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. Our verdict: go in daylight, pair it with the palace or the zoo, and leave around sunset, about 16:00 in December. It is also one of only three Vienna markets open on 27 December, so it suits a between-the-years trip; for an evening of Punsch (Vienna's hot market punch), stay 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 is the source for the 27 December point: only Schönbrunn, the Prater Winter Market and the new Belvedere market are still open that day, and only Schönbrunn and the Prater's market reach 6 January 2027. We are the host team at MINT @Naschmarkt, and we checked every date and price below against its source on 18 September 2026.
- 2026 dates and hours, including 24, 25, 26 and 31 December
- Free entry, and what palace tickets cost in winter
- Who has run the market since 2024, and what a first Punsch costs
- The U4 from the Naschmarkt (Vienna's open-air food market)
- A verdict by traveller, nearby sights and where to stay
When is the Schönbrunn Christmas market open in 2026?
Schönbrunn Palace's own event listing gives 6 November 2026 to 6 January 2027, and the hours below match on the market's FAQ page, on the operator Imperial Markets' page for the market and in the Vienna Tourist Board's listing.
| Date | Hours | How firm |
|---|---|---|
| 6 Nov to 23 Dec 2026 | 10:00 to 21:00 daily | Firm: operator and tourist board agree |
| 24 Dec 2026 | 10:00 to 16:00 | Firm: listed separately |
| 25 Dec 2026 | 10:00 to 19:00 | Covered by the daily range for 25 Dec to 6 Jan |
| 26 Dec 2026 | 10:00 to 19:00 | Same range, no exception published |
| 27 to 30 Dec 2026 | 10:00 to 19:00 | Same range |
| 31 Dec 2026 | 10:00 to 19:00 | Same range, no New Year's Eve hours published |
| 1 Jan 2027 | 10:00 to 19:00 | Same range, no New Year's Day hours published |
| 2 to 6 Jan 2027 | 10:00 to 19:00 | Firm: every source ends the season on 6 Jan |
The 21:00 closing ends on 23 December, and none of these sources lists separate holiday hours after it, so recheck in December if your trip hangs on one date.
Is the Schönbrunn Christmas market free? Yes, and the €42 Palace Ticket is separate
Yes. The market's FAQ page is blunt: "No, 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, per the palace's opening-times page. On its ticket page, the Palace Ticket costs €42 for adults and €30 for children from age 6; if you have seen it called the "Grand Tour", that name does not appear there. 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. The Sisi Pass, which adds Hofburg sights in the centre, is approximately €60 for adults; this pass alone has a seasonal price change from 19 November 2026, so confirm at booking.
The Classic Pass is not an option. 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: a palace ticket only pays off before 17:00, when the rooms close. Arriving mid-afternoon? Palace first, stalls after.
90 stalls in the palace courtyard, and a new operator since 2024
The market fills the Ehrenhof, the palace's main courtyard (the name means "court of honour"). For 2026/27, the market's homepage lists 90 stalls, and VisitingVienna independently counts over 90. The tourist board's listing mentions "traditional crafts, handmade Christmas decorations, an ice skating rink, curling rinks" and rides for children.
The market is older than its operator. According to the former operator's own retired site, the market ran for 30 successful years under MTS Wien before the 2023 handover, which 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, as MeinBezirk.at reported in March 2024. Imperial Markets' homepage dates its Christmas and Easter markets here to winter 2024, so 2026/27 is its third Christmas season.
That report led with a skating rink and children's mugs; Katrin Edtmeier, chief executive of Imperial Markets GmbH, was quoted saying the mugs were meant "to offer age-appropriate hot-drink portions for the first time" (translated from German). Imperial Markets' page for the market now lists a GLICE rink free for children, curling lanes, a carousel, a Ferris wheel, a children's train and a craft workshop.
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 cup is €10.50 out of pocket until you return the mug. The €5 comes back when you do. Keep the mug and it is a €5 souvenir.
The deposit is rising: MeinBezirk.at's 2023 survey found €4 here, with orange punch or mulled wine at €5 and berry punch at €5.50.
To take home, the blogger behind Journey of Doing found "more traditional handicrafts" than at other markets. For something sweet, 1000things Magazine's October 2025 report listed Lindt hot chocolate and festive chocolate creations.
Timing saves money at the rink. Imperial Markets lists it as free for children in 2026, but the detailed prices are last season's: 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 are simple: U4 to Schönbrunn, or tram 10 or 60 to the Schloss Schönbrunn stop. From the Naschmarkt, the U4 runs direct from Kettenbrückengasse, our nearest station (about a minute from our door, by our estimate), to Schönbrunn with no change. The ride takes about 7 minutes, according to fahrplan.guru's timetable listing, and wien-tickets.com's entrance guide puts the main gate a 5 to 7 minute walk from the station. Door to door, that is roughly a quarter of an hour 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 |
The zoo row comes from the zoo's directions page, the Imperial Lights row from its own site. For the market, do not get off at 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; the stalls stay open later, the palace does not.
| 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 |
Families also get space: a 2017 review by the German blog Helden der Freizeit rated the crowding lower than at Rathausplatz because the grounds are spread out. Treat that older visit as a note on the layout.
The plan that fails is Schönbrunn as the last stop of a December Saturday. At 18:00 the sun has been down for two hours and the palace and park are shut. What is left is a market one U4 ride from dinner.
Bottom line: come for the palace, leave at dusk.
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.
The one reason to stay after dark 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, with the U4 at Kettenbrückengasse about a minute from the door by our estimate: Schönbrunn in the morning, the centre in the evening. 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.
Once your dates are fixed, check dates 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 and there is no all-inclusive ticket: drinks, food and adult skating are paid for on the spot. 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.
