When are national public holidays in Austria in 2023? There are 14, but not everything is closed on them

Vienna’s streets are always quiet on a national holiday, and I love that

When it comes to national public holidays in Austria, the same ones apply every year. The only difference is they fall on a different day or date.

If you will be traveling to Austria in 2023 then, or even moving here, it is good to know when each of Austria’s national public holidays will take place.

After all, most companies, institutions and shops are closed on those days as well, so you may need to plan around that.

When are national public holidays in Austria in 2023?

Here is the list of the 14 public holidays that will be celebrated across the country in 2023:

  • 1st January: New Year’s Day
  • 6th January: Epiphany
  • 10th April: Easter Monday
  • 1st May: Labour Day
  • 18th May: Ascension Day
  • 29th May: Whit Monday
  • 15th August: Assumption of the Virgin Mary
  • 26th October: Austrian National Holiday
  • 1st November: All Saints’ Day
  • 8th December: Immaculate Conception
  • 24th December: Christmas Eve
  • 25th December: Christmas Day
  • 26th December: Boxing Day
  • 31st December: New Year

As you might expect, most of the country’s public holidays take place in December, with five of the 14 occuring then.

Also during February, March, June, July, and September no holidays take place and, yes, interestingly for you Brits among us, Austria also has a Boxing Day on December 26th.

 

Vienna’s famous Christmas markets still run during December’s national public holidays

What is closed on an Austrian national holiday?

As you might expect, banks across Austria are closed on these days, although acess to bank lobbies (with an ATM/credit card) and to ATM/deposit machines is easily accessible.

All shops, supermarkets, and pharmacies are also closed, although you will find some shops open in tourist areas, as well as a supermarket open for necessities at both Westbahnhof train station (down the stairs on the way to the train platforms), and at the city’s main train station Wien Hauptbahnhof.

Some neighborhood ethnic supermarkets are also open on Christmas Day.

Most businesses and all government offices are also closed on national holidays, as their employees want to be able to celebrate the special day as well.

On the other hand, tourist spots are always open (even on Christmas Day), including museums, palaces, and concert halls.

Many will also have special Christmas/holiday displays or events going on as well.

Vienna’s main Easter markets are still usually open on Easter Monday, and the city’s famous Christmas markets are also usually running until December 27th or 28th, as are many other Christmas markets throughout the rest of Austria.

That means, even if you are in Vienna or somewhere in the rest of Austria over Christmas, there will still be plenty of places open for you to visit and have fun.

About Michelle Topham

I'm a journalist, and the founder of Oh My Vienna. I have been living in Vienna since 2016 as an immigrant, because 'expat' is just a fancy word that means exactly that.