Advent in Vienna 2025 began across most of the city on November 14 and will run until December 26. I wandered through its streets and squares to discover what this year’s edition offers, an event that has drawn visitors from all over the world.
by Tina LončarNovember 27, 2025
Although we did not travel to Vienna with the intention of sightseeing under the holiday lights, we wandered through squares decorated with Christmas trees and patiently stood in enormous lines for kaiserschmarrn with powdered sugar and strawberries at Stephansplatz. It would feel almost sacrilegious to visit the Austrian capital during the famous Viennese Advent and not do at least one proper tour of the city. Even though Vienna was wrapped in a winter colder and harsher than anything I have felt in years, grey, windy and a little unforgiving, we pulled on every sweater in our fashion arsenal and set off to walk through the streets and squares without any plan. After finally getting our Wiener schnitzels at the cult Schnitzelwirt, following what is apparently an entirely normal wait in the freezing cold, and understanding why even Ed Sheeran leaves that place happy, we had more than enough energy and enthusiasm to see what the Advent that many call the most beautiful in Europe has to offer.
Our very first stroll down Mariahilfer Straße, with decorated shop windows and glowing holiday ornaments above rivers of people, hinted that Vienna truly lives for Advent. The fact that most of the Christmas markets around the city squares open as early as mid November says enough about how eagerly the city awaits the magic of Christmas. Vienna has turned its Advent into a tourist attraction, and it seems to be a very profitable one. In the three days that I spent wandering the city, I heard languages from every corner of the world. But let us leave financial reports and tourist projections aside. Unlike Zagreb’s Advent, which is mostly concentrated around the center, Vienna’s is more spread out. Every major square has its own Christmas market, yet each one stands on its own. Walking from one to the next should not be too much of a challenge, even with the cold relentlessly biting your cheeks. Once the sun sets, illuminated Vienna, with its architecture spanning a palette of styles from Baroque and Gothic to Art Nouveau, is a spectacular sight even without any decorations. Still, after my romantic soul had its fill of the poetry of Vienna at night, I decided to return to the city in daylight and explore everything its Advent has to offer, as thoroughly and patiently as my cold sensitive nature allowed. These are some of the Advent locations that impressed me the most.
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Stephansplatz, located in the very heart of Vienna, is especially striking at night when St. Stephen’s Cathedral (Stephansdom) and its Gothic facade are lit up in dramatic red light. This is likely the oldest market in the city, first mentioned as far back as 1626, but what truly fuels its popularity is not its long history but its location. Anyone determined to shop their way through the city will probably end up at Stephansplatz in the end, tired, cold and craving mulled wine. Around the modestly decorated tree and the cathedral, clusters of wooden stalls offer traditional Austrian crafts, Christmas ornaments and souvenirs, while the air fills with the irresistible scent of holiday favorites like hot punch and roasted chestnuts. One thing you simply cannot miss is the enormous line across from the cathedral, where people wait for kaiserschmarrn. We did not try it, but there is probably a good reason why this version of the classic shredded pancake is more popular than others in the city.
I had been told that the Christmas market in front of the City Hall (Rathaus) is the most famous and the best in all of Viennese Advent, and who can resist the title of the best? It is so popular that people simply call it the Wiener Christkindlmarkt. We all know the scene, the huge glittering arch in holiday colors with the Rathaus tower rising behind it and the charming retro carousel spinning nearby. For me, that alone was reason enough to travel across town to see it. And truly, the moment you get close to Rathausplatz, it becomes clear why this market has such a brilliant reputation.
The sun that graced us that morning after days of grey clouds felt perfectly timed, adding an unexpected spark of euphoria to our walk. The impressive Neo Gothic building in the background looks like a set from a Christmas film, and the entire square and park are transformed into a shimmering holiday stage, filled with countless wooden stalls humming with laughter and chatter. The atmosphere is lively, children are skating or riding colorful carousels while their parents chat casually and sip punch. Everything smells of mulled wine, roasted chestnuts and warm spices. As for the food, traditional regional dishes are everywhere. You can find sweets like Buchteln and Baumkuchen, baked potatoes straight from the oven, and even Wiener schnitzel and Schinkenfleckerl. I know, you need a small dictionary for all of it. Although I am not someone who faints over holiday decorations and I often take a grinch like tone when it comes to Advents, kitsch and overenthusiasm, the Rathausplatz Christmas market is the closest I have come to feeling true Advent magic. And I would go again.
I love palaces and castles, that sense of grandeur from another era that invites you to imagine who you might have been if you had lived there at that time. I love them even more when they are surrounded by parks and gardens once walked by aristocrats who chatted about books, philosophy or perhaps Sacher tortes. It is no surprise that Schönbrunn Palace, one of Vienna’s most recognizable landmarks, had been on my bucket list as a place I absolutely had to visit. The former summer residence of the Habsburg dynasty is a lavish Baroque complex with hundreds of rooms, grand halls and richly decorated interiors, and it is complemented by grounds arranged in the style of a charming French garden.
On the day I convinced my travel companions to visit Schönbrunn, Vienna was covered with a thin sheet of the season’s first snow. The sun was melting it relentlessly, yet the sight of the Christmas market, with crowds of people who had the same idea as me, looked especially idyllic. In front of the palace stood a large Christmas tree, holiday decorations, carousels and countless wooden stalls selling traditional crafts and delicious Austrian specialties. What I appreciated most, after several days of marathon Wiener schnitzel tasting, was the chance to walk through the palace gardens, take a break from the bustle of the market and stretch my legs in the vast park that had been lightly dusted with snow.
What truly sets Vienna’s Christmas markets apart is the backdrop provided by the elegance of the city’s architecture. Art Advent at Karlsplatz is magical precisely because of this. Set in front of the stunning Baroque façade of the Karlskirche, which looks especially charming at night when light spills around its impressive columns, the Karlsplatz Advent market stands out for another reason as well. More than most other Advent locations in the city, Karlsplatz is focused on art, crafts and handmade goods. The selection usually includes artworks, clothing, jewelry and accessories, holiday decorations, ceramics and much more. If you are looking for something unique and original, Art Advent at Karlsplatz is the place to be.
Unlike the large and well known locations of Vienna’s Advent, what struck me as especially charming were the small neighborhood markets. They are the kind of spontaneous stops you stumble upon while wandering the city without a plan, chasing the must see spots. Tucked into little Viennese squares, they feel like perfect places to pause in December, drink mulled wine and dissect the latest gossip with a friend, soak in a hint of holiday spirit on your way back from the market on a weekend or simply waste time during a lazy December walk with your dog.
These small markets have a sense of intimacy and absence of pretension. They feel relaxed and seem to attract locals who want a break from the hectic pace the city takes on during Advent. The good news is that there are no endless lines for kaiserschmarrn that look as if someone is handing out low interest loans, and the air smells of perfectly roasted chestnuts, cinnamon and wine. It seems that Advent in Vienna even managed to disarm the cynic in me, the one who ended up there completely by accident. The most important recipe for enjoying it is simple, let yourself sink into the energy of Christmas time in Vienna. And yes, do not forget your gloves.
Photo: private archive
