Vienna is often slow to shed its colourful autumn clothes in November. But winter does not arrive with the first snowfall, but with the opening of the Christmas markets in the squares of the Austrian capital.
The smell of pine needles, cinnamon apples, gingerbread, sausages and punch, Christmas carols, thousands of lights and touching nativity scenes — this is the spirit of Catholic Advent that floats through the streets and fills hearts with joy.
If you're lucky enough to be in Vienna at Christmas, don't miss one of the many markets with surprises for children and adults alike.
The most popular and famous Christmas market in Vienna
Vienna's most important markets opens on 16 November on Rathausplatz. The Old Town Hall is decked out like a lady of honour on her way to a ball.
It is particularly beautiful in the evening when the illuminations come on. But the neighbouring buildings are just as beautiful. Even the trees in the square have strings of snowflakes and scarlet hearts. But the main tree at this time of year is, of course, the giant Christmas tree.
In front of the Town Hall there is an entire town lined up with stalls offering sweets and souvenirs.
Painted gingerbread, glazed apples, roasted chestnuts, wooden and ceramic figurines, candlesticks and Christmas decorations, magnets and postcards — everything is so beautiful that you might even want to buy the price tags, which are almost more elaborate than the goods.
Don't miss the famous Mannerschnitten waffles at one of the stalls. It's hard to decide whether to take a ride on the merry-go-round and buy a waffle afterwards, or to crunch on a sweet waffle while you're on the merry-go-round?
The Christmas Post also operates at the main fair every year: the Blue House sells special Christmas stamps, and the postman puts a special festive stamp on the greetings card.
Not only does the frost make your cheeks freeze, but you might even try to crawl under your jacket? It is time to warm up in the town hall. Children can learn how to bake real gingerbread, make Christmas decorations and decorate presents, while parents can listen to the best church choirs on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.
Popular Christmas carols stay outdoors — serious academic pieces are performed under the vaults of the City Hall.
Vienna's main Christmas market is also the busiest. The markets in the rest of the Austrian capital are just as lively and fun.
Schoenbrunn Palace and its Christmas atmosphere
The Christmas Village in front of Schönbrunn Palace offers a wide range of goods. Amongst the mass-produced decorations and handicrafts you will find amazing handmade items.
Every year a live spruce is placed in front of the main facade of the palace. And the tradition of keeping warm with hot drinks is being broken: the amount of alcohol in the stalls is being reduced, and cold visitors are kept warm by infrared heaters.
Children will have no time for the cold, with fun rides, fairytale characters and a Christmas workshop. On 5 and 6 December, St Nicholas will be wandering around the tents. Watch out, naughty children: the evil Krampus might be hiding behind the good St Nicholas.
Other popular Christmas markets in Vienna
The biggest range of family fun is to be found in the Prater Park, where the winter fair opens every year. The main attraction is the 65-metre Ferris wheel, which has been turning for two hundred years.
Adventure rides, Christmas train rides, clown shows and Christmas pageants await the little ones in the park. The best hot cakes and gingerbread men for the little ones can be found at the market stalls.
The festive train also takes visitors around the Christmas market in front of Belvedere Palace. Along the way you can see which stalls are most attractive.
Vendors offer traditional souvenirs, a variety of Christmas decorations for the home, sweet pastries and meat delicacies. For the little ones, there's a merry-go-round with Santa's reindeer.
And at dusk, when the castle facades are lit up like the windows of Marie and Fritz Stahlbaum's house on Christmas Eve, you and your children can relive the story of The Nutcracker and the Mouse King. If you book your tickets in advance, you can see the wonderful production of The Nutcracker at the Vienna State Opera.
The Advent market on Maria Theresa Square located between the Museum of Natural History and the Museum of Art Hisotry is aglow with lights, music and the smell of Christmas sweets. The stalls offer handicrafts, original souvenirs and sweet gifts. By the way, The Museum of Natural History and the Museum of Art History are preparing a special pre-Christmas programme for children.
The market on St Stephen's Square is small, but St Stephen's Cathedral is incredibly beautiful with its artistic lighting. The range of souvenirs is as good as anywhere else, but you can't take everything — a large gingerbread house, for example, won't fit into a suitcase.
If the weather doesn't allow long walks, head for the small flower shop on the square rather than the big shopping centre, which sells pretty Christmas wreaths.
But Karlsplatz really does look like a village during Advent, with wooden kiosk towers interspersed with haystacks. Also covered in snow is the fountain in front of the Karlskirche, which is transformed into a sheep and pony pen in winter.
Children feed the sheep and ride the ponies in a scene reminiscent of the birth of Christ.
Christmas Village Campus University of Vienna will enchant visitors with its traditional Viennese atmosphere. Lovingly designed and decorated market stalls along the many narrow streets offer beautiful Christmas gifts as well as delicious mulled wine.
Christmas in Vienna looks very different in the narrow streets of Spittelberg. Does this part of the capital need more decoration when the yellow windows of the old houses and the Christmas wreaths on the doors remind you of stories by Dickens, Andersen or Hoffmann?
Whether you're looking for exquisite gifts, colourful toys or a touch of fairytale magic, you'll find it all in the pedestrian zone between Breitgasse and Stiftgasse.
A tip: Finding a parking space in Vienna is almost impossible during the pre-holiday period. The city centre is usually closed and the surrounding areas are jammed with cars and buses. It is advisable to park outside the city centre and take a stroll through the elegant streets.
More than two dozen pre-Christmas markets take place in the Austrian capital every year. If you are planning a Christmas holiday with children in Vienna, bear in mind that the large Christmas markets close at noon on 24 December, while the smaller ones close until 23 December.
