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Home » Christmas Market at the Rathaus (Vienna’s City Hall)

Christmas Market at the Rathaus (Vienna’s City Hall)

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Vienna Christmas Market

One of the many reasons I was excited to visit my family in Vienna in December was because I knew we would be able to visit the city’s famous Christmas markets. We visited three different Christmas markets, where I gained a deep appreciation for the frequently modest prices of handmade items on etsy (affiliate link) and Mike developed an appetite for kartoffelpuffer. This was the largest of the markets that we visited. Notice the giant advent candles in the front (some still unlit since we visited on December 11th) and the many lines of shop stalls. There were actually many more shops than are shown in this photo since the market extended quite a distance on either side.

Vienna Rathaus at Christmastime

They transformed the actual city hall into a giant advent calendar, with artwork replacing the navy blue banner for each day that passed. I’m still wondering what was behind day 24 (on the clock tower). There is no day 25, because in Austria they celebrate Christmas on the 24th. The clock tower transformed this building into Cinderella’s Palace for Emma.

Inside the entrance of the Vienna Rathaus

The main festivities hall was decorated for Christmas, with workshops for young children. My favorite was the bakery, where 3-, 4-, and 5-year-old chefs looked like little elves rolling out cookie dough in aprons and chef hats.

And now I’m feeling homesick…

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  1. We loved visiting Christmas markets in Bremen and other cities when we visited during Christmas season before Anna. Eventually we are looking forward to taking her to Germany at Christmas… when we gather our courage to fly in the winter :) Vienna’s market looks awesome, and I agree – it must look magical to young children.
    .-= Natalie´s last blog ..Mission Organization #3 – Top 10 for 2010 =-.

  4. So beautiful! I’ve always heard that Vienna is a beautiful city but I’ve never had the opportunity to see it myself!
    .-= Andrea @ The Train To Crazy´s last blog ..Time for change =-.

  5. Amazing! It sounds just like a fairytale!!
    .-= Elisa @ blissfulE´s last blog ..Sunday sunshine :: tennis trainer =-.

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