From late November through December, Vienna transforms into a holiday wonderland. Festive lights are strung up along this city’s famous streets and small markets pop-up all-over town. Imagine yourself sipping on hot mulled wine, shopping at the markets, and going for a stroll along the brilliantly illuminated streets. These experiences create a memorable Christmas in Vienna.
In this guide, we provide a short walking tour through the historic heart of Vienna. On this walk, you’ll see Vienna’s best displays of Christmas lights, visit a few Christmas markets, with the option to add on a visit to a few of Vienna’s must-see landmarks and famous cafes.
This article is one of two that we have about Christmas in Vienna. This article focuses on the Vienna Christmas lights and our guided walking tour. The second article focuses on the Vienna Christmas markets, which gets its own article because the list of markets in Vienna is long.
Vienna Christmas Lights
There are several streets in Vienna that are illuminated with Christmas lights. These streets include Graben, Kohlmarkt, and Kärntner Straße. These lights are on from mid-November through early January.
The Ring Road (Ringstraße) once was covered in Christmas lights. In the past few years, this has been scaled back, in order to be more environmentally friendly, so the majority of Vienna’s best Christmas light displays are in the pedestrian city center.
Vienna Christmas Lights Walking Tour
Time: 20 minutes walking time, plus additional time for stops; allow 2 to 3 hours, which gives you time for pastries at Demel, shopping at the Stephensplatz Christmas market, and a slice of Sacher Torte (make a reservation in advance)
Walking Distance: 1.6 km/1 mile
This walking tour starts at Michaelerplatz and ends at the Vienna Opera House, but it can be done in either direction.
Sunset in Vienna in December is 4:00 pm, which gives you plenty of evening hours to see the Vienna Christmas lights.
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Start: Michaelerplatz
Michaelerplatz is a large, famous square in Vienna. The Spanish Riding School, the Sisi Museum, and St. Michael’s Church all sit on this square.
Michaelerplatz
To get here, the closest metro station is Herrengasse (U3 on the Orange Line). Due to Michaelerplatz’s close location to the Spanish Riding School and the Hofburg Palace, these are great places to visit in the afternoon before starting this walking tour.
Before starting the walk, take a look down Herrengasse, to see the cylinders of lights over the city street.
Herrengasse
Kohlmarkt
From Michaelerplatz, walk down Kohlmarkt.
This street is covered with curtains of twinkling lights, making it one of Vienna’s top Christmas lights displays.
Kohlmarkt
Kohlmarkt is a high-end shopping street with stores like Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Tiffany, etc.
Demel, one of Vienna’s top pastry shops, is also located on Kohlmarkt. Demel is a great stop along this Christmas lights walking tour, either to enjoy a sweet treat in their café, get a treat to go, or pick up some gifts.
Demel
For a quick visit, place a takeaway order from the stand that sits on the front of the store.
However, it is worth it to step inside, as this elegant café is beautifully decorated for Christmas.
Demel
The shops and display cases sit on the ground level. If you want to sit down and have table service, walk upstairs to the restaurant level. When we arrived, the line was long and we considered skipping this. But the line moved quickly and in just a few minutes we were seated. There are multiple dining rooms so Demel can accommodate quite a few people.
We ordered the homemade nougat dumplings with berry ragout, Demel’s Sachertorte, and the apfelstrudel with vanilla sauce. Everything was delicious but the Sachertorte was the unanimous favorite. They also serve other food, such as goulash and croissant sandwiches.
Graben
Continue the walk down Kohlmarkt and then turn right onto Graben. This is Vienna’s most famous pedestrian street and the lights here are the best in the city. Enormous chandeliers of holiday lights line the length of Graben. It’s a sight to see!
Graben
Stephensplatz
Graben will take you right to Stephensplatz. Approaching Stephensplatz, with the view of the amazing St. Stephen’s Cathedral (Stephansdom), is one of the highlights of this walking tour. Seeing St. Stephen’s Cathedral illuminated with holiday lights is even more magical.
There is a Christmas market at St. Stephen’s Cathedral (Christmas Village Stephansplatz), so make sure you plan enough time to browse the market stalls, pick up a hot beverage and/or a bite to eat. We recommend making a loop around the cathedral to see the cathedral lit up from all angles. See our article on Vienna’s Christmas Markets for more information.
In the building behind St. Stephen’s Cathedral you can walk through a corridor at the Haas & Haas tea shop to enter a courtyard. There is a covered outdoor bar setup in the courtyard and this is promoted as “Winter in the City.”
Or, if you want to warm up and have a seat inside, take a detour over to Kleinod, a cocktail bar with a local vibe. It is located on Singerstraße.
Kärntner Straße
Now, take a stroll down Kärntner Straße. This pedestrian street is home to many souvenir and clothing shops, as well as a popular pastry café, Conditorei Sluka, and Würstlstand, a sausage stand. Over 550,000 LED lights adorn the hanging lights that run along this street.
Kärntner Straße
If you want a drink or a meal with a view, put SKY @ STEFFL on your list. This restaurant and bar offers an elevated view over Vienna and a gorgeous view of the roof of St. Stephen’s Cathedral. Make a reservation in advance.
The view of St. Stephen’s Cathedral from SKY @ STEFFL
Continue along Kärntner Straße until you reach the Opera House and the intersection of Kärntner Straße with Philharmoniker Straße.
This intersection is home to three famous buildings. To your right is Hotel Sacher, where the famous Sacher Torte was created. This is an extremely popular place to visit and on our most recent visit to Vienna, it had a line at all hours of the day. If this is a place you plan to visit, definitely make a reservation in advance. It could save you well over an hour wait in line.
Across the street is the Opera House and Popp & Kretschner, a shopping store that is covered with a giant, illuminated bow, making it a popular Christmas photography location in Vienna.
Popp & Kretschner
Vienna Opera House
Cross Philharmoniker Straße and continue to Opernring. Turn right to get a view of the front of the Opera House. This building is beautiful in the evening, when it is illuminated.
Vienna Opera House
At this point, you have the option to visit the Advent Genuss Markt (the Advent Gourmet Market). This covered market is located on Mahlerstrasse and it specializes in food and drinks. It was not open during our visit in 2023 but is expected to return in 2024. Get updated information on the official website.
End of the Walking Tour
This concludes our Vienna Christmas lights walking tour. If you need to use public transportation to get to your hotel or next stop on your Vienna itinerary, walk two blocks to Karlsplatz, to catch the U1 (Red Line) or U4 (Green Line). You can also ride the tram that runs along Ring Road.
Christmas in Vienna: Festive Things to Do
In addition to our Christmas lights walking tour, there are many Christmas markets to visit in Vienna. Several of the best markets include the Viennese Dream Christmas Market (on Rathausplatz), the Christmas markets at Belvedere Palace and Karlsplatz, and the Christmas market at Schönbrunn Palace. For the full list, take a look at our guide to the Vienna Christmas Markets.
Another view of Graben
More Christmas Markets in Europe
Prague is another festive city to visit in December and just a short train ride away from Vienna. Learn more about what it is like to visit Prague at Christmas and the top markets to visit.
London is also a wonderful place to visit in December. This city is filled with small Christmas markets and the streets are lined with thousands of twinkling lights. Plan your trip with our London Christmas Itinerary.
If you have any questions about Christmas in Vienna or this Christmas lights walking tour, let us know in the comment section below.
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