Best Christmas markets in Vienna

I will be in Vienna for two days in mid-December, en-route to the US from Dubai for the Christmas holidays.

This will be my first time in Vienna and at the Christmas markets, and I am looking forward to seeing both.

I have a few questions which I hope people will be able to answer:

1. Do the markets have a different personality, perhaps with a different theme to the items for same (which begs the question of what exactly is for sale at the Christmas markets?)

2. Are some markets more atmospheric than others?

3. Are the makets solely nighttime activities or are they open throughout the day?

4. Might as well ask this one as well: which ones are the best ones? I hope to buy some Christmas gifts at the markets as well and I am more interested in handmade, or good quality artifacts rather than cheap imports from China, but I also love a good atmosphere and I don't mind visiting several different markets. I will be staying in central Vienna, and should be handy to most of the markets.

Thanks!

Hi,
the x-mas market in front of the town hall is the biggest, and best in my mind. You will not find so much things coming from China on her but a lot of the satnds has things from countries like the balcan states, eastern part of Europe too. It is open from the afternoon untill the late night. The market in front of the city-castle is nice to see too. It is a little bit different, less public, more snob. Inside the center you have some little streets also with all kind of makets, also for christmas. Easy to walk around and to find them - you can smell them.
rgds

1.)
I'd say they are more or less the same. You'll probably get the best stuff on the Spittelberg, but if you are looking for presents you should stick to the shopping centers rather than to the markets.
The drinks are quite the same, too. Don't expect low prices or too high quality.

2.)
The markets are usually open during daytime, especially the bigger ones that try to attract tourists (e.g. Schönbrunn or Town Hall Square). But you'll get the real atmosphere only after dawn.

3.)
There is a market in front of Schönbrunn Castle, but I wouldn't recommend going there as it is always windy there and mainly for tourists. Nevertheless it's quite scenic.
Another one is in the 8th district, in the Spittelberg Area. It is a nice place, very crowded as the ways are very narrow, but also quite a good atmosphere. You can be lucky to get good quality stuff, but in recent years the "souvenir mafia" got their fingers in and some things are low quality but high price. The good thing is that there are some good bars and restaurants around, where you can go after 10 p.m. when the market closes. And in the Amerling Beisl the Christmas Market goes on til they close (I guess it's around 1 a.m.).

i like the one at the Spittelberg.
the one at Schoenbrunn is a bit special, because of the location.
also nice is the one at the "Altes AKH"
http://www.wien.gv.at/english/news/christmas-markets.html

How could I forget about the market at the "Altes AKH"? I think this is the best as it is very close to the city center and it is not that crowded than the other ones (especially the one at the Spittelberg). You should head for that one, I think.

Altes AKH is nice and Schönbrunn is nice as well, but most of the things you can buy there is rubbish and very overpriced.

I thought I would update this thread after posting this question and now having spent a few days in Vienna back before Christmas.

In terms of goods for sale, the markets were pretty much the same. The big markets in front of the Rathaus and the museums were the most commercial, while the smaller ones tended to have more arts and crafts goods for sale. Strictly from a shopping perspective the market at the Schonnbrunn was the best, although I found several interesting stalls at the Karlsplatz market too.

However, all the markets were expensive. Spending 10 euros on a small Christmas tree ornament just didn't appeal to me. The best gift, perhaps ironically, were the ceramic mugs that came with the mulled wine. Each market has its own specially designed cup and I ended up collecting eight of them to give away as gifts. At 3 euros a cup they were by far the best value gifts and everyone appreciated them as a little token of Vienna at Christmas, much more so than had I bought some of the generic offerings in the stalls.

The real reason to go to the markets is to soak up the atmosphere, particularly at nighttime, when you spend time with your friends while drinking hot spiced wine and it's freezing cold, yet everyone is having a merry time. All the markets had their own atmosphere, and I preferred the smaller, intimate ones scattered throughout the charming squares of he inner stadt that seemed to cater to local residents rather than tourists. Spittelberg also had a pleasantly rousing christmasmarket that I enjoyed and it stayed open later than most of the other markets.

All in all, I'm glad I saw the Viennese christmasmarkets and they add to the wondrous splendors of that city at Christmas time.

thanks for your update. it is always nice to hear what people experienced in the end.

Good report...