Oh, Vienna. Home to Mozart, Beethoven, Haydn, Freud, the Danube, waltzing and coffee house culture, to name but a few. Famous for its history and culture, the Austrian capital’s cobbled streets fizz with stories of ages past.
In my opinion, there is no better time to visit than in the winter – and the run-up to Christmas in particular. This city knows how to do Christmas. The streets are lit with a plethora of Christmas lights, some of which have acquired fame in their own right (I am told a friendly rivalry exists between the fans of the chandeliers on Graben – designed to create the impression of a gigantic outdoor ballroom – and the ‘curtain of lights’ around the corner on Kohlmarkt).
But the biggest draw of all are Vienna’s Christmas markets. Numbering 17 in total officially, they are scattered across the city’s 23 districts. Christmas markets of the type found in Europe don’t really exist in the UK – we do our best to imitate them, but for the real deal a trip to Europe is a must, and the ones in Vienna are among the best the continent has to offer.
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