Vienna Christmas Market

Its that time of year again when the Christmas markets open, originally called the December market here in Vienna, it is believed to have started in Vienna around 1294, Obviously the main attraction for most of us Brits is the Glühwein, roughly translated into Glow wine from the hot Irons once used for the mulling, its important to remember this is an alcohol beverage and you can easily fall foul of its seductive ways so be canny with it. Other stalls sell a range of products from food to hand made crafts and Christmas decorations.

                 Stephansplatz

Stephanplatz is in the centre of the city and can easily be reached with the underground lines U1 and U3, its named after the Cathedral which is reputedly one of the tallest in the world, when the Germans left Vienna at the end of the second world war shops close buy were set alight as the Russians approached and the wind fanned the flames on the cathedral and the roof caught fire and collapsed, but work to restore it began immediately so now you can see the full spender of the fantastic roof again, to the side of the cathedral is the Christmas market. It is open from the 15th November till the 23rd of December, Generally fo Austrians the have their Christmas dinners on the 24th December, (so as a lucky Brit I get 2 Christmas dinners a year :) )

The opening times are from 11am to 9pm