Best Christmas Markets in Graz – My Personal Favorites!

Last weekend I traveled to my favorite city here in Austria:

The lovely city of Graz in Styria.

Graz is an amazing place to be at any time of the year. Especially during Christmas, the city attracts people from different neighboring countries with its festive flair and beautiful decoration.

Of course, I couldn’t miss being there during the most wonderful time of the year. And what better way to spend the weekend than visiting the best Christmas markets in Graz!

(This post contains affiliate links, which means I receive a certain percentage of a sale if you purchase after clicking.)

Christmas Market at Hauptplatz

November 22 – December 24
Opening Times: Daily from 10:00 am – 8:00 pm

The Christmas market at the main square (“Hauptplatz”) is probably the most famous and iconic one.

It’s located right in front of the city hall and with its huge decorated tree and lovely carousel it’s simply impossible to miss this one. Both – locals and tourists – love this Christmas market very much.

No wonder, its stalls offer everything! From sweets to mulled wine, teddy bears and gorgeous decoration – there’s nothing you can’t get there.

Moreover, special events for families and children take place every Sunday.

This year they implemented something completely new. All the stalls’ roofs are white and you can see several different light projections on them!

“Aufsteirern” Christmas Market at The Schlossberg

November 22 – December 22
Opening Times:
Friday: 12:00 pm – 9:00 pm
Saturday: 10:00 am – 9:00 pm
Sunday/Holiday: 10:00 am – 9:00 pm

Now hold on tight! Because the next one on my list of the best Christmas markets in Graz is located somewhere super unusual!

Far away from the city center and on the famous “Schlossberg”, you can find the “Aufsteirern” Christmas market. Its location – a former castle moat called “Kasematten” – is used as an open-air stage in the summer months.

Every year during Christmas tho, this place transforms into a festively decorated living room with numerous stalls offering delicious food, crafts and of course mulled wine & co!

The prices for mulled wine and other drinks are a bit more expensive here. Furthermore, you have to pay a deposit of € 5 for the mugs whereas at all other Christmas markets it’s only € 2.

No wonder, the mugs are super pretty and they’re made of enamel.

To reach the Christmas market you can either walk up the Schlossberg or take the Schlossbergbahn funicular.

As soon as you’re on top of the Schlossberg simply follow the signs saying “Aufsteirern” and they’ll lead you there.

Christmas Market at Färberplatz

November 29 – December 23
Opening Times:
Monday – Thursday: 11:00 am – 7:00 pm
Friday/Saturday: 11:00 am – 8:00 pm
Sunday: 12:00 pm – 10:00 pm

The Christmas market at Färberplatz is a true craft market offering traditional and also modern stuff to admire.

A lot of local but also international craftspeople and designers show their handmade goods. Most of the things they present are made of wood, clay, glass, textile or metal.

Besides those craft stalls, there were a few other ones offering regional food and drinks. Fortunately, one had a vegan Chili sin Carne on their menu so I decided to try it.

I think it was made with lentils and quinoa and it was super yummy! The stall was called “Platzhirsch” and I really recommend you to try it as well.

Christmas Market at Glockenspielplatz

November 22 – December 24, December 27 – December 31
Opening Times: Daily from 11:00 am – 10:00 pm (Except December 31 when it’s open from 11:00 am – 12:00 am)

The Christmas Market at Glockenspielplatz is rather small compared to the other ones. It’s one of my favorites mainly because of the lovely square it’s located on.

The Glockenspielplatz is only a minute walk from the Färberplatz so you can easily combine a visit to both markets.

If you’re lucky, you can watch the famous glockenspiel that takes place three times a day throughout the week.

Every day at 11:00 am, 3:00 pm and 6:00 pm two statues in a typical Austrian outfit dance in the gable of the house on the square while 24 bells ring three different melodies.

But now back to the Christmas market!

The few stalls you can find there have one main topic they focus on: Styria! That’s why you can find a lot of traditional Styrian specialties and handmade crafts from everywhere in Styria.

In my opinion, small but nice describes this market the best and that’s why it deserves to be on my list of the best Christmas markets in Graz!

Christmas Market at Franziskanerplatz

November 22 – December 24, December 26 – December 31
Opening Times: Daily from 11:00 am – 7:00 pm (Except December 31 when it’s open from 12:00 pm – 2:00 am on January 1.)

The Christmas Market at Franziskanerplatz is known as the oldest one in Graz.

This year it’s all about the rural tradition that’s why you can mainly find arts and crafts, the so-called “Thüringer Christmas tree decorations” and products from the Styrian “GenussRegionen” – which translates to “pleasure regions” – at this Christmas market.

Don’t worry tho! There are many other stalls offering mulled wine and also mouthwatering food. You can even find vegan burger and vegan dumplings at the stall from the Taiwanese restaurant “Cook Moon”.

The longest queue was in front of the stalls selling chimney cake. I had a bit of hope to get a vegan one because at the Veganmania in Vienna someone sold them.

Unfortunately, they didn’t offer vegan options there so no Trdelnik for me this time. 🙁

However, I found something almost as good at the next Christmas market!

Christmas Market “am Eisernen Tor”

November 22 – December 23
Opening Times: Daily from 3:00 pm – 10:00 pm

Last but not least, don’t forget to visit the Christmas market “am Eisernen Tor”.

This one made it on my list of the best Christmas markets in Graz because I found one thing I couldn’t find anywhere else in the city: VEGAN WAFFLES!

Seriously, I felt like the happiest human on earth eating them because they were SO good. Plus it was the only sweet vegan dish I could find at the Christmas markets.

Another bonus the market gets from me is that every stall is run by a charity organization. So all the money people spend there will go to various aid projects in Austria!

Where to Find The Best Christmas Markets in Graz

Luckily all the markets are all very close to each other and within walking distance. Here’s a map for you to find them more easily:

It’s a wrap! These are my personal favorite Christmas markets in Graz.

Of course, there are a few more markets in the city and I visited some of them too, but I liked the above ones the most. So let me know if you’ve been to some of the Christmas markets in Graz and which was your favorite one! 🙂

If you haven’t visited Graz in winter but are planning to, make sure to check out the winter packing list for Europe to be prepared for the cold temperatures!

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