Every year, Vienna wraps itself in an especially festive cloak of lights. The first Christmas lights start to sparkle at the beginning of November. Once all the Christmas illuminations have been installed, over two million LED lights sparkle in 32 of Vienna's shopping streets. The lights require almost 200 kilometers of cable. Vienna’s Christmas lights are powered by eco-friendly green electricity. No wonder that the Advent illuminations in Vienna already have cult status and successfully get residents and visitors alike in the mood for Christmas. We therefore present a particularly lovely and Christmassy tour of Vienna and reveal which Christmas illuminations make a wintry city walk especially worth going on.

Annagasse: Christmas as in days gone by

The tour starts right near Kärntner Strasse. In contrast to the turbulent Kärntner Strasse at Christmas, the Baroque-style Annagasse with its heritage-listed houses is all about reflection and peace – which it owes not least to its Christmas lights. Because they present the notes of the first bars of the carol "Silent Night". So bum notes and rushing around are ruled out here.

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Graben: grandiose chandeliers

Just a few minutes' walk from Annagasse, the pre-Christmas walker is presented with an elegant sight that simply takes their breath away. Because Vienna's Graben is decorated with Christmas lights in a magnificent chandelier look. At the top end of Graben, more precisely at Stock-im-Eisen-Platz, the illuminations are also celebrated each year with Vienna's mayor – festive choral singing included. Tip: a glimpse into Habsburgergasse is also well worth it. Vienna appears imperial in the side street of Graben. Christmas lights in the shape of crowns recall Vienna's imperial history.

Bling-bling on Kohlmarkt

Can't get enough of the glitter and splendor? That's fine, because Vienna's Kohlmarkt is perfectly suited for a stroll past shop windows. Once used as a marketplace for charcoal dealers, the boutiques of high-class designer brands line the area nowadays. The elegant ambience of Vienna's Kohlmarkt is perfectly rounded off by the Christmas lights, which are presented entirely in a glamorous "shower of gold" look – and does credit to the Kohlmarkt's reputation for luxury.

New: the Sisi stars at the Neuer Markt

The Neuer Markt, which was revamped in 2022, has been given some additional decorative elements in 2023; what we are calling the Sisi stars are based on the famous diamonds worn by Empress Elisabeth, aka Sisi. What makes them special is that the way in which the paint is applied gives them a three-dimensional appearance.

The red in Rotenturmstrasse

Maximum Christmas ambience awaits city strollers on Rotenturmstrasse. The outsized red baubles have been a fixed item of Advent in Vienna for many years. It's a particularly good place to go for a stroll. The link between Stephansplatz and Schwedenplatz has been transformed into a pedestrian-friendly meeting place, where the pre-Christmas lighting comes even more to the fore.

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City Hall Park: Vienna's winter wonderland

If you haven't yet managed to really get into the Christmas mood in the hustle and bustle around the big festival of love, then you should definitely plan Vienna's City Hall Park into the route of your Christmas walk. The park in front of Vienna City Hall wins out with a whole bunch of love for festive decorative details. You're guaranteed to get a warm feeling here. And the absolute highlight in Vienna's City Hall Park is the famous tree of hearts – a Viennese Christmas classic, especially for couples in love.

Servitengasse: shining trees

One of Vienna's prettiest streets, Servitengasse in the Servitenviertel in the 9th district, is also bathed in Christmas light. That means pure romance, because the Christmas lights on tranquil Servitengasse have been artistically draped around the trees lining the street. All in all, there are around 10,000 lights here.

Neubaugasse: between art district and Christmas

The next part of our walk past Vienna's most beautiful Christmas lights leads from the city center to the artistically presented Neubaugasse, where three-dimensional moons and stars can be seen in Advent. The stars are so-called Moravian stars, whose 25 points are intended to remind us of the star of Bethlehem. We think they're the perfect mix of Christmas tradition and handicrafts.

Josefstädter Strasse: full on blue

The Christmas classics in Vienna also include the Christmas illuminations on Josefstädter Strasse in the 8th district: the giant blue Christmas baubles that float artistically above Josefstädter Strasse will get you in the mood for Christmas. A total of 120 blue baubles create a fantastic Advent backdrop here.

From Aspern to Hütteldorf: the secret tips

Vienna also offers plenty of Christmas glamor on the other side of the Danube. The district of Seestadt Aspern is bathed a sea of lights in the form of brightly shining bells. Baubles shimmering in gold and silver await in the west of Vienna, on Hütteldorfer Strasse in the 14th district. Döbling (19th district) looks pretty much the same in the run-up to Christmas. Giant Christmas baubles in red and silver set the scene on Obkirchergasse during Advent.