Month by month
Vienna in December
The most atmospheric and most expensive month — worth it, if you book early and pick your markets.
The figures
- Avg high
- 4°C
- Avg low
- -0.4°C
- Sunshine
- 57 h
- Rain
- 47 mm
- New snow
- 10.8 cm
Official climate normals 1991–2020, measured at the Hohe Warte station (19th district). Highs and lows are means of the daily maximum and minimum; snow is the monthly total of new snow. Source: GeoSphere Austria / City of Vienna — Wien-Hohe Warte 1991–2020 (CC-BY 4.0)
December is the month Vienna is famous for. Every major Christmas market is open, the Ring and the Graben are hung with lights, the coffee houses are full by four o'clock and the Staatsoper, the Musikverein and the Konzerthaus are at the height of their season. It is also the least sunny month — under two hours a day on average — with highs around 4°C.
Plan around the dates. Spittelberg, Karlsplatz, Am Hof and the Freyung close on 23 December; Rathausplatz and Maria-Theresien-Platz on the 26th; only Schönbrunn continues into January. On 24 December the markets that are still open close in the afternoon and the city turns inward for Christmas Eve.
Weekends before Christmas and the days around New Year's Eve are the most expensive of the year. On 31 December the free Silvesterpfad trail traditionally runs through the old town, with stages from the Rathausplatz to the Prater.
What to know
- 8 December (Immaculate Conception) is a public holiday; 25 and 26 December are both holidays.
- The 2026/27 Silvesterpfad programme is published in December; the trail is free.
- Book the Staatsoper and Musikverein months ahead for December performances.
What is on this month
New Year's Eve: the Silvesterpfad
Innere Stadt and the Prater · 2026-12-31
Where to stay
Live prices and availability on a map centred on this exact spot — hotels, apartments and hostels, so you can judge the walk from here rather than guess from an address.
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Tickets & tours
Skip-the-line tickets, tours and experiences bookable ahead — free cancellation on most.
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Questions about this month
What is the weather like in Vienna in December?
The average daily high is 4°C and the average low -0.4°C, with around 47 mm of precipitation and 57 hours of sunshine in the month. These are the official 1991–2020 climate normals, measured at the Hohe Warte station.
Is December a good time to visit Vienna?
The most atmospheric and most expensive month — worth it, if you book early and pick your markets.
How busy is Vienna in December?
Peak by the standards of the Vienna year, and prices are highest. The table on the weather page compares all twelve months side by side.
Does it snow in Vienna in December?
An average December brings around 10.8 cm of new snow (1991–2020 normals). It rarely lies long in the city, but Schönbrunn and the Ring under snow are worth seeing — and a coffee house is the right place afterwards.
Before you go
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