The Schönbrunn Christmas market runs from 6 November 2026 to 6 January 2027 in the courtyard in front of Schönbrunn Palace, in Vienna's 13th district, and entry is free. It opens daily at 10:00 and closes at 21:00 until 23 December, at 16:00 on 24 December and at 19:00 from 25 December. We recommend going in daylight, combining the market with the palace or the zoo, and leaving around sunset, which is about 16:00 in December. It is also one of only three Vienna markets open on 27 December, which makes it a good choice between Christmas and New Year; for an evening of Punsch (Vienna's hot market punch), pick a market in the centre.
What you'll find on this page
For all of Vienna's 2026 markets side by side, start with our Vienna Christmas markets 2026 guide. Its date table shows how few stay open after Christmas: on 27 December only Schönbrunn, the Prater Winter Market and the new Belvedere market are open, and only Schönbrunn and the Prater's market last until 6 January 2027. We are the host team at MINT @Naschmarkt, a minute from the Naschmarkt (Vienna's open-air food market) and one U4 ride from Schönbrunn.
- 2026 dates and hours, including 24, 25, 26 and 31 December
- Free entry, and what palace tickets cost in winter
- What there is for children, and what a first Punsch costs
- The U4 from the Naschmarkt, and which station to use
- A verdict by traveller, nearby sights and where to stay
When is the Schönbrunn Christmas market open in 2026?
The market opens at 10:00 every day from 6 November 2026 to 6 January 2027. Only the closing time changes, and the market's FAQ, its operator, Imperial Markets, and the Vienna Tourist Board list the same hours:
| Date | Hours | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 6 Nov to 23 Dec 2026 | 10:00 to 21:00 daily | The only weeks with a 21:00 close |
| 24 Dec 2026 | 10:00 to 16:00 | Christmas Eve: closes early |
| 25 Dec 2026 | 10:00 to 19:00 | Christmas Day: open |
| 26 Dec 2026 | 10:00 to 19:00 | Open |
| 27 to 30 Dec 2026 | 10:00 to 19:00 | One of three Vienna markets open on 27 Dec |
| 31 Dec 2026 | 10:00 to 19:00 | No special New Year's Eve hours listed |
| 1 Jan 2027 | 10:00 to 19:00 | No special New Year's Day hours listed |
| 2 to 6 Jan 2027 | 10:00 to 19:00 | The season ends on 6 Jan |
Is the Schönbrunn Christmas market free? Yes, and the €42 Palace Ticket is separate
Admission to the Christmas market is free. The palace behind the stalls is a separate, ticketed visit, open 08:30 to 17:00 from 3 November 2026 to 31 March 2027.
On the palace's ticket page, the Palace Ticket costs €42 for adults and €30 for children from age 6. According to Schönbrunn Palace's own ticket page, State Apartments admission is approximately €30 for adults and €20 for children; confirm current pricing at booking. According to Schönbrunn Palace's own ticket page, the Sisi Pass is approximately €60 for adults; this pass alone has a seasonal price change from 19 November 2026, so confirm at booking.
You cannot buy the Classic Pass during the market season. The palace's Classic Pass page says the €49 pass, which adds the Privy Garden, the Maze, the Orangery Garden and the Gloriette viewing terrace to the Palace Ticket, is sold only from 27 March to 2 November 2026.
Watch out: the palace rooms close at 17:00 and the stalls stay open later, so if you can only come in the afternoon, go into the palace first and see the stalls afterwards.
90 stalls in the palace courtyard, and a new operator since 2024
The market fills the Ehrenhof, the palace's main courtyard. For 2026/27, the market's homepage lists 90 stalls, and VisitingVienna counts over 90. The tourist board lists "traditional crafts, handmade Christmas decorations". For children, Imperial Markets' page for the market lists a GLICE rink that is free for them, curling lanes, a carousel, a Ferris wheel, a children's train and a craft workshop. The travel blog Journey of Doing found "more traditional handicrafts" here than at other markets.
According to the former operator's own retired site, the market ran for 30 successful years under MTS Wien before the 2023 handover. That places its start around 1994. The Schönbrunn Group, which manages the palace, then gave Imperial Markets GmbH a five-year mandate from the 2024 season. Imperial Markets has run the Christmas and Easter markets here since winter 2024. This is its third Christmas. Before its first season, in March 2024, its chief executive, Katrin Edtmeier, said the company would bring in its own children's mugs, so that children get age-appropriate hot-drink portions for the first time.
Food, drink and prices: a first Punsch cost €10.50 up front in 2025
According to oe24.at's November 2025 season survey, Schönbrunn charged €5.50 for a Punsch plus a €5 mug deposit; the 2026-season price had not yet been surveyed at the time of writing, so confirm on-site.
Key fact: at 2025 prices, your first Punsch costs €10.50: €5.50 for the drink and a €5 mug deposit, which is refunded when you return the mug or pays for it if you keep it.
In 2023, MeinBezirk.at's survey found a €4 deposit here, with orange punch or mulled wine at €5 and berry punch at €5.50.
1000things Magazine's October 2025 report also listed Lindt hot chocolate and festive chocolate creations.
Imperial Markets lists the rink as free for children in 2026, but the detailed prices are from 2025: according to 1000things Magazine's October 2025 report, the 15 by 30 metre rink with four curling lanes charged nothing for under-14s from 10:00 to 14:00 and €3 after that, skaters aged 15 and over paid €6, and a private lane cost €70 per half hour. These are 2025-season prices, so confirm current rates before you go.
How do you get to the Schönbrunn Christmas market? About 7 minutes on the U4
The palace's directions give two options: the U4 to Schönbrunn, or tram 10 or 60 to the Schloss Schönbrunn stop. From the Naschmarkt it is one train with no change. Kettenbrückengasse, our nearest U4 station, is about a minute from our door by our estimate; the U4 from there reaches Schönbrunn in about 7 minutes, and the main gate is a 5 to 7 minute walk from the station. That is about 15 minutes door to door, plus the wait for a train.
| Going to | U4 station | Entrance |
|---|---|---|
| Market and palace | Schönbrunn | Main gate, 5 to 7 minutes on foot |
| Zoo | Hietzing | Hietzinger Tor |
| Imperial Lights | Schönbrunn | Meidlinger Tor, about 250 m from the station |
For the market, get off at Schönbrunn, not Hietzing.
Who should go? The verdict by traveller, and the 17:00 cut-off
According to timeanddate.com, Vienna's earliest sunsets in December 2026 land around 16:00 in the first half of the month, drifting back to about 16:05 by 26 and 27 December; treat that as an approximate guide, not a guarantee. The palace closes at 17:00 and the park at 17:30, while the stalls stay open until 21:00 before Christmas and 19:00 after it.
| If you are | Verdict | Why |
|---|---|---|
| A family with children | Yes, arrive by midday | Rink free for children; in 2025 under-14s skated free until 14:00 |
| Visiting the palace anyway | Yes, same trip | Free market in the palace courtyard, open from 10:00 |
| In Vienna 27 Dec to 6 Jan | Yes | One of three markets open on 27 Dec, one of two reaching 6 Jan |
| After traditional decorations | Yes | Traditional crafts and handmade decorations |
| After contemporary, local craft | No, go to Karlsplatz | Its Art Advent market, near the Naschmarkt, is our hub guide's craft pick |
| Planning an evening Punsch crawl | No, go to Spittelberg | Our hub guide's evening pick; this palace shuts at 17:00 |
| Arriving after dark for the palace | No | Sunset around 16:00, rooms closed at 17:00, park at 17:30 |
The grounds are spread out, so the market felt less crowded than Rathausplatz when the German review blog Helden der Freizeit visited in 2017.
Do not make Schönbrunn the last stop of a December Saturday. By 18:00 the sun has been down for about two hours and the palace and park are shut, so you get the stalls without the palace.
Bottom line: make Schönbrunn a daytime trip. Arrive by midday, see the palace and the stalls in daylight, and take the U4 back into town around sunset.
What else is nearby? The zoo until 16:30, then a light show from 16:30
According to Tiergarten Schönbrunn's own site, the zoo's winter hours run 09:00 to 16:30 from October through December and again in January; confirm before visiting, as hours can shift around holidays.
Schönbrunn Palace's own opening-times page lists no Gloriette terrace hours after 2 November 2026, so treat the terrace as closed for the market season; confirm on the palace's site before planning a visit.
For after dark, there is Imperial Lights, a light-art walk sold separately from the free market. According to Imperial Lights' own site, it runs daily from 16:30 to 22:00 (last admission 20:30) starting 6 November 2026 and is closed on 24 December; no closing date or adult ticket price is published, so confirm both directly before visiting.
For the evening, the Spittelberg market guide covers the market we would pick for Punsch, and the Freyung market guide covers the traditional one in the old centre.
Where to stay: 1 minute from the U4 at the Naschmarkt
We run MINT @Naschmarkt, five apartments a minute from the Naschmarkt. Kettenbrückengasse, where the direct U4 to Schönbrunn stops, is about a minute from our door by our estimate. That suits the day this page recommends: Schönbrunn while it is light, then back on the U4 for an evening market in the centre. To compare neighbourhoods, see our guide on where to stay for Vienna's Christmas markets.
Travelling as a family of four? Our Penthouse Maisonette has two bedrooms in 85 m², sleeps 4 and starts from €375 a night. On a tighter budget, the MINT Artisan also sleeps 4, in 65 m², from €185.
Check dates for your trip and book direct with us.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a Christmas market near Schönbrunn Palace? Yes, directly in front of it, in the palace's main courtyard, from 6 November 2026 to 6 January 2027, with 90 stalls this season and free entry.
When does the Schönbrunn Christmas market start in 2026? On 6 November 2026. It runs until 6 January 2027, one of only two Vienna markets open that long; the other is the Prater Winter Market.
What are the Schönbrunn Christmas market opening hours? 10:00 to 21:00 daily until 23 December 2026, 10:00 to 16:00 on 24 December, then 10:00 to 19:00 daily until 6 January 2027, holidays included.
Is the Schönbrunn Christmas market free? Yes. Entry is free; drinks, food and adult skating are paid for on the spot, and there is no all-inclusive ticket. Only the palace rooms need a ticket; the Palace Ticket costs €42 for adults.
How much does it cost to go inside Schönbrunn Palace in winter? The Palace Ticket is €42 for adults and €30 for children from age 6. State Apartments admission is approximately €30 for adults; the Sisi Pass is approximately €60 and changes price from 19 November 2026. Confirm both at booking. The Classic Pass is not sold during the market season.
Is the Schönbrunn Christmas market open after Christmas? Yes, daily 10:00 to 19:00 from 25 December 2026 to 6 January 2027, holidays included. On 27 December it is one of only three Vienna markets open, with the Prater Winter Market and the new Belvedere market.
Is Imperial Lights part of the Schönbrunn Christmas market? No. It is a separately ticketed light-art walk with its own entrance at the Meidlinger Tor, open 16:30 to 22:00 daily (last admission 20:30) from 6 November 2026 and closed 24 December. Its site publishes no closing date or adult price, so confirm both.
How do you get to the Schönbrunn Christmas market? Take the U4 to Schönbrunn and walk 5 to 7 minutes to the main gate, or tram 10 or 60 to Schloss Schönbrunn. From Kettenbrückengasse, by the Naschmarkt, the U4 ride is about 7 minutes with no change.
Sources
- Market homepage, Imperial Markets, 2026
- Market visitor FAQ, Imperial Markets, 2026
- Market event listing, Schönbrunn Palace, 2026
- Market page, Imperial Markets, 2026
- Company homepage, Imperial Markets
- Retired market site, MTS Wien, 2023
- Christmas markets, Vienna Tourist Board
- All tickets and tours, Schönbrunn Palace
- Classic Pass, Schönbrunn Palace
- Opening times, Schönbrunn Palace
- How to get here, Schönbrunn Palace
- Imperial Lights, official site
- Vienna sunsets, December 2026, timeanddate.com
- New market operator, MeinBezirk.at, March 2024
- Punsch prices, MeinBezirk.at, November 2023
- Punsch prices, oe24.at, November 2025
- Skating rink, 1000things Magazine, October 2025
- Market review, Helden der Freizeit, November 2017
- Schonbrunn Christmas Market, Journey of Doing, April 2025
- Schönbrunn Christmas Market 2026, VisitingVienna
- Visitor information, Tiergarten Schönbrunn
- Getting here, Tiergarten Schönbrunn
- Palace entrances, wien-tickets.com
- Schönbrunn U4 timetable, fahrplan.guru
Last updated: September 2026. Christian, Host & Founder, MINT @Naschmarkt.
