4 DAYS IN VIENNA: EXPLORING CHRISTMAS MARKETS AND MUSEUMS

MARCH 2025

Last December I was able to visit the Vienna Christmas markets. The Vienna Christmas markets had been on my bucket list for quite some time, as Vienna has some of the best Christmas decorations in the world. I had been to Vienna before, but at that time it was summer and we didn’t visit too many museums. This time I had four full days in the city and I knew that it would be a good combination of Christmas vibes & interesting museums.

Nightjet to Vienna

We went to Vienna by nighttrain with the ÖBB Nightjet. There is a direct train between Amsterdam and Vienna and it makes several stops in the Netherlands and Germany along the way. As I was traveling with a toddler, I privatized a couchette, so we had the whole room to ourselves. In the morning you are served a little breakfast. Prices depend on the day you are traveling and it seems cheaper during the week, we traveled on Monday eve and Friday eve and I paid € 600 return for the private couchette. The couchette is not the most comfortable class, but it is okay for a night. You could upgrade to a sleeper cabin if you want more luxury. I must say that I found some of the personnel of the Nighjet very rude, they didn’t empathize when there were delays and woke us for no apparent reason.

Hotel recommendation in Vienna

I traveled to Vienna with my mom and son, so I booked a three person room. I decided upon Arcotel Wimberger Wien as it seemed like it offered good value for money and was in a good location. The Arcotel is a large conference hotel and therefore has lots of ammenities, such as a gym, spa and restaurant. We really took advantage of the restaurant and had dinner in the restaurant several times. The schnitzel and steak were amazing. The breakfast spread was enormous and catered to all sorts of diets. Arcotel Wimberger Wien is close to a metro station and a large tram stop, so we could reach the city center in 15 minutes. Overall I found our stay very comfortable and would recommend it. We paid € 150 per room, which I found reasonable. Make sure to book on time because it can get busy over the holiday period.

Christmas markets

I loved being able to combine Christmas markets with cultural activities. We did this in Prague as well and it was such a good way to spend our day. Vienna is one of the most festive cities in Europe and it really lived up to the hype. We were able to visit on weekdays, during which there are less crowds. Below I will give a short breakdown of all the markets that we visited:

Christkindlmarkt: This was my favorite, it is located in front of the beautiful Rathaus and had the most elaborate decorations. I loved the heart that “flew” over the market every half hour. There also is an enormous ice skating rink. We brought little skates for Hugo and he was able to skate in the kids section for free. They also rent skates, it is quite easy to join in on the fun. This market is quite commercial, but it offered a really good variety in food.

Schloss Schönbrunn: This market has yellow stalls and is completely in the style of Schloss Schönbrunn. There is quite a lot to do on this market, it also features a little ice skating rink, a curling rink, several merry-go-rounds and a cute ferris wheel. We bought five tickets for the ferris wheel for € 20, so we could enjoy the view over the market and castle from above. I found that this market didn’t get too busy during the day, which was lovely.

Belvedere: The market is located next to the Upper Belvedere, it was only small, but atmospheric and had good music. There was a beautiful vintage merry-go-round in the middle of the market.

Karlsplatz: The Christmas market at the Karlsplatz was more crafty and alternative, we really liked this one. The Karlskirche provided a lovely backdrop and there was a little rail which had bicycles on it, so much fun for the kids. There even were some animals!

Stephansplatz: There is a large Christmas market surrounding the Stephansdom. The Stephansdom itself is beautiful and we loved the views from the terrace the last time we were in Vienna. However, we didn’t love this market. It felt a bit cramped and commercial.

We did pass by more Christmas markets; there was one dedicated to local wines, but there is a limit on how much glühwein one can drink with a toddler in a stroller, so we didn’t get to visit them all. I found that the markets definitely had their own “personality”, so there is something fun for everyone.

Lots of stores and buildings are decorated beautifully over the Christmas period. You should not miss the iconic Christmas tree & bow at Gerstner K. u. K. Hofzuckerbäcker and Popp & Kretschmer We also loved walking around Graben, enjoying the chandelier Christmas lights. From here you can walk to the Neuer markt, Kohlmarkt, Rotenturmstrasse and the Kärnter strasse and admire all the cozy lights.

Cultural activities in Vienna

Vienna is world famous for its museums and cultural activities. We did at least one cultural activity a day. Honestly, if I had more time I would have packed in even more activities, but there was a limit to how much museums a toddler will want to visit…

Austrian National Library: This is my number one cultural activity in Vienna. I absolutely loved this library and its frescos. I was wowed and so impressed. I didn’t expect it to be this beautiful. We bought our tickets on site when we arrived, there was a small queue. I can imagine that it is smart to book your tickets when you visit on a weekend.

Kunsthaus Wien: We loved the Hundertwasserhaus when we were last in Vienna so when I discovered we could see more Hundertwasser art, I immediately wrote this one down on the list. The building is in quintessential Hundertwasser style and features many artworks. If you don’t know Hundertwasser you can think of the Austrian Gaudi and that should give you an idea. There also is a lovely cafe that you can visit even when you don’t visit the museum.

Hundertwasserhaus: Definitely not to be missed. This is an apartment building designed by Hundertwasser, you cannot visit inside, but the facade is so interesting and worth a visit.

Kunsthistorisches Museum Wien: This is a museum that has a lot of classical art. I decided to visit for the beautiful entrance hall, the architecture of this building is stunning. I didn’t love the art, but that’s a matter of taste. If you want to take pictures with the entrance hall I would recommend to visit as soon as it opens. The cafe in of the museum is gorgeous as well. Worth it to visit for the building alone.

Upper Belvedere: This is the museum where you can see “The Kiss” by Klimmt. We didn’t book tickets ahead of time and they work with timeslots, you might have to be patient to get in. Definitely reserve when you visit on the weekend. The museum is small, so I do understand why they would limit the number of visitors. They also have impressionist art, very interesting collection.

Palmenhaus: We thought visiting Schloss Schönbrunn would take too much time, so we visited the iconic Palmenhaus instead. It is located in the middle of the botanic garden and wasn’t busy at Christmas at all. It is a gorgeous greenhouse, it did look bigger from the outside so we only spent 30 minutes here, but I was definitely impressed.

Lunch at Brasserie Palmenhaus: I don’t know if this can be considered a cultural activity, but including it anyway. We stopped for a spontaneous lunch at Brasserie Palmenhaus and were lucky to get a table right away. Service is quick and they had lots of healthy options. As the restaurant is located in a greenhouse, the temperatures rise quickly when the sun is shining.