David is a freelance travel writer based in Melbourne, Australia. He has also lived as a digital nomad in Europe for several years, happily visiting castles and getting lost on hiking trails. His work has appeared in Skylife Magazine, Fodors, and Matador Network.
David is a freelance travel writer based in Melbourne, Australia. He has also lived as a digital nomad in Europe for several years, happily visiting castles and getting lost on hiking trails. His work has appeared in Skylife Magazine, Fodors, and Matador Network.
Hi, I'm David!David is a freelance travel writer based in Melbourne, Australia. He has also lived as a digital nomad in Europe for several years, happily visiting castles and getting lost on hiking trails. His work has appeared in Skylife Magazine, Fodors, and Matador Network.
Hi, I'm David!David is a freelance travel writer based in Melbourne, Australia. He has also lived as a digital nomad in Europe for several years, happily visiting castles and getting lost on hiking trails. His work has appeared in Skylife Magazine, Fodors, and Matador Network.
Despite their different origins, tour organizers Kamilla Reti and Rita Zibar both spent enough time in Vienna growing up to know that they one day wanted to live in the city, and as Rita— whose father is from Vienna—says: “I am now living the dream … and I’m really grateful for it.”
For Hungarian-born Kamilla, who grew up with an annual tradition of visiting Vienna’s Christmas markets from her hometown of Sopron, leading tours of the “Christmas market experience for others is one of the coolest things I can do.”
Since its inception in 2017, the Christmas Market Vienna Tour has, according to Rita, given visitors “a deeper insight into what the Christmas culture is in Vienna.” And by putting aside Vienna’s fascinating historical attractions, Kamila says the tour is able to focus on “doing only fun stuff—like tasting nice drinks and food, [and] telling stories.”
Vienna is a city that truly transforms with the arrival of the festive season. The energy shifts with the coming of Christmas, with “people singing and playing jolly music in the streets” at public concerts, and “families and friends just enjoying the season of love,” according to Rita.
That’s not to say that the city isn’t an interesting destination to visit at other times of year—but “[winter] is one of the most beautiful and remarkable seasons in Vienna,” per Rita.
Christmas markets play a major role during the holidays in Vienna, too, with countless markets scattered throughout the city serving as festive hubs with Christmas trees, light displays, and stalls selling handicrafts and food. Displays such as the illuminated heart–dotted tree outside the Rathaus remain a favorite aspect of the markets for Kamilla, adding to the city’s “bright, cozy, loving” feeling at this time of year.
Festive foods and drinks are a large part of the Christmas market experience. And while there are many foods to try, Kamilla favors the commonly-found oven potatoes and mulled wine “from the time [I] visited the markets with my family” over other seasonal staples including Christmas cookies and punsch.
As for finding typical Viennese dishes, Rita recommends “visiting the Zwolfv Apostelkeller because it is a must when you come to visit Vienna,” thanks to its centuries-old underground decor.
To get a drink that’s not mulled wine or punch, Kamila and Rita point travelers to the retro student vibes of Cafe Europe for an Aperol spritz, or the Chapel Bar—“the holiest speakeasy in Vienna”—found by pulling the bottom right corner of the picture of a nun in the restroom of the Let's Be Frank eatery.
Christmas markets are prime destinations for travelers looking to shop while in Vienna, and you’ll find different things for sale depending on the market. Rita favors the Spittelberg Christkindlmarkt on the tour over some of the more central ones as its “more cozy and authentic,” while Kamilla says “one of the most loved locations amongst locals in the outer districts is the Wild im West winter market,” thanks to its vintage flea market and hipster vibe.
If you want to continue shopping beyond Christmas market stalls, Kamilla vouches for the pop-up stores by Rahatlook, as their “handpicked vintage pieces are great quality and the whole shopping experience is just amazing.”
If being close to Vienna’s most popular Christmas markets in the first district is a priority, stay at the elegant Hotel Sans Souci. Alternatively, ZOKU Vienna provides easy access to the seasonal markets at the Prater Amusement Park and the brand new market at the Messe Wien Exhibition Congress Center.
Those who love staying in hostels (and want to share Vienna’s festive atmosphere with other travelers) should book in at the Joe & Jo hostel by Vienna’s Westbahnhof train station, a cool establishment with lots of communal spaces.
Shopping and eating at Christmas markets aren’t the only things to do while in Vienna at this time of year. Ice skating outside the Rathaus is ideal for “an enjoyable time with your loved ones under the Christmas lights,” according to Rita. She also highlights the free public concerts—in a wide range of genres—held at Praterstern and in the Museumsquartier.
For a wonderful (and free!) view of the city skyline, Kamilla recommends taking “a look at the city from the rooftop of the IKEA building at Westbahnhof … as they also have a special Christmas Market up there”.
