It’s often ‘Gebackener Karpfen’ (fried carp) as the main course; this is because Christmas Eve was considered a ‘fasting’ day by many Catholics and no meat could be eaten. However ‘Weihnachtsgans’ (roast goose) and roast turkey are becoming more popular.
The historical Christmas meal in Vienna is carp, often fried in breadcrumbs. This stems from the earlier Christian idea of the advent period being a time of fasting (hard to believe these days). In the absence of meat, fish represented the culinary highlight, especially for such an important mealtime as Heiligenabend.
The popular Christkindlmarkt in front of the Town Hall is also known as the Vienna Christmas Dream. Together with the delightful Christmas illumination and the Ice Dream in the Rathauspark, this place is obligatory program for many visitors of Vienna during the Advent season.
No surprises, here. The main Easter traditions in Austria and Vienna revolve around eggs. Eating them is, of course, one Easter activity, but eggs also form the centrepiece of seasonal arts and crafts. Decorating eggshells remains a popular tradition that dates back centuries.
Open from Friday 12.11. to Sunday 26.12.2021. The popular Christkindlmarkt in front of the Town Hall is also known as the Vienna Christmas Dream. Together with the delightful Christmas illumination and the Ice Dream in the Rathauspark, this place is obligatory program for many visitors of Vienna during the Advent season.
A dispirited concert violinist travels to Vienna for a performance and finds the inspiration she has been missing.Christmas in Vienna / Film synopsis
Most bars, restaurants, and night clubs are closed and traffic is almost non-existent. There are, however, some coffeehouses, bars, and restaurants that are open in Vienna. Around 7 p.m. on Christmas Eve, the tree is lit for the first time and the whole family gathers to sing Christmas carols.
We'll introduce you to our most common Austrian Christmas traditions.Advent wreath & Advent calendar. When the first Sunday of Advent comes around there's an Advent wreath in nearly every Austrian home. ... Barbara twigs. ... Saint Nicholas & Krampus. ... Christmas cookies. ... Smoking. ... Christmas Markets. ... Christkind & Christmas Eve.
Christmas Market Schloss Schönbrunn We begin our journey through Advent in Vienna in front of one of the city's most famous sights. The imposing Schönbrunn Palace provides the perfect setting for the Christmas Market Schloss Schönbrunn and its more than 80 booths.
The classic Christmas dinner in Austria therefore consists of carp fried in butter, along with a variety of vegetables and potatoes. This is usually followed by Sachertorte, Vienna's most famous cake, or cookies such as vanillekipferl (crescent-shaped biscuits made with nuts).
Six unique traditions that Austrians love to loveEaster Egg battle ('Eierpecken')Autumn Cow train ('Almabtried')First day of school cone (Schultüte)Stealing the Bride ('Brautraub')Lead pouring, Molybdomancy ('Bleigießen')Scary mask processions ('Perchtenlaufen' or 'Krampuslauf')
Christmas is undoubtedly the most important holiday in Austria. As in other European nations, December 6th is the day Saint Nicholas, the giver of gifts, makes his rounds.
Say "Merry Christmas" in German. If you're in Austria, you have less of a mouthful to say: it's simply "Frohe Weihnachten."
In Austria, the Santa Claus equivalent is St. Nicholas.
Christmas market at the historic Belvedere castle in Vienna. Austrian National Tourist Office / Popp & Hackner. ... Christmas market Vienna town hall. ... Christmas Market at Schoenbrunn Palace. ... Christmas market at Spittelberg. ... Christmas market at the historic Belvedere castle in Vienna.
VIENNESE DREAM CHRISTMAS MARKET – RATHAUSPLATZ Vienna's most famous Christmas market, the Viennese Christmas Dream is more of a Xmas village than simply a market. Located in front of the Rathaus City Hall, it's also one of the first Christmas markets in Vienna to open – typically in mid-November.
Vienna Christmas WorldThe largest Christmas market and one of the most well known is the Vienna Christmas World on Rathausplatz, near the Rathaus, Vienna's historic city hall.
But gift-giving is a central part of the story of Christmas.
The Viennese have been setting them up since the year 1296 when the Emperor decided that the markets were needed in order to guarantee sufficient supplies to the population during Christmas.
BURT WOLF: Christmas is celebrated in cities throughout the world, but what takes place in the Austrian city of Vienna is unique. These are the darkest days of the year and the need to be reminded that the sun will return goes back to prehistoric times. The ancient Romans handled the problem with the Feast of the Unconquered Sun, which declared that sun filled days were just around the corner.
The Viennese version has the pork roasting in a shallow vegetable broth most of the time (into which you also throw onions and carrots). The perfect Schweinsbraten develops a crusty crackling surface seasoned with salt, pepper, garlic, and cumin (and possibly paprika and mustard).
So many Knödel, so little time. Dumplings is the nearest translation, if dumplings were turned into a culinary art form. Which is a way of saying there are numerous different types, ranging from sweet desserts to things you find in your soup.
Traditional side dishes with the meat are sauerkraut and potato- or bread-based dumplings (see below).
The melted cheese adds the requisite flavour, so Viennese kitchens use stronger cheeses like Emmentaler, Bergkäse (mountain cheese), or even Cheddar. Käsespätzle tends to be associated with more mountainous regions that Vienna, but has become fairly universal in Austria.
The Schnitzel. The famous Wiener Schnitzel even bears the city’s name (Wiener is German for Viennese). Though, to be fair, the dish likely originated elsewhere. Traditionally, a Schnitzel is fried escalope of veal coated in eggs, flour and breadcrumbs, but most restaurants and homes use pork or poultry instead.
The sauce makes a dish in its own right when served with, for example, pasta. Or it might be used as a simple complement to cuts of meat or heavy dumplings.
Cheese (Käse) noodles (Spätzle) doesn’t really capture the hearty, traditional nature of the recipe. You make spätzle from flour, water and eggs to create small boiled gnocchi-like pieces. These are mixed with fried onions and grated cheese, then cooked (and often served) in a skillet or frying pan.
Close to: Town Hall Parliament Volksgarten. The popular Christkindlmarkt in front of the Town Hall is also known as the Vienna Christmas Dream. Together with the delightful Christmas illumination and the Ice Dream in the Rathauspark, this place is obligatory program for many visitors of Vienna during the Advent season.
The magnificent buildings of the Museum of Art History and the Natural History Museum surround this well-attended Christmas market. In the center of the market you can see the huge Maria Theresa Monument among several stands which offer art work or punch in all variations.
public holidays from 15:30 to 19:00 o'clock, on 24.12. from 15:30 to 16:30 o'clock, Metro U2 U-Bahn station Rathaus. International and Austrian choirs perform in the impressive ballroom at the Viennese town hall which you can reach by the entrance at the Lichtenfelsgasse.
24.12. from 10:00 to 17:00 o'clock, 31.12 from 12:00 to 2:00 o'clock in the morning. Metro U1 and U2 station Praterstern. This market gives you every day the chance to drink your Punch with a view at the romantic illuminated Giant Ferris Wheel.
Advent Tips Vienna 2021. As Vienna is, especially in the last years, a more and more liked tourist destination during the advent season the municipal tries to support this by making the city more attractive with an outstanding Christmas illumination.
The huge Vienna Ice World complex doesn’t normally open until January. But that’s not the only famous open-air ice rink in Vienna. For example: The Eislaufverein holds a special place in the history of the city (and of ice skating) and the rink normally opens throughout December.
The Christmas markets dominate the Viennese December. They open in the second half of November and stay open until at least December 23rd (and often later). These are not gimmicks to keep visitors amused, but long-established traditional markets popular with locals, too.
The markets are usually incredibly popular, particularly the nearer you get to December 24th. So consider visiting earlier in the month or at least going midweek in the late afternoon, when you probably get the best tradeoff between atmosphere and crowds. Here are some more tips for visiting the markets.
The start of the much-anticipated Josef Hoffman exhibition at the MAK museum (from December 15th) Treasures from China’s Forbidden City at the Weltmuseum. Belvedere’s look at the early Renaissance and its connection to Austria, as seen through the works of Dürer and contemporaries.
And, if you want to make a day of staying warm, Vienna has its own thermal spa. You can reach Therme Wien easily on the subway and it also lives next door to one of the more famous Viennese patisseries: Kurkonditorei Oberlaa.
Yes, you read that right. Should you wish to catch the prestigious and globally-recognised January 1st New Year’s Concert from the Wiener Philharmoniker orchestra, you can do so in December. The orchestra plays the full programme on December 30th and December 31st, too.
You don’t need to pack sandwiches, either: numerous food and drink stalls line the route. The days leading up to the big night also feature the natural successor to the Christmas market. Several New Year markets spring up (often in the same locations as their predecessors).
The Hellbrun Market is a quick bus ride away. Outside Hellbrun Palace , it's located on a plateau surrounded by mountains, and you feel as if you’re in a small Christmas village. The neatest thing about this market is the windows of the palace; watch as they turn into a massive Advent Calendar.
The main market in Graz comes with a large Christmas tree to admire and lots of food options to keep you going. As well as the stalls in the market itself, the surrounding area is full of shops to get all your gifts checked off your list.
The Christmas Market outside Salzburg Cathedral looks like a scene from the North Pole and is especially amazing at dusk as the mountains fade into the night and the carollers begin singing. The number of Mozart-themed goods here is also out of this world: it's a very musical market! It's right next to the Residenzplatz market making it is easy to walk between the two.
The most unique things you can find are handmade crafts; wooden toys, nutcrackers, a huge variety of ornaments (glass baubles, potpourri and wood ornaments, fabric animals, for example), beeswax angels, carved wooden candle holders, lanterns and knitted clothes, just to name a few.
Old Town Christmas Market. This market is tucked away in the Austrian Alps and surrounded by medieval buildings including the famous Golden Roof. Where the buildings of Vienna are large and impressive, in Innsbruck the architecture is a well-preserved step back in time, making the market here seem otherworldly.
Art Advent. The Art Advent market is located in front of the Karlskirche. The crafts here are spectacular, and there are even fashion shows and busker events on weekends. All the food here comes with an organic certificate.
One thing you’ll notice all over Vienna are paintings by Gustav Klimt, a painter best known for The Kiss. Many of the markets will carry Christmas items with Klimt motifs and what better place to see Klimt than Belvedere Palace, where many of his most famous paintings are housed.
Easter traditions in Vienna. No surprises, here. The main Easter traditions in Austria and Vienna revolve around eggs. Eating them is, of course, one Easter activity, but eggs also form the centrepiece of seasonal arts and crafts. For example:
Decorating eggshells remains a popular tradition that dates back centuries. The egg’s contents are blown out, then the outside painted or otherwise coloured using beads, fabrics or whatever material catches your imagination.
If you put all the cakes on sale in Vienna on top of each other, the pile would reach to the moon. And back again.
Ah, right up the top of your list of desserts associated with Austria and Vienna is likely Apfelstrudel (apple strudel). I don’t really need to describe it, since the dish has conquered the world.
They love their pancakes (Palatschinken) in Vienna, usually filled with apricot jam and served with icing sugar and a chocolate sauce. But pancakes hardly count as a regional dish. A pancake variation – Kasierschmarren – does, however.
Knödel translates roughly as dumpling and the Viennese eat numerous varieties, both sweet and not-so-sweet.
Basically the Austrian doughnut. Not, however, the ring version, but the solid, flattened ball version.
The Buchtel shares much in common with the Krapfen. Also a yeast-based dough. Also fried. Also filled with jam (and any number of alteratives, but often served with no filling or with a vanilla sauce).
Nockerl is a term designed to confuse, since it may refer simply to a Gnocchi-like shape of a food item, but also to a form of dough made of eggs, flour and (usually) butter.