Vienna in February is cold and dry: about 6 °C by day, just below freezing at night, and the driest month of the year. It is a good month for museums, the ballet and the end of the ball season, but not for long days outdoors. In 2027 it has two halves: the ball season's last week, from the Opera Ball on 4 February to the Hofburg's closing ball on 11 February, then quiet weeks with lengthening days. February's hotel revenue per room was the second lowest of 2025.
Is February a good time to visit Vienna in 2027?
Yes, if you plan to spend most of each day indoors, or you are coming for a ball or the end of carnival. If you want long evenings outside and fountains running, wait for spring; the best time to visit Vienna, month by month sets February against the other eleven months.
February 2027, date by date:
| Date | What happens | Our note |
|---|---|---|
| Mon 1 Feb | Sunset around 16:55 | Day about 9.5 hours long |
| Thu 4 Feb | Opera Ball, Staatsoper | Ticket raffle closed in June |
| Sat 6 Feb | Lawyers' Ball, Hofburg | U-Bahn runs all night |
| Mon 8 Feb | Rudolfina-Redoute, Hofburg | Sold out by mid-October |
| Tue 9 Feb | Shrove Tuesday | Last day of carnival |
| Thu 11 Feb | Ukrainian Charity Ball, Hofburg | Last Hofburg ball of the season |
| Sun 14 Feb | Valentine's Day | Shops shut, flower stalls may open |
| Mon 15 Feb | Sunset around 17:15 | 44 minutes more light than 1 Feb |
| Sun 28 Feb | Sunset around 17:35 | Nearly 1.5 hours more light than 1 Feb |
Sources: 2027 ball dates; Opera Ball tickets; Rudolfina-Redoute; public holidays 2027; U-Bahn and shop hours; Naschmarkt hours; sunset times.
Up to 11 February you have four balls in eight days and the last two days of carnival. That is the ball season's last week, not its peak: the 2027 ball calendar lists eight big balls in January and three in February, and the Rudolfina-Redoute adds a fourth. After the 11th no big balls are left, and the evenings get longer every week.
7 reasons to go to Vienna in February
It is the driest month. On the 1991 to 2020 averages for Vienna's Hohe Warte weather station, February gets 38 mm of rain or snow, the least of any month and less than half of May's 79 mm. It also gets about 3.7 hours of sun a day, against 2.3 in January.
Hotels are about half full. In February 2025 they earned €56.5 per available room, the second lowest of the year after January's €50.0, against €143.5 in December 2025. In 2023 and 2024 February was the lowest month of all. The figure counts booked and empty rooms alike, before breakfast and VAT, and is still provisional: it is not a room rate, but it tracks how full hotels are and what they charge. Rooms were about 52% full in February 2025 and about 53% in February 2026.
The ball season ends in February. Four balls fall between Thursday 4 and Thursday 11 February, from the Opera Ball to the Ukrainian Charity Ball, the last of the season at the Hofburg.
Carnival ends on 9 February. That is Shrove Tuesday, and the carnival pastry is the Krapfen, a jam-filled doughnut.
There is ballet at the Staatsoper. Living Legacies, with works by Balanchine, Wheeldon and Ashton, is on 1, 6, 7 and 11 February.
You can skate on Rathausplatz. The Wiener Eistraum rink is announced for 22 January to 7 March 2027, daily from 10:00 to 22:00, so it runs all month.
The evenings get lighter every week. By 28 February the day is nearly an hour and a half longer than on the 1st. In the second half there is time for a museum and a walk before dark, or for one of the day trips from Vienna. Most museums open daily, though some close on a Monday or Tuesday.
When is the Vienna Opera Ball 2027, and can you still get tickets?
The Opera Ball is on Thursday 4 February 2027 at the Staatsoper, starting at 20:15. Entrance tickets go by raffle, and registration for 2027 ran from 1 to 5 June 2026, so you can no longer enter it. Those drawn in the raffle pay €435, which includes a €35 donation. Table seats, entrance included, cost €665 each and went on sale on 24 June 2026. Spectator tickets cost €110 to €290. The Opera Ball Office is the only point of sale.
The next seven days bring three more balls, all at the Hofburg: the Lawyers' Ball on Saturday 6 February, the Rudolfina-Redoute on the carnival Monday, 8 February, and the Ukrainian Charity Ball on Thursday 11 February. The Rudolfina-Redoute was listed as sold out by its organiser in mid-October 2026. The usual dress code for a Vienna ball is a long evening gown, or a tuxedo or tails.
What is Fasching, and when is it in 2027?
Fasching is Vienna's carnival season. It starts at 11:11 on 11 November, together with the ball season, and ends on Shrove Tuesday, Faschingsdienstag in German. In 2027 carnival is short: Easter Monday falls on 29 March, which puts Shrove Tuesday on 9 February and Ash Wednesday on 10 February. The Ukrainian Charity Ball on 11 February comes the day after Ash Wednesday.
The carnival pastry is the Faschingskrapfen, a round doughnut of yeast dough, fried, filled with apricot jam and dusted with icing sugar. The custom goes back to clergy who told people to bake the more nourishing Krapfen instead of bread just before Lent, and Krapfen are still served at carnival today.
3 reasons to wait for spring
It is cold. On the same averages, February's high is 6.0 °C and its low -0.4 °C. Snow covers the ground on about 9 days and falls on about 4, though Vienna tends to get less snow than the rest of Austria, and wild snowstorms are rare.
The sun sets early. On 1 February sunset is around 16:55, and Schönbrunn's palace park, free to enter, closes at 17:30.
The fountains are off. Schönbrunn's fountains do not run until mid-April, so if gardens are the point of your trip, spring suits you better.
What a Naschmarkt base gives you in February 2027
Our five apartments are a minute from the Naschmarkt, Vienna's open-air food market on the Wienzeile. Our U-Bahn station, Kettenbrückengasse, is at its southern end, one U4 stop from Karlsplatz, and the U4 runs direct to Schönbrunn, five stops. On foot from Kettenbrückengasse, by our estimate:
- Staatsoper, for the Opera Ball and the ballet: about 1.2 km, about 15 minutes.
- Hofburg, for the other three balls: about 1.8 km, 21 to 24 minutes.
- Rathausplatz, for the Eistraum: about 2.0 km, 24 to 27 minutes.
The U-Bahn runs all night only on Friday and Saturday nights and before public holidays. The Opera Ball and the Ukrainian Charity Ball are on Thursdays and the Rudolfina-Redoute is on a Monday, nights when the trains do not run through. From the Staatsoper the walk back is about 15 minutes on foot by our estimate. If all your evenings are at the Hofburg, a base closer to it saves the longer walk.
The market's stalls may trade from 06:00 to 21:00 on weekdays and until 18:00 on Saturdays, though many close between 18:00 and 19:00. Its restaurants and bars may stay open until 23:00 from Monday to Saturday, and the Saturday flea market beside it runs from 06:30 until 15:00 at the latest.
Valentine's Day, 14 February, is a Sunday in 2027. Shops are closed on Sundays except at the large railway stations, the airport and museum shops, and the Naschmarkt's stalls are shut too. Its flower sellers are the exception: market rules let them open from 09:00 to 19:00 on Valentine's Day. These are the permitted hours, not a promise that every stall opens. The market's restaurants may open from 09:00 to 21:00, so flowers and a Sunday dinner are both a minute from the apartment.
Where to stay in February: 1 minute from the Naschmarkt
For two people, Mini MINT is 35 m², from €185 a night. Check-in is from 15:00 and check-out by 11:00, and we store luggage free before and after, so an early train or a late flight does not cost you a day. The minimum stay is two nights, and from 7 nights the Wochenend+ rate takes 15% off. Both the MINT Artisan (65 m², from €185) and the two-bedroom Penthouse Maisonette (85 m², from €375) sleep four. You can check dates and book direct.
Frequently asked questions
What is the weather like in Vienna in February? On 1991 to 2020 averages, February's high is 6.0 °C and its low -0.4 °C. It is the driest month of the year, with 38 mm of rain or snow and about 3.7 hours of sun a day.
Does it snow in Vienna in February? Sometimes: on the 1991 to 2020 averages, snow covers the ground on about 9 February days and falls on about 4. Vienna tends to get less snow than the rest of Austria, and wild snowstorms are rare.
Is Vienna busy in February? Not by hotel numbers: just over half of Vienna's hotel rooms were taken in February 2025 and 2026, and in 2025 only January earned hotels less per room. The dates to plan around are the balls from 4 to 11 February and the Austrian school holidays, which run in three waves from 1 to 20 February.
Is the Eistraum open in February? Yes: the Wiener Eistraum rink on Rathausplatz is announced for 22 January to 7 March 2027, daily from 10:00 to 22:00. Rathausplatz is about 2.0 km from Kettenbrückengasse, our U-Bahn station, or 24 to 27 minutes on foot by our estimate.
When are the Austrian school holidays in February 2027? Vienna and Lower Austria have the week of 1 to 6 February off, Burgenland and Carinthia 8 to 13 February, and Upper Austria, Salzburg, Styria, Tyrol and Vorarlberg 15 to 20 February. Only 21 to 28 February has neither school holidays nor big balls.
What is open in Vienna on Valentine's Day 2027? Valentine's Day is Sunday 14 February 2027, when shops are closed except at the large railway stations, the airport and museum shops. At the Naschmarkt the flower sellers may open from 09:00 to 19:00 and the restaurants from 09:00 to 21:00, while the other stalls stay shut.
How much is the tourist tax in Vienna in February 2027? The Ortstaxe, Vienna's local tax on overnight stays, is 5% of the price of a February 2027 stay. A rise to 8% is scheduled from 1 July 2027.
Sources
Our team checks the dates, prices and figures on this page by hand against official sources.
- Wiener Staatsoper: Opera Ball 2027, Opera Ball tickets, ballet programme 2026/27
- Vienna Tourist Board: ball season 2027, climate, Naschmarkt, opening times
- Vienna Tourist Board statistics: hotel revenue per room 2025, February 2025, February 2026
- GeoSphere Austria: climate data 1991 to 2020
- City of Vienna: Naschmarkt hours, Naschmarkt flea market, public holidays 2027, local tax on stays
- Federal Ministry of Education: school holidays 2026/27
- Rudolfina-Redoute, organiser: Rudolfina-Redoute 2027
- Wiener Eistraum, organiser: Eistraum 2027
- Traditional foods in Austria, register entry 167: Krapfen
- Schönbrunn Palace: park opening times
- timeanddate.com: sunrise and sunset, February 2027
- Wikipedia: U4 station list
Last updated: October 2026. Christian, Host & Founder, MINT @Naschmarkt.
