GRAB GELATO & GO

Vienna is glamorous. It is surprising. And most importantly, it’s clean! After being in Vienna for about 20 minutes, I decided it was one of my favorite cities I have ever been to. Vienna makes me feel like royalty, like I am living in luxury with the finer things in life. It is a big city, but it was so beautiful, rich in history, with endless things to do, and all around a feel-good place.

We picked to go to Vienna because it was my husband’s birthday on Vienna’s Christmas Market Opening Day! I can’t think of a better way to spend a birthday. It almost felt like the whole city was celebrating Andrew with me. It was also a major airport for my mom and sister to fly back to the States from, so it makes for a convenient last destination of your trip.

Day 1: Arrive on train from Salzburg, St. Stephen’s Cathedral, Weihnachtsmarkt am Hof, Reinthaler’s Beisl, Sound of Vienna show at Kursalon, Wiener Christkindlmarkt at Rathausplatz, Drink at Bar Campari. (Also Andrew’s birthday!)

Day 2: Cafe Demel, Cafe Central, Kunsthistorisches Museum, Stephansplatz Christmas Market, Weihnachtsmarkt am Hof, Orchestra concert at St. Peter’s Cathedral

Day 3: Early train back to Frankfurt, Germany

…

Christmas Markets I’d Recommend Visiting in Vienna (pictures below in itinerary):

1. Weihnachtsmarkt am Hof
   • My personal favorite. It was the smallest out of these 3, but didn’t have any less charm. It didn’t feel as commercialized, and really put me in the Christmas spirit.
2. Wiener Christkindlmarkt at Rathausplatz
   • this is the largest one! It was complete with an ice skating rink, Ferris wheel, carousal, many many shops and places to grab mulled wine or spiked hot chocolate!
3. Stephansplatz Christmas Market:
   • This one had such a convenient location! Chances are you’re going to be near there anyway. The church in the background gives fairytale feelings. It had every kind of shop, and the cutest mug.

What to eat and drink at Vienna’s Christmas Markets?:

1. Raclette
   • Hot raclette cheese is melted and scraped off a huge wheel, just waiting to be scraped onto your potatoes.
2. Garlic or Goulash Soup from a bread bowl
3. Mulled Wine (Glühwein)
   • This is hot wine mixed usually with oranges and spices. Vienna had lavender and blueberry mulled wine that are must tries.
4. Spiked Hot Chocolate

What kinds of shops will be at the Christmas Markets?:

1. Glühwein (mulled wine)
2. Food, including specialty cheeses and meats
3. Alpaca gloves, hats, socks
4. Candles made from Austrian pine trees
5. Family Owned Liquor with fruity flavors
6. Stuffed Animals
7. Ornaments and other Christmas decorations

Do I need cash?: Some stands are cash only, but most take card. Austria uses Euros, so bring some to be prepared.

P.S. At the Christmas Markets in Austria, you pay a pfand for your mug, so if you want to keep it, you can! If you don’t want it, you get your money back in cash (even if you paid with card).

Day 1:

The train from Salzburg to Vienna was so relaxing and comfortable. I would recommend booking a comfort seat (if available) for trains longer than an hour.

We hop off the train and immediately take the U3 line to Stephansplatz. From there, we walked to the Airbnb and dropped our stuff off.

…

St. Stephen’s Cathedral:

If you take the metro to Stephansplatz, this cathedral will hit you in the face when you walk up the stairs to ground level. It is so beautiful, but we only peeked our heads in because we needed to check into our Airbnb that was just a few blocks away.

…

Weihnachtsmarkt am Hof:

Close to our Airbnb was the Weihnachtsmarkt am Hof, so we went there for our first official Christmas Market! It wasn’t as big as the others, but it had so much charm, a variety of shops, and beautiful lights. It was my favorite!

We went to Am Hof 2 nights in a row. The first night we tried lavender mulled wine and Raclette. The second night, we ate garlic soup from a bread bowl, and more raclette.

Following the lavender mulled wine was a “hot kiss” for me.

…

Late Dinner at Reinthaler’s Beisl:

I had the best lentil stew here! The restaurant isn’t super noticeable from the outside, but like my mom said, it was “low key busy.” AKA, it was packed inside but you would have no idea from the street! If you notice my mom’s stew looks a little wet, it’s because beer accidentally spilled in it! Lentil Beer Soup! (The waiter brought a new one)

…

Enjoy Christmas Decorations in the city:

…

Sound of Vienna Show at the Kursalon:

Wow! This is a must do! It was honestly an exceptional show. I really wanted to see an Opera Show at the Opera House, but we waited until the last minute to book and everything was sold out. The standing section was even unavailable. This show had an absolutely exceptional orchestra, and 2 opera singers. Amazing!

The song list included Mozart, Vivaldi, Lehar, Strauss, and Monti.

…

Wiener Christkindlmarkt at Rathausplatz:

This is the famous Christmas Market in Vienna! It did not disappoint. From carousels to ice skating to ferris wheels to spiked hot chocolate, this market had it all. I can see why Vienna is on the top of all Christmas Market lists. Some of the other Christmas Markets didn’t have benches or anywhere to sit. This one, however, had a whole walkway with benches to relax on while watching the Christmas lights twinkle.

…

Drinks at Bar Campari:

…

Day 2:

Breakfast at Cafe Demel. They open at 10 am, so you need to be there by 10 am! The line gets so crazy long. They are famous for their cakes. We ordered one of the cakes and Einspänner – Espresso with whipped cream!

Be sure to check out their shop. At least take in the smells!

…

Lunch at Cafe Central:

You should make a reservation if you want to go here! And you should want to go here! If there is no availability online, send the restaurant an email and they will most likely email you back!

The inside is so regal feeling, and the food and coffee were excellent.

…

Walk to the Museum Quarter and pick a museum to explore!

…

Kunsthistorisches Museum:

This museum is one of the best in the world. It was even awarded Tripadvisor’s Best of the Best for 2023! It has a huge Egyptian section, which was so interesting, and the largest Bruegel collection in the world. The museum itself should even be a museum. The staircases, ceilings, the entire building, was insane.

Walk to the 3rd floor for a view of the cafe!

…

Stephansplatz Christmas Market:

The Cathedral in the background was a beautiful touch to this market! It was smaller than Rathausplatz, bigger than Am Hof, but it felt more chaotic all around. The mugs were adorable (we kept them) and the shops were very fun. We bought a pine candle made on a family tree farm in Austria and a Strawberry liquor.

…

To end our night, we saw an orchestra concert in St. Peter’s Cathedral. It was fabulous!

…

What we didn’t get to do in Vienna that was on our list: (AKA, what I will be doing next time):

1. Schönbrunn Palace
   • there is a Christmas Market here, but it was not open when I was in Vienna. It apparently is amazing!
2. Belvedere Palace
3. 7 museum pass for 53 euros
4. Opera Show
5. Tour of Opera House

November 10-12, 2023