Love in Vienna｜Before Christmas

With the last days of my Schengen visa, I reserved two or three days for Vienna. By the time I landed, it was already dark due to winter time. After rushing through the Kunsthistorisches Museum, I was surprised to find the streets completely empty. Only when I reached the City Hall did I feel the festive bustle. Vienna’s city center has four large Christmas markets located near the University City at Karlsplatz, at Rathausplatz in front of City Hall, at St. Stephen's Cathedral, and at the Prater amusement park across the river. The University City market is smaller but very lively during the day, with better handicrafts; the City Hall market is huge, featuring a large outdoor ice rink and many interactive installations, though the stalls are somewhat repetitive; the market in front of the Cathedral is the liveliest, with more food stalls and Christmas lights along the main road; the Prater market offers more food and drinks, with live band performances at different times daily. Since transportation is very convenient and walking distances are not far, I don’t recommend choosing one over the others—it's best to visit them all. Although I wasn’t familiar with this city before and had never seen Vienna in summer, I always had a stereotype that it belongs to winter. Amid the lights in the streets and alleys and the melodies of Johann Strauss (even the children hum along), Vienna is welcoming another New Year that belongs to it.