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Christmas markets in Vienna

Posted Sunday, December 16, 2007, 7:23 PM by Lonely Planet

Under a candescent kaleidoscope of lollypop lighting, steaming mugs are clutched between mittens on a carpet of crunching snow. In Vienna, the countdown to Christmas has begun. Six weeks out, the Christmas markets open with no advertisement, no grand announcement and little publicity, but the day the wooden huts fling open their shutters, crowds amass to catch the first glimpse of the icing-covered treats on offer. By nightfall, multi-coloured fairy lights stud the sky.

Glühwein (hot mulled wine) flows through revelers' veins each night; a steaming concoction of red wine dangerously laced with cinnamon and cloves, or a hint of orange or lemon and a lethal splash of brandy. And there's punsch, generously spiked with schnapps and sugar. Of the flavours on offer (apple, pear, orange...), wildberry is surely the most thrilling; the bulbous raspberry waiting at the bottom of the mug bursts in your mouth like a liquor bomb of alcohol and sugar. They're heady brews, but the fact they come in innocent Christmas-themed mugs makes having another seem totally ok.

So how do the Viennese decide which of the many Christmas markets to go to? Over the course of December they'll go to them all but a few of their favorites are;

Schönbrunn (Schloß Schönbrunn, 13th District,10am-8.30pm)
An up-market market, Schönbrunn offers the pleasure of eating potato chips curled before your eyes from real potatoes in the grounds of the former summer home of the Habsburgs.

Karlsplatz (Karlsplatz, 4th District, 12pm-8pm)
If Egon Schiele was still alive, you'd find him at Karlsplatz. The art-crowd of Vienna brings resplendent Karlskirche down to earth with spaced-out performance art and bio-stalls; you can even choose chai over glühwein.

Spittelberg (Spittelberggasse, 7th District, 2pm-9pm)
Beloved simply because it has always been, Spittelberg market weaves through cobblestoned lanes and so overshadows the local restaurants that they've no choice but to give up their doorways to glühwein stands.

Perhaps it's the Christmas spirit, perhaps it's just the spirits, but walking through a Viennese Christmas market in sub-zero temperatures can be one of the warmest experiences you'll have all year.

- Marika McAdam