Finding cities in Europe that celebrate Christmas and New Year’s Eve isn’t difficult. But few go the extra mile for the festive season quite like Vienna. The Austrian capital wholeheartedly embraces the season, with the city looking, smelling, and sounding like the holidays. Whether you’re craving typical Austrian delicacies or longing to see Vienna decked out in lights, you can find seasonal things to do in Vienna at Christmas and on New Year’s Eve to suit every taste. Find out what to do in Vienna on New Year's Eve and during Christmas with these Yuletide activities.
Vienna is famous for its coffeehouse culture, but it’s not coffee and cake that are the focus of most Austrian Christmas traditions. Wander around or take a guided tour through the Christmas markets in Vienna to try a barrage of Vienna Christmas specialties, including bauernkrapfen (large jam-filled donuts), käsekrainer (sausages filled with cheese), and of course, the traditional glühwein (mulled wine). Visit local restaurants in Vienna, and you’re almost guaranteed to see another Vienna Christmas tradition—martinigansl (roast goose)—on the menu.
Visit any Christmas market in Vienna and you’ll catch an elaborate lights display. But the grander illuminations are reserved for the inner city’s pedestrian streets, particularly the Graben, featuring iconic chandeliers. A holiday lights tour of Vienna isn’t complete without the fireworks in Vienna on New Year's Eve, which light up the sky across the city. The display includes a combination of official and amateur fireworks. Catch it from Heroes’ Square (Heldenplatz) or the nearby Rathausplatz.
Music is such a big part of Vienna’s identity and appeal, and you’ll find many Christmas events in Vienna that revolve around music. Numerous churches around the city host ViennaChristmas concerts that visitors can attend, including St. Peter’s Church and the Capuchin Church. You can also experience concerts held at Schönbrunn Palace, combining a festive musical experience with the palace’s Christmas market.
There’s no better time for revelry than New Year's Eve in Vienna, as parties spring up around the city. From fancy galas and balls in palaces to club parties serving up electronic, techno, jazz, and pop music, there’s a New Year's Eve party in Vienna to suit your style. Alternatively, head to lively Graben or Rathausplatz to join the large gathering of people dancing as they await the New Year's Eve countdown in Vienna.
There’s no better way to experience Austria’s frigid temps in a festive manner than ice skating in Vienna over the holidays. The Wiener Eislauf-Verein, next to the Vienna Concert House, is an open-air ice skating rink that’s open year-round. Or, you can head to the seasonal skating course outside the Rathaus that runs through the park during winter. Once there, you can glide under the park’s inventive illuminations and warm up afterward with a cup of hot chocolate or mulled wine.
Although Vienna isn’t always the best destination for travelers who want to watch their spending, New Year's Eve is one time of year when you won’t miss out if you're on a budget. Each evening during the holiday season, you’ll find a trail of stages set up around the city center, hosting all sorts of free live performances as part of Silvesterpfad, Vienna’s annual street party. Later, as the bells of St. Stephen's Cathedral ring in the New Year, you can join a free dance class as everyone breaks out into the waltz.
Lines for Vienna's most popular attractions are common, especially in summer and the lead-up to Christmas. But one of the best Vienna holiday travel tips is that many attractions remain open over Christmas Day and New Year's Day, including Schönbrunn Palace, the Albertina, and the Jewish Museum. You can even find guides willing to give tours on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, a great opportunity to help you make the most of your time sightseeing. Just make sure to check the holiday hours of these attractions, as some close earlier than usual on certain dates.
The religious aspect of Christmas is alive and well in Vienna and Austria, so you won’t have much trouble finding religious services in Vienna around the holidays. As you don’t mind experiencing mass in German, you can attend Christmas Eve services across the many churches of different denominations around Vienna’s historical center.
Christmas markets in Vienna do a great job of making a holiday visit to the city suitable for the whole family, from serving alcohol-free punch to creating play areas such as the hay-filled one at the Karlsplatz Christmas market. But the Vienna Prater Park is another excellent hub for family-friendly activities for your Vienna Christmas visit. The park’s attractions, its iconic Ferris wheel, and Madame Tussauds Vienna all remain open during the festive season.
If you have souvenirs or gift-giving on your mind, you’re spoiled for choice in Vienna at the end of the year. The many Christmas markets around the city (that later turn into New Year’s Markets) offer some of the best holiday shopping in Vienna. Head there to pick up adorable trinkets and special handicrafts if you’re coming for Christmas or New Year's Eve celebrations in Vienna. Of course, shopping spots such as Naschmarkt and Mariahilfer Strasse offer less seasonal shopping—and you may end up getting some post-holiday sale finds.