How to Spend Three Days in Vienna in December

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Vienna is one of those places that is perfect to visit any time of year. Hiking and vineyards and cruises down the Danube or exploring the cities parks in the summer, and fairy tale Christmas markets in the winter. The colder months are also a great time to make the most of the cities cosy cafes full of indulgent cakes. The Viennese café culture means they won’t rush you back outside on a cold and frosty day, linger awhile and read a book whilst your body thaws. Here’s my plan on how to spend three days in Vienna at Christmas time.

Vienna was somewhere high up on my list for a long time and I decided that Christmas magic would make it even more special. The incredible buildings and architecture, the palaces and of course the cakes were all big pulls drawing me towards the most liveable city in Europe.

Vienna to me felt very relaxed. This could have been due to all the pedestrianised areas in the city centre. With horse and carriages trundling along the old streets, you really feel like you have stepped back in time. If I could describe Vienna in three words it would be classic, elegant and serene.

Day 1: Getting to Know Vienna

AM: Schonbrunn Palace

The summer residence of the Hapsburgs is a great place to start getting to know Vienna. There’s a tour with audio guide and extensive parks and gardens to wander round. Sadly, in the winter some parts of the gardens are closed but you can still enjoy the main park and wander up to the Gloriette. There’s a café at the top which lures you in when you’ve reached freezing point.

Although there are a few parts closed in the winter such as the zoo there is still more than enough to spend a morning or a whole day exploring. The gardens take on an eerie and moody quality in the winter months.

As a bonus in December there’s also a Christmas market right outside and it was actually my favourite. (Though that might have been because it was the first one!) There were some lovely stalls and I even picked up a present for my mum for Christmas.

Getting There: Take the U4 to Schonbrunn.

Price: 16 euros for the Imperial Tour and 20 euros for the Grand Tour, which basically just allows access into a few more rooms. Regardless of price I would actually reccomend doing the Imperial Tour as I found it was the point I started to flag! It didn’t help that a big group appeared out of nowhere, taking up a lot of space in the rooms. Though up til that point I found it wasn’t too crowded.

Book tickets online here.

Note: Although I squeezed the palace into one morning (which is very doable) in an ideal world you should take the whole day to allow you to wander and explore without any time restrictions!

PM: Walking Tour

Head back into Vienna for a walking tour of the city centre. I don’t always do this in a new city but it’s a great way to get a feel for a place and get some background and historical context on the places you see. It also gives you the opportunity to ask questions, get recommendations and meet people if you’re travelling solo!

I opted for Welcome Tour Vienna which is a free walking tour where you tip as desired at the end. There’s also Good Vienna Tours which are also free.

The tour will take you around many of the main sights of the city centre including the Hofburg Palace and the Graben shopping street. It’s a great way to get your bearings in the city and think about your plans for the rest of your trip.

Note: I enjoyed the tour but I definitely struggled with standing around in the cold by the end! So wrap up warm!

Evening: Rathausplatz Christmas Market

Evenings in December are a great time to wander and explore Christmas markets when they’re all lit up. Rathausplatz is probably the biggest Christmas market in Vienna, and also comes complete with ice-skating river, Ferris wheel and fairground rides.

Not my favourite market stall-wise. But the atmosphere, lights and extra activities make it a fun choice.

Getting There: Rathausplatz is easy to walk to from the centre of Vienna and the stroll takes you past other smaller Christmas markets and streets festooned with lights so it’s a lovely walk. You can also take U3 to Volkstheater.

Day 2: Day Trip to Salzburg

I ummed and ahhed for ages about which day trip to take from Vienna (I have to do a day trip it’s a rule!) I longed to go to fairytale Hallstatt (it looks sooo pretty!) but it’s a four hour train journey away from Vienna so I decided to save that for another time. The Wachau Valley also appealed but I deemed it would make a better summer trip.

In the end I was very pleased I chose to go to Salzburg – it’s a charming town with lots of lovely scenery.

Mirabell Gardens

First of all I wandered from the train station to the Mirabell Gardens where the sound of music was filmed! (I haven’t seen this film properly so this was probably wasted on me oops.) The gardens were beautiful but some of it was closed off and from pictures I’d seen and other blogs it looked as though they were usually open so bear this in mind if you’re also visiting in the winter months! (Wouldn’t make much difference to your experience though so don’t be put off!)

From there you can walk along the river, whichever side takes your fancy, but make sure to eventually cross over into the old town (altstadt) to explore the charming old streets. Look out for the ornate shop signs hanging over the Getreidegasse, there’s even a fancy McDonalds sign!

Salzburg Fortress

Explore the Christmas market (yes there’s another one) and then head up to the fortress that looks over the town and to the mountains beyond. This is the best thing to do if you want incredible views! On one side of the fortress you have Salzburg below you, and on the other, mountains and fields. There’s museums to look round but as I was short on time I decided just to enjoy the views and have a quick wander.

Getting There: It’s really easy to find the fortress (it’s easy to spot!) If you wander through the Christmas market, go past the giant gold ball (yes) and keep heading on that way you’ll easily find the funicular stop.

Price: 15 euros. This includes the funicular ride to the top.

Get more info here.

Salzburg oddly felt busier than Vienna as the tourist areas are focused in one central area. My highlights of the day were definitely strolling along the river and taking in the views from the fortress. Simple pleasures all the way!

I definitely plan to go back and stay in Salzburg and do some hiking in the surrounding area in the summer months.

How to Get to Salzburg From Vienna

You can get a train between the two towns in 2 hours and 25 minutes. You can buy tickets on the day or get them ahead of time on trainline.com. When I was planning my day trip I was put off by the rough prices of tickets mentioned by some blogs. However, it is possible to get cheap tickets if you’re willing to go with the cheapest time of day! My return ticket came to £37.10 but you can pay up to £80.

As I mentioned you can get tickets on the day but bearing in mind the different prices it definitely pays to plan ahead because you could rock up and end up paying a lot more if you pick the wrong time!

Day 3: Palaces, Horses and Cake

After my day in Salzburg I felt like I still had a lot more I wanted to see in Vienna. It really is an incredible city to explore. There’s so much culture and history. I recommend spending four full days there at least if you’re going to do a day trip like me. That would allow you to have one day to relax and while away the hours in a cafe without itching to move on to see more.

On the third day I focused on exploring the centre of the city and all the places mentioned are close together no tubes required!

The Spanish Riding School

I was so disappointed to realise that the performance of the Lipizzaner horses is only on weekends. But you can still see the the morning exercise on other days! You will see the horses being trained in the dressage moves like Piaffe’s and the commentary provides some information about the horses’ training. Doors open at 9:50am and you can stay as long as you want through the morning practice which ends at 12. Definitely worth checking out, especially if you’re a horse fan! I did hear a couple of girls come in and say “oh are they just walking around?” and left. So if dressage goes completely above your head I wouldn’t spend the 15,00 euros to come in!

Naturally the performances will be far more spectacular and exciting but I enjoyed doing something a little different and seeing those famous horses up close is always a treat!

Getting There: The Riding School is in the palace complex at the heart of Vienna so it’s very easy to find! If you get there around half nine you will see a queue underneath the arch at Michaelerplatz and that’s where you need to be.

Price: 15 euros

Get more info here.

Note: If the queue looks long try heading round the building side where another entrance might have a shorter queue. Also you’re not allowed to take pictures or film the horses.

Sisi Museum

Right next door to the Riding School the Sisi Museum features an exhibit of royal silverware and the palace rooms themselves where you can learn more about the life of Sisi (otherwise known as Elizabeth). I practically walked right through the silver collection. After you’ve seen one fancy plate you’ve seen them all! But the imperial apartments were much more interesting. You can see jewels and dresses and paintings, way more up my street!

I really enjoyed learning about Sisi, she was a fascinating character. I saw a lot I could relate to in her surprisingly! She loved travel and didn’t like people all that much. She hated being stuck at court feeling trapped and preferred to travel and never stay in one place for long.

Price: 15 euros

Get more info here.

Note: Because the Hofburg palace (the location of the museum) is right in the centre of Vienna it can be tempting to take less time over it and move on. Just be aware that museums are very tiring (in particular I found the audio guide left me with a headache) so don’t try to do too much! I ended up skipping a chunk of the audio guides and just wandering some of the rooms. Do as you please!

Cafe Central

Museum’d out I was ready for a cake break! Cafe Central is one of the infamous cafes of Vienna, so no surprise there was a queue to go in! The interiors are old-fashioned glamour but because it’s large and busy it does create a slightly less personal feel.

I tried the Cafe Central Torte which was delicious!

Burggarten Gardens/ Maria-Theresien-Platz

Wander back through the palace, past the Sisi Musuem and take a stroll to the Maria-Theresien-Platz which is a gorgeous place any time of year but in winter it comes complete with Christmas market to add to its glory.

Again I will speak the truth, after the first two Christmas markets I was pretty much done with them. (Bear in mind that to reach the Rathausplatz one you walk past about three other markets to get there from the centre). However, I was a girl on a mission…a mission to select my favourite gluhwein mug to take home.

Finally I found the mug for me – a bright red Christmas sock. Who could resist?

Having ticked that achievement off my list I wandered through the Burggarten Gardens, sock mug in hand. I then discovered the difficulty of taking pictures whilst holding said mug and decided to take a detour back to my hotel to dump the mug and warm up my icy fingers for five minutes.

This is one of the reasons I always prefer to have a hotel in the centre, it’s so much easier to nip back if you need to!

St Stephens Cathedral

One of the most familiar sights of my Vienna trip was this cathedral. Mainly because my hotel was two minutes away down a side street. Quite the landmark to guide you home! Not that it helped, I still got lost several times between the cathedral and the hotel, always choosing the wrong side street.

One of the main big items on my list of things to do in Vienna was go up the cathedral tower and it was the most disappointing one! The cathedral itself is stunning and worth taking a look inside, especially if you like that sort of thing. However, the views from the tower felt slightly disappointing.

Perhaps I actually should have realised that tower windows are not vast glass sheaths where you can sip a cocktail and watch the sunset. At the end of the day a view is just a view, experience is everything.

I made the mistake of choosing to go up the tower you have to walk up. (The South Tower) Thus the result is not enough reward for the effort put in. I can’t comment on the views or experience from the other tower.

So personally I would actually give this one a miss, or at least take the easy option and take the lift up. Then if you’re disappointed you haven’t given as much time and energy to the excursion! The North Tower also gives you the chance to see the largest bell in Austria, the ‘Pummerin.’

Another (creepy) option is to take a guided tour of the catacombs beneath the cathedral for 6 euros. Timetables for the tours are at the entrance.

Getting There: Take the U3 to Stephansplatz.

Price: South Tower: 5 euros. North Tower: 6 euros.

More info here.

Café Sacher

Second cake of the day and second queue. Although in this queue they bring out little cups of fruity tea to warm you up. (I wasn’t keen on the tea but I liked the thought!)

I also preferred the style and interiors of Café Sacher to Café Central. Much more intimate and a truly elegant, old fashioned glamour. Plus the cake was pretty good too! I had to try the infamous Sachertorte! If you only have time for one café in Vienna make it Café Sacher.

Whilst you’re there you can’t miss the giant Christmas ribbon festooning the shop front of Popp and Kretschmer. A key Instagram stop! Or even just for fans of glitzy and girlie decorations. Fancy cake and Christmas ribbons is the perfect way to end your stay in Vienna.

Food Thoughts

Travelling as a picky eater is never easy to pull off though I always try to sample the local food.

My confession: I’m not a huge fan of German/Austrian food (sorry!) The sausages, the Weiner Schnitzel… just don’t do it for me. I tried the popular schnitzel at Figmuller and it was the size of my head and not that exciting to eat. I guess the huge size is a draw for some people but it has the opposite effect on me. Nice potato salad though!

My favourite meal was actually a simple burger at Rinderwahn. I’d read good things and was not disappointed!

Anyway my point is yes try the local food – because you never know what might surprise you and suddenly become your new favourite food – but also life is too short to eat things for the sake of it just because it’s the ‘food to eat in Vienna.’

Sweet-wise I have yet to find a pud I don’t like so I rarely struggle there! Other than the indulgent tortes I also tried the Kaiserschmarren which is little squares of torn up pancake (thick stodgy pancake) with a plum sauce. Oh my this is so yummy but so filling!

Where To Stay in Vienna

Hotel Pension Neuer Markt

A simple but cosy hotel right in the centre of Vienna near the cathedral. Breakfast is included in the room rate. Basically the hotel is nothing spectacular but for the budget traveller it has everything you need.

Pension Neuer Markt on Booking.com

Search for more hotels in Vienna.

The Bits I Missed

Belvedere Palace – There’s three Palaces in Vienna so seeing all three would be quite an undertaking!

The National Library – As a book lover I was gutted to miss this but my itinerary got away from me.

The performance of the Lipizzans – Got to go on a weekend next time!

The Opera – I might not be a huge Opera fan but it is one of those must do things… like seeing flamenco in Spain. You can get cheap tickets if you queue up on the day.

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