12 Magical Christmas Markets in Austria That Feel Straight Out of a Fairytale

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Are you trying to find the best Christmas markets in Austria? Well, you’re in luck because there are plenty of options. Austria is well-known globally for its traditional Christmas markets that offer travelers festive cheer, winter entertainment, and unique attractions in abundance.

However, there are many markets to choose from, which makes it hard to decide where to go. Vienna alone, Austria’s spectacular capital city, has over 20 official Christmas markets to explore. In the Advent season, the four Sundays and weekdays leading up to Christmas, Austria’s cities and towns turn into a winter wonderland.

To help you narrow down the options and find the perfect market, here are 12 of the best Austrian Christmas markets. These markets offer everything you can ever want from a Christmas market.

Vienna Christmas Markets, Vienna

Destinations for Christmas Experience in the World Vienna, Austria Rathausplatz — © Rustamank / Adobe Stock

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If you’re looking for the ultimate winter wonderland, you must visit Vienna, where you’ll find several of the best Christmas markets in Austria. At Christmas, Vienna’s vibrant streets are adorned with dazzling lights and festive decorations, while shop windows come to life with colorful displays. However, it’s the Christmas markets that steal the show.

Vienna’s traditional Christmas markets offer countless wooden stalls selling arts and crafts and have fairground rides. You’ll also enjoy delicious food stands with sausages, gingerbread hearts, Glühwein (mulled wine), and festive activities like carol singing and Santa Claus meet-and-greets. There is no entrance fee to the Christmas markets in Austria.

If you’re lucky, a dusting of snow might cover the ground, adding to Austria’s capital’s festive atmosphere. Must-visit Christmas markets in Vienna include the Schönbrunn Palace, Belvedere Palace, Spittelberg, Weihnachtsdorf (Christmas Village) on Maria-Theresien-Platz and the Vienna Magic of Advent Christmas Market at Rathausplatz (City Hall Square). Some of these Christmas markets stay open well into the New Year.

Graz Christmas Market, Graz

Best Hidden Gem Christmas Markets in Europe_Graz Christmas Market, Austria — © Aron M – Austria / Adobe Stock

Graz Christmas Market is one of Europe’s best hidden gem Christmas markets, making it a big hit with festive travelers seeking a more laid-back and authentic experience. This Christmas market also prides itself on offering travelers a unique festive experience with diverse attractions and activities, including the annual Advent calendar projection and ice-made Nativity scene.

Graz Christmas Market takes place between mid-November and December 24th, giving you plenty of time to plan your visit. You’ll likely spend most of your time at the market perusing stalls for last-minute Christmas gifts and traditional handicrafts.

You’ll love indulging in festive food and drink, listening to live music performances, and ice skating on the ice rink. Don’t forget to visit the giant Christmas tree outside City Hall, too.

Innsbruck Christmas Market, Innsbruck

At Christmas, Innsbruck’s breathtaking Old Town is transformed into a winter wonderland that features one of Austria’s best Christmas markets. A favorite with romantic couples, the Old Town Christmas Market is surrounded by the city’s iconic architecture, including the famous Golden Roof. The dazzling lights and quaint wooden chalets only add to the allure of this already beautiful location.

This market is a fantastic place to buy Christmas gifts while you drink mulled wine and listen to Christmas carols. However, it’s not the only market in Innsbruck. You’ll also find festive fun at the markets at Marktplatz and Maria-Theresien-Straße. Innsbruck’s Christmas markets usually start mid-to-late November and run until late December or early January.

Don’t forget to buy an Advent Wreath, a wreath with four candles. Each candle gets lit every Sunday of the Advent, the four-week period leading up to Christmas.

Linz Christmas Market, Linz

It could be argued that any of Linz’s festive markets, of which there are several, fall into the category of the best Christmas markets in Austria, but the Christkindlmarkt in the Main Square takes the crown. Surrounded by the city’s stunning baroque architecture, this market is a sight.

While most people associate Germany with Christmas markets, the Austrian Christmas markets are equally picturesque—and Linz is a prime example. Combining traditional wooden chalets, Austrian delicacies, vibrant buildings, and festive decorations, this market creates the perfect setting for Christmas fun.

It runs daily from mid-November to December 23rd, so there’s plenty of time to visit. Try festive cuisine, drink hot chocolate and mulled wine, and explore the art and crafts market stalls while listening to the carol singers.

Hallstatt Christmas Market, Hallstatt

Hallstatt Christmas Market is one of Austria’s best markets for travelers seeking a more traditional, intimate, and charming experience during the festive period. This UNESCO-listed Alpine town is famous worldwide for its gorgeous natural scenery, authentic Alpine architecture, and scenic viewpoints.

At Christmas, it transforms into a fairytale town covered in snow and Christmas decorations. Admittedly, the Christmas market here isn’t the biggest, but that makes it unique. The handful of Christmas stalls, small live music performances, and beautiful nativity scenes are all the town needs to celebrate Christmas.

Picture it now: eating bratwurst, drinking mulled wine, chatting with locals, and perusing the quaint Christmas chalets, all while enjoying Hallstatt’s impressive scenery.

St. Wolfgang Christmas Market, St. Wolfgang

Another breathtaking lakeside Christmas market that offers a more relaxed experience is the St. Wolfgang Christmas Market in the town of St. Wolfgang. Like the Hallstatt market, this Christmas market is surrounded by beautiful Austrian architecture and stunning natural scenery, creating the perfect setting for festive celebrations.

This market is a far cry from the hustle and bustle of the more famous markets in cities like Vienna and Salzburg. At this market, you’ll find a fascinating Nativity village, illuminated trees, and a selection of wooden stalls selling gifts, souvenirs, decorations, food, and drinks. You can also take a boat ride on Lake Wolfgang to other lakeside towns and villages that host Christmas markets. What’s not to like?

St. Johann Christmas Market, St. Johann, Tirol

The Christmas market in St. Johann, Tirol, allows festive travelers to escape the big city, experience seasonal traditions and delights, and sit by a cozy fire with a mug of hot chocolate. Conveniently, St. Johann is one of the best places in Austria to ski, so you could tie in the Christmas market with a winter sports vacation.

Whether you’re looking for unique handmade gifts for your friends and family, a festive escape from the daily grind, Christmas fun for all the family, or traditional entertainment you won’t soon forget, St. Johann Christmas Market has something for you. Explore the quaint market stalls, eat Christmas cookies, sit by the bonfire, listen to carol singers, and more.

Lake Wörthersee Christmas Markets, Lake Wörthersee

Best Christmas Markets in Austria Lake Wörthersee Christmas Markets, Lake Wörthersee — © EKH-Pictures / Adobe Stock

Lake Wörthersee is best known for its picturesque natural scenery, hiking opportunities, and watersports activities. Still, few people realize the lake is also home to a selection of the top Christmas markets in Austria. At Christmas, the lake’s shoreline is lined with bright lights, festive markets, and winter-themed events.

Therefore, you can enjoy a lakeside Christmas vacation filled with outdoor adventure and Christmas spirit. Some of the most popular Christmas markets near Lake Wörthersee are Velden Advent and Pörtschach Christkindlmarkt.

Both of these markets feature beautifully decorated stalls, festive attractions, and Austrian food and drink options. These markets also offer a handful of unique attractions, such as the famous floating Advent wreath.

Villach Advent Market, Villach

At Christmas, the church tower at Stadtpfarrkirche in Villach, a city on the Drava River in Southern Austria, glows like a candle, standing proudly above the town. At the same time, the charming streets burst with festive lights, Christmas chalets, and exciting events and activities, helping make Villach one of Austria’s best Christmas destinations.

At the Villach Advent Market, you can spend your Christmas vacation sipping mulled wine, eating sweet treats, buying unique gifts for your family and friends, and having fun with your children. When you’re not eating freshly baked biscuits or listening to carol singers, skate on the ice rink on Town Hall Square, attend the farmers market, and explore the city.

Saint Pölten Christmas Market, Saint Pölten

Best Christmas Markets in Austria Saint Pölten Christmas Market, Saint Pölten — © Maresol / Adobe Stock

If you visit Saint Pölten this Christmas, you’ll find one of Austria’s most traditional Christmas markets in the city’s vibrant town hall square. This market isn’t as famous as other Christmas markets across Austria, but it has much to offer. It starts at the end of November and ends in December before Christmas.

You’ll be transported into a winter wonderland jam-packed with unique gift ideas, live music, family-friendly activities, and festive performances. Popular things to do at the market include sampling the traditional Advent cuisine made by the local fire brigade, perusing the arts and crafts stalls, watching a show at the puppet theater, and attending one of the annual events, such as the Perchten show on December 7th.

Salzburg Christmas Market, Salzburg

The Christmas market in Salzburg offers festive travelers a winter wonderland in the heart of the magnificent historic city center, at the Salzburg Cathedral Square.

Aside from the Salzburger Christkindlmarkt’s fascinating chalets, rich traditions, and delicious food and beverages, the beautiful Hohensalzburg Fortress is the main highlight. Better yet, part of the Christmas market occurs outside Mozart’s birthplace.

As if things couldn’t get any better, Salzburg’s already beautiful streets come to life at Christmas, covered in vibrant decorations and sparkling lights. Honestly, the best way to explore Salzburg’s Christmas markets is to simply get lost among the festive stalls, delicious smells, and iconic sights, preferably with a cup of mulled wine in hand.

Munich is an easy day trip from Salzburg if you want to add a German Christmas market to your itinerary. A stop at the nearby Neuschwanstein Castle would make this day trip even more magical.

Bregenz Christmas Market, Bregenz

Bregenz’s location on Lake Constance, surrounded by a breathtaking mountain landscape, is perfect for a Christmas market. Throw snowy skies into the equation, and you have a Christmas market that oozes holiday delight. Besides the city’s apparent beauty, the Christmas market’s length often pleases visitors.

It’s not uncommon for the Bregenz Christmas Market to run for up to 40 days. From mid-November to December 23rd, Bregenz’s Kornmarkt Square transforms into a picturesque Christmas village brimming with bright lights, arts and crafts stalls, delicious food and drinks, and festive activities.

Families attending this market will enjoy the nativity plays and Christmas workshops, while couples will have fun scouring the market stalls and sipping hot punch.