📅 Essentials
When to visit Vienna
May, June and September for walking weather; November to early January for the markets; January and February for the balls. July and August are warm and busy.
The weather, in numbers
Climate normals for 1991–2020 at the Hohe Warte station, published by the City of Vienna: average daily highs of 3.5 °C in January, 17.2 °C in April, 26.4 °C in July and 21.1 °C in September. July is the sunniest month, around 274 hours; December the darkest, around 57. Recent years have run warmer than those averages. Month by month on the weather page.
Season by season
- Spring (April–May) — gardens at Schönbrunn and the Belvedere come into their own; May is also one of the wetter months.
- Summer (June–August) — long evenings, the Danube and the Alte Donau for swimming, open-air film on the Rathausplatz. Heat in the city centre can be heavy.
- Autumn (September–October) — our favourite. The grape harvest, the Wiener Weinwandertag wine hike (26–27 September 2026), Vienna Design Week and the ORF Long Night of Museums (3 October 2026).
- Advent (mid-November–December) — the Christmas markets: Rathausplatz from 13 November 2026, Schönbrunn from 6 November 2026 to 6 January 2027.
- Ball season (January–February) — the Vienna Philharmonic Ball on 21 January and the Opera Ball on 4 February 2027. Cold, grey and glamorous.
What changes the price
Hotels rise sharply around the Opera Ball, New Year's Eve, the Christmas-market weeks and large congresses. From 1 July 2026 the city tax is 5% of the room price — see city tax. More dates on events.
