Schönbrunn Palace hosts Christmas Market from 6 November

Schönbrunn Palace (Schloss Schönbrunn) will host the Christmas Market from 6 November 2026, bringing a seasonal programme to the Parade Court in Vienna. The palace operator lists the market through 6 January 2027, giving visitors a current reason to include the imperial complex in an autumn or winter itinerary.

Schönbrunn Palace Christmas Market starts on 6 November

The market opens on 6 November 2026 in the Parade Court of Schönbrunn Palace. Its programme combines traditional arts and crafts, regional food and family activities, according to the official market listing.

The 2026 edition is scheduled to continue until 6 January 2027. The operator also lists a separate Imperial Lights trail in the Privy Garden from 6 November, creating a second dated attraction within the palace grounds during the same period.

Recent reporting by Austrian public broadcaster ORF says the market will have 95 stalls. It also identifies the Sternensalon as a new feature, with a panoramic terrace overlooking the market, while a weekly ice disco, craft activities and musical programmes are planned for families.

From imperial summer residence to winter venue

The market occupies the Parade Court of a complex whose history reaches back to the fourteenth century. The palace operator says Emperor Leopold I commissioned the Baroque architect Johann Bernhard Fischer von Erlach to design an imperial hunting lodge at the end of the seventeenth century.

Maria Theresa later expanded the site into an imperial summer residence, and its state and private rooms reflect the lives of Maria Theresa, Emperor Franz Joseph and Empress Elisabeth. This history gives the 6 November market opening a specific setting: the seasonal stalls and family programme will use the forecourt of an eighteenth-century imperial residence.

Schönbrunn Palace and its gardens were placed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in December 1996. The palace history page also records that the Republic of Austria took ownership after the end of the monarchy and that the Schönbrunn Group has administered the site since 1992.

The event therefore links a temporary winter market with a protected cultural ensemble. Visitors can move between the public forecourt, the palace interiors and the park, although the market and the historic rooms remain distinct parts of the wider site.

Visiting Schönbrunn Palace: what travellers from Western Europe should know

• The Christmas Market begins on 6 November 2026 and runs until 6 January 2027 in the Parade Court of Schönbrunn Palace.
• Admission to the market is free, according to the palace operator, while the market programme includes 95 stalls and the new Sternensalon.
• The separate Imperial Lights trail starts on 6 November 2026 in the Privy Garden, another named area of the palace grounds.
• The complex is at Schönbrunner Schlossstraße 47 in 1130 Vienna, and the palace operator identifies Vienna as its location.
• The palace and gardens have UNESCO World Heritage status dating from December 1996, so the market visit takes place within a protected historic ensemble.

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Frequently asked questions about Schönbrunn Palace

When does the Christmas Market take place at Schönbrunn Palace?

The 2026 market begins on 6 November 2026 and is scheduled to continue until 6 January 2027 in the Parade Court.

What is Schönbrunn Palace?

It is a former imperial summer residence in Vienna whose palace and gardens entered the UNESCO World Heritage List in December 1996.

Where is Schönbrunn Palace and how do you get there?

The complex is at Schönbrunner Schlossstraße 47 in 1130 Vienna. The market is held in the Parade Court, while Imperial Lights uses the Privy Garden.