Ah, that Christmas Spirit! No place can create it as Vienna does – the capital of classical music, Waltz, Gustav Klimt, and the Viennese coffee houses. Let me show what it feels and looks like to be in Vienna in December.
Vienna’s Christmas Markets
The Christmas markets are the favorite places for visitors to Vienna in December. Like all the best traditions, they have become a good tourism product. At these markets, you can buy Christmas decorations, gifts, handmade candles, wooden statues, honey, cloth dolls, and many other interesting things. Despite the diversity of offerings, the favorite stands of everyone are the ones that sell traditional Christmas punch.
Two of the larger markets worth visiting are Altweiner Christkindlmarkt and the City Hall Christmas Market.
Altweiner Christkindlmarkt
City Hall Christmas Market
The Christmas Market at Schönbrunn Palace
Viennese Christmas Punch
The Christmas punch is traditionally made from wine, fruit, sugar, and rum, but there are many varieties in the preparation. The drink has a long history, and it is also made in Germany, England, and other countries. Its smell is the landmark aroma of any Christmas market around the world. At many of the markets, the punch comes in a different porcelain cup that you can keep if you want. The one I brought back home is with a graphic of Schönbrunn Palace on it.
Christmas Atmosphere
The streets of Vienna in December all scream CHRISTMAAAAS! Whether staring at shop windows (many of them screaming: 50% discount), drinking coffee in a café, or looking at some of the beautiful cathedrals, you will always feel the holiday spirit.
Sightseeing
Except for the Christmas Markets, these are some of the other interesting places to visit and experience in Vienna: Schönbrunn Palace (Schloss Schönbrunn), St. Stephen’s Cathedral (Stephansdom), the Natural History Museum (Naturhistorisches Museum), and Danube Tower (Dunauturm) that offers stunning views to the city.
Christmas is a magical period everywhere in the world, but here it is more than special. Through smells, tastes, colours and sounds, Vienna embraces you in a gentle but tight Christmas hug.
