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Advent in Vienna: Measures for traveling to the Christmas markets
On the 1st of Advent, a new bus concept in Vienna ensures smooth transport. At the same time, central streets will be closed to accommodate Christmas market visitors. Find out about the regulations!
Advent in Vienna: Measures for traveling to the Christmas markets
With the first weekend of Advent approaching, the city of Vienna is expecting a rush of visitors who want to explore the festive Christkindl and Christmas markets. This has resulted in numerous traffic changes and restrictions designed to make travel easier.
Traditionally, Innere Mariahilfer Straße is completely closed to traffic on Advent Saturdays. The closure affects the section between Getreidemarkt and Kaiserstrasse. Neubaugasse is also affected; the closure between Mariahilfer Straße and Westbahnstraße applies here. These measures are comprehensive and include all types of vehicles, including cars, bicycles and e-scooters. In order to ease traffic around these popular shopping streets, one-way regulations on adjacent streets will also be lifted.
Special bus concept
An important part of traffic planning is the specialized bus concept that comes into force to regulate bus journeys to the Advent markets. On the four Saturdays in Advent there is a general ban on buses to the city center and the districts of Innere Stadt, Mariahilf, Neubau, Josefstadt and Alsergrund between 6 a.m. and 8 p.m. The only exceptions are regular buses and buses with a valid entry ticket, of which a maximum of 350 are available per day.
Getting to the Christmas market by bus has specific routes. Buses without a valid entry ticket are not allowed to travel to Schwedenplatz. Instead, buses arriving from southern directions are directed to the exit and boarding point at Praterstern, while buses coming from the north stop near the Westbahnhof on the Gurtel. The aim of this diversion is to maintain a calm atmosphere for residents and not to place unnecessary strain on private traffic.
For guests arriving on buses without an entry ticket, detour routes are available that take them to important subway stations such as Karlsplatz and the U2 station Vorgartenstrasse. In addition, Pierre-de-Coubertin-Platz was set up as a parking lot, from where passengers can easily get to the city center with the U2. All of these measures are part of the city's efforts to make visiting the Advent markets as pleasant and smooth as possible, while at the same time reducing traffic congestion in the city center.