End of the year in Vienna for music lovers

End of the year in Vienna for music lovers

Create unforgettable memories for the perfect end of 2018 in Vienna and get enchanted by the magical ambiance of this city with its classical music & culinary highlights during Christmas season & New Year’s Eve!

To all the music lovers out there: Christmas and New Year’s Eve are right around the corner! What does that mean? Pack your bags & travel to Vienna for experiences of highest quality: visit unique classical concerts in the pre-Christmas season, on Christmas Eve, or even on New Year's Eve. Attending events like these are really extraordinary and unique moments in life that will guarantee you memories which you‘ll never forget. And all this in the wonderful & magical winter flair of Vienna!

The annual Advent atmosphere in the weeks before Christmas has its own special magic. When the first snowflakes fall, the scent of Christmas cookies & cinnamon is in the air and you gather with your friends & family at the famous Viennese Christmas markets to enjoy a punch or hot wine... that is when you notice it is that special time of the year again.

Especially around the Christmas season, Vienna is always a very popular tourist destination with the city turning into a bit of a "Winter Wonderland" with all its Christmas markets, lights and wonderful decorations throughout the town centre. We offer you a professional concierge service, perfectly tailored to your needs. 

With all the countless possibilities that Vienna has to offer at this special time of year, we have summarized a few of the top highlights of the Advent and Christmas season in Vienna for you:

The Vienna State Opera enchants throughout the entire year with its magnificent programme, and also especially around Christmas time with extraordinary performances that perfectly fit the season:

-       “The Nutcracker", Rudolf Nureyev

-       “The Magic Flute“, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

-       "The Bat", Johann Strauss

Opera tickets are generally highly sought-after and sold out, especially at that special time of the year. We would like to make your Vienna trip even more unique and provide you with your tickets for the top concert highlights at the turn of the year – just sit back and relax and prepare for a wonderful evening!

Elegant evening wear matched to the elegant opera setting is welcomed: black tie and a knee-length or long evening dress is definitely no mistake!

Personal tip: Visit the world-famous Café/ Hotel Sacher located behind the opera and treat yourself to a classic Viennese mélange together with a slice of the unique Sacher-Torte. Trying the most famous cake in the world is a must on your To-Do list and it will truly make you taste a “piece of Vienna“.

                                  We will be more than happy to book a table for you!

The famous Musikverein in Vienna delights its audience on New Year’s Eve with a special concert of the Vienna Philharmonic. The Vienna Philharmonic was founded in 1842 and is one of the most renowned orchestras in the entire world. The conductor Christian Thielemann will take you to a different musical world in the Great Hall of the Musikverein, and thus let 2018 end magnificently in order to start off 2019 perfectly. The varied programme from the vast repertoire of the Strauss family dynasty will provide concert visitors with an unforgettable experience of unparalleled quality. 

Personal tip: Before your unique evening at the Musikverein begins, why don’t you pay a visit to the classic Café Imperial which is situated at Vienna‘s traditional Ringstrasse. Viennese delicacies paired with the location‘s historical ambience will inspire you – moreover, the customer is truly “king“ here. We will be more than happy to book a table for you!

For perfect trips to other beautiful cities close to Vienna, such as Salzburg or Budapest, there is the option of private transfers that we can easily organise for you, so that you can explore not only Vienna, but also other cities during your trip here! On top of that, we can also arrange private tours through the entire city of Vienna with your own personal guide, which is a service that is available in all languages.

An absolute MUST on your X-Mas to-do list is definitely a visit to one of the numerous Christmas markets in Vienna during advent season.
The cozy, magically romantic touch of the Viennese Christmas markets begins in mid-November and lasts until Christmas or even New Year's Eve. Every year, these markets delight tourists from all over the world as well as locals with their small wooden huts, traditional handicrafts, Christmas music, colourful lights, sparkling decorations and of course local delicacies. There are countless things to discover, with the scent of Christmas baking like the classic Austrian Vanillekipferl (small vanilla croissants) and hot punch adding to the wonderful feeling of the pre-Christmas atmosphere.

 The larger Christmas markets in the city centre are usually taken over by tourists and are therefore heavily frequented, whereas the smaller markets are mainly visited by locals & insiders and are a bit more cozy. You can get a look at both the big ones (e.g. at Rathausplatz) and small ones in order to compare prices and products before you start off with your ideal Christmas shopping.

Personal tip: Before you start your Christmas markets-tour, go ahead and treat yourself to culinary delights in a classic Viennese establishment - the Plachutta. This restaurant can not be surpassed in tradition as well as Austrian specialties. The world-famous Wiener Tafelspitz (Viennese boiled beef) will definitely be among the most delicious dishes you have ever tried. We will be more than happy to book a table for you!

Insider-Tipp: Top 5 Viennese Christmas Markets 2018

· Christmas Village on the University Campus (Altes AKH)

The romantic Christmas Village on the University Campus is a popular meeting point for students as well as for families. With its charming, festive and truly cosy ambiance, wonderful biscuit scents and even an old-fashioned carousel, the Christmas Village definitely invites you to stay.

Opening hours:
17.11.-23.12.2018
Mon-Tue 2-10 pm, Wed 11 am-10 pm, Thu-Fri 2-11 pm, Sat 11 am-11 pm, Sun 11 am-9 pm

Location:
Alserstraße/Spitalgasse, Hof 1, 1090 Vienna
www.weihnachtsdorf.at

·  Old Viennese Christmas market (Freyung)

Located in the middle of the city centre at the Freyung square, the traditional Old Viennese Christmas Market has a rich history that goes back to the year 1772. With its charming ambience it still enchants today and offers handicrafts, glass decorations, traditional mangers and ceramics – a perfectly wide range for your Christmas shopping.

Opening hours:
17.11.-23.12.2018
Daily 10 am – 9 pm

Location:
Freyung, 1010 Vienna
www.altwiener-markt.at

·  Christmas Market Schloss Schönbrunn

The Christmas Market in front of Schönbrunn Palace impresses its visitors with an imperial setting and its romantic ambiance in the evening. The atmospheric market offers traditional handicrafts, hand-made Christmas decorations and an extensive children's program which also includes a Christmas workshop. On top of that, after Christmas the market stays open and turns into a New Year's market.

Opening hours:
24.11.-26.12.2018
Daily 10 am – 9 pm
24.12. 10 am – 4 pm, 25.-26.12. 10 am – 6 pm
New Year’s Market 27.12.2018-6.1.2019
Daily 10 am – 6 pm

Location:
Schönbrunn Palace, 1130 Vienna
www.weihnachtsmarkt.co.at

Lovers of photography, listen up: If your visit to Schönbrunn happens to be on a snowy day, then it is truly your lucky day - not only the Advent market offers the perfect setting for unforgettable pictures, but also the Schönbrunn palace, the gardens and the Gloriette will enchant all photography lovers with its breathtaking snow-covered scenery.

· Art-Advent: Arts & Crafts on Karlsplatz

The Christmas market Arts & Crafts on Karlsplatz is no longer a secret insider tip as it was a few years ago, as more and more visitors are enjoying its charm and the baroque ambience of the Karlskirche every year. In addition to numerous handicrafts and show workshops, there are even live bands providing the visitors with a lot of variety, as well as a diverse children's program, including a charming petting zoo that makes the children’s eyes light up.

Opening hours:
23.11.-23.12.2018
Daily 12 am – 8 pm

Location:
Karlsplatz, 1040 Vienna
www.artadvent.at

·  Christmas Village at Belvedere Palace

The Christmas village at the beautiful Belvedere Palace offers an equally pompous and impressive Baroque ambiance. In Advent, the unique palace gardens houses a beautiful and charming Christmas village with elegant arts & crafts and numerous culinary delights.

Opening hours:
23.11.-26.12.2018
Mon-Fri 11 am – 9 pm, Sat, Sun & holds. 10 am – 9 pm
24.12. 11 am – 4 pm
25.+ 26.12. 11 am – 7 pm

Location:
Prinz-Eugen-Straße 27, 1030 Vienna
www.weihnachtsdorf.at

Finally, one more insider tip for you....

Wouldn’t it be nice to put on ice skates on a sunny winter's day and to get on the huge ice skating rink in the center of Vienna at Rathausplatz, right in front of the beautiful town hall? Ice skating is definitely an activity that you should try out in Vienna during wintertime when the town hall square and park are transformed into the "Vienna Ice Dream", an area of 8,500 m2 that is populated by thousands of people every year and guarantees fun with friends and family.

Every year, time seems to pass by way too fast, but this year just stop for a moment at Christmas time and treat yourself to a well-deserved holiday break in Vienna to let the year 2018 come to a magnificent end. Every single moment will be worth the trip, we promise!

Experience all of Vienna’s idyllic settings at the end of the year and book easily and fast your tickets with us for any of the countless events described – whichever your heart desires the most. Let yourself be enchanted by the Christmas season with the truly incomparable magic that this unique city exudes!