Month by month
Vienna in January
The quietest, best-value month — and the start of the ball season, when Vienna is most itself.
The figures
- Avg high
- 3.5°C
- Avg low
- -1.3°C
- Sunshine
- 70 h
- Rain
- 42 mm
- New snow
- 15.9 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)
January opens with the most famous concert of the year: the Vienna Philharmonic's New Year's Concert in the Musikverein, broadcast around the world. Tickets are allocated by an online lottery run by the orchestra, so for most visitors it is a television event — but the city has a festive first week regardless, and the Schönbrunn Christmas market stays open until 6 January.
After Epiphany the visitors go home, hotel rates drop to their lowest level of the year and the palaces and museums are at their calmest. This is also the heart of the ball season: from mid-January there are balls almost every night, from the Confectioners' Ball to the Vienna Philharmonic Ball in the Musikverein. Many sell tickets to the public; evening dress is not optional.
The price is the weather. Average highs are around 3–4°C, there are barely more than two hours of sunshine a day, and it can snow. This is a month for coffee houses, the Kunsthistorisches Museum and an evening at the Opera — not for the Danube.
What to know
- 1 January 2027: New Year's Concert conducted by Tugan Sokhiev. Tickets are drawn by lottery on the Vienna Philharmonic's website.
- The Schönbrunn Christmas market runs until 6 January 2027 (10:00–19:00 after Christmas).
- Balls in January 2027 include the Confectioners' Ball (14 Jan), the Vienna Philharmonic Ball (21 Jan), the Hunters' Ball (25 Jan) and the Doctors' Ball (30 Jan).
- Wiener Eistraum, the big ice rink on Rathausplatz, opens on 22 January 2027.
What is on this month
Vienna Philharmonic New Year's Concert
Musikverein, Golden Hall · 2027-01-01
Confectioners' Ball (Zuckerbäckerball)
Hofburg · 2027-01-14
Vienna Philharmonic Ball
Musikverein · 2027-01-21
Wiener Eistraum — ice skating at City Hall
Rathausplatz · 2027-01-22 – 2027-03-07
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.
Bookings made through this map earn us a commission. Your price is unaffected.
Partner links · GetYourGuide
Tickets & tours
Skip-the-line tickets, tours and experiences bookable ahead — free cancellation on most.
See all options: Vienna January →We may earn a commission from these. It never changes your price.
Read next
Questions about this month
What is the weather like in Vienna in January?
The average daily high is 3.5°C and the average low -1.3°C, with around 42 mm of precipitation and 70 hours of sunshine in the month. These are the official 1991–2020 climate normals, measured at the Hohe Warte station.
Is January a good time to visit Vienna?
The quietest, best-value month — and the start of the ball season, when Vienna is most itself.
How busy is Vienna in January?
Quiet by the standards of the Vienna year, and prices are cheapest. The table on the weather page compares all twelve months side by side.
Does it snow in Vienna in January?
An average January brings around 15.9 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
We may earn a commission from these. It never changes your price.
