11 Things to Do in Vienna in November

Walking through its streets, it is impossible not to marvel at the majestic architecture of Vienna's palaces, the proposals of its buildings or the neat and planned public areas.

In general, everything there is to see in Vienna makes it look like a city out of a fairy tale. If you want to take advantage of activities that are only available for a few weeks of the year, here is a list of events you can enjoy in Vienna during the month of November.

Although the cold of January and February has not yet arrived, November nights in Vienna can start to get quite chilly. If you don't feel like hunkering down in your hotel, but don't want to keep walking either, a great alternative is to book a classical music concert. There are several options:

• Book tickets for a Mozart concert: 30 musicians from the Vienna MOZART Orchestra together with opera singers will delight you with arias and duets from **Mozart'**s most famous operas. not to be missed!
• Book tickets for a Mozart and Strauss concert: enjoy an evening of classical opera, waltz and ballet music at a Mozart and Strauss concert in the Vienna Kursalon.
• Book tickets for a Vivaldi concert: Be amazed by this interpretation of Vivaldi 's acclaimed masterpiece performed by the 1756 Orchestra on baroque instruments.
• Book tickets for a classical music concert at the Church of Santa Ana: live a unique experience in a baroque setting and delight yourself with some of the best works of artists such as Mozart, Beethoven, Haydn and Schubert.

Without a doubt, this is one of the best activities anyone can do in Vienna, especially during the colder months that do not invite you to be outdoors after certain hours.

The switching on of the lights in almost every city in the world is what kicks off the Christmas season. In Vienna, this moment is very special thanks to its more than 190 kilometers of cable with more than 2 million lights that flood the city during the first days of November, thus welcoming Christmas and filling the spectators with a spirit of peace and celebration. And although light is the common protagonist of this activity, it will not always look the same.

While in some alleys you will be amazed by the light in the form of luxurious chandeliers, in another street you will be taken aback by the luminous decoration of the trees. One of the most striking places are the riverbanks, where the brightness of the lights is doubled thanks to the reflection of the river, making it an excellent place to take photos that will make everyone sigh.

A great way to contemplate the lights that adorn Vienna at this time of year and, at the same time, take shelter from the cold, is to book a seat on a tourist bus. Great!

Visiting these markets in November is an excellent opportunity to choose calmly all the things you need to celebrate the Advent and Christmas holidays as for this November season they are still not as crowded as in the date close to the festivities as such.

So if you like to shop calmly , without haste and have the opportunity to have more space and good attention from vendors, November is a perfect time to start your Christmas shopping in Vienna. The Christmas market at Rathausplatz is the largest and most striking to do your Christmas shopping. It has been held every November in Vienna for two centuries and is located right in front of the town hall building.

Austria is home to renowned classical artists, and perhaps you chose to visit Vienna because you were attracted by its classical music concerts. If so, the Wien Modern Festival is the event for you. This festival is designed for music lovers and art lovers and is held every year throughout the month of November.

It brings together classical and contemporary musical proposals giving preponderance to new creations by Austrian artists, making it an excellent way to listen to music that is totally new to your ears.

Here you can also dance to the rhythm of the music performed by the artists while enjoying the visual arts that serve to present great musical heritage pieces of the past and the work of new Austrian composers. An eclectic arts experience where music takes the lead.

Practical Information

• Location: Held at various venues in the city, from the Konzerthaus and the Musikverein to cafés and churches.
• Price: depends on performance and venue

Although the city of Vienna is a work of art in itself, its museums are always worth a visit. And if you are visiting the Austrian capital in the cold month of November, this option becomes even more recommendable. Some of the best museums to visit in Vienna are the following:

• Book skip-the-line tickets for Vienna's Upper Belvedere Palace: this mind-blowing Baroque palace is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and inside it houses one of the most important art collections in Austria, with works of art ranging from the Middle Ages to the present day by such relevant artists as Klimt, Van Gogh or Schiele.
• Book tickets for the Kunsthistorisches Museum: Vienna's Museum of Art History houses works from ancient Egypt to the end of the 17th century by artists such as Rubens, Rembrandt, Raphael and Velázquez, among others. An absolute must-see.
• Book tickets for the Albertina Museum in Vienna: this museum houses one of the most extensive graphic collections in the world, with about 65,000 drawings and about 1 million prints by artists such as Monet, Renoir, Chagall, Miró, Magritte, Munch and Picasso.

You can also visit museums dedicated to Mozart or Schubert, contemplate the contemporary collections of the Museum of Modern Art (MUMOK) or the works of Klimt at the Leopold Museum by purchasing the Vienna Explorer Pass, which includes access to numerous monuments and attractions in the city.

Every November, the famous Model Fair takes place for a week. This event takes place in the comfortable facilities of the Modellbau Messe and is specially designed for visitors to enjoy a tour in which they can appreciate the small cities built with total thoroughness and curious innovations that surprise the spectators.

This activity fascinates especially fans of manual arts and scale constructions, but everyone will be surprised to see so many constructions that will make you feel like a giant. In addition, it is a good way to get to know several cities in the country in one place, which will make you get more benefits in your vacations.

This event is attended by both comic book fans and those who are curious to be surrounded by animated characters.

You can go and simply enjoy the costumes of others, but if you have a youthful spirit then remember to pack your suitcase and attend the super fun Vienna Comic Con, so you can enjoy two full days with your favorite characters and tour the exhibitions, while you photograph the cosplays and performances of the main figures of your comics. The event takes place every year at the Messezentrum Vien.

There are those who look forward to these events and even follow these activities worldwide to enjoy the innovations, since from their point of view, no two Comic Con conventions are the same.

If you like ice skating or are captivated by the idea of trying this activity, you must go to the Wiener Eistraum, which translated means "Viennese Ice Dream". It is a truly spectacular open-air ice rink, right in front of the City Hall building or Rathaus.

Its enormous dimensions leave the tourists who come to see it ecstatic. With an extension of 9,000 meters, it has two giant rinks and 4 spaces for skaters of all characteristics: children, beginners, intermediate and experts. The skating rinks receive numerous visitors every year, reaching more than 500 thousand people per year.

Practical information

• Location: Rathausplatz
• Price: a voucher for four hours of skating for adults costs about 8 €, while children pay about 6 €. It is also possible to rent skates
• Hours: between 10:00 and 22:00

This market is an alternative event that brings together Vienna's independent designers and craftsmen. Each artist occupies a stand where they show their proposals and products of their own manufacture, so that surely when you return home and dress with the garment you bought, you will shine for the originality.

It is also an excellent opportunity to learn about alternative trends in art design and local cuisine. The Fesch'markt Wien takes place in the premises of a huge old brewery called Ottakringer. These retro industry spaces give the event a vintage and mind-blowing touch.

Practical information

• Location: Ottakring, in Vienna's 16th district
• Price: 10 € for a whole weekend and 7 € for one day only

The ART&ANTIQUE Fair is an event that brings together all art and antiques dealers in Austria and has been held every November for more than 5 decades in the Austrian capital. There you can find from wonderful pieces of antique art to innovative proposals of contemporary art.

And to give an extraordinary setting to this event, the fair is held in the Hofburg Palace, a place where the cream of the Austrian nobility of the past lived. Attending this event in a place steeped in history will make your purchase even more special. When you take home a souvenir, you will not only be taking home a work of art, but a piece of world history.

As you stroll through the streets of Vienna in the month of November you may see a sign in restaurants with the name "Martinigansi" on it . This is a recipe made with goose meat and, although you can try it at other times, it is traditional on St. Martin's Day, November 11.

In celebration of this saint, patron saint of Burgenland, the Viennese take to the streets to enjoy roast goose (the most classic) and other recipes. It is usually eaten with knödel and red cabbage. If the cold is intense, it is also good to try goose soup.

Since you will find this dish in many places and very well prepared in almost all cases, it is not necessary to go to any special place. The best thing to do is, without a doubt, to go by smell.

It is always a good idea to check the weather forecast shortly before you start your trip. However, I can guarantee you one thing: it's going to be cold.

Highs in this month average 8 degrees Celsius, while lows are (also on average) only 3 degrees Celsius. Obviously, warm clothes are a must to avoid having a hard time when the sun goes down.