We came across a few Easter markets randomly in various cities here in Europe and I was impressed.
Then we went to Schönbrunn Palace and they blew the rest of them out of the water. I can only imagine the Christmas markets!!
So many fun food and craft vendors.
It was packed on the Tuesday after Easter, so I couldn’t imagine coming here over the Easter weekend. As someone who isn’t a big fan of crowds, I think that would be a hard pass.
It was lovely!
It’s hard to convey the scope, but everything is supersized (says the woman who doesn’t put up a single Easter decoration).
Ironically, despite spending a month in Vienna, we hadn’t found any good arches for the kids to do their statue poses (they’d found arches easily in Munich, Brno, and Sopron; I don’t think we got any in Bratislava?).
Anyway, if you’re so inclined to do statue poses, I am here to tell you there are arches at the entry to Schönbrunn Palace!
The highlight of the outing for Indy was definitely this free hay bale maze. There was a giant sign in both German and English saying not to climb on the hay bales… and there were at least 30 families climbing all over the hay bales when we arrived; Indy asked me for permission and I gave it. He had so much fun.
The whole time we were there, I didn’t see a single kid attempting the maze, everyone was jumping and climbing instead, so they clearly weren’t enforcing the rule too strictly.
They had these tiny huts with kid-sized picnic tables for getting out of the sun and snacking. So cute!
Indy really wanted to try lángos (a Hungarian fried dough that’s a staple at German/Austrian markets). They had a kids’ menu, so we opted for that which was half the price of the adult version!
A giant egg created from flowering plants was most impressive (said in my best Darth Vader voice)!
Lindt had its own section of the market with this fun photo wall.
We ended up buying quite a few things from the market, all gifts to take home for friends and only small items that weren’t breakable and won’t take up much space. The price point was higher, of course, but I loved the thought of the kids being able to show their friends pictures of where they bought the items and an Easter market at a giant palace is a pretty epic shopping venue.
The woman at this felt stall was so friendly; she gave us a free tote bag made out of fabric scraps (which we’ve used multiple times) and peppered me with questions about Canada and Nova Scotia.
There were no seats on the subway on the way home so the kids stood next to each other for a while. Hijinks ensued…
And that is my final recap post from Vienna!!! An entire month of living in the capital of Austria was an epic experience for our whole family and I suspect we’ll feel a deep connection to this city for the rest of our lives (both kids have declared they plan to go back some day).
Your turn.
- Have you been to a European Christmas or Easter market?
- Would you have let your kiddo climb on the hay bales despite the warning sign or been obedient?
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Oh, that looks like such a lovely place. I’ve never been to a holiday market like that- must add to my bucket list!
I admit I probably wouldn’t let my kids climb and jump on the hay bales. I wonder, as Easter Sunday had passed, the rules were relaxed? I can’t imagine an dEater market being up very long after Easter.
The Easter market there goes daily for almost a month. They take these celebrations to the max!
You’re probably right; since the “big event” was over, maybe things were more relaxed?
Well, according to Gretchen Rubin’s framework, I’m a “questioner.” I’ll gladly follow rules if they make sense to me. So I would definitely have allowed my kids to climb on the hay bales- I mean, why not?
I have been to Christmas markets in Germany! But never an Easter market- this looks really fun. Glad you got some souvenirs!
I’m a Questioner, too, Jenny!!!!
If no one else had been jumping, I would have never dreamed of letting him jump, but since everyone else was (and I didn’t see any overt reason why he couldn’t), I was fine with him jumping. While I’m a Questioner, I do NOT like getting in trouble. So I would have been terrified and mortified if someone had come over to approach me about it. I figured it was safe since everyone else was doing it 😉
Now I really want to go to a Christmas market in Europe!
That looks very fun and THE LINDT BUNNIES!!! Amazing!
It was very festive and now I’m definitely adding Go to a Christmas Market to my future travel list 😉
Yes I have been to a Christmas Market in Dusseldorf. My friend grew up there, moving to the US when she was 25. She showed me all her haunts, and we went to a few markets. They are not all the huge ones you see on TV. We went to a few small ones. It was lovely.
I can imagine the Christmas markets are like something straight out of a Hallmark movie. I really want to visit one in the future. Strolling through crisp winter air after dark, sipping warm drinks and basking in twinkling lights. Sign me up!!!
What a lovely experience.
I have a dear friend who lived in Germany for a few years and she told tales of the Christmas Markets. I think it must be something to behold in person, as photos don’t seem to be that impressive. What is impressive is that giant flower egg! WOW!
Believe it or not, I’m a pretty good rule follower, so I probably would not have let my kids jump on the bales. Yes, I can be quite the Fun Sucker! HA! But hey, I raised a law enforcement officer and a girl who follows even more rules than I! (What did I do, she asks?)
It seems like your time in Vienna flew by…at least from my perspective.
Oh my goodness, Suz, it FLEW BY!!
My ultimate dream is to go to the Christmas markets in Vienna. The snow, the gluhwein (hopefully got that spelling right), all the baked goods…maybe one day I’ll get there.
I felt Meh about Christmas markets before (they looked cool, but I just didn’t get the hype). Now, without being there in the winter, I get the hype. And definitely want to go to a Christmas market somewhere in Europe. They must be magical!!