{"id":688,"date":"2015-09-11T12:59:53","date_gmt":"2015-09-11T10:59:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/?p=688"},"modified":"2026-01-24T17:39:58","modified_gmt":"2026-01-24T16:39:58","slug":"does-it-snow-at-christmas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/weather\/does-it-snow-at-christmas\/","title":{"rendered":"Does it snow at Christmas?"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/mountainsnow.jpg\" alt=\"Mountain snow\" class=\"wp-image-30586\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/mountainsnow.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/mountainsnow-100x100.jpg 100w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>Vienna gets snow every year (at least it has since 1953), ranging from 1cm to over 2m of the stuff.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But will you wake on Christmas morning and gasp in delight as the snowflakes settle on Santa&#8217;s sleigh tracks?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Probably not.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Sorry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Book a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tiqets.com\/en\/concerts-opera-vienna-tickets-l206741\/?partner=visitingvienna&amp;tq_campaign=LG_Xmas\" rel=\"sponsored\">concert experience<\/a>* for your trip<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>See also:\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/entertainment\/10-things-at-christmas\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"3459\">What to do at Christmas<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/travel-and-weather\/\" data-type=\"page\" data-id=\"1668\">Weather and travel tips<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The facts&#8230;<\/h2>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" src=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/snowbalcony.jpg\" alt=\"Snow with a measuring stick\" class=\"wp-image-45916\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/snowbalcony.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/snowbalcony-300x225.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-small-font-size\">(One day&#8217;s worth of snow on my balcony from way back in 2013)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I went through the recent 25+ years of December records for the main Vienna weather station and combined them with my own experiences. Here&#8217;s the deal:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>It snowed on Christmas Eve in 1996, 2012 and 2025<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>It snowed on Christmas Day in 2007 and 2021 (and possibly 2025: I wasn&#8217;t paying attention)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>In other years, we opened our presents under snowless skies.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" src=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/karlskirchesnow2023.jpg\" alt=\"Karlskirche in the snow\" class=\"wp-image-66704\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/karlskirchesnow2023.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/karlskirchesnow2023-300x225.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-small-font-size\">(The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/sights\/karlskirche\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"22144\">Karlskirche church<\/a> after a December snowfall)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To be honest, the evening of December 25th in 2021 actually only produced a brief smattering of snow (based on the view from my window). Just about enough to qualify.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The few forlorn flakes hadn&#8217;t even the heart to settle. Though, to be fair, the surrounding hills might have got a bit more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If that all sounds a little disappointing, remember that it might snow before or after Christmas.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" src=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/riesenradwinter.jpg\" alt=\"The Riesenrad in the snow seen through the trees\" class=\"wp-image-66105\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/riesenradwinter.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/riesenradwinter-300x225.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-small-font-size\">(Wintry scenes around <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/sights\/riesenrad\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"271\">the Riesenrad<\/a>)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For example, snow lay on the ground on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day a few times across that 25-year period.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So you have a better chance of experiencing a white Christmas <strong>period<\/strong> than the above suggests.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We had a decent snowstorm in early December 2021 and a few days of snow in December 2022, as well. And in 2023, snow fell on the 23rd, raising all our hopes and then shattering them by melting quickly and not returning.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" src=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/brahmssnow.jpg\" alt=\"Statue in the snow\" class=\"wp-image-76474\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/brahmssnow.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/brahmssnow-300x225.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-small-font-size\">(&#8220;Yeah, I&#8217;ve had better days to be honest&#8221;)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>December 2024 proved notably lacking in meaningful snow, continuing a broader trend to warmer winters (one of the main themes in the 2024\/2025 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/sights\/museums\/winter-in-vienna-exhibition\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"77523\">Winter in Vienna<\/a> exhibition at the Wien Museum, for example).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Then December 2025 saved the day by snowing properly on Christmas Eve and possibly a bit on the day itself (I was too busy cooking to check).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Should white stuff be absent, console yourself with the thought that bright snow quickly turns to brown slush in a city anyway.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Although I will say that the Vienna woods, the city parks, and the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/sightseeing\/christmas-markets\/\">seasonal markets<\/a> do look quite wonderful coated in fresh white. Bah humbug!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Of course, you have one promising option if desperate to find snow: a nearby set of small hills has been known to attract the odd flake. The mountains of the Alps are just a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/mapsgeography\/alps\/\">day trip away<\/a> by car or public transport.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Vienna gets snow every year (at least it has since 1953), ranging from 1cm to over 2m of the stuff. But will you wake on Christmas morning and gasp in delight as the snowflakes settle on Santa&#8217;s sleigh tracks? Probably not. Sorry. The facts&#8230; (One day&#8217;s worth of snow on my balcony from way back [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":30586,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[19],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-688","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-weather","8":"entry"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/688","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=688"}],"version-history":[{"count":20,"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/688\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":88215,"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/688\/revisions\/88215"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/30586"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=688"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=688"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=688"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}