10 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, its proposed buildings or the neatly planned public areas.

All in all, everything there is to see in Vienna makes it seem like a city straight 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 weather of January and February has not yet arrived, November nights in Vienna can get pretty 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: experience a unique experience in a baroque setting and delight in some of the best works by artists such as Mozart, Beethoven, Haydn and Schubert.

Without a doubt, this is one of the best things anyone can do in Vienna, especially during the colder months when you don't want to be outside after certain hours.

The switching on of the lights in almost every city in the world is what kicks off the Christmas period. In Vienna, this moment is very special thanks to the more than 190 kilometres of cable with more than 2 million lights that flood the city during the first days of November, 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 eye-catching spots are the riverbanks, where the brightness of the lights is doubled by the reflection of the river, making it a great place to take photos that will make everyone gasp.

A great way to see the lights that adorn Vienna at this time of year, and at the same time keep out the cold, is to book a seat on a sightseeing bus. Great!

Visiting these markets in November is an excellent opportunity to take your time and pick out all the things you need to celebrate the Advent and Christmas season, as they are not as busy as they are in the run-up to the festive season as such.

So if you like to shop calmly , without rushing and have the opportunity to have more space and good service from the vendors, November is a perfect time to start your Christmas shopping in Vienna. The Christmas market at Rathausplatz is the largest and most eye-catching market for Christmas shopping. It has been held every November in Vienna for two centuries and is located right in front of the City 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 takes place every year throughout the month of November.

It brings together classical and contemporary music with a focus on new creations by Austrian artists, making it a great way to hear 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 showcase great musical heritage pieces from 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're visiting the Austrian capital in the cold month of November, this option becomes even more recommended. Some of the best museums to visit in Vienna are as follows:

• Book skip-the-line tickets for Vienna's Upper Belvedere Palace: this mind-blowing Baroque palace is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and houses one of the most important art collections in Austria, with works of art ranging from the Middle Ages to the present day by artists as important as Klimt, Van Gogh and 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 around 65,000 drawings and around 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, see 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 many of the city's monuments and attractions.

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 great attention to detail and curious innovations that surprise the spectators.

This activity fascinates above all 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. It is also a good way to get to know several cities in the country in one place, which will make your holiday even more profitable.

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

You can go and just enjoy each other's costumes, but if you're in a youthful spirit then remember to pack your costume and attend the super fun Vienna Comic Con, so you can enjoy two full days with your favourite characters and tour the exhibits, while photographing cosplays and performances of your favourite comic book characters. 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, because 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 it out, you should go to the Wiener Eistraum, which translates as "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 tourists who come to see it ecstatic. With an extension of 9,000 metres, it has two giant rinks and four areas for skaters of all kinds: children, beginners, intermediate and expert skaters. The rinks receive numerous visitors every year, reaching more than 500,000 people per year.

Practical information

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

The Fesch'markt Wien is an alternative event that brings together Vienna's independent designers and craftsmen. Each artist has a stand where they showcase their proposals and products of their own manufacture, so that when you return home and wear the garment you bought, you will surely shine with originality.

It is also an excellent opportunity to get to know alternative trends in art design and local gastronomy. The Fesch'markt Wien takes place on the premises of a huge old brewery called Ottakringer. These retro industrial spaces give the event a vintage and mind-blowing feel.

Practical information

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

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

And to give an extraordinary setting to this event, the fair is held in the Hofburg Palace, where the cream of the Austrian nobility lived in the past. 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 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, 11 November.

On the feast day of St. Martin, the patron saint of Burgenland, the Viennese take to the streets to enjoy roast goose (the classic one) and other recipes. It is usually eaten with knödel and red cabbage. If it's bitterly cold, goose soup is also a good idea.

Since you will find this dish in many places and almost always very well prepared, you don't need to go anywhere special. The best thing to do is 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 if you don't want to have a bad time when the sun goes down.