislava is the easy one: ÖBB's REX 8 runs hourly from Wien Hauptbahnhof to Bratislava's main station (hlavná stanica) in just under an hour, and the Slovak capital's main Christmas market runs until 3 January 2027 (Bratislavské Vianoce). Budapest makes a long day: direct trains to Budapest-Keleti run every hour, and most take just under three hours; our Budapest Christmas markets guide tracks its dates. Prague is just over four hours away by direct Railjet, every two hours; its dates are in our 2026 Christmas market dates for Nuremberg, Munich, Salzburg and Prague. These times are from ÖBB's journey planner for 10 December 2026; the timetable changes on 13 December, so check your own date.
Do you need a data plan in Vienna?
It depends on where your SIM was issued, not on where you are going.
Austria is in the EU. A SIM from any EU country, Iceland, Liechtenstein or Norway, and since 1 January 2026 from Ukraine or Moldova, falls under the EU's "roam like at home" rule there: you pay home prices, within your operator's fair-use terms (European Commission). Most of those travellers need no plan for Vienna. The exceptions are a small fair-use cap, a tablet without its own SIM and a companion on a SIM from outside the EU; when EU roaming is enough covers the edge cases.
Any other SIM roams in Austria on your operator's own terms. That includes SIMs from the UK, the US, Switzerland, Turkey, Georgia, Russia, the Gulf and the Western Balkans, such as Serbia, Albania or Kosovo. That group is who a travel eSIM is for: a separate data line beside your usual number.
Vienna's free Wi-Fi helps either way: wien.info counts about 400 city hotspots, 40 of them in the 1st district, including Rathausplatz and Stephansplatz. Hotspots help at a stall, not on the walk to the next market.
For Vienna alone, the Austria eSIM page lists the current plans. For a trip that adds Bratislava, Budapest or Prague, the Europe eSIM puts Austria, Slovakia, Hungary and the Czech Republic on one plan, though not Turkey, Albania or Kosovo. Install it at home before you fly; its validity does not start until the eSIM first connects to a supported network at your destination. The installation guide has the steps. Personal hotspot is free on every Horizon plan. Horizon plans have no throttling.
Short answers
When do the Vienna Christmas markets open in 2026? Between 6 and 20 November: Schönbrunn and Stephansplatz on 6 November, Rathausplatz and most others on 13 November, and Belvedere, Maria-Theresien-Platz and the Prater Wintermarkt on 20 November.
When does the Rathausplatz Christmas market close? On 26 December 2026. It is open daily 10:00–22:00, until 18:30 on 24 December, and its ice rink stays open until 6 January 2027, except on 31 December.
Is 8 December a holiday in Vienna? Yes, a public holiday in Austria, on a Tuesday in 2026; wien.info notes that shops open. Markets that publish holiday hours open as at weekends, for example Am Hof from 10:00, Spittelberg from 11:00 rather than 14:00, and Türkenschanzpark from 12:00 rather than 15:00.
Can I get tickets for the Vienna New Year's Concert 2027? Not any more: the orchestra sells them only by lottery, and applications closed on 28 February 2026. The Prater Wintermarkt plans to show it live from 11:00 on 1 January 2027.
Do I need cash at Vienna's Christmas markets? Bring some. MAGMAG, which runs the Stephansplatz, Maria-Theresien-Platz, Schwarzenbergplatz and university campus markets, says in its undated FAQ (read on 1 October 2026) that its stalls take debit and credit cards, but advises carrying cash too. The same FAQ adds a €5 deposit for the mug with each punch or other hot drink; you may keep the mug as a souvenir. Schönbrunn's FAQ lists four cash machines on site.
