Am Hof Christmas market runs from 13 November to 23 December 2026 on Am Hof, one of the oldest squares in Vienna's 1st district. The stalls open at 11:00 from Monday to Thursday and at 10:00 from Friday to Sunday. The craft stalls close at 21:00, but food and drink carry on until 22:00 every day, so Am Hof works best at the end of an evening in the old town. It is worth going for a late dinner and a drink, and if you want the craft stalls too, arrive by 20:00.
What you'll find on this page
For every Vienna market's 2026 dates side by side, see our Vienna Christmas markets 2026 guide. We run MINT @Naschmarkt, five serviced apartments by the Naschmarkt, Vienna's open-air food market.
- 2026 dates and hours, including 8, 24, 25, 26 and 31 December
- The market's history since 1842, and why Schloss Hof is somewhere else
- What to eat, drink and buy, with 2024 drink prices
- The U-Bahn to Am Hof, and the route from the Naschmarkt
- Whether it is worth it, and when to arrive
- Where to stay, and eight common questions
When is the Am Hof Christmas market open in 2026?
The market's own site gives 13 November to 23 December 2026. The Vienna Tourist Board's markets page lists the same dates and hours and adds one detail the operator leaves out: public holidays get the weekend hours. In 2026 that applies to Tuesday 8 December, the Immaculate Conception holiday, when the market opens at 10:00 rather than 11:00.
| 2026 | Opens | Craft stalls close | Food and drink close | How firm (checked 18 September 2026) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monday to Thursday | 11:00 | 21:00 | 22:00 | Operator's site; tourist board matches |
| Friday to Sunday | 10:00 | 21:00 | 22:00 | Operator's site; tourist board matches |
| Tuesday 8 December (public holiday) | 10:00 | 21:00 | 22:00 | Tourist board: holidays take weekend hours |
| 24, 25, 26 and 31 December | Closed | Closed | Closed | Firm: the season ends on 23 December |
Has Am Hof had a Christmas market since 1842?
A Christmas market has been held on Am Hof on and off since 1842. According to the City of Vienna's own history archive, vendor conflicts at the Freyung led to a trial move of the Christkindlmarkt (the city's Christmas market) to Am Hof in 1842, made permanent in 1843, the same account our Freyung market guide uses. The market then ran at Am Hof itself through 1917, was replaced by a flower market, briefly returned from 1939 to 1942, and even turned into a one-off flea market in 1973 before today's market developed gradually through the 1990s. The operator's own history page gives a slightly different span, 1842 to 1922 and 1938 to 1942; we follow the official city archive. The same page says wooden huts were first rented to vendors in 1998. Today the market is run by Porcus Tumultus GesmbH, the company named in the site's legal notice.
The square itself is much older. Its name means "at the court". According to the City of Vienna's history archive, the Babenberg duke Henry II built his palace, the "Hof", here around 1155, inside the walls of the old Roman camp. The square was a marketplace from about 1280, and a wine market from 1358. The Kirche am Hof, the church on the square, was built between 1386 and 1403.
Watch out: Schloss Hof is a different place, a palace in Lower Austria whose Christmas market charges €12 for adults, €6 for ages 6 to 18 and nothing under 6, according to its own ticket page on 18 September 2026. No admission fee is published anywhere for Am Hof, on the operator's own site or on the Vienna Tourist Board's listing. If Schloss Hof is the one you want, third-party listings (not the operator's own event page, which was unreachable when we checked) put its 2026 market on 14 to 15, 21 to 22 and 28 to 29 November, 5 to 8 December (a bridge over the 8 December public holiday), and 12 to 13 and 19 to 20 December, 10:00 to 19:00 each day; confirm exact dates with Schloss Hof before visiting.
What can you eat, drink and buy at Am Hof's 70-plus stalls?
The operator counts more than 70 exhibitors for 2026, and VisitingVienna.com estimates around 76 stands, about 20 of them arts-and-crafts huts. The craft stalls sell silver jewellery, leather goods, ceramics, scarves and other textile gifts, wooden models, Tiffany-style glass, bookbinding and upcycled pieces.
VisitingVienna.com says Am Hof "offers a wider range of food and drink than at many of the other Viennese markets". This is what the stalls sell:
| What | Named at Am Hof | Listed by |
|---|---|---|
| Meals | Raclette, Tyrolean Gröstl (a potato and meat hash), dumplings, baked potatoes, soups, pasta, Salzburger Bosna (a sausage speciality) | Operator, VisitingVienna.com |
| Sweet things | Lebkuchen (gingerbread), roasted almonds, crêpes, waffles, chocolate-coated fruit | Operator, VisitingVienna.com |
| Hot drinks | Punsch (hot spiced punch), Glühwein (mulled wine), mulled mead, and Zirbenpunsch, a Swiss stone pine punch the operator dates to 1999 | Operator, Vienna Online |
| The Enzian (gentian) stall | Gentian spirit in elderflower or blueberry punch, lavender mulled wine | Helden der Freizeit, a review site |
| Beer | Am Hof's own bock beer, since 2014 | Operator, Helden der Freizeit |
| To take home | Lebkuchen, honey, egg liqueur, Alpine cheeses | Operator, VisitingVienna.com |
According to Vienna Online's December 2024 price comparison and Heute.at's October 2024 report, Punsch at Am Hof ran €4.50 to €6.00 and Glühwein €5 to €7 in 2024, with a €5 mug deposit (Häferlpfand) and children's punch at €4. No 2026 figure has been published for Am Hof specifically, so expect these to run higher; Heute.at already had Punsch and Glühwein up €1 on 2023.
Local tip: The operator says Am Hof was one of the first markets in Europe to stop using disposable cups, so drinks come in a mug. The €5 is a deposit, not the price of the mug. Hand the mug back when you have finished and the €5 comes back to you; if you keep it, you have paid €5 for a souvenir.
How do you get to Am Hof on the U1, U2 or U3?
The operator's visitor page lists three U-Bahn stations without favouring one: Stephansplatz on the U1, Schottentor on the U2 and Herrengasse on the U3, plus trams 37, 38, 40, 41, 42 and D to Schottentor and bus 2A to Herrengasse. Ganz Wien puts Herrengasse about 400 m from the square and Schottentor about 800 m, and Volume.at calls Herrengasse a 5-minute walk. Stephansplatz is roughly the same 400 m, by our own estimate.
From our apartments by the Naschmarkt, by public transport (our own estimate): U4 from Kettenbrückengasse to Karlsplatz, then U1 to Stephansplatz, then a short walk, roughly 15 to 20 minutes door to door. On foot it is about 18 to 25 minutes through the Innere Stadt (the old-town 1st district), the same estimate our Freyung guide uses, since the two markets sit immediately next to each other.
Local tip: Herrengasse is the closest station, but from the Naschmarkt we take the U4 to Karlsplatz and the U1 one stop to Stephansplatz: one change, one stop on each line, and a short walk at the end, so by our own estimate it is the quicker way.
The operator describes the market as barrier-free, with accessible toilets behind the Mariensäule, the Marian column on the square. Dogs must be on a lead and muzzled. Bikes and scooters are not allowed. The city runs a free Wi-Fi hotspot at Am Hof 4. Ganz Wien gave €3.90 an hour for the Garage am Hof car park in 2025, but with three U-Bahn stations within about 800 m there is little reason to drive.
Is the Am Hof Christmas market worth it in 2026?
It is worth it if you go for the food and drink and make it the last stop of your evening. If you are mainly after gifts, come earlier, because the craft huts shut at 21:00.
One TripAdvisor reviewer in November 2023 found "great buzz but without being packed out with crowds", while another, in November 2025, called it underwhelming and wrote that it "offers more for drinkers rather than looking for gifts". Helden der Freizeit found the stalls well spread out across the square.
| If you want | Am Hof? | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Dinner and a drink after 21:00 | Yes | Food and drink run until 22:00 every day |
| Crafts and gifts | Yes, before 21:00 | The craft stalls close at 21:00 |
| Two markets in one evening | Yes, ending at Am Hof | The Freyung is next door |
| A quieter visit | On a weekday | Volume.at's advice |
| Live music | Look elsewhere | We found no published programme for Am Hof |
| A market on 24, 25, 26 or 31 December | No | The season ends on 23 December |
If you arrive by 20:00, you have an hour at the craft stalls before they close and then an hour to eat before the food stalls close at 22:00. From the Naschmarkt, the evening would run like this:
| Time | Where | What | Whose time |
|---|---|---|---|
| About 19:40 | MINT, by the Naschmarkt | Leave for Kettenbrückengasse, U4 to Karlsplatz, U1 to Stephansplatz | Our estimate: 15 to 20 minutes door to door |
| 20:00 | Am Hof | The craft stalls, in their last hour | Operator: crafts close at 21:00 |
| 21:00 | Am Hof | Dinner and a last Punsch | Operator: food and drink until 22:00 |
| 22:00 | Am Hof to MINT | Walk back through the Innere Stadt, past the State Opera | Our estimate: 18 to 25 minutes on foot |
If you want to see two markets, start at the Freyung next door; the Freyung market guide has the plan for doing both in one evening. On the U-Bahn you change at Karlsplatz, which has its own Art Advent market, so a stop there is on your way. If you are choosing between markets rather than adding one, see the Rathausplatz market guide for the market in front of City Hall, and the Spittelberg market guide.
Where to stay: 18 to 25 minutes' walk from Am Hof
Am Hof is not our nearest market. From our apartments by the Naschmarkt it is about 18 to 25 minutes on foot or roughly 15 to 20 minutes by U-Bahn, by our own estimates, and a base in the 1st district would be closer. The Naschmarkt works when Am Hof is one evening of several: it is one change away, Karlsplatz is on the route, and you can walk back after the food stalls close at 22:00. Our guide to where to stay for Vienna's Christmas markets compares bases for the whole season.
Staying for the markets? Mini MINT is 35 m² for up to 2 guests, from €185 a night. Check-in is from 15:00, which leaves the first evening for a market; check-out is by 11:00, luggage storage is free on both days, and the minimum stay is two nights. Check dates and book direct.
Frequently asked questions
When is the Am Hof Christmas market open in 2026? From Friday 13 November to Wednesday 23 December 2026. It opens at 11:00 from Monday to Thursday, and at 10:00 from Friday to Sunday and on the 8 December holiday. The craft stalls close at 21:00 and the food and drink stalls at 22:00.
Is the Am Hof Christmas market open on Christmas Eve? No. The 2026 season ends on Wednesday 23 December, so the market is closed on 24, 25, 26 and 31 December.
How do I get to the Am Hof Christmas market? Take the U3 or bus 2A to Herrengasse, about 400 m away, the U1 to Stephansplatz, or the U2 or trams 37, 38, 40, 41, 42 and D to Schottentor, about 800 m away. From the Naschmarkt, allow about 18 to 25 minutes on foot or roughly 15 to 20 minutes by U-Bahn, by our own estimates.
What is the difference between the Am Hof and Freyung Christmas markets? They are separate markets a few minutes' walk apart, with a shared history: the city's Christmas market moved from the Freyung to Am Hof on trial in 1842 and for good in 1843. Am Hof keeps its food and drink stalls open until 22:00, an hour after its craft stalls close, so it is the one to finish at.
What foods are sold at Christmas markets? At Am Hof: raclette, Tyrolean Gröstl, dumplings, baked potatoes, soups, Salzburger Bosna sausage, Lebkuchen (gingerbread), roasted almonds, crêpes and waffles. To drink there is Punsch, Glühwein (mulled wine), mulled mead, the market's own Zirbenpunsch made with Swiss stone pine, and its own bock beer.
What should I buy at the Vienna Christmas markets? At Am Hof the operator lists silver jewellery, leather goods, ceramics, scarves, wooden models and Tiffany-style glass. To take home and eat, look for Lebkuchen, honey, egg liqueur or Alpine cheese. Shop before 21:00, when the craft stalls close.
How much does a Punsch cost at the Am Hof Christmas market? In 2024 Punsch at Am Hof cost €4.50 to €6.00 and Glühwein €5 to €7, plus a €5 mug deposit, according to Vienna Online and Heute.at. No 2026 figure has been published for Am Hof, so expect prices to run higher. You get the deposit back when you return the mug.
Are Vienna's Christmas markets worth it? Am Hof is worth an evening if you come to eat and drink: its food and drink stalls stay open until 22:00, and no admission fee is published for it on the operator's site or the Vienna Tourist Board's listing. Reviews of the shopping are mixed, and one visitor found it better for drinkers than for gift hunting.
Sources
- Weihnachtsmarkt Am Hof, official site
- Weihnachtsmarkt Am Hof, legal notice
- Weihnachtsmarkt Am Hof, visitor information
- Weihnachtsmarkt Am Hof, history
- Am Hof, Wien Geschichte Wiki, City of Vienna
- Christkindlmarkt, Wien Geschichte Wiki, City of Vienna
- Vienna's most attractive Christmas markets, Vienna Tourist Board
- The Am Hof Christmas market 2026, VisitingVienna.com
- Weihnachtsmarkt am Hof, Ganz Wien
- Weihnachtsmarkt am Hof 2025, Volume.at
- Weihnachtsmarkt Am Hof im Test, Helden der Freizeit
- Am Hof Christmas Market reviews, TripAdvisor
- Punsch price comparison, Vienna Online, December 2024
- Christmas market drink prices, Heute.at, October 2024
- Christmas market ticket, Schloss Hof
- Schloss Hof Christmas market, all4family.at
Last updated: September 2026. Christian, Host & Founder, MINT @Naschmarkt.
