Vienna Christmas Market at Rathausplatz
Wiener Christkindlmarkt48°13′ N 16°22′ EViennafrom Nov 13Seasonal
The Wiener Christkindlmarkt on Rathausplatz is Vienna's biggest Christmas market, open daily 10:00 to 22:00 from 13 November to 26 December 2026, and it suits first-timers and families who want the lit City Hall, skating and a mug of punch in one place. Weekend evenings get so crowded that a stroller barely moves.
Photo Bybbisch94 · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 4.0 and others, credited in the gallery
Vienna Christmas Market at Rathausplatz runs November 13, 2026 to December 26, 2026 · confirmed by the organizer (source)
Advent SundaysGaudete, 13 DecemberChristmas Eve
Dates and hours
- November 13, 2026 to December 26, 2026Confirmedsourcechecked Oct 10, 2026
- November 14, 2025 to December 26, 2025Announcedsourcechecked Oct 10, 2026
Hours · Mon–Sun 10:00–22:00
- Dec 24, 2026 · 10:00–18:30 (Christmas Eve closes early.)
Access and crowds
- Getting around
- The organizer's site gives no access details for 2026. The City Hall's Festsaal, where the free Advent singing takes place, is step-free through the entrance at Lichtenfelsgasse 2.
- Busiest
- Weekend evenings and the last Saturdays before Christmas pack the paths between the stalls. The organizer counts close to three million visitors a year.
- Quieter
- Weekday mornings after the 10:00 opening are the easiest time to walk the stalls with a stroller or a wheelchair.
The stalls fill the square between the neo-Gothic City Hall and the Burgtheater and spill back into the Rathauspark under trees strung with lights. vienna.at counted 96 stalls in 2025, 21 of them selling food and drink. Most people come for the view of the Rathaus facade with something hot in hand, so expect to queue at the punch stands after dark.
Skating opens on the same day as the market. Eistraum am Christkindlmarkt runs from 13 November 2026 to 6 January 2027, 10:00 to 22:00, and carries on after the stalls pack up on 26 December. It shuts on 31 December, and the bigger Wiener Eistraum takes over the square from 22 January to 7 March 2027.
On 24 December the market closes at 18:30, which makes it the last big market standing on Christmas Eve afternoon. Spittelberg, Am Hof, the Freyung and the University Campus village have all closed for the season by then, since each ends on 23 December.
Worth knowing
- Take the U2 to Rathaus, or trams 1, 71 or D to Rathausplatz/Burgtheater. From the U3, get off at Volkstheater and use the Ring exit.
- Step inside City Hall on an Advent weekend for the free choir concerts in the Festsaal, Friday to Sunday from 15:30 to 19:00, through the entrance at Lichtenfelsgasse 2.
- Cyclists can lock up near the Rathauspark, where a WienMobilRad bike-share station stands in front of the park.
Quick answers about Vienna Christmas Market at Rathausplatz
When is the Vienna Christmas market at Rathausplatz open in 2026?
The Wiener Christkindlmarkt on Rathausplatz runs from 13 November to 26 December 2026, daily from 10:00 to 22:00. On 24 December it closes at 18:30. The organizer, stadt wien marketing, published these dates.
Is the Rathausplatz Christmas market open on Christmas Eve?
Yes. The Rathausplatz market opens from 10:00 to 18:30 on 24 December 2026. It stays open on 25 and 26 December at its published daily hours of 10:00 to 22:00.
Is there ice skating at the Vienna Christmas market?
Yes. Eistraum am Christkindlmarkt on Rathausplatz runs from 13 November 2026 to 6 January 2027, daily from 10:00 to 22:00. It closes at 18:30 on 24 December and stays shut all day on 31 December.
How much is the mug deposit at the Rathausplatz Christmas market?
The deposit was €5 a mug in vienna.at's December 2024 price check. The 2026 deposit hasn't been published yet.
In the journal and guides
Read more about Vienna Christmas Market at Rathausplatz
Guide · 9 min read
Are German Christmas markets open on Sunday?
Every Advent Sunday is a market day in Germany. The two Sundays before Advent are different, and on 22 November 2026 most markets that have already opened stay shut.
Guide · 12 min read
What's open in Europe on Christmas Eve?
Seventy-nine markets open on 24 December 2026, and most of them close by 18:30, so do your last shopping before dark.
Dates guide · 8 min read
When are Vienna's Christmas markets open in 2026?
Rathausplatz opens on 13 November 2026, and the market at Schönbrunn Palace keeps its huts lit until 6 January 2027.
Guide · 23 min read
When do Europe's Christmas markets open and close in 2026?
Vienna and Copenhagen open first, on 6 November 2026, and Cologne's Heumarkt keeps its stalls up until 10 January 2027. Every row below names who published the date.