3 Perfect Days in Vienna in December with Kids
The very last stop on our trip to see the European Christmas markets was Vienna, Austria. And let me tell you, Vienna knows how to do Christmas time! Spoiler alert: we even saw a Hallmark Christmas movie being filmed at one of the Christmas markets. Keep reading to see which one!
With that being said, there were plenty of other fun things to do in Vienna in December with kids as well. Let’s jump into our 3-day Vienna itinerary!
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A Little About Vienna
From Viennese coffee houses to classical music…from rich history to gorgeous architecture, Vienna is one of the most visited cities in Europe.
The Austrian capital of Vienna is the biggest city in Austria, and its historic city center has actually been added to UNESCO’s World Cultural Heritage list.
It’s known as the “City of Music” thanks to big names like Mozart and Beethoven calling this city home. And it’s also known as the “City of Dreams” since Sigmund Freud was born here, and later went on to become one of the founders of psychology.
To top it off, Vienna was a part of the Holy Roman Empire for hundreds of years, which means it’s impossible to tour the city without seeing palaces. The city is full of history and stunning architecture.
Where to Stay in Vienna
So here’s the thing. We did this entire trip without car seats! Which means we took public transportation and trains everywhere. Of course, that also meant lugging our bags (and kids!) around the city from the train station to the hotel. Because of that, we chose hotels close to the train stations during each of our stops during our trip.
During our time in Vienna, we stayed at the Vienna Marriott Hotel. Instead of going to the main train station, we arrived at the Wien Mitte train station, which was only a 10-minute walk to the hotel.
Vienna Marriott Hotel
The Vienna Marriott is a gorgeous hotel located in the heart of the city. While we splurged a little bit to stay here, we were definitely happy that we chose this hotel. The rooms are large, and there was plenty of space for our bags, stroller, and crib (which the hotel provided).
Right across the street from the hotel is Stadtpark, which was perfect for the kids to run around and play. We could walk or take a short ride on public transport to get anywhere we wanted to go. There was a tram stop right outside the front entrance to the hotel, making it easy to hop on public transportation when needed.
Vienna Marriott Hotel Restaurants
We don’t usually eat at hotel restaurants, but we ended up eating at one of the restaurants here. That wasn’t because Vienna doesn’t have great food (it does!). It was more so because it was the end of our trip, and by that point, we just felt that it was easier to eat a meal and be able to walk right back to our room without having to get everyone bundled back up.
We ate lunch at the Champions Sports Bar & Restaurant. It had very kid-friendly food, so it was easy to find something the boys would like. There were also a bunch of TVs with various games on, so it was a little louder in the restaurant. For us, that worked out great since our kiddos aren’t always the quietest!
The hotel also has a restaurant that offers brunch and dinner buffets, as well as a cafe that is open all day.
Getting Around Vienna with Kids
Walking
Walking around the city with a stroller was VERY easy. The sidewalks are well-maintained, and the city is not very hilly. Even the areas with cobblestones are easy for the stroller to roll over. From our hotel, it took about 15-20 minutes to get to the sights we wanted to see.
We brought along our Joovy Caboose Ultralightweight sit-and-stand stroller, which worked well.
Public Transportation
Like most cities in Europe, Vienna has a great public transportation system that consists of the U-Bahn (subway system), trams, and buses. You can buy tickets at subway stations, tobacco shops, or online. And you can choose how long you want the ticket to last (from a single ride to several days). Children under 6 years old are free, so we didn’t have to worry about tickets for our little guys.
If you will be checking out a lot of tourist attractions and using public transportation, you might want to consider purchasing the Vienna City Card. This card includes free travel on all public transportation in Vienna, entry or discounted entry into tourist attractions and museums, discounts at restaurants, and more depending on which card type you purchase.
Getting to and from the Vienna Airport
We took a quick 16-minute ride on City Airport Train (CAT) to get to the Vienna airport, and we wouldn’t have done it any other way! The CAT arrives at and departs from the Wien Mitte train station, which was only a 10-minute walk from our hotel.
Children under 6 are free, so we didn’t have to pay for a ticket for our kiddos. And the train took us directly to the airport. It was a comfortable ride and easy to manage with our kids and luggage.
You can purchase tickets for the CAT online or at the train station. You can also purchase a Vienna City Card and CAT ticket together to cover your whole trip.
What to Pack for Vienna in December
How cold is Vienna in winter? When you visit Vienna in December, the average high will be around 40 degrees Fahrenheit, and the average low will be around 30 degrees. So, bottom line…pack warm clothes!
Think winter coat, hat, gloves, and boots. We even brought along a small blanket for each of the boys when walking around the city (we used these stroller clips so the blankets couldn’t fall off…or get thrown to the ground!).
Vienna also has an average of 8 precipitation days, so there’s a chance for snow. Although we didn’t have any snow during our time there, it definitely would’ve added to that Christmas spirit.
3 Days in Vienna in December Itinerary
Itinerary time! Going to Vienna with kids during the Christmas season was so much fun. And it was easy to keep busy with plenty of things to do with kids in Vienna.
Our daily schedule included returning to the hotel each day to allow the kids to nap. So, with that being said, our days weren’t jam-packed, yet we still saw so much!
Day 1 in Vienna:
When we first get to a destination, we like to wander around the city and just take it all in. The cool thing about visiting Vienna in December is that, while you see plenty of beautiful architecture and parks, you also see Christmas markets. In fact, that was one of my favorite parts of visiting Europe in December in general! Here’s what we came across on our first day in Vienna.
Josefsplatz
This small square is located at the Hofburg Palace. This square became what we know it today in the 1780s. And the centerpiece of the square is a statue of Joseph II, who was the emperor at that time. You can find the entrance to the National Library in Josefsplatz.
Hofburg Imperial Palace
This show-stopping palace was built in the 13th century and was home to the Habsburg empire for over 700 years. Now it is the official residence of the President of Austria. It also houses museums, the imperial apartments, the Austrian National Library, and the Spanish Riding School.
You can pay a fee to enter the palace, but we chose to just walk around the palace grounds, which is free. There was also a Christmas market on the palace grounds, so of course, we checked that out as well.
Rathausplatz
Home to the Rathaus, Vienna’s City Hall, this square almost always has a special event going on. Since we were in Vienna in December, it was all about the Vienna Christkindlmarkt. And it was SUPER impressive! I mean it even has an ice rink that looks like a lazy river weaving through the Christmas market.
We were really happy we stumbled across this Christmas market during the day because, as you’ll find out as you keep reading, this market gets crazy busy at night.
St. Stephen’s Cathedral
That night, we made our way to St. Stephen’s Cathedral, and all I have to say is…wow! Ok, that’s not all I’ll say, but it was absolutely gorgeous!
Although there are some areas of the cathedral that have a fee to enter (such as the catacombs), entry into the main part of the cathedral is free. So we took a break from the cold to check it out.
Once we were back outside, we enjoyed the Christmas market there, complete with a large Christmas tree and Christmas lights.
The Christmas lights in the area surrounding St. Stephen’s Cathedral were also very impressive and the boys loved looking at them all soaring overhead.
Our favorite dessert of the trip was trdelník, and it didn’t disappoint at this market. We actually stopped here twice during our trip just to enjoy that goodness.
Day 2 in Vienna:
Our second day in Vienna was all about fun for the kids! And the smiles and laughs that came along with this day were so worth it.
Prater Park
Just a short ride on the S-Bahn (the suburban commuter train), and we were at Prater Park. To access the train, we walked over to the Wein Mitte station near our hotel.
Attractions
Prater Park is an amusement park filled with all sorts of fun rides. Entry into the park is free; however, there is a cost for individual rides. These costs vary depending on the ride.
The most popular attraction is the Wiener Riesenrad (AKA Viennese Giant Ferris Wheel). This giant ferris wheel was originally constructed in 1897, making it the world’s oldest functional ferris wheel in the world.
The view from the ferris wheel was amazing! And my boys loved riding on it. I can still hear my son’s little voice (only 1-years-old at the time) saying “moooo!” over and over again while looking at a statue of a cow below us…ha! Isn’t it amazing what little details our kiddos can find?
Beyond that, there were plenty of other fun attractions suitable for kids. My 3-year-old (at the time) loved the bumper cars and mini rollercoasters. Our cheeks hurt from smiling so hard while watching him enjoy all the rides!
Since we visited Vienna in winter, not all the attractions were open at Prater Park, but there was enough to keep our boys busy. The crowds were also very low at the amusement park, making it easy to get onto the attractions quickly.
ROLLERCOASTERRESTAURANT
For lunch, we went to ROLLERCOASTERRESTAURANT, where our food was literally brought out to us via rollercoaster! While the food was average, the experience was great.
The boys got a kick out of watching the rollercoasters go by to deliver food to tables (and so did we!). And it was very easy to find food that the boys would like on the menu since it consisted of the basics…chicken fingers, burgers, fries, etc.
Belvedere Palace
After a morning full of fun, we spent the evening a little more low-key by heading to Belvedere Palace. We were so happy we visited this palace at night because it was really beautiful to see it all lit up with its reflection in the pond in front of it.
There was a small Christmas market there that wasn’t too busy. The low crowds made it a perfect place to visit with the boys, and they were happy to get to ride a small carousel there.
Day 3 in Vienna:
This wasn’t only our last day in Vienna, but it was also the last day of our entire European Christmas market tour. So we made sure to end our time with one last visit to a Christmas market (and bought some last-minute souvenirs!).
Stadtpark
We were lucky to have this large, beautiful park right across the street from our hotel. It was the perfect spot to let the boys run around and explore. We stopped here in the morning on the way to the U-Bahn station, where we took the subway to get to Schönbrunn Palace.
Schönbrunn Palace
Schönbrunn Palace was the summer residence of the Habsburgs, a European dynasty from the 15th to the 20th centuries. It’s now not only the most visited tourist attraction in Vienna, but it’s the most visited tourist attraction in Austria.
We arrived at Schönbrunn Palace at opening, which allowed us to get our tickets to enter the palace with absolutely no lines. You can also purchase tickets online in advance to avoid any wait time. We purchased an audio guide to tour the rooms that were once occupied by the Habsburg monarchy.
Strollers are allowed in the palace, which helped keep the kiddos contained while making our way through such opulent areas. Photos, however, are not allowed to be taken while inside the palace.
There is actually also a children’s museum at Schönbrunn Palace that looks like a lot of fun! It is recommended for children ages 3-12. We ended up not going during our visit since our boys were a little too young at the time…and it was getting a little too close to naptime for our comfort (yes, we are that family that lives around nap time!).
Vienna State Opera House
While we didn’t go inside the Vienna State Opera House, we felt like we couldn’t be in Vienna without at least going to see it! So on our way back to the hotel, we got off the subway one stop early for a quick detour to see this gorgeous building.
The Vienna States Opera House originally opened in 1869; however, a large part of it was destroyed in World War II. Guests were welcomed back to the opera house in 1955 after it had been restored to its original facade.
You can take a 40-minute guided tour of the inside of the opera house. Make sure you purchase your tickets online and reserve a tour time in advance. Tour times and dates vary. And unfortunately, we visited at a time when they were not offering tours, so we just got to take in the view of the outside.
Note: if you have a Vienna Pass, you will still need to reserve a tour time online.
Christmas Markets in Vienna
While we saw plenty of Christmas markets during our time in Vienna, we made it a point to visit the Christmas markets one last time before heading home. I needed to grab some souvenirs I had my eyes on! (And the beautiful paper stars we bought that night became a part of our youngest’s nursery!)
We started our night at the Christkindlmarkt at Rauthausplatz. Since this Christmas market is so popular, it was a bit of a madhouse at night! As much as we loved seeing it all lit up with Christmas lights, we were happy we also enjoyed it during the daytime hours with fewer crowds earlier in our trip.
After leaving Rathausplatz, we strolled over to Karlsplatz, where I loved seeing the Christmas lights strung above us. We finally made one last stop at Stephenplatz (and ate one last trdelník!) before heading back to the hotel to get some rest before returning home the next day.
Seeing a Hallmark Christmas Movie being Filmed
The moment you’ve been waiting for! Ok, this probably isn’t the moment you’ve been waiting for seeing that you likely came here to read all about a Vienna itinerary. But I did promise you I would talk about a Hallmark Christmas movie!
On our very last night, we saw something a little different than we had seen at the Christmas markets throughout our time in Europe…a Hallmark Christmas movie being filmed!
So, if you ever watch Hallmark’s Christmas in Vienna and come across the scene when the characters visit a booth at a Christmas market, we saw them filming it.
Fun fact: the snow in that scene was brought in specifically for the movie! Although it was cold that night, there wasn’t actually snow on the ground while wandering around the market.
Needless to say, we had a bunch of fun watching that movie when it came out because it highlighted all the fun stuff we saw when we were visiting Vienna.
Vienna in Winter with Kids
There was so much to do in Vienna with kids! And going to Vienna in winter and during the holiday season made it that much more special.
The spirit of Christmas time plus seeing all the popular attractions around Vienna is something I won’t soon forget. While there was enough to see in Vienna to last us longer than 3 days, I felt like 3 days there was a good amount of time to do the things we wanted.
If you’re thinking about visiting Vienna, you may very well want to consider going in December. It might a little colder than other times of the year, but it really brings that Christmas spirit to life. Plus Vienna is the perfect starting or ending spot on a tour to see Christmas celebrations in other cities (or even countries!).
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